Top 8 Must-Try Restaurants and Bars in Bali for 2025

A remarkable assortment of flavors reflecting hundreds of ethnic groups across 17,000 islands, Indonesian cuisine is one of the most varied in the world.

Nevertheless, it remains relatively unfamiliar outside its geographical confines. Moreover, most international visitors who travel to Bali, recognized as Indonesia’s premier tourism destination, seldom explore beyond familiar items like nasi goreng, fried rice, and satay skewers soaked in peanut sauce, typically enjoying many of their meals at hotels or the numerous Western dining establishments on the island.

Compounding this issue, in Bali, “street food” is commonly not available on the streets but rather in warungs—small family-operated restaurants that may be elusive to track down. Recommendations from locals, expatriates, or dedicated visitors like myself, who have frequented the island numerous times, are crucial for discovering the finest warungs and more contemporary Indonesian restaurants. Below is a curated list.

1. Bakso (build-your-own soup) at Bakso Rudi

As seen in many parts of Asia, there is minimal distinction between meals designated for breakfast or lunch in Indonesia. My preferred lunch in Bali is bakso, a customizable soup featuring white meatballs crafted from chicken and tapioca flour; accompanied by vermicelli, tofu, noodles, egg, mustard greens, wontons, and crackers; and flavored with soy sauce, chili sauce, and sambal, a homemade chili relish. For food safety reasons, I recommend avoiding the bakso handcarts scattered across the island. Instead, consider visiting Bakso Rudi in Canggu, a west-coast hipster locale in Bali, offering 11 variations of soup for approximately US$1–2 per bowl.

How to get it: Bakso Rudi is a relaxed venue, so prior arrangement is unnecessary. It remains open daily from 11 am to 9 pm.

2. Anthony Bourdain’s favorite pork at Ibu Oka

Regarded by Anthony Bourdain as “the best pig I have ever had. Absolutely the best,” babi guling, Bali’s renowned spit-roasted suckling pig, undergoes a slow-cooking process starting after midnight for 5 to 6 hours and is consumed for breakfast and lunch. You can indulge in this delicacy at the establishment made famous by Bourdain, Ibu Oka in Ubud—although the most favored babi guling specialists are situated in Munggu, on the western outskirts of Canggu. Locals favor Babi Guling Slingsing Bu Suci in Cepaka village, a warung that also offers blood lawar, a red salad made with green beans, coconut, and pig’s blood. Expatriates are drawn to the impeccably clean Babi Guling Men Lari along the Tanah Lot Bypass; sample their minced pork satay sticks and exceptionally crunchy pork skin chips.

How to get it: Ibu Oka has limited operating hours. It opens at 11 am (though the butchers are typically onsite from 6 am) and closes by 6 pm or earlier when the pork is sold out. It’s walk-ins only, so arriving early is advisable to secure the finest cuts.

3. Steamed crab at Kempoeng Kepiting

Before departing Bali, make sure to stop at Kampoeng Kepiting, or “Crab Village” in Indonesian. Nestled within a mangrove forest beneath a highway overpass near the sizeable roundabout leading to Bali’s international airport on Sunset Rd, this unpretentious warung is celebrated for its steamed crab doused in sauces such as sweet-and-sour, black pepper and garlic, Padang curry, or “secret mangrove.” Complemented by fluffy white rice, a meal here is substantial—however, you must not leave without savoring the crab-and-asparagus soup, an exquisite seafood rendition of Chinese egg-drop chicken corn soup.

How to get it: Kempoeng Kepiting operates daily from 10 am until 9 pm. Reservations are advisable via email at kampoengkepitingbali@gmail.com.

4. Everything at Kaum

Kevindra Soemantri, a restaurant critic from Jakarta and host of the Indonesian episode of Netflix’s Street Food series, defines modern Indonesian cuisine not as a blend of Indonesian and Western influences, but as “a fusion of numerous Indonesian culinary traditions.”

One of my favorite dining experiences is at Kaum located at the Potato Head Beach Club on Seminyak Beach. Here, chefs innovate traditional recipes from across the Indonesian archipelago and bring them to a restaurant level: offerings include barramundi filet marinated with tamarind and turmeric paste, influenced by a North Sulawesi recipe; and babi genyol, or soft pig, which encapsulates the essence of babi guling but presents it in bite-sized strips of pork cheek adorned with dried shallots and chili.

How to get it: Kaum is operational every day from midday to midnight (food service ceases at 10 pm). While walk-ins are accepted, it is advisable to make prior arrangements to ensure a place.

5. Lobster bakso at Sangsaka Bali

Located a short distance away in the backstreets of Seminyak is Sangsaka Bali, a contemporary Indonesian restaurant overseen by Keiren Morland, an Australian chef with roots in Indonesia. Morland’s braised duck breast with red cabbage and star anise, and his quail satay with soy, peanuts, and palm hearts, are exceptionally delightful. However, his lobster bakso accompanied by homemade vermicelli and Jakartan laksa noodle soup—an exclusive off-menu item requiring advance notification—is in a league of its own.

How to get it: Sangsaka Bali is open daily from 5:30 pm until 11 pm. Reservations are crucial, particularly for the lobster specialty.

6. Dishes you’ve likely “never seen or heard of before” at Home by Chef Wayan

For modern Indonesian cuisine that is affordably priced but equally delightful, consider Home by Chef Wayan, a well-kept small warung in Pererenan, further along the west coast from Seminyak. Noteworthy selections include rujak ikan, a fish salad infused with pomelo, cherry tomatoes, and passion-fruit vinaigrette; ice roti, a warm cinnamon taco served with ice cream and vanilla crumble; and ledok nusa, traditionally a cassava porridge reimagined with sweet corn, tuna, and brunoise diced potatoes. “The greatest challenge,” states Chef Wayan, “is articulating it to foreigners since the premier dishes are items they have never encountered before. Even locals are unfamiliar with modern Indonesian cuisine. They often mistake it for street food and due to my restaurant’s modest appearance, it reinforces that misunderstanding.”

How to get it: Home by Chef Wayan operates daily (except Tuesdays) from 11 am until 10 pm. Walk-ins are welcome, but for those who wish to ensure seating, it is advisable to communicate in advance.

7. Creamy cups of coffee at Kopi Bali

Indonesia ranks as the world’s third-largest producer of coffee beans; however, up until the Bali-driven tourism surge that commenced in the 1990s, consumption was predominantly limited to instant black coffee.

Established since 1935, Kopi Bali on Gajah Mada St in the island’s less-frequented capital of Denpasar is the oldest operating coffee shop on the island. The baristas take their time, meticulously preparing remarkably creamy coffee using in-house blends derived from beans cultivated in Bali’s cool highlands.

How to get it: This late-night coffee venue is operational from 9 am until 11 pm daily.

8. Espresso martinis (and coffee and cakes) at Seniman Coffee Studio

Located in Ubud, known as the spiritual, artistic, and now café hub of Bali, Seniman Coffee Studio serves as a dynamic coffee destination that offers unique blends and roasts, alongside in-house cakes, sweets, and espresso martini cocktails crafted with vodka, Kahlúa, and espresso. Seniman also organizes coffee-making workshops where participants can explore various aspects of cupping, manual brewing, and latte art principles. Coffee enthusiasts may consider taking home a copy of Bali Coffee: Origin’s New Wave, a visually engaging book on Indonesian coffee co-authored by Seniman’s Australian founder, sculptor Rodney Glick.

How to get it: Seniman Coffee Studio operates daily from 7:30 am until 10 pm. Early arrangements are necessary for participation in the workshops.