#5 Bandung Shopping: Cihampelas Walk
Of all the shopping malls that are available in Bandung, Cihampelas Walk–more famously known as Ciwalk by the locals–is perhaps the one that I prefer visiting the most. It is not the largest nor the most complete, but one thing that I like about Ciwalk is how it manages to successfully confer a rather pleasant atmosphere all-around, where anyone can either dine, shop, or just fooling around in a comfy, cozy, and perhaps most importantly, friendly environment.
The mall itself features primarily an outdoor concept, where a large portion of its area is located outdoor. I have heard that they are trying to evoke the sense of walking through European streets, and although it is pretty debatable whether they are successful or not (and if they are, to what degree) in achieving that objective, the outdoor concept for me is a lot of improvement when compared to places with traditional indoor concepts such as Bandung Indah Plaza or Bandung Super Mall.
The “streets” themselves are separated into three areas, though if I may guess I think most of the visitors are not even aware of this. The first section is called “Young Street.” Various dining spots are located here, such as Raffel (where you can buy burgers), Shin Men (specializes in Ramen noodles and all-around Japanese cuisines such as Gyoza, Miso, Soba, or Ocha), Raa Cha (for Thailand Barbeques), Tahu Brintik (the closest word in English for Tahu is “Tofu”), and Blind Cafe. Speaking of Blind Cafe, it is a place with such a unique concept that I think it needs a post specifically dedicated to it (be sure to read it.)
The second section of the “streets” is dubbed “Union Square.” As the name suggested, it is indeed some sort of Ciwalk’s town square, where often events such as music concerts or product launching are held. For dining options in this section, you can choose from a variety of places such as: Baso Malang Karapitan (have you ever tasted Indonesian-style Meatballs with noodles and ‘pangsit’?), Platinum (a Cafe of some sorts), Cafe Pisa, Starbucks (no explanation required), J.Co Donuts and Coffee, Breadtalk, Pizza Hut, Embassy, Innocence, and Score!–the last three are not exactly traditional dining places, however; they are night-clubs.
The third and the last section is called “Broadway”, named obviously after the extremely famous theatrical productions in Manhattan, New York. This section features the largest amount of selection of dining spots, such as Pattaya Juice Bar, Texas Fried Chicken, Avenue A Pizza, Le Petit Paris, Oh La La Bistro, Gokana Tepan, Glosis, Tjing Wan Chinese Cuisine, Honeymoon Desert, SoeDoe, Takoyaki, Takiyo, Hunky Dory, Bandung Brownies, Pisetta Ice Cream, and Torabika Cafe.
Of course, Ciwalk is not all about food, though you may incline to believe so since it seems like all I talked about it is its dining spots, hahaha. The center building is also filled with various shops and stores, although you may find the available selection there to be quite limited when compared to places such as Bandung Super Mall. There is also a Cinema there with a healthy amount of studios available for multiple movie showings and stuff. 3D screenings are also available in the Cinema for a relatively cheap price of Rp. 50.000,-, or about 5 bucks of US dollars. Watching James Cameron’s Avatar in 3D is quite the experience indeed.
For good measure, there’s a Hotel available directly next to it as well.
All in all, Ciwalk is a nice place to go if you are inclined to do some shopping inside a cozy atmosphere. Quite recommended.
Tags: Bandung Shopping, Bandung Shopping Mall, Cihampelas, Cihampelas Walk, Ciwalk, Shopping, Shopping Mall
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Bandung Shopping
