Labuan Bajo · Flores
More than a restaurant.
A cultural gastronomic experience of Flores.
A reservation-only cultural dining experience in the hills above Labuan Bajo — slow-cooked over fire, served with meaning, and rooted in generations of Flores tradition.
A must-visit destination
Komodo shows you the islands.
Dapur Tara brings you into Flores.
For guests who came to Labuan Bajo and want the real Flores experience — not another tourist dinner.
Reservation only
Not an ordinary
restaurant
There is no à la carte and no walk-ins: every experience — the food, the fire, the table, and the rhythm of the evening — is prepared in advance for the guests who booked.
Fire & time
Slow-cooked
over fire
Some dishes begin the night before, following the slow rhythm of fire and time — the way Flores families and their ancestors cooked long before restaurants existed.
The ritual
Food as
ceremony
Each dish is brought out, named, and introduced — what it is, where it comes from, and why it matters in Flores. Dapur Tara does not sell plates of food; it uses food to bring you into Flores.
The land
A living garden on nearly
two hectares of Flores land
You are already inside a living permaculture jungle garden where food, medicine, flavour, shade, and ritual grow together — some plants cultivated, others simply what nature gives.
Your visit
How a visit
unfolds
01
You reserve your place at the fire
02
We prepare the fire, the garden, and the table
03
You arrive in the hills above Labuan Bajo
04
The table is served, named, and shared
Our experiences
Choose your
Dapur Tara experience
Three ways to the table, shared or private. All prices include 10% tax.
01
Lunch at the Table
Starts 13:00
one sitting a day
A daytime table in the garden
The full Flores table by daylight, in our open bamboo kitchen with the garden all around — bright, social, unhurried.
02
Dinner at the Table
Starts 19:00
one sitting a day
An evening gathered by the fire
The same table after sunset — slower and quieter, gathered close around the fire as the hills go dark.
03
Cooking Class
Starts 10:00
one sitting a day
Cook over fire, then share the table
Cook the dishes over fire with our team, then share the table.
Close the place for your group
A private buyout,
and no one else that day
Book privately and we take no other guests for that seating. The fire, the long table and the garden belong to your group alone — no strangers seated beside you, no other party to wait for.
What people close it for
- An anniversary or a birthday, away from a restaurant floor
- A family gathering that needs one long table
- A team dinner, or a company visiting Flores
- A wedding party, the night before or the day after
- A private group brought by a travel agent
What it costs
Lunch 13:00 or dinner 19:00, about 2 hours · cooking class 10:00 – 14:00 · 6 to 40 guests.
The full Manggarai feast cooked over wood fire, each dish carried out and named for you, a Flores moke (arak) tasting for guests 18 and over, and a walk through the permaculture garden on request. Book the cooking class and your group cooks that feast with our team over the fire, then sits down to eat it. Children under 10 at half price. All prices include 10% tax.
The table
The Flores
table
One prepared table, cooked the way Manggarai cooks: fire first — wood, not gas — then the garden, then time. Some dishes take most of the day. Around seven or eight come to the table at once, and each one is named for you.
A tofu & tempe vegetarian menu, plus gluten-free options, are available on request. This is a prepared table, not an à la carte menu.
Full menu details →Created by Kaka Liz
Kaka Liz
Created by Kaka Liz and rooted in her Maumere heritage, Dapur Tara carries her knowledge of food, hospitality, ritual, and Flores life.
“This is not just food. This is how we remember who we are.”
What guests say
Heard around
our table
“One of the most special places we visited in Indonesia. The food was outstanding and unlike anything else.”
“A truly special tribal cooking experience. The setting is beautiful, the atmosphere peaceful and authentic. A highlight in Flores.”
“HIGHLY recommend their traditional cooking class. The tropical garden felt magical. A top highlight of our trip.”
“Such a warm welcome, peaceful place, and the food was delicious. Worth the visit while in Flores.”
“A beautiful oasis of peace, almost meditative. Not just dinner, a real Flores experience. We will return.”
Before you leave Labuan Bajo
Enter Flores.
The fire takes time to prepare — and so does your table.
40 minutes from Labuan Bajo · Village of Melo · Reservation only.
Stay a little longer
Want to stay a little longer?
Sten Lodge is our quiet eco-boutique stay inside the Dapur Tara land — wake up near the garden, the fire, and the hills above Labuan Bajo.
Book Sten Lodge →