Bali's food scene spans everything from smoky roadside warungs to some of Asia's most acclaimed tasting menus. Try the island's definitive babi guling at Ibu Oka, dig into modern Indonesian cooking at Merah Putih, splurge on foraged fine dining at Locavore, or watch the sunset over a beachfront pasta at La Lucciola. Here are the restaurants worth booking, with areas, prices and insider tips.
$$$Locavore
Area
Ubud
Type
Fine Dining
“A Michelin-recognised, farm-to-table tasting-menu destination — book weeks ahead.”
$$Mama San
Area
Seminyak
Type
Asian Fusion
“Chef Will Meyrick's glamorous 1920s Shanghai-style room, serving bold pan-Asian street food.”
$Warung Babi Guling Ibu Oka
Area
Ubud
Type
Balinese Classic
“The island's most famous babi guling (Balinese roast suckling pig), served since 1970 — go early before it sells out.”
$Naughty Nuri's
Area
Ubud
Type
BBQ Ribs
“Legendary barbecue pork ribs and famously strong, cheap martinis — casual, lively and great for groups.”
$$$Merah Putih
Area
Seminyak
Type
Modern Indonesian
“Award-winning architecture and a refined take on regional Indonesian cuisine — go for the tasting menu.”
$$La Lucciola
Area
Seminyak
Type
Italian
“A beachfront Italian classic with a killer sunset view — book an upstairs table for dinner.”
$$$Potato Head Beach Club
Area
Seminyak
Type
Beach Club
“An architectural wonder wrapped in 6,600 recycled window shutters, around a grassy lawn and infinity pool — go for sunset.”
$Warung Nia
Area
Seminyak
Type
Babi Guling
“A local favourite for babi guling at roughly half the price of the tourist spots — casual and family-friendly.”
$$Room4Dessert
Area
Ubud
Type
Dessert Bar
“Pastry legend Will Goldfarb's dessert tasting menu — a one-of-a-kind experience among Ubud's rice fields.”
$$Warung Enak
Area
Ubud
Type
Balinese Classic
“Order the rijsttafel — a lavish 'rice table' of 10 traditional Indonesian dishes served together.”
Bali restaurants in detail
1.Locavore
Locavore is the restaurant that put Ubud — and arguably Bali — on the international fine-dining map. As its name suggests, the kitchen is built around a rigorous local-and-foraged philosophy, sourcing almost everything from Indonesian farmers, fishermen and its own network of growers, then transforming it into intricate, playful, multi-course tasting menus that have earned it a place among Asia's most acclaimed tables. Expect a long, theatrical procession of small, beautifully composed plates showcasing ingredients you've likely never encountered, matched with thoughtful wine or a non-alcoholic 'juice pairing' of house ferments and infusions, all delivered with polished, knowledgeable service in a sleek open-kitchen setting. It's a genuine destination-dining experience — an event to plan your Ubud trip around rather than a casual drop-in — and reservations are essential, often needed weeks in advance. It's not cheap by Bali standards, but for the creativity, the sustainability ethos and the sheer level of the cooking, it's superb value against comparable restaurants worldwide. For food lovers, a meal at Locavore is one of the highlights of a trip to Bali.
Hours
Lunch & dinner (check days); reserve well ahead
Price
Tasting menus ~$70–120 per person
Getting there
Central Ubud, Jalan Dewisita area
Insider tip: A Michelin-recognised, farm-to-table tasting-menu destination — book weeks ahead.
2.Mama San
Mama San is one of Seminyak's most stylish and enduringly popular restaurants, the creation of celebrated chef Will Meyrick, who built his reputation travelling Asia's markets and hawker stalls in search of authentic street food. The result is a menu of bold, punchy, pan-Asian dishes — spanning Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian and Indonesian influences — reworked with real skill and served in generous, shareable portions perfect for a group. The setting is a huge part of the appeal: a glamorous, dimly lit two-storey space evoking a 1920s Shanghai supper club, all leather banquettes, warm lighting and a buzzing cocktail bar upstairs. It's atmospheric enough for a special dinner or date yet relaxed and lively rather than stuffy, which is why it stays busy year after year. The cocktails are excellent and the vibe convivial, making it a great spot to settle in for the evening. Reservations are recommended, especially at weekends. For inventive, flavour-packed Asian cooking in one of Seminyak's most seductive rooms, Mama San is a reliable and thoroughly enjoyable choice.
Hours
Daily, lunch & dinner
Price
~$20–40 per person
Getting there
Jalan Raya Kerobokan, Seminyak
Insider tip: Chef Will Meyrick's glamorous 1920s Shanghai-style room, serving bold pan-Asian street food.
3.Warung Babi Guling Ibu Oka
Warung Babi Guling Ibu Oka is an Ubud institution and the most famous place on the island to try babi guling — the Balinese ceremonial dish of spit-roast suckling pig, rubbed with a rich paste of turmeric, garlic, ginger, chilli and lemongrass, and slow-roasted until the skin turns to glassy crackling. Serving since 1970 and made internationally famous by Anthony Bourdain, it dishes up a classic plate of tender pork, crispy skin, spiced vegetables, blood sausage and rice that captures the essence of Balinese home cooking. This is a no-frills warung experience — simple surrounds, communal energy, and food that sells out by early afternoon, so it pays to arrive around lunchtime rather than late. It's cheap, generous and utterly authentic, a world away from Seminyak's polished dining rooms, and eating here is as much a cultural experience as a meal. Note that babi guling is pork, so it isn't halal. For a genuine, affordable taste of Bali's most iconic dish in the town that does it best, Ibu Oka is a must — just come hungry and come early.
Hours
Daily from ~11:00 until sold out
Price
~$3–6 per person
Getting there
Central Ubud, near the royal palace
Insider tip: The island's most famous babi guling (Balinese roast suckling pig), served since 1970 — go early before it sells out.
4.Naughty Nuri's
Naughty Nuri's Warung is one of Ubud's most beloved and boisterous eateries, a smoky roadside grill house that has built a cult following on two things: its barbecue pork ribs and its famously strong, cheap martinis. The ribs are the star — marinated, slow-cooked and finished over a charcoal grill out front, they arrive sticky, tender and generously portioned, and they've drawn a devoted crowd of locals, expats and travellers (and a few celebrity chefs) for years. Pair them with the legendary martini, shaken hard and poured stiff for just a few dollars, and you have the makings of a raucous, feel-good night. The setting is deliberately casual and rough-around-the-edges: communal tables, a lively open-grill atmosphere and a soundtrack of chatter and clinking glasses, making it perfect for groups and families after a fun, unpretentious meal rather than a refined one. It gets busy and can be smoky, which is all part of the charm. There are now several branches, but the original on Jalan Raya Sanggingan set the template. For ribs, martinis and a great time, Naughty Nuri's is an Ubud rite of passage.
Hours
Daily, lunch & dinner
Price
~$8–15 per person
Getting there
Jalan Raya Sanggingan, Ubud
Insider tip: Legendary barbecue pork ribs and famously strong, cheap martinis — casual, lively and great for groups.
5.Merah Putih
Merah Putih — named after the red and white of the Indonesian flag — is one of Seminyak's most striking restaurants, as celebrated for its architecture as its food. The vast, cathedral-like dining room, with soaring latticed concrete arches and a canopy of greenery, has won international design awards and makes for a genuinely dramatic setting. The kitchen matches the ambition, serving refined, contemporary interpretations of dishes drawn from across the Indonesian archipelago — Sumatra, Java, Bali and beyond — using traditional techniques and top local ingredients to elevate familiar flavours without losing their soul. The result is a menu that works beautifully for sharing, ideally as a multi-course spread or tasting menu, letting you range across the country's extraordinary regional diversity in one meal, all matched with a good wine list and creative cocktails. Service is polished and the atmosphere smart yet relaxed, suiting a special dinner or a celebratory group meal. Reservations are wise, particularly for dinner. For anyone who wants to understand how sophisticated and varied Indonesian cuisine can be — in one of Bali's most beautiful dining spaces — Merah Putih is a standout choice.
Hours
Daily, lunch & dinner; reserve ahead
Price
~$25–45 per person
Getting there
Jalan Petitenget, Seminyak
Insider tip: Award-winning architecture and a refined take on regional Indonesian cuisine — go for the tasting menu.
6.La Lucciola
La Lucciola is one of Seminyak's original beachfront restaurants and remains a firm favourite for its unbeatable combination of good Italian food and one of the best sunset views in Bali. Perched right above Petitenget Beach beside a small temple, its breezy, open-sided upstairs dining room looks straight out over the sand and the Indian Ocean, making it a magical place to be as the sun goes down. The menu is Mediterranean-leaning Italian — fresh pasta, wood-grilled fish and seafood, salads and classic mains — reliably well executed and generous, if priced for the setting rather than the plate. It's a place people return to year after year for anniversaries, romantic dinners and long lazy lunches, so the sunset tables are highly sought after; book ahead and request an upstairs spot with a sea view for the full effect. Come for a relaxed breakfast or lunch on the beach, or time your visit for golden hour, order a bottle of wine and settle in as the sky ignites. For that quintessential Bali beachfront-dining experience with dependable food and a knockout view, La Lucciola is hard to beat.
Hours
Daily, breakfast, lunch & dinner
Price
~$20–40 per person
Getting there
Petitenget Beach, Seminyak
Insider tip: A beachfront Italian classic with a killer sunset view — book an upstairs table for dinner.
7.Potato Head Beach Club
Potato Head Beach Club is Seminyak's — and arguably Bali's — most iconic beach club, instantly recognisable for its dramatic circular façade built from 6,600 recycled antique window shutters salvaged from across Indonesia. Inside, the amphitheatre wraps around a grassy lawn and an infinity pool that appears to merge with the ocean beyond, creating one of the island's great sunset settings. It's far more than a bar: the sprawling complex houses several restaurants (from casual poolside bites to accomplished sit-down dining), multiple bars, a sustainability-focused 'Desa Potato Head' creative village and hotel, and a line-up of DJs and events that build through the afternoon into the night. The formula is simple and irresistible — claim a day bed or a patch of lawn, order cocktails and food, swim in the pool, and settle in for the main event as the sun drops into the sea. There's a minimum spend for the prime loungers, and it gets busy, so arrive by mid-afternoon for sunset. Stylish, design-led and endlessly photogenic, Potato Head is a Bali institution that everyone should experience at least once.
Hours
Daily from ~10:00 until late
Price
Minimum spend ~$32; dining ~$25–50
Getting there
Jalan Petitenget, Seminyak beachfront
Insider tip: An architectural wonder wrapped in 6,600 recycled window shutters, around a grassy lawn and infinity pool — go for sunset.
8.Warung Nia
Warung Nia is a much-loved, unpretentious eatery on Seminyak's 'Eat Street' (Jalan Kayu Aya) that has built a loyal following for its babi guling — Balinese roast suckling pig — served at roughly half the price of the flashier tourist restaurants nearby. Alongside the signature crispy-skinned pork, the menu runs through hearty, honest Balinese and Indonesian home cooking: nasi campur (rice with an array of small dishes), satay skewers, grilled fish, curries and classic warung staples, all generously portioned and easy on the wallet. The setting is simple and welcoming — a casual, open-fronted room with friendly service — making it comfortable for families and solo travellers alike, and a refreshing dose of local value in an area better known for its upmarket prices. It's the kind of place where you can eat well and authentically without spending much, which is exactly why locals and repeat visitors rate it so highly. For a satisfying, budget-friendly taste of real Indonesian cooking — and that all-important babi guling — in the heart of pricey Seminyak, Warung Nia is a reliable and cheerful choice.
Hours
Daily, lunch & dinner
Price
~$4–8 per person
Getting there
Jalan Kayu Aya (Eat Street), Seminyak
Insider tip: A local favourite for babi guling at roughly half the price of the tourist spots — casual and family-friendly.
9.Room4Dessert
Room4Dessert is one of the most original dining experiences in Bali — a dessert-focused restaurant from acclaimed American pastry chef Will Goldfarb, tucked into a lush garden setting on the edge of Ubud. Best known from Netflix's 'Chef's Table: Pastry', Goldfarb turns dessert into the main event, offering an avant-garde tasting menu of intricate, boundary-pushing sweet courses that draw heavily on Balinese and Indonesian ingredients — local fruits, spices, palm sugars and botanicals reimagined in playful, technically dazzling ways. The experience is intimate and theatrical, often served at a counter or in the garden with the chefs plating in front of you, and it can be paired with wines or creative cocktails. While the tasting menu is the signature draw, there's also an à la carte selection of savoury bites and drinks for a more relaxed visit. It's a destination for the curious and the sweet-toothed rather than a casual pudding stop, and reservations are recommended. For anyone who wants a genuinely unique, creative and memorable evening — and a whole new way of thinking about dessert — Room4Dessert is an unmissable Ubud experience.
Hours
Evenings (check days); reserve ahead
Price
Dessert tasting menu ~$40–60 per person
Getting there
Jalan Raya Sanggingan, Ubud
Insider tip: Pastry legend Will Goldfarb's dessert tasting menu — a one-of-a-kind experience among Ubud's rice fields.
10.Warung Enak
Warung Enak — 'enak' means delicious in Indonesian — is a comfortable, welcoming Ubud restaurant that has long been a reliable favourite for authentic Balinese and Indonesian cooking in a relaxed, characterful setting. Its signature is the rijsttafel, or 'rice table', a lavish Indonesian feast of around ten small traditional dishes served all at once — a colourful spread of satays, curries, spiced vegetables, sambals, tempeh, fish and rice that lets you sample the astonishing breadth of the country's cuisine in a single sitting, and is ideal for sharing with a group. Beyond the rijsttafel, the menu covers well-executed classics from across the archipelago, with vegetarian options and gentler-spiced dishes making it family-friendly. The atmosphere is unhurried and pleasant, with attentive service and often live traditional music in the evenings, adding to the sense of occasion without being formal or expensive. It's a great choice for travellers who want to dig properly into Indonesian food beyond the tourist standards, in a spot that feels both authentic and accessible. For a generous, flavour-filled introduction to the country's cooking in Ubud, Warung Enak is a dependable and satisfying pick.
Hours
Daily, lunch & dinner
Price
~$12–22 per person
Getting there
Jalan Raya Pengosekan, Ubud
Insider tip: Order the rijsttafel — a lavish 'rice table' of 10 traditional Indonesian dishes served together.