Medan shops in layers: Malay songket and Indian silk in one covered lane, Batak looms in a back alley off Jl. A.R. Hakim, Chinese roasteries in Kesawan. Three days here move from pavement rattan workshops to air-conditioned malls and back.
Despite the name, no fish has been sold here since the 1950s — three covered lanes off Jl. Perniagaan packed with songket, Indian silk, batik and curtain fabric by the metre. Open 09:00–17:00, closed Sunday.
Medan's four-storey central market: dried chillies and andaliman pepper on the ground floor, gold and watch counters above, and a whole wing of cheap luggage. Busiest 10:00–14:00, and most stalls take cash only.
A working ulos workshop on Gg. Pendidikan off Jl. A.R. Hakim where around twenty wooden looms run behind the shopfront. Watch a sadum cloth take shape, then buy scarves, table runners or framed panels. Open 08:00–17:00.
A 1920s Kesawan shophouse that still roasts Mandheling and Sidikalang beans in the back room and sells them by the kilo in plain brown bags. Drink a kopi susu at the marble tables while they grind your order.
Medan's flagship mall on Jl. Zainul Arifin: six floors holding Batik Danar Hadi, Indonesian label counters and a basement supermarket stocking Sumatran coffee and bottled sambal. Trading 10:00–22:00 daily.
The student street running past USU campus, lined with distro outlets selling Indonesian streetwear labels, screen-printed tees and cheap denim. Shutters go up around 11:00 and most shops stay open until 21:00.
A half-kilometre run of open-fronted rattan workshops where chairs, baskets, lampshades and baby cradles are bent and bound right on the pavement. Small pieces pack flat and sellers arrange cargo shipping.
Opened in 2023 on old Deli railway land off Jl. Putri Hijau — a glass atrium with fashion anchors, minimalist homeware floors and a Sumatran craft corner. Open until 22:00 and noticeably calmer after 20:00.
Two floors on Jl. Rotan: ulos and songket, Batak wood carving, horn combs and bulk kopi upstairs, fresh produce below. Doors open 08:00 and close around 17:00, with the souvenir aisles filling after 10:00.
The rolled sponge cake Medanese carry onto every flight home, with cheese, chocolate and durian fillings baked through the morning at the Jl. Kruing bakery. Boxes leave warm and the queue peaks 12:00–15:00.
The Jl. Gatot Subroto fruit hall stacked with Karo highland produce — markisa syrup, salak, avocado — plus a packaged-souvenir aisle of Sidikalang coffee, dodol and sambal teri. Open 08:00–22:00.
Jl. Majapahit is the bika ambon street: a dozen shopfronts selling the yellow honeycomb cake, with Zulaikha among the longest-standing. Baked in batches all afternoon, so ask which tray came out last.