Saoto, satay, petjil and dawet. Four warungs, three hours, no menus.
Warung hopping in Blauwgrond: Javanese Paramaribo only starts after six
Minimum 3 people per departure. Fewer of you? Ask whether you can join another group on the same date.
Blauwgrond sits in the north of the city and stays half empty until around six in the evening. Then the charcoal grills come out and you spend three hours across four warungs: saoto you season yourself, satay off the grill, petjil in peanut sauce and a cold glass of dawet to finish.
Javanese Surinamese people are descendants of indentured labourers brought from the Dutch East Indies from 1890 onwards. What they brought with them has been developing here for a hundred and thirty years and is no longer the same as in Java: the sambal is different, there is more sweetness, and saoto has become a Surinamese dish in its own right.
We make four stops. At the first you eat saoto: clear yellow chicken broth with beansprouts, fried potato slices, fried onion, half a boiled egg and as much sambal as you dare. At the second, petjil, steamed vegetables with peanut sauce, and bami. At the third, satay off the grill, usually chicken, sometimes heart or liver if you are game.
The fourth stop is sweet and cold: dawet, a pink-and-green drink with coconut milk and pandan jelly that looks odd on the first sip and stops looking odd on the second. Then we drop you wherever you want in the city.
This tour deliberately does not overlap with the daytime food tour. Do both and you never eat the same thing twice.
What happens on the day
Blauwgrond 6 stops
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18:30
Pick-up in the centre, short drive to Blauwgrond.
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18:50
Warung one: saoto soup, seasoned to your own taste.
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19:30
Warung two: petjil, bami, fried taro.
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20:10
Warung three: satay off the charcoal grill.
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20:45
Warung four: dawet and something sweet.
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21:30
Back to the centre. End of tour.
Times are indicative. Weather, traffic and how long you want to stay somewhere decide the rest.
Included
- Four stops, four dishes, plus drinks
- Return transport from the centre
- Guide in English or Dutch
Not included
- Beer and spirits
- Tips
Bring
- Insect repellent, after dark this is not optional
- Cash for extra rounds
This is for you if…
People a day into Paramaribo who want to eat where the neighbourhood eats, at shared tables, with the sambal within reach.
Do not book this if…
Not for you if you want to sit indoors with air conditioning: most warungs are half open-air and the mosquitoes join you at the table. And not for anyone who cannot have peanuts, peanut sauce is in almost everything we eat.
What you meet along the way
Frequently asked questions
What is a warung in Suriname?
A warung is a small, usually Javanese eating place, often half open-air, with a very short menu or none at all. The best-known ones in Paramaribo are in Blauwgrond, in the north of the city. A plate of food typically costs SRD 60 to SRD 150.
What is saoto soup?
Saoto is a Surinamese-Javanese chicken soup: clear yellow broth with beansprouts, fried potato slices, fried onion, smoked chicken and half an egg, with sambal on the side. It descends from Javanese soto and has become its own thing in Suriname. It is the signature dish of Blauwgrond.
What time do the warungs in Blauwgrond open?
Most Blauwgrond warungs run from around six in the evening until late, longest at weekends. That is why this tour starts at 18:30, before that the neighbourhood is quiet.
What if there are fewer than 3 of us?
This tour departs from 3 people, because only then are the guide and the tour costs covered. With fewer, ask whether you can join another group on the same date; we confirm per enquiry whether that works.
What do children pay?
Children under 4 come free and taste from their parents' plates. From 4 to 11 they get their own tastings for €44 per person, 20% off. In the minibus every child has their own seat, never a lap.
Other tours
- Paramaribo Food Tour
The market at nine, when it is at its fullest, and a roti lunch to end on.
€55 per person 4 hours
- Cooking class: market to table
You pick out the pomtayer yourself, and five hours later you eat it.
€75 per person 5 hours
- Historic Centre Walking Tour
From the cells of Fort Zeelandia to the synagogue that shares a plot with a mosque.
€40 per person 3 hours
- Sunday Morning in Paramaribo
Songbirds at seven, Javanese market at eight, breakfast at nine.
€55 per person 4 hours
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