INDO Palo Alto: Four Indonesians, One Favorite Mie Goreng

When four Indonesians sit down to eat together, agreeing on the best dish is not something I take for granted.

We have opinions. About rice. About noodles. About whether a dish tastes like home or merely has an Indonesian name on the menu. So when all four of us picked the same favorite at INDO Restaurant & Lounge in Palo Alto, I paid attention.

It was the mie goreng.

A Fancy Night Out, Indonesian Style

INDO has the feel of a fine-dining restaurant. The setting is polished, the service was good, and it felt like a place to settle in and enjoy dinner with friends.

The menu draws on Indonesian and other Southeast Asian flavors, with some dishes taking a more modern approach. We ordered Bali ribs, fried rice, and mie goreng—enough for me to find both something familiar and something that surprised me.

Bali Ribs: Good, but Where Is the Bali?

The ribs looked good, and they tasted good too. Plenty of flavor. I enjoyed eating them.

But when I see Bali in the name, I start thinking about the spices and sambal matah I associate with food on the island. These ribs didn’t give me that particular flavor.

My Indonesian brain noticed. My stomach, meanwhile, was perfectly happy to keep eating.

Would I call them the authentic Balinese ribs I expected? No. Would I eat them again? Yes. Both things can be true.

Fried Rice with Smoke

The fried rice was a highlight. It had a smoky flavor that made me take notice—the kind of flavor I want when I order fried rice.

It was good enough that I’d order it again. But at our table, the rice had some serious competition.

The Mie Goreng Won the Table

The mie goreng reminded me of noodles back home. That familiar taste was the best part of the meal for me.

And it wasn’t just me. All four of us at the table were Indonesian, and all four chose the mie goreng as our favorite. Getting four Indonesians to agree on the best dish? That noodle deserves some respect.

If you’re visiting INDO for the first time, this is the dish I’d tell you to order.

The Verdict

I liked INDO. The restaurant has a fine-dining feel, the service was good, and the food gave us plenty to enjoy.

The Bali ribs didn’t taste the way I expected from the name, but they were flavorful. The fried rice brought the smoke. And the mie goreng brought me a little taste of home.

Cherub Score: 8.4/10

INDO Restaurant & Lounge
3295 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94306