Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Kue manis di warung itu lumayan enak. - The sweet cakes at that stall are quite delicious.

A warung is a small, often family-run stall or simple shop. It might sell cooked food (like a tiny eatery), snacks, or everyday items. It’s more casual and modest than a restoran (restaurant) and closer to a stall or mom-and-pop shop.

Is kue singular or plural? How can I make it explicitly plural?

Indonesian doesn’t mark plural by default, so kue can mean cake/cookie/pastry or cakes. To make plurality explicit:

Reduplication: kue-kue (emphasizes “cakes,” often a variety).
Quantifiers: banyak kue (many cakes), beberapa kue (several cakes).
Numbers (optionally with a classifier): dua kue, dua buah kue (two cakes). If you mean slices, use potong: dua potong kue.

Why is the adjective after the noun (kue manis) and not before it?

In Indonesian, descriptive adjectives typically follow the noun: kue manis (sweet cake), warung kecil (small stall). You can also say kue yang manis to emphasize or clarify “the cake that is sweet.”

What does itu refer to here? The stall or the cakes? How would I say “those sweet cakes”?

In the sentence, itu attaches to warung: warung itu = “that stall.”
To say “those sweet cakes,” put itu after the noun phrase: kue manis itu.
You can combine both if you really want to specify both the cakes and the stall: Kue manis itu di warung itu lumayan enak.

What nuance does lumayan add? Could I use cukup instead?

Lumayan means “pretty/quite/fairly,” often with a mildly positive or “better than expected” nuance. Cukup also means “fairly/quite,” but it’s more neutral or matter-of-fact. Both are fine:

lumayan enak: quite tasty (pleasantly so)
cukup enak: fairly tasty (neutral) Stronger options: sangat enak or enak banget (very tasty).

Is enak only for taste? Are there synonyms?

Enak means tasty, but also “pleasant/comfortable” in other contexts (e.g., tidur enak = sleep well). Synonyms for food:

lezat: delicious (more formal/culinary)
nikmat: richly enjoyable
sedap: tasty (common in Malay and some regions of Indonesia)

Why is there no word for “is/are”? Can I add adalah?

Indonesian doesn’t use a copula before adjectives. Enak itself functions as the predicate. Adalah is used mainly with nouns (A adalah B) or in formal definitions, not before adjectives. So don’t say “adalah enak” here.

Can I move the location phrase? For example, start with Di warung itu.

Yes:

Di warung itu, kue manis lumayan enak. (emphasizes location)
Kue manis di warung itu lumayan enak. (the location modifies “kue manis”)
Kue manis lumayan enak di warung itu. (sounds like “sweet cakes are quite tasty there,” the location feels more like a general setting than a tight modifier of the noun)

Do I need yang before di warung itu to mean “the sweet cakes that are at that stall”?

Not required. A prepositional phrase can directly follow the noun: kue manis di warung itu. Use yang when you need clear contrast or emphasis:

Saya mau kue manis yang di warung itu, bukan yang di toko.

How do I make this a yes/no question?

Three common ways:

Formal/neutral: Apakah kue manis di warung itu lumayan enak?
Conversational (intonation): Kue manis di warung itu lumayan enak? (rising tone)
Colloquial Jakarta style: Apa kue manis di warung itu lumayan enak?

How do I say the opposite, like “not very tasty”?

Options:

tidak enak: not tasty
tidak terlalu enak / tidak begitu enak: not very tasty
kurang enak: not quite good (politer/softer)

Pronunciation tips for the sentence?

kue: koo-eh (two syllables, not “kweh” in standard Indonesian)
manis: MAH-nees (short “i” like “ee,” unstressed)
warung: WAH-roong (roll or tap the r; “ng” as in “sing”)
itu: EE-too
lumayan: loo-MAH-yahn
enak: UH-nak (the “e” is a schwa) Stress is light and even; Indonesian rhythm is fairly syllable-timed.

How would I specify a quantity, like two sweet cakes or a piece of cake?

Two cakes: dua kue manis (everyday), or dua buah kue manis (with a general classifier).
Two slices/pieces: dua potong kue manis.
One piece: sepotong kue manis.

What’s the difference between di, dari, and ke with this noun?

di warung itu: at/in that stall
dari warung itu: from that stall (source/origin)
ke warung itu: to that stall (destination)

Does kue manis mean dessert in general?

Not exactly. Kue covers cakes, pastries, cookies, and many traditional snacks. Dessert as a course is pencuci mulut or hidangan penutup. Kue manis are sweet pastries/snacks, which people may eat anytime, not only after meals.

Could I drop manis? What would change?

Yes: Kue di warung itu lumayan enak means the cakes/pastries there are quite tasty (general statement). Adding manis specifies you’re talking about the sweet ones (as opposed to savory snacks, often called kue asin or other savory items).