23 Best Restaurants in Bali for Post-Surf Seafood, Vegan Tasting Menus, and Indonesian Classics
When one thinks of Asia’s major culinary hubs, it’s Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, and Bangkok that spring to mind. But it’s high time for Bali, with her beautifully potent blend of local gastronomic traditions and international influences, to be added to that list. Indonesia may not yet have a Michelin Guide—though in 2025 the first spate of Michelin Keys was handed out to 21 hotels and resorts on Bali—but the quality, creativity, and sophistication of the island’s current dining scene begs for it. Sure, it was once mostly super-casual warungs with the odd expat chef opening a boîte dedicated to his own country’s cooking. But in recent years, the game has changed. More wood-fired grills have been installed. More artistry has been added to the mix. More cooks, both Balinese and foreign, are being inspired by the archipelago’s abundance, bold and idiosyncratic dishes, and relatively friendly atmosphere for opening a new eatery. Sustainability and circularity have begun creeping into more concepts, as have responsible sourcing and storytelling. The result is an island quite literally bursting with flavor—spicy, sour, sweet, savory, bitter, umami… all of it. Bali has moved well on from formerly ubiquitous nasi goreng (fried rice) dinners, to tender local bamboo lobster with rujak, fantastically crispy fried duck, heart-warming Nusa Penida potato and corn porridge, and addictive katsu sandos. From fine-dining destinations to fresh-from-the-surf spots, here are our choices for the best restaurants in Bali.
Read our full Bali travel guide here, which includes:
How we choose the best restaurants in Bali
Every restaurant on this list has been selected independently by Condé Nast Traveler editors and reviewed by a local contributor who has visited that restaurant. Our editors consider both high-end and affordable eateries, and weigh stand-out dishes, location, and service—as well as inclusivity and sustainability credentials. We update this list as new restaurants open and existing ones evolve.
restaurantBegawan Biji
$$This is no ordinary restaurant. Even as farm-to-table goes, Begawan Biji stands out, set on a regenerative farm and permaculture garden north of Ubud where the lush produce grows in mandala designs and sourcing is impeccable. The restaurant, which supports the non-profit conservation-minded Begawan Foundation, feels worthy of a special occasion yet doesn’t even come close to pretentious. It’s possible to eat super light here, but it’s advisable to order as many dishes as can fit on the table, to get a taste for the diversity of flavors created with open-fire cooking and just-picked ingredients. The Heritage Tomato, with crushed tofu, pickled cucumber, torch ginger, kaffir lime dressing, and pandan oil, is a bright, beautiful way to start. Taste the Duck Breast Rawon, with fermented Javanese black nuts, the charred Sumba-style octopus, the fisherman’s catch grilled with tamarind turmeric paste, and don’t miss heaps of the Mansur Heritage rice, which is grown chemical-free onsite. Leave space for the Cilembu sweet potato, roasted, with organic brown sugar, palm nectar, coconut sorbet, and cashew.
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Kubu at Mandapa
$$Visually striking as it is, with private bamboo pods for intimate dinners and candlelit riverside tables, Kubu—at Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve—is far more than meets the eye. Bali-born chef Eka Sunarya is a wizard with zero-waste cooking, and the idiosyncratic ingredients native to his island stoke his culinary passion. His spectacularly plated dishes come out with a quiet layer of responsibility, the result of community sourcing and foraging within 62 miles that utilizes every root, leaf, and seed. It’s all on display in the degustation menu, which comes in a vegetarian and non-vegetarian version of some nine courses. Some of Sunarya’s presentations include Payangan beans with cashew cream, kelp pickle and free-range egg yolk, and one called Bali Community Fishery, which features the latest catch in buttermilk verbenaceae with scallion and ragleaf.
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Fed by Made
$The second iteration of Fed—a hip bar and restaurant by Bali-born, Melbourne-trained chef Made Dhanu—is where laughter and conversation flow as easily as playful, dazzling small plates and highly drinkable cocktail creations. Local produce, which often includes ingredients a foreigner has never heard of, informs the ever-changing menus that are available à la carte or as a chef-selected multi-course set menu (adaptable according to dietary restrictions). Since some dishes change monthly, it’s impossible to anticipate what a diner’s supper might consist of, but there’s really no way to go wrong, since chef Made is as masterful with fish crudo (a recent one featured charred corn and preserved lemon) and tender meat (think pork belly with bordelaise sauce and habanero) as he is with bread. The latter is fermented, baked daily in-house, and served with addictive miso butter.
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Kaum
$$The mission of Kaum is to help sustain the rich culinary heritage of the Indonesian archipelago’s nearly endless islands by practicing a diversity of cooking methods and preparations. A pair of homegrown head chefs, Wayan Kresna Yasa and Maxie Millian, lead the team in producing consistently tantalizing dishes from around the country, many of them little known. The point here is sharing a lot of things, so if you’re not with several people, consider the chef’s curated set menu, which is a multi-faceted guided tasting through the islands. Otherwise, at the bare minimum, ask for the gohu ikan tuna, a mouthwatering Maluku dish in which fresh tuna is marinated in coconut oil and fresh calamansi juice, and bebek goreng sambal mangga muda from West Java, which is a crispy half duck topped with green mango and red chili sambal. A grilled meat platter containing delights like smoked Balinese pork sausage and sate maranggi is always a good idea, and don’t miss the nasi kuning, sunshine-hued rice cooked in turmeric and fresh coconut milk.
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Home by Chef Wayan
$This open-air restaurant is homier and cozier than one might expect, considering chef Wayan Kresna Yasa worked at Michelin-starred restaurants, including Blue Hill Stone Barns and Acacia, before returning home to Bali and eventually opening a kitchen of his very own. This is a place for soul food, Balinese style. The native of Nusa Penida, off Bali’s coast, uses classical techniques to considerably elevate heartwarming staples of his youth and reimagine local food through the lens of the talented young cooks he mentors. Chef Wayan isn’t one to cook the same menu over and over, he’s constantly tweaking and creating, so the offerings change over time and in accordance with the seasonal availability of certain ingredients, but it should be illegal to patronize Home without ordering the Ledok Nusa, a potato and sweet corn porridge with kemangi, bonito tuna and fried sambal that hits like a warm hug. The crispy-skinned Ayam Srosop consists of perfectly pan-seared chicken in a complex coconut broth with crispy fried garlic is another must.
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Rumari
$$Elegant and, literally, elevated, Rumari seems to hover over Raffles Bali resort and float above the Indian Ocean beyond, accepting a soft, salty breeze at all hours. This is the intimate Jimbaran resort’s fine-dining destination and its breakfast restaurant—the latter is only for in-house guests, and it’s worth an overnight. Well-pedigreed executive chef Gaetan Biesuz cooks always-surprising Indo-inflected Southeast Asian fare with an 80/20 philosophy that means a maximum of 20% of ingredients are sourced from outside the Indonesian archipelago. The rest is sustainably, meticulously sourced from small producers, line fishermen, and organic farms. Though the à la carte menu features plenty to drool over—homemade tagliolini with Sibang crayfish and chili, for one—the five-steps journey (available vegan or “green,” too) is the best call. There’s delicate Bali bamboo lobster with rujak and tamarind, a chawanmushi with Lombok-sourced clam, tomato, and chili, and a Tabanan-sourced chocolate, rosella, and chili concoction for dessert. Foodies who love a bit of mystery with their meals shouldn’t miss the 10-seat Rumari Counter, where the 7-course prix fixe menu changes nightly and you won’t know what’s coming next until you see the chef preparing it mere feet away.
Locavore NXTrestaurantLocavore NXT
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Hot List 2024After closing Locavore, a hot-ticket and hyperlocal eatery in Bali’s Ubud in 2022, Dutch Indonesian chef duo Eelke Plasmeijer and Ray Adriansyah moved on to open the concept’s aptly named next iteration. Pitched up in the rice fields just outside Ubud, concrete-clad Locavore NXT takes the chefs’ wildly ambitious methods to a new extreme with 20(ish)-course tasting menus that draw on ingredients grown in the rooftop food forest, subterranean mushroom vault, and koji fermentation lab—and ones sourced from surrounding farmers, fishermen, and foragers. Seasonal menus could include imaginative creations such as honi pineapple with lardo and flower-flecked pudding from rice koji with bee pollen. For a full immersion in Locavore NXT’s closed-loop ethos, guests can stay overnight in one of the restaurant’s adjoining cabins and participate in a chef-guided tour and staff breakfast the next day.
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Ayam Betutu Pak Sanur
$A traditional breakfast and lunch spot just right off Ubud's main road, Ayam Betutu Pak Sanur feels like a small Balinese home. The star here is the ayam betutu, or Balinese chicken stew that's traditionally eaten for breakfast. It consists of chicken in a heady mixture of sweet soy sauce, shallots, garlic, turmeric, ginger, galangal, and chilies, all served over steaming white rice and accompanied by sautéed chayote, crispy fried egg, stewed chicken liver and gizzard, fried chicken intestines, fried noodles, and peanuts. Immerse yourself in Balinese culture by joining the locals for breakfast. Don't dally—the warung usually sells out by 11 a.m.
Courtesy SisterfieldsrestaurantSisterfields
$Sisterfields is an all-day Australian breakfast cafe that feels like it's been plucked straight out off the shores of Sydney. Located conveniently in central Seminyak, the place is light and airy, with smart glass walls and marble-top tables. An all-day menu is casual, easy, and filled with crowd-pleasers like truffle scrambled eggs with mushroom and bacon, and Instagram-worthy acai bowls with blueberries and banana. If you don't feel like breakfast, try the house burger, a 1/3-pound beef patty topped with smoked cheddar, house sauce, and pickled onion rings. Don't sleep on the juice list, which features the Remedy, with apple, carrot, beetroot, and ginger; smoothies include Pash Me, with passionfruit, berries, mango, coconut nectar, and house-made nut milk. Naturally, the flat whites are also fabulous.
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Babi Guling Pak Malen
$Warung Pak Malen specializes in one thing only: babi guling, whole roasted suckling pig, a signature of Balinese cooking and ceremonies. A set meal here consists of pork prepared in a variety of ways. First up is a heady spiced broth with pork, which you drink directly from the bowl. Then it's on to the main event, a bamboo plate piled high with rice, roasted pork, pork satay, fried pork, a piece of fried pork rind, some pork skin, and braised pork. Sides include traditional lawar, a mix of long-cooked vegetables, and spicy sambal. This is a meal that most visitors will try at least once—Balinese people eat it often—and Pak Malen manages to be a step above other warungs without abandoning its traditional feel.
ApéritifrestaurantApéritif
$$$It’s only fitting that you’ll kick off an evening at Apéritif, the elegant restaurant at Viceroy Bali, with its namesake drink. A host will escort you to Pinstripe, the polished bar just a few feet from the restaurant, where you’ll have your first course of the tasting menu: a cocktail and canapés. Choose from a menu created by head bartender Panji Wisrawan that draws on local and upcycled ingredients. Tasting menus, including a vegetarian and vegan option, showcase Indonesian ingredients and global flavors, as well as the skilled precision of Belgian chef and industry veteran Nic Vanderbeeken. (Look out for the venison wellington with rendang sauce, subbed with mushrooms for herbivores.) And although the vibe is unstuffy, there’s a touch of old school fine dining glamour here, with a cheese trolley and cigar humidor. To really splash out, ask the sommelier for help choosing a bottle from the robust wine cellar that holds vintages dating back to 1855.
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Room 4 Dessert
$$Getting a reservation at Room4Dessert, a fêted all-dessert restaurant concept in Ubud, is as prized as receiving Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket. There is an à la carte menu, but those who have the most fun here choose the nine-course tasting menu. It’s constantly changing, but one can expect Michelin-level plates like the New Wave (carrot, pumpkin seed, anise, and marigold) and The Sugar Refinery (coconut nectar chantilly, chocolate Toblerone, soursop, and Balinese meringue) with the option to pair them with mocktails or cocktails. This is a dessert-for-dinner concept that speaks to our inner child, although the treats here are of a caliber only adults would truly appreciate, as they cause us to think of "dessert” in an entirely new way.
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Mama San Bali
$$Mama San is among the island’s most popular restaurants, still filling up its two industrial loft-style floors with flavor hunters since it opened in 2010 and was revamped in 2023. It also hosts perhaps Bali’s most famous restaurant mural: a striking hand-painted portrait of fictional young madame Mama San, never too far to keep an eye on her 1920s gentlemen club-style space where “she” serves Balinese, Indonesian, Thai, and Chinese dishes (via chef Will Meyrick) with fine dining twists. Thank goodness the terms “popular” and “excellent” don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Meyrick hasn’t at all lost his touch in the kitchen, creating standout Asian flavors like prawn curry, roasted peking duck with cranberry hoisin sauce, and slow cooked beef rendang. There's also a hefty and well-curated wine selection as well as a strong cocktail program.
Ralf Tooten/Courtesy Kayuputi RestaurantrestaurantKayuputi Restaurant
$$Kayuputi, a large, elegant restaurant at the St. Regis, features much of its namesake: "white wood" in Indonesian. Picture windows overlook the golden sands of Nusa Dua; an open kitchen holds court in the center of the space; and a cocktail bar near the entrance is well worth a stop. The menu is marked by ultra-creative dishes, which might include everything from foie gras to fresh seafood. There are soufflés, stunning desserts, and an epic Saturday brunch where you can try a bit of everything. There's an award-winning wine list and great cocktails that reference the hotel brand's illustrious history.
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Nusantara by Locavore
$$Nusantara is the sister restaurant to Locavore NXT, once named Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. While Locavore is a more blockbuster contemporary affair with watertight reservation openings, the more casual Nusantara (Javanese for “archipelago”) showcases the distinct regional tastes of Indonesia. The space is full of woods, traditional print pillows, and rattan partitions, making you feel as though you’re being treated to an Indonesian home-cooked meal. With dishes inspired by Sumatra, Sulawesi, Java, and beyond, Nusantara is a palatable journey of the 17,000-island nation and its provincial cuisines. Whether ordering small plates like stir-fried banana blossoms with sliced garlic, shallots, and chili of North Sulawesi or mains such as the smoked, spiced octopus wrapped in banana leaves of West Bali, you’ll likely find the food to be novel, well-executed, and—above all—delectable. Original cocktails keep things on-theme with local ingredients such as pandan leaves, cinnamon sticks, and lemongrass.
Courtesy Pica South American KitchenrestaurantPica South American Kitchen
$$$Pica is centrally located on Ubud's bustling Jalan Dewi Sita strip, but its small and cozy set-up means that it's easily missed. With only seven-or-so tables, Pica is an intimate little restaurant, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in terrific South American food. Led by chef Cristian Encina, Pica has a great menu that includes starters like barbecue tiger prawns with a cashew crumble and leche de coco ceviche with catch of the day, fresh coconut milk, red onion, chili, and lime. Mains include Peruvian roast chicken breast with chicken jus. Pica does good cocktails—cucumber Martinis, passionfruit caipirinhas—but the best thing to order here is wine, which is all chosen by the Chilean owner. Here, the selections pair perfectly with the South American food.
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Upper Room
$$A decade after opening the first location of the popular local chain Livingstone in Petitenget, the same team elevated things with Upper Room, a dimly-lit cocktail bar and lounge on the second floor of the bright, all-day cafe. Try the gin-based Passion Dimension, with carrot and housemade cilantro syrup, or anything from the thoughtful non-alcoholic menu—the Cord is especially refreshing, with flavors of pineapple, coconut, basil, and lime. It’s not just cocktails, though. The kitchen, centered around a fiery grill, specializes in honey-glazed barbecued ribs. It wouldn’t be unheard of to start the day with a stand-out croissant and coffee made with locally-grown beans downstairs at Livingstone, and come back later for a lively night out.
Courtesy Hujan LocalerestaurantHujan Locale
$$Tucked down a nondescript road in central Ubud, Hujan Locale is a casual, stylish restaurant serving some of the best Indonesian food in town. Masterminded by chef Will Meyrick, who founded Sarong and Mama San in Seminyak, the concept here is a perfect meeting point between the local warung style of food and fine dining. Taking inspiration from around Indonesia, the menu here is extensive—come with a group of friends and fill your table with as many dishes as possible. Starters include soft shell crab with salted duck egg and red chili; mains include Acehnese charred grilled octopus with sour starfruit. The cocktails, as flavorful as the food, merge the classics with local flavors. In the signature Pala Old Fashioned, bourbon and bitters get a kick from housemade pala (nutmeg) jam.
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Ghost Kitchen & Record Bar
$$Depending on the kind of night you want to have, there are several ways to experience the buzzy Ghost Kitchen & Record Bar, which opened in 2024, not far from Berawa Beach in Canggu on Bali’s southwestern coast. Settle into a cozy leather banquette on the first floor, surrounding an open kitchen where chef and co-owner Tim Stapleforth cooks dishes like prawns with sambal and almond crème and grilled calamari with harissa and green mango salad. Or head upstairs, to the breezy dining room with a separate cocktail bar and balcony. There, in the corner, find the wood-paneled DJ booth stocked with a trove of vinyl records. Order a cocktail, like the gin-based Purple Rain, tinged with mulberry and elderflower, and flip through albums from Marvin Gaye and Aretha Franklin to set the proper mood for peak sunset viewing.
faruqadib/Courtesy Sangsaka RestaurantrestaurantSangsaka Restaurant
$$Sangsaka is hidden down a nondescript road in Seminyak, so it's unlikely that you would chance upon it if you didn't know it was there. The intimate 60-seater is dimly lit and elegantly designed. Order a mix of the small and large plates; standouts include Jimbaran BBQ scallop, pompano crudo with cucumber, pearl, pomelo, chili and herbs, and claypot glass noodles with pork belly, crab and chili jam. There's also a seven-course tasting menu if you're looking to try as much as possible.
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Oliverra
$$$On vacation in Bali, there are nights—like after a day spent hiking on Mount Batur, for example, or surfing off the beaches of Uluwatu—when a casual dinner is best. And then there are nights for Oliverra. The sprawling Mediterranean restaurant at Umana Bali occupies one of the island’s most dramatic settings, on the southernmost tip of Bali atop limestone cliffs, roughly 200 feet above the Indian Ocean. The sleek space plays up the panoramic views, with a two-story wall of windows in the main dining room and a wide, open-air veranda. Start the evening there, with a passion fruit-infused spritz or coconut Negroni while you watch the sun start to dip and the sky turn shades of pastel pink and purple, then head into the dining room for the fresh catch alongside local vegetables and herbs, or the four-course set menu, which includes memorable desserts infused with local ingredients like tropical fruit and coffee.
Syrco BASÈrestaurantSyrco BASÈ
$$$After more than a decade cooking in the Netherlands, most recently at the helm of Pure C restaurant in Zeeland where he earned two Michelin stars, chef Syrco Bakker opened the much-anticipated Syrco BASÈ in Ubud early in 2024. The chef, whose grandparents originally hail from Indonesia, is laser focused on ingredient sourcing and sustainability, leaning heavily on local produce and cultivating a garden on site, which grows tomatoes, lemongrass, and more. Even some dishware and knives are made by local artisans. Inside the warm and minimalist space, guests can opt for one of three multi-course tasting menus, including a plant based option, or try the 14-course menu at Syrco BASÈ Ku, a chef’s counter within the restaurant.
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Red Gunpowder
$$Red Gunpowder is a contemporary Indian restaurant in Pererenan, the charming and lower-key neighbor of Canggu on Bali’s southwest coast. The dark dining room is illuminated by candles and strings of fairy lights, and rustic wooden walls and tables are surrounded by greenery that spills out to an open-air terrace. It makes a dreamy backdrop for a feast of claypot curries, dishes like slow-cooked octopus marinated in fragrant ginger masala, and an array of hot and char-speckled naan. (Try the unexpectedly delightful blue cheese variety.) Cocktails like the Curry Mule and Masala Chai Sour, with Earl Grey–infused gin and homemade, are just as clever and unexpected. Every Wednesday, the romantic restaurant hosts live Indian music, and each Thursday, the energy turns up with Bollywood Vinyl Night.
This gallery has been updated with new information since its original publish date.
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