Top 9 Must Try Restaurants to Eat at in Bali, Indonesia
Hello Bali’s Lovers 🙂
I am based in Indonesia and spend a lot of time in Bali, and in am always amazed with the food on the Island. We can surely say that it can match any restaurants in Europe, US, or anywhere in the world . From fine dining to hipster dishes and gorgeous breakfast.
Bali food scene is an interesting mix of modern Australian cuisine, western urban food and trendy fresh dishes. But not only. You can find traditional European food such as Italian or French and of course, the Local Indonesian dishes with the famous Warrungs ( restaurants ).
Why does Bali have the best restaurants?
There is so much to eat and so little time. Therefore, choosing between Bali’s Best Restaurants can take time and effort, especially with so many incredible fine dining establishments springing up all over the island.
As you are aware, Bali is rapidly becoming a gourmet destination, with all of the finest culinary traditions from around the globe now available on our tiny island paradise. And it’s not just the food that has global gourmands interested. We’ve got designer decor, celebrity chefs, chic cocktails, and awards galore, not to mention some of the most romantic setups on the beach, mountain tops, and down in the jungle. You will find plenty of vegans options too !
Therefore, we’ve done the legwork for you and compiled a list of Bali’s Very Best Restaurants, the best of the best in every neighbourhood. Of course, this one isn’t for you if you’re looking for the best local cuisine, cafes, or coffee shops in Bali. But if you’re a serious foodie or curious about the culinary world, pack your appetite and put your best outfit on because these are Bali’s top restaurants.
Most of this culinary revolution can be attributed to the Australians, who fled to Bali to broaden their culinary capabilities along the beaches of Seminyak and in Ubud, the island’s spiritual hinterland. However, Bali’s indigenous cuisine should be noticed. Aside from the cheap and cheerful warrungs ( Restaurants in Indonesian ) , numerous deluxe restaurants serve genuine Balinese and pan-Indonesian cuisine. Indeed, the abundance of global cuisine here seems more appropriate for a multicultural city than just a tropical island.
Bali is a foodie’s paradise, with an incredible variety of restaurants to choose from. Whether you’re looking for traditional Indonesian cuisine, international fare, or something in between, you’re sure to find something to your taste on the island of the gods.
Looking for breakfast in Bali ? Breakfast in Canggu, Seminyak , Ubud ? Check our guides !
A FEW TRADITIONAL RESTAURANTS IN BALI :
Here are a few of my top picks for the best restaurants in Bali:
Locavore in Ubud is a great place to try traditional Balinese cuisine made with fresh, local ingredients. The menu features dishes like bebek betutu (smoked duck), babi guling (suckling pig), and nasi campur (a rice dish with a variety of vegetables, meats, and eggs).
✔️ The Farm in Ubud
is another great option for traditional Balinese cuisine. The restaurant is located in a beautiful garden setting, and the menu features dishes like lawar (a salad made with shredded chicken, vegetables, and coconut), sate lilit (minced chicken skewers), and bebek goreng (fried duck).
✔️ Sardine in Seminyak
is a great place to try international cuisine with a Balinese twist. The menu features dishes like black cod with coconut curry, grilled octopus with lemongrass, and wagyu beef with truffle risotto.
✔️ The Grill at Jimbaran Bay
(Less traditional but yummy ) is a great place to enjoy seafood dishes with stunning views of the Indian Ocean. The menu features dishes like grilled lobster, sea bass ceviche, and oysters Rockefeller.
✔️ Mama San in Kerobokan
is a great place to try modern Peranakan cuisine. Peranakan cuisine is a fusion of Chinese and Malay cuisine, and the menu at Mama San features dishes like laksa lemak (a coconut curry noodle soup), char kway teow (a stir-fried rice noodle dish), and roti john (a type of grilled sandwich). (Less traditional but yummy )
✔️ Merah Putih in Ubud
is a perfect place to enjoy a traditional Balinese meal. The restaurant is located in the rice fields of Ubud and offers stunning views of the surrounding area. The menu features a variety of classic Balinese dishes, including nasi goreng, babi guling (roast suckling pig), and bebek betutu (smoked duck).
✔️ Motel Mexicola in Seminyak ( NOT TRADITIONAL )
is a popular spot for international cuisine. The restaurant is located in Seminyak and has a fun and relaxed atmosphere. The menu features a variety of dishes from around the world, including tacos, burgers, and pizzas.
✔️ Naughty Nuri Warrung Seminyak
is a great option for vegetarians. The restaurant is located in Nusa Dua and offers a variety of delicious vegetarian dishes, including tempeh satay, nasi goreng, and gado gado.
These are just a few of the many great restaurants in Bali. With so many options to choose from, you’re sure to find something to your taste on the island of the gods.
Where to eat in Bali ?
In addition to the restaurants listed above, there are also a number of other great places to eat in Bali. Here are a few of my favorites:
* Warung
(street food stalls) are a great way to experience the local cuisine on a budget. You can find warungs all over the island, and they serve a variety of dishes, including nasi campur, mie goreng, and gado-gado.
* Pasar
(markets) are also a great place to find food in Bali. The markets are full of fresh produce, meats, and seafood, and you can often find vendors selling ready-made meals.
* Homestays
often offer home-cooked meals to their guests. This is a great way to experience traditional Balinese cuisine in a homey setting.
No matter how you choose to eat in Bali, you’re sure to have a delicious and memorable experience. The island is home to a wide variety of restaurants, markets, and homestays, so you’re sure to find something to your taste.
Don’t forget to check my other articles about the best breakfast in Bali, what to do in Bali, or best sunset bars.
MY TOP FAVOURITE RESTAURANTS IN BALI
Locavore in Ubud
Suppose you’re fortunate enough to secure a reservation at this wildly popular Ubud favourite (definitely reserve a table well before you arrive in Bali). In that case, you’ll quickly understand what all the fuss is about. The renowned degustation menu at Locavore highlights the culinary brilliance of Chef-Owners Eelke Plasmeijer and Ray Adriansyah. These two chefs made history at Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards by solely portraying Indonesia and became the only restaurant (ever) to rocket up the list by a staggering 27 places.
At this experimental restaurant, take a seat and prepare to be amazed by dishes like the oven-roasted jicama with passion fruit emulsion or the salt-cured prawn with a chilli gel and kemangi juice. As you may have guessed, the menus here pay homage to the restaurant’s namesake by utilizing only regional ingredients and wholly celebrating Indonesia’s farmers, fishers, and culinary artisans. Any severe foodie must have this.
Mozaic restaurant in Ubud
Don’t miss out on this award-winning garden eating experience from one of the world’s best restaurants! Chef Chris Salans, a French-American, will take your palate on a journey from high cuisine in Europe and the United States to the abundant natural supply of Indonesia, with all of its mysterious flavours, resulting in a mosaic of flavours and cultures.
Mozaic is a creative haven with multiple levels of experimenting and one-of-a-kind tasting menus. Chris Salans and his sommelier team have collected over 150 different types of wines to develop memorable moments.
Mozaic, which San Pellegrino ranked as the 50th finest restaurant in Asia, offers a constantly-evolving menu of different seasons of Asian cuisine. Numerous set menus are available at the restaurant, with meals like the slow-roasted pigeon with a mamey sapote puree, braised radicchio, and green peppercorn demi-glace among the always-surprising offerings. In addition, visitors can choose from smaller menus in the restaurant’s lounge, where the inventive signature drinks reflect the creativity in the food. Those who can pay for this indulgence can anticipate a unique culinary journey.
Hujan Locale Ubud
Meyrick, Bali’s celebrity street food chef who brought us Sarong, Mama San, Som Chai, and Tiger Palm, is again given credit for putting his spin on Asia’s street food favourites at another award-winning restaurant, Hujan Locale, in Ubud. This is one of his ventures, after all. He travels around Indonesia with a pasture menu in this instance. Our favourites are the Balinese smoked sausage with green papaya and sambal and the scallop ceviche with finger lime and green chilli oil.
This two-story restaurant offers a diverse menu with some of Will’s signature tastes and flavours (curries, soups, and noodles all play important roles), reconciling the cultural gap between Asian haute cuisine and tasty home-cooked food. Our clear favourite is the Jimbaran grilled fish with sambal mango, sambal matah, sambal ketchup, and sambal bajak.
Aperitif Ubud
Apéritif is Viceroy Bali’s second trademark fine dining restaurant in Ubud’s lush jungle hills and mountains (joining CasCades, above). Its cuisine focuses on top-tier produce sourced from the hotel’s greenhouses, around the island, and the world. These flavours are then introduced in an exquisite 7-course tasting menu (unique vegan and vegetarian menus, as well as a 5-course lunch menu), with sublime creations like chawanmushi king prawn or the signature Venison Wellington encrusted with foie gras drizzled with a rendang sauce.
The aperitifs here are unsurprisingly good, thanks to award-winning bartender Ran Van Ongevalle, and are inspired by the Roaring Twenties with a tropical Bali twist thrown in for good measure!
Mama San Seminyak
The sister establishment of Sarong is the oh-so-trendy Mama San, a Seminyak institution that solidified celebrity chef Will Meyrick’s place in the culinary world. Compared to the Sarong flagship, Mama San is a more laid-back establishment that focuses on sharing street food bites, unique cocktails, and even a raw food menu, all of which are presented in an old Shanghai meets gentlemen’s club setting. Every night is packed, which only strengthens Mama San’s enviable reputation.
Usually, the word “fusion” makes us nervous, but in the capable hands of Will Meyrick, this is a magnificent pan-Asian melange. See the breathtaking mural and immerse yourself in the finest of Sichuan, Shan, and Hmong Provinces.
Despite the interior’s appearance of being ultra-trendy and decorated in style reminiscent of Shanghai in the 1920s, the ambience is surprisingly laid back. Visitors can savour a meal or catch up with friends for hours. The menu includes traditional dishes from Indonesia and a wide variety of other popular Asian cuisines, including Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Indian.
Ginger moon Seminyak
Ginger Moon, tucked away in Seminyak’s culinary hub Eat Street, offers up Bali on a plate with a side of mischief. Executive chef Dean Keddell’s irreverent twist on traditional Indonesian cuisine is sure to please. The restaurant proudly offers “Balinese” nachos, which substitute spicy-sweet sambal for salsa, and a lofty gado-gado salad made with herbs from Ginger Moon’s rooftop herb garden. Both dishes are meant to be shared among close friends while enjoying a beer (or three!). Please pay attention to the restaurant’s signature cocktail list because it contains some of the best drinks on the island, including the utterly mystical Ginger Mist (light rum, coconut rum, ginger, and pineapple).
Ginger Moon honours Balinese and Indonesian food culture with tropical recipes and unparalleled knowledge, commemorating their roots and heritage. Amid Bali’s busiest neighbourhoods, on the island’s well-known “eat street,” you can find a tranquil oasis. It has a weathered wooden exterior that gives off a beach hut vibe, and the extensive sprouting ferns keep it grounded in tranquillity and nature. You’ll undoubtedly feel renewed and refreshed after eating here.
At Ginger Moon, eating is “a sharing thing,” which is great because it allows you to sample various dishes. Choose from various steamed buns to order for you and your gourmet companion. They can be filled with anything from barramundi and beef rendang to suckling pig.
Sangsaka restaurant Seminyak
A relaxed restaurant serving contemporary Indonesian food. Sangsaka is situated in affluent Seminyak in southern Bali, close to its well-known beaches. To create distinctive dishes that highlight the distinctive regional flavours of the archipelago that makes up Indonesia, chef Kieran Morland employs a wide variety of woods and charcoal. The weekly menu adjustments are made by the fresh produce and ingredients found in the market and feature imaginative takes on classic Indonesian dishes. Various “Small Plates” and “Large Plates” are available for appetizers and main courses. If you like surprises, try the “Tasting Menu” with nine dishes! There are dining tables next to a fully stocked bar, so guests can enjoy a fantastic selection of beverages and cocktails.
A fully accessible kitchen and soft lighting can be found inside the upscale but cozy Sangsaka Restaurant. A warm, welcoming atmosphere is created by the limited number of seats, which is enhanced by the attentive and friendly service. Sangsaka serves creative culinary creations made with the best regionally and seasonally sourced ingredients. Chef Keiran updates classic dishes and incorporates more unexpected Indonesian ingredients. The range of intriguing cocktails on the menu at Sangsaka’s in-house bar are all made using the same inventive method.
The plantation grill Seminyak
The Plantation Grill, the opulent dining destination at Seminyak’s Double-Six Luxury Hotel, boasts 1920s-style colonial glamour and an exquisite menu to match. Be on the lookout for gourmet treats cooked over specially made coal and wood grills and wood-fired ovens, such as oysters, T-Bone steaks, jumbo Tiger prawns, and grilled crispy pork belly. In addition, the Bombe Alaska is a well-known, flambeed dessert worth trying. After dinner, go to the chic Sunset Bar for a nightcap that one of the talented bartenders will make for you.
As you approach, it’s impossible not to be excited – slide down a spiral staircase to a space with mighty glass windows giving views of the glistening coastline beyond, old-school leather seating areas, vaulted ceilings, and indulgent marble finishes. The restaurant more than lives up to the decor – the restaurant’s undisputed specialty, dry-aged, solely sourced beef, is imported from around the world and grilled wonderfully over a woodfire. It’s a slice of old New York located in the heart of Seminyak, with line-caught viable seafood and a cocktail menu to die for.
Da Maria Seminyak
Escape to Italy with a taste of authentic Italian cuisine and wine, all amid Seminyak’s captivating interiors that exude a sense of Capri. The fabled Italian Osteria draws a young clientele and has quickly become the place to be seen and be seen.
Da Maria, which brings the Amalfi Coast to Bali, features stunning interior design by Roman architect Lazzarini Pickering and celebrates the diversity of Italian cuisine, wine, music, art, and friends. For a lively night out, join the crowds at their packed bar and sip La Dolce Vita with Da Maria’s blends made with Campari.
It’s easy to do ordinary Italian, but it’s much more challenging to do stellar Italian. The sky-blue arrangement and beautifully crafted tiling. The pasta is made in-house, which is always a good start, and the decor is a maritime dream. Add the wood-roasted beetroot to anything else you order. Kids will enjoy pizzas that bear no resemblance to the famous animated mouse. There are outstanding non-alcoholic cocktails available, but the super clever wine list, which gets it wrong on the side of dazzling – throughout every sense – with seven phenomenal options, deserves special mention.
Mejekawi Seminyak [ CURRENTLY CLOSED ]
Along Seminyak’s coastline, Mejekawi is a charming restaurant housed in a glass-fronted building. Both the architecture and the ocean views are breathtaking, especially at dusk. Also, the bread is creative in this dish’s plating. The tasting menu is constantly changing, but possible dishes include dry-aged duck roasted on the crown, yellowfin tuna with sumac and radish, and Bubur Injin, a modernized version of a traditional Indonesian dessert. As remarkable as it gets in Bali, Mejekawi is intelligent and laid-back, with unbeatable views. Since it’s a special evening, you’ll mingle with energetic foodies who enjoy trying various flavours.
Walk upstairs at KU DE TA, and you’ll find Mejekawi among the most cutting-edge dining establishments in the city. The culinary team here is continually changing the great dining mouthwatering menu, which is served tasting plate-style in the comfortable yet chic dining room overlooking Seminyak Beach. This foodie heaven is ideal for a particular date night or sunset viewing.
British Head Chef Stephen Moore’s impressive culinary skills present an ultramodern tasting menu with clean, fresh foods, which can also be coupled with luxury wines.
Dishes are prepared using a blend of traditional Indonesian ingredients and methods, as well as modern cooking methods, and are served in a picturesque location of the Indian Ocean. Before your meal, sip on a soothing aperitif such as a Quintessential Negroni, a sparkling Bellini, or a relaxing Aperol Spritz – cheers!
Need some vegans options ? Check our guide about best vegans restaurants in Bali, Best vegans cafés in Seminyak, Best vegans cafés in Ubud
Final words
In addition to the restaurants I mentioned in this post, there are many other great places to eat in Indonesia ( outside Bali ) . Some of my personal favorites include Warung Tegal, which serves traditional Indonesian food, and Bakmi Jawa, which serves delicious noodles. If you’re looking for something a little more upscale, I recommend checking out The Grill at the Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, which offers stunning views of the city and some of the best steaks in town.
A good fine dine in Bali. Wouldn’t that be nice? If you enjoy fine dining, night clubs, and all things fine, then Bali has a lot to offer you. However, this list should help you narrow down your choices.
Bali is a truly beautiful island, with something to offer everyone. From its stunning beaches and lush rainforests to its ancient temples and vibrant culture, Bali is a place that will leave you feeling inspired and refreshed.
If you’re looking for a place to relax and unwind, Bali is the perfect destination. With its many spas and wellness centers, you can pamper yourself with massages, facials, and other treatments. You can also enjoy yoga and meditation in the beautiful natural surroundings.
If you’re looking for an adventure, Bali has plenty to offer. You can go hiking in the rainforest, explore the many temples, or take a surfing lesson. You can also visit the many cultural attractions, such as the Ubud Palace and the Tanah Lot Temple.
No matter what you’re looking for, you’re sure to find it in Bali. The island is a truly special place, and it’s one that you’ll never forget.
You will always find delicious local food , local produce, unique dining experience
Here are a few more things to love about Bali:
* The people are friendly and welcoming.
* The food is delicious and varied.
* The culture is rich and vibrant.
* The climate is warm and tropical.
* The scenery is stunning.
* There are plenty of things to do and see.
If you’re looking for a place to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life, Bali is the perfect destination. It’s a place where you can relax, rejuvenate, and reconnect with yourself.
Thank you for reading my blog post about the best restaurants in Indonesia. I hope you found it helpful and informative. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below. I would also love to hear about your own experiences eating at some of these restaurants.
No matter what is your budget or taste, you’re sure to find something to your liking in Indonesia. So what are you waiting for? Start planning your trip today!
And don’t forget to check out my website for more travel tips and recommendations. I have a whole section dedicated to Indonesia, where you can find information on everything from where to stay to what to see and do.
Thanks again for reading!
WHO AM I ?
Hello !
I am Eric, a French Australian citizen based between Australia, Asia and Bali an I love to travel and experience the world. I generally like outdoor activities, wellness, great food and venues , party and real local adventures ! I am a Yoga practitioner and fitness lover
I created this blog because I love to travel and I want to share my experiences with others. I’ve been traveling since I was a child, and I’ve been to over 50 countries. I’ve seen some amazing things and met some amazing people, and I want to help others experience the same things.
I believe that travel is one of the best ways to learn about the world and about yourself. When you travel, you’re forced to step outside of your comfort zone and experience new things. You learn about different cultures, different religions, and different ways of life. You also learn about yourself, your strengths, and your weaknesses.
Travel can also be a great way to make new friends. When you’re traveling, you’re surrounded by people from all over the world, and you’re all in the same boat. You’re all there to explore and experience new things, and that can create a bond between people.
Uyuni Salar, Boliva
Let’s connect together !
I hope that my travel blog will inspire others to travel and to see the world. I also hope that it will help people to learn about different cultures and to become more open-minded.
Taj Mahal, Agra, India
