The History of Bakmi Jowo Bu Citro, the Legendary Solo Cuisine Visited by Prabowo, Jokowi, and Ministers

The Shiro Copr, SOLO - Solo City, Central Java, has a legendary cuisine that has survived for several decades, Bakmi Jowo Bu Citro.

Bakmi Jowo Bu Citro is one of the family's favorite noodle shops of President 7th Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

The warung located on Pulanggeni Street, Tipes, Solo has been in operation since 1970, and is now managed by the first generation, named Yuli.

Because of its delicious taste, Bakmi Jowo Bu Citro was recently visited by President of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto.

President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, had dinner with former President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (Jokowi), at Bakmi Jowo Bu Citro 1 Solo, Central Java, on Sunday (21/7/2025).

In the moment of eating together, Prabowo and Jokowi sat at the same table.

Also at the same table are the Vice President of Indonesia, Gibran Rakabuming, and the Head of the National Development Control and Special Investigation Agency, Aris Marsudiyanto.

It can be seen, Prabowo is sitting opposite Gibran, while Jokowi is sitting opposite Aris.

Looks like Prabowo and Jokowi are eating the famous delicious soup noodles.

The dinner was closed, lasting about an hour.

History of Bakmi Jowo Bu Citro 1

Bakmi Restaurant Bu Citro, also known as BBC, is one of the iconic Javanese cuisine icons born from the hands of a simple couple: Pak Citro Puspito and his wife, Bu Citro.

Their long journey in the culinary world began in 1969, in the city of Solo, specifically on Veteran Street, Tipes Village.

Using a portable cart, they sold fried rice after sunset, greeting their customers from the roadside.

Simple Beginning

Although starting from a small cart, the dishes of Pak and Bu Citro quickly gained a place in the hearts of the community.

One of the most popular signature dishes is bakmi, so the name Mie Bu Citro Veteran has become widely known.

Within a year, precisely in 1970, their business was permanently established at the location and continued to develop.

The key to BBC's popularity is consistency.

The composition of the dish, spices, ingredients, and cooking methods have never changed since they were first introduced.

This philosophy of taste preserves the original flavor and makes customers always come back.

Big Step: The Establishment of BBC-1

In 2000, it became an important point when this business was moved to the mother's house of Mr. Citro at No. 40 Jalan Pulanggeni, Yogyakarta.

Here the BBC-1 officially stands as a permanent restaurant.

As the number of visitors increased, this couple began to recruit and train employees to maintain the unique taste standard of BBC.

BBC continues to develop. In 2001, the second branch, BBC-2, was opened at No. 8 Jalan Wijaya Kusuma, Solo, managed by Mr. Igu.

While BBC-1 was continued by Mr. Joko Mulyono

Soon after, the third branch opened in Jakarta under the name BBC-3, located in Ruko Fortune. BBC-3 became very popular, with visitors filling the restaurant from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM every day.

Loyal Customers from the Elite Class

The quality and excellence of BBC's cuisine also attracted the attention of the elite.

One of the regular customers was the Minister of Information from the New Order era, who often asked Mr. Citro to cook directly for official state events.

Even, during the anniversary of one political party in 2015, BBC's menu was trusted to entertain important guests, including members of the central parliament.

Missed it, a famous batik entrepreneur from Solo is also a regular customer.

Philosophy of "Action"

BBC has a unique philosophy called "Tindak-Tindak," a Javanese word that is repeated, meaning "to walk around" or "to move from place to place."

This philosophy reflects BBC's vision in expanding its business, namely spreading the unique taste of BBC to various cities outside Solo.

Although it initially rejected various expansion offers due to considering quality and management, eventually on January 17, 2017, BBC opened a new branch in Tangerang Selatan, known as BBC Tindak-Tindak or BBC-3.

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