Five Indonesian restaurants in Bali are highlighting the island’s finest ingredients with masterful skill.
If you are looking for the best Indonesian restaurants in Bali, here’s a list of the Indonesian tables you can try on your visit. From the shore of Nusa Dua to the lush village in Ubud, embark on a culinary journey across the archipelago where spices, locally sourced produce, and flavourful regional cuisines are part of your experience.
The concept At this casual beachfront seafood restaurant, about 95% of the ingredients used are locally sourced, a tribute to Bali’s gifts of the sea and excellent local produce. Helming the restaurant’s team is chef Dane Fernandes, who brings with him over 14 years of experience working in prestigious international hotel groups.
Must-try To highlight its locally sourced produce, the restaurant recently launched what it calls Sustainable Recipes, a series of dishes comprising Bali’s best local ingredients and a reimagining of local seafood favourites. Some of the restaurant’s newly launched main courses include Pacri Udang (peach prawn with spicy pineapple salad, chilli peanut dressing), Pindang Jimbaran, and Robroban Kelor (Jimbaran bonito with curried moringa and coconut sauce).
Also enticing for seafood connoisseurs is the Seafood Ceviche with Javanese sweet and sour emulsion, lemon basil leaves and nori powder. Other highlights are the Steamed Opaka Fish with miso flakes and yuzu olive oil, and the Tuna Loin Sashimi using yellowfin tuna.
Don’t make the mistake of not leaving room for dessert. Ikan’s sustainable dessert highlight is Bulung Sawangan. In the Indonesian language, bulung means seaweed and sawangan is a place where seaweed naturally grows. As its name suggests, this dessert features local seaweed in a coconut panna cotta, with fresh raspberries from Bedugul, Central Bali.
Tips Pair the dishes with the recently launched zero-waste craft cocktail, Savanna. A refreshing tipple with vanilla and ginger notes.
The concept Bejana serves signature dishes from Bali and across the archipelago. The name of the restaurant itself is an Indonesian word referring to a traditional culinary vessel.
Designed by Burega Farnell, the restaurant extends across three levels with a variety of indoor and outdoor seating, all with a spectacular view of the resort and the Indian Ocean. The upper level features a sophisticated open kitchen, as well as a colonial style chef’s table. The middle level contains a private dining room with several intimate tables. Finally, the last level is set on an open-air wooden deck, with cosy lounges and casual outdoor seating. The restaurant’s local identity is distinguished by intricate Balinese carvings created by local artisans.
Chef Made Karyasa and his team source all the restaurant’s ingredients from local producers. Bejana also offers a market-to-table experience, inviting guests to visit nearby traditional markets in the morning to purchase essential ingredients, then learn how to prepare traditional Indonesian dishes using the fresh produce.
Must-try On Saturdays, the restaurant presents a Balinese-themed buffet dinner, with the world-famous babi guling as the pièce de résistance, alongside an aromatic and tender bebek betutu. The venue also offers other beloved traditional foods from other parts of Indonesia, such as Jakarta’s soto pesmol (spiced seafood and coconut soup). An a la carte menu is also available.
Tips Don’t miss the Archipelago Rijsttafel for a chance to sample an array of Balinese and Indonesian dishes in one seating. The feast is served family-style and is available daily for dinner.
The concept This suave dining destination serves quintessential Indonesian dishes – not just those from Bali but other parts of the archipelago too. Led by executive chef Wisnu Adiyatma, the restaurant’s name is a homage to the indigenous handweaving technique inherent to traditional Indonesian ikat cloth.
Just as handweaving requires patience, endurance and precision to produce a beautiful textile, the kitchen team works hard to handle each ingredient meticulously, blending local flavours with modern cooking techniques to produce a harmonious symphony of flavours while staying true to their Indonesian roots.
Double Ikat also seeks to bring diners closer to the beauty of Indonesia’s ikat cloth. The restaurant displays colourful spools of thread and a fully functional traditional loom. Rows of tables are separated by screens made to resemble threaded looms set on wooden frames, while the plates bear a crisscross pattern found in Indonesian woven cloth. Its setting allows you to breathe in Bali’s scenic views while its staff deliver Indonesia’s warm hospitality.
Must-try Among the restaurant’s culinary highlights, its Balinese dishes stand out: the elevated take on babi guling, as well as the ikan bakar Jimbaran, a freshly caught, perfectly grilled snapper marinated in a rich blend of traditional Balinese spices.
Tips Arrive early for sunset tipples at the hotel’s gorgeous R Bar. The bar has a stellar martini selection and a DIY cocktail to suit your palate.
The concept Introducing diners to some of the most popular traditional Balinese dishes along with selections from other parts of Indonesia, the restaurant is named after the Indonesian word for turmeric, an essential ingredient in Indonesian cuisine. Kunyit provides a sensory Indonesian dining experience not only through its menus but also the uniquely contemporary Indonesian design and décor.
The kitchen team uses traditional cooking methods to bring out the best that Balinese cuisine has to offer. It also provides interactive cooking sessions in an intimate setting to help diners immerse themselves in local culinary traditions, activating the senses.
Led by Balinese executive sous chef Ketut Suwantara, who has over 23 years of experience in various five-star hotels, the restaurant’s team members craft personalised culinary experiences while maintaining the integrity of Balinese flavours.
Must-try Open daily, give their a la carte menu a go. The crispy Bebek Goreng Kunyit, Sate Sapi Maranggi, Iga Babi Bakar, and Nasi Campur Bali are among the highlights.
Tips Don’t miss the traditional dishes served family-style, known in Bali as Megibung. There are three Megibung options available: seafood, no pork, and with pork. The set menu is served for a minimum of two guests.
The concept Located in the pristine Payangan area north of Ubud, the resort is surrounded by rice paddies and jungle, adjacent to the mighty Ayung River and a waterfall, and to top it all off, commands a view of Bali’s seven majestic peaks. With its “no walls, no doors” concept, the resort seeks to provide guests the bold taste of “the naked experience”, with only a thin veil separating them from nature.
Within this setting lies the Open Kitchen restaurant, which upholds the zero-waste farm-to-table concept, developed in collaboration with Agency X, which most notably has also collaborated with Locavore. About 70% of the menu items are plant-based, and ingredients sourced within an hour’s drive from the property.
To help diners gain firsthand experience in preparing the resort’s traditional fare, the restaurant also offers a regular paon (the Balinese word for kitchen) cooking class. Participants learn the art of transforming local spices and herbs, and using woodfire stoves and heritage equipment. The teaching chef will also share local cooking techniques while telling the story behind each Balinese dish along the way.
Must-try The restaurant presents a vegan Balinese-style Nasi Liwet, rice served with braised tempeh, egg and spicy sambal. Another plant-based option is the salad of foraged leaves, flowers and sprouts drizzled with miso-chilli vinaigrette. For a non-vegan option, opt for the chicken skewers served with a spicy-sweet salad of fresh greens, bean sprouts and carrots. Reservations are recommended.
Tips Stop by the resort’s Botanist Bar, located above the Open Kitchen. Admire the panoramic view while sipping house-made cocktails and mocktails starring herbs and botanicals from the on-site garden.
