Our Story
Indonesia is made up of thousands of islands, each with its own flavours, spices, and cooking traditions. Yet for many people in London, Indonesian food is still a discovery waiting to happen.
SAMBEL! was created to spark that discovery.
Built on over 25 years of chef experience, our food brings together fire, smoke, spice, and comfort through a modern take on Indonesian cooking. From charcoal-grilled chicken to slow-smoked beef and fragrant rice wrapped in banana leaves, every dish is designed to offer something familiar, surprising, and full of flavour.
At the heart of it all is sambel; bold, vibrant, and deeply personal. It is not just heat; it is character, balance, and the flavour that brings everything together.
Come hungry. Leave curious. Taste Indonesia, one sambel at a time.
Behind SAMBEL! is a small team with a big passion for Indonesian food. Built on decades of experience in hospitality, kitchens, branding, and service, we came together with one shared purpose: to introduce London to the flavours we grew up with and love deeply. Every dish we serve carries that spirit, warm, bold, generous, and full of character, inviting guests to taste authentic memories and the stories behind them.
The People Behind SAMBEL!
Behind SAMBEL! is a team brought together by a shared love for Indonesian food, warm hospitality, and the belief that our cuisine deserves a bigger place in London.
Our chefs have spent decades in professional kitchens, but SAMBEL! is personal. It is shaped by memories of home, the smell of food over fire, the comfort of rice and sambel, and the joy of seeing someone taste Indonesian flavours for the first time.
Every dish is built with care: the marinades prepared patiently, the grill watched closely, the sambel balanced until it feels just right. From the kitchen to the front of house, our goal is simple, to make every guest feel welcomed, curious, and excited to come back.
SAMBEL! is powered by experience, but driven by passion. We are here to share the food we love, the way we believe it should be shared: boldly, generously, and from the heart.
Three friends. One corner of Semarang. A shared love of comfort food.
Every good thing at Sambel! starts the way the best meals do, with people who couldn't stop talking about food.
It began at Kolese Loyola in Semarang, the school that first brought the three of them into the same orbit. Years later, thousands of miles from home, they'd find each other again in London.
Leo and Bayu are the fire in the kitchen. Classically trained chefs, they earned their stripes on both sides of the world, from the streets of Semarang to London institutions like the Savoy, the Landmark, and Searcys at the Gherkin, mastering fine dining without ever losing the flavours they grew up on.
Andrew came from a different world entirely: 3D design, all shape and texture and detail. But food was always the thing he kept coming back to, the flavour he couldn't stop chasing, the table he couldn't wait to set.
Reunited in London, the three of them noticed the same thing. Indonesian food here so often followed the same familiar path, and they felt there was so much more to share: bolder, brighter, and built around the ingredient they loved most. So they stopped wishing for it and started cooking.
Sambel! is what came next, shared roots, one chilli-fired passion, and a menu that tastes like home. Pull up a chair. You'll taste exactly what we mean.