Babi guling, warung rice, sambal matah and Jimbaran seafood.
Free cancellation on most tours, with live prices on the partner's site.
Bali cooks differently from the rest of Indonesia. It is the country's only Hindu-majority province, so pork is central: babi guling, a whole spit-roasted pig stuffed with turmeric, chilli, garlic and ginger, is sold from specialist warungs, and lawar mixes chopped coconut, vegetables and minced meat with fresh spice. The base of most dishes is basa genep, a pounded paste of shallot, garlic, galangal, turmeric, chilli and shrimp paste, with sambal matah, a raw relish of shallot, lemongrass and coconut oil, on the side. Betutu duck or chicken is slow-cooked in banana leaf, sate lilit is minced fish or meat pressed onto lemongrass, and nasi jinggo, a small banana-leaf rice parcel, sells from pavements after dark. Rice comes from terraces watered by the subak system, inscribed by UNESCO in 2012. Food is also offering: small palm-leaf trays of flowers and rice are set out each day. Eat at warungs by day, night markets after dark, and in the cafes and tasting rooms of Ubud, Canggu and Seminyak.
9 hours
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Private tour · 8 hours
Enjoy sunrise breakfast overlooking Mount Batur, ride an exhilarating ATV through jungle trails and caves, and savor local Balinese coffee.
Guided tour · 7 - 9 hours
Enjoy breakfast while observing orangutans from a designated viewing area, then learn about Sumatran elephant welfare through a staff-led care and conservation experie...
The plates that define eating in Bali.
A young pig stuffed with turmeric, chilli, garlic and ginger and turned over a fire until the skin cracks, served as a rice plate with lawar, crackling and pork broth.
Where Warung Babi Guling Pande Egi, Warung Babi Guling Ibu Oka 3, Warung Babi Guling Pak Malen, Warung Babi Guling Sari Dewi Pak Dobil
Where to eat Babi guling in Bali →Chicken or duck smothered in basa genep spice paste, wrapped in banana leaf and cooked slowly until the meat falls from the bone, then eaten with rice and sambal matah.
Where Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Ibu Mangku (Ubud), Warung Mek Juwel, Nasi Bali Men Weti, Warung Indonesia (Kuta)
Where to eat Betutu in Bali →A chopped Balinese salad of green beans or young jackfruit, grated coconut and minced pork or chicken in basa genep, eaten with rice, red when blood is mixed in and white when not.
Where Warung Men Latri, Babi Guling Dodo (Jalan Abimanyu), Nasi Banjar Mbok Mang
Taste itTraditional Lawar Cooking & Coconut Wine Experience$16Where to eat Lawar in Bali →Minced fish, chicken or pork mixed with grated coconut and spice paste, wound around lemongrass or flat bamboo and grilled over charcoal, eaten without peanut sauce.
Where Warung Ari, Warung Muslim Sate Lilit Pekambingan, Warung Sari Alit, Made's Warung (Seminyak)
Where to eat Sate lilit in Bali →A palm-sized banana-leaf parcel of rice with shredded chicken, fried noodles or tempeh, egg and sambal, sold on Denpasar pavements in the evening for about IDR 10,000.
Where Nasi Jinggo Diponegoro, Warung Nasi Jinggo Bu Agus, Nasi Jinggo Thamrin Ibu Agung Pemecutan
Where to eat Nasi jinggo in Bali →Rice cake, blanched vegetables and fried tofu dressed in a peanut sauce ground to order with chilli, kencur and lime, a Balinese cousin of gado-gado and pecel.
Where Warung Dot Lalah, Warung De Rujak, Warung Men Runtu, Art Cafe Bumbu Bali
Where to eat Tipat cantok in Bali →Slices of unripe mango, papaya, salak and other fruit in a salty, spicy, slightly sour broth of boiled pindang fish, pounded with chilli and shrimp paste.
Where Warung Men Runtu, Warung Dot Lalah, Warung De Rujak
Where to eat Rujak kuah pindang in Bali →Oval glutinous-rice balls filled with liquid palm sugar, boiled and rolled in grated coconut, made in Gianyar town since 1980 and sold by the bag.
Where Warung Klepon Gianyar
Where to eat Klepon Gianyar in Bali →Fresh snapper, prawns, clams and squid grilled over a coconut-husk fire on the sand at Jimbaran, served with rice, sambal and a young coconut.
Where Menega Cafe, Kayumanis Resto (Jimbaran), Kedonganan Fish Market
Where to eat Ikan bakar Jimbaran in Bali →A raw relish of thinly sliced shallot, lemongrass, chilli and lime leaf dressed with hot coconut oil, spooned over grilled fish, chicken, sate lilit and rice plates.
Where Warung Mek Juwel, Nasi Bali Men Weti, Nasi Banjar Mbok Mang
Where to eat Sambal matah in Bali →A handful of the places we send friends to when they are in Bali.
Hujan Locale is chef Will Meyrick's modern Indonesian restaurant on Jl. Sri Wedari in Ubud, Bali, with family-style plates built on street-food recipes.
OrderDuck lawar, Slow-cooked beef rendang
Begawan Biji cooks Indonesian heritage dishes over fire on regenerative rice-field grounds in Bayad village near Ubud, Bali, as a farm-to-table restaurant.
OrderMansur Raja nasi goreng, Tuna satay Gorontalo, Bali heritage pork satay
Sangsaka is Kieran and Yunika Morland's modern Indonesian restaurant in Seminyak, Bali, cooking Javanese family recipes over wood fire on a back street.
OrderSlipper lobster dumplings, Beef cheek rendang
Mama San serves Southeast Asian sharing plates on Jl. Raya Kerobokan in Seminyak, Bali, with dishes from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.
OrderRendang stuffed doughnuts, Crispy prawn wonton, Black pepper chicken salad
Massimo is a Southern Italian restaurant on Jl. Danau Tamblingan in Sanur, Bali, known for handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza and gelato made in-house.
OrderWood-fired pizza, Handmade pasta, Gelato
KAUM, above the beach club at Desa Potato Head in Seminyak, Bali, serves a researched Indonesian menu drawn from regional traditions across the archipelago.
OrderCharred king prawns, Wagyu rendang
Babi guling lunches near the palace, betutu warungs in Sayan and Kedewatan, tasting-menu rooms and a long vegan list, all within one village.
Best for: Babi guling, Ayam betutu, Tasting menus, Vegan, Cooking classes
Beach clubs and Indonesian dinner rooms along Jalan Petitenget, brunch cafes on Kayu Aya and Kayu Cendana, and bakeries and roasters in Umalas and Kerobokan.
Best for: Brunch, Beach clubs, Coffee roasters, Bakeries, Indonesian dinners
Cafes and bakeries from Batu Bolong to Pererenan, wine bars and a beach club around Berawa, a Sunday market near Echo Beach and a Batu Bolong brewery.
Best for: Cafes, Bakeries, Wine bars, Beach clubs, Sunday market
Poppies Lane's garden restaurant, Padang-style food on Jalan Raya Kuta, halal warungs by Jalan Blambangan and kitchens open all hours in Kuta and Legian.
Best for: Babi guling, Padang food, Late-night, Halal, Warungs
Seafood grilled on the sand at Muaya Beach, Kedonganan's fish market and a babi guling warung beside it, and tasting-menu rooms such as Rumari and Cuca.
Best for: Grilled seafood, Fish market, Sunset dinners, Babi guling
Beach clubs and cafes near the surf breaks of Suluban and Melasti, a seafood grill on Jalan Labuansait, a pizzeria at Bingin and a tasting-menu room in Pecatu.
Best for: Beach clubs, Seafood, Sunset drinks, Cafes
Babi guling
A young pig stuffed with turmeric, chilli, garlic and ginger and turned over a fire until the skin cracks, served as a rice plate with lawar, crackling and pork broth
Betutu
Chicken or duck smothered in basa genep spice paste, wrapped in banana leaf and cooked slowly until the meat falls from the bone, then eaten with rice and sambal matah
Lawar
A chopped Balinese salad of green beans or young jackfruit, grated coconut and minced pork or chicken in basa genep, eaten with rice, red when blood is mixed in and white when not
Sate lilit
Minced fish, chicken or pork mixed with grated coconut and spice paste, wound around lemongrass or flat bamboo and grilled over charcoal, eaten without peanut sauce
Nasi jinggo
A palm-sized banana-leaf parcel of rice with shredded chicken, fried noodles or tempeh, egg and sambal, sold on Denpasar pavements in the evening for about IDR 10,000
Ubud
Babi guling lunches near the palace, betutu warungs in Sayan and Kedewatan, tasting-menu rooms and a long vegan list, all within one village
Seminyak
Beach clubs and Indonesian dinner rooms along Jalan Petitenget, brunch cafes on Kayu Aya and Kayu Cendana, and bakeries and roasters in Umalas and Kerobokan
Canggu
Cafes and bakeries from Batu Bolong to Pererenan, wine bars and a beach club around Berawa, a Sunday market near Echo Beach and a Batu Bolong brewery
Kuta and Legian
Poppies Lane's garden restaurant, Padang-style food on Jalan Raya Kuta, halal warungs by Jalan Blambangan and kitchens open all hours in Kuta and Legian
Every restaurant, cafe, market and bar we cover in Bali, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
Peak food season: The dry season, roughly April to October, is the busiest time, with July, August and the Christmas weeks the peak. The Ubud Food Festival runs in late May or early June, and Denpasar's Denfest food stalls come in December.
Local dining hours: Babi guling and nasi campur warungs open in the morning, most between 07:00 and 10:00, and the best often sell out by early afternoon. Lunch runs 11:00-14:00, dinner 18:00-22:00; night markets open from about 16:00 to 17:00 into the late evening.
Tipping: Not expected at warungs or night-market stalls, where rounding up is welcome. Sit-down restaurants often mark prices "++", meaning tax and a service charge (together about 15 to 21 percent) are added to the bill, so check it before tipping.
Bali's signature dishes include Babi guling, Betutu, Lawar, Sate lilit, Nasi campur Bali. See our signature dishes chapter for where to eat each.
TableJourney editors map Bali by district. Ubud, Seminyak, Canggu, Kuta and Legian are among the strongest for food, each with its own guide.
Editor picks in Bali include Locavore NXT, Mozaic, Kubu at Mandapa, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.
TableJourney covers 5 editor-picked food tours in Bali, with what each shows you and how much to budget.
TableJourney's Bali dietary chapter covers vegan, vegetarian, gluten_free, halal venues, each editor-picked with what to order and how to ask.
