Tanjung Pinang is a seafood town through and through. Crab, prawns, squid, and local mollusks come straight off the boats and onto your plate, often for under $5. Padang-style restaurants are everywhere, serving rice with a spread of small dishes -- sambal, rendang, fried fish, vegetables -- and you pay for what you eat.
Chinese-Indonesian food is equally strong here. Bak kut teh (pork rib soup), otak-otak (grilled fish cake), and char kway teow are local staples. The food stalls around the waterfront market are the best place to start, especially in the evening when the whole area fills with smoke and the smell of grilling seafood.