Popular Ayam Goreng Restaurant in Indonesia Admits to Using Pork Lard in Cooking After 50 Years in Operation

After more than half a century in operation, a famous fried chicken restaurant in Indonesia had been ordered to close temporarily following viral confusion about its Halal status.

Social media user @pedalranger posted on his Threads account and said he was shocked to learn about the use of pork fat in the restaurant’s cooking. The said restaurant, Ayam Goreng Widuran, which has been serving customers since 1973, is known for its Spiced Fried Chicken and Kremesan Chicken dishes (Indonesian Fried Chicken with Crunchy Bits). The restaurant is located in Solo, Surakarta City, Indonesia. There is also an outlet in Bali.

Many of Ayam Goreng Widuran’s customers are Muslims, and according to the Threads user, customers were NOT notified about the use of pork fat.

The discovery received major backlash from customers, and the management of Ayam Goreng Widuran immediately posted an official statement last Friday (May 23) via its Instagram post, and apologised to all customers for the confusion. In its statement, the management said,

“We have displayed the non-Halal signs at all our outlets, and our social media.”

“We hope that everyone can give us space and time to improve.”

The Mayor of the Solo City Trade Service, Agus Santoso, announced that an investigation into the restaurant will be conducted on Tuesday, May 27, 2025.

“We have discussed with several departments. This inspection will focus on the source of raw materials because ready-to-cook ingredients are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health and the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM),” he told the local media.

Only one dish contains pork fat

Meanwhile, one of the restaurant’s employees, Rando, admitted that the non-Halal sign was only displayed following the circulation of the matter. He clarified that only the Kremesan Fried Chicken is prepared with pork fat, while other chicken dishes are made with regular cooking oil.

At the time of writing, Ayam Goreng Widuran has been labelled as non-Halal on Google.

To our Muslim friends who have travelled to the place or are planning to visit the eatery, this is something you might want to look out for.

Also read: “This place is non-Halal” – Chinese Uncle Warms Hearts by Cautioning M’sian TikToker Having Coffee at a Kopitiam