KUTA

AMIGO'S Salsaria
Open air, as can be expected, there are a number of different Salsas (including smoked salmon  Salsa and mango Salsa) on the menu, a range of Tex-Mex favorites, good Margaritas and Daiquiris, Mexican Tequila, and various coffees. The service is relaxed but very attentive.
Jl Kartika Plaza

AROMAS
A choice of rather interesting vegetarian dishes from India, Thailand, the Middle East, Mexico and Europe is offered for breakfast, lunch and dinner at AROMAS on the main road in the center of Legian.

B.M.J. (Bak Mie Jakarta) restaurant
Jl Raya Kuta No. 22
on the main road between Kuta and the airport, does serve a tasty version of the fried noodles (Bakmie) which it was named after, but the highlight here is 'Dim Sum' (also called 'Yum Cha') -- a variety of small dumplings, steamed buns and other mini delights served in rattan baskets.
Inside the baskets you find delicious steamed dumplings filled with prawns and pork ('Siu Mai' and 'Har Gau'), or shark fin ('Yu Chi Gau'), crisp-fried rolls with prawns, and 'Char Siu Bau', rather filling barbecued pork buns. The prawns and other ingredients are always fresh, and the prices are about Rupiah 4,500 per basket (a tiny fraction of what you would pay in Hong Kong or Taipei).

CAFE LUNA
100 meters north of GOA 2001 is well-known for pasta and desserts. It used to be one of the late-night meeting places of Bali's "beautiful (and often gay) people".

KETUPAT
Jl Legian Raya 109 in Kuta
serves a great variety of specialties from many different parts of the archipelago in very pleasant surroundings. You find many dfferent soups, chicken, beef, duck, lamb, seafood and vegetarian delicacies from Bali, Sumatra, Jawa, Sulawesi, Moluku, and other parts of Indonesia. In addition to the usual pork, beef, and chicken 'Sate' you find here barbecued skewers with goat meat, prawns, tuna, squid, and even 'Sate Lilit' with minced crab or duck meat. Seafood lovers can choose from different preparations of lobster, crabs, prawns, calamari and all kinds of fresh fish. Vegetarians will enjoy salads and tasty main courses with beans, potatoes, spinach, bean sprouts, young fern leaves, etc. The menu features photographs and explanations of each dish. Expect to pay about Rupiah 50,000 to 80,000 per person which is not cheap for Bali. But don't forget, this is real Indonesian 'haute cuisine' (which you normally only can find in some private homes  but never in restaurants), well presented, and served in surroundings which will please most  visitors.

MADE'S WARUNG  

on Jalan Pantai in central Kuta near the Bemo Corner is an absolute "must". This has been THE place to see and be seen for over 20 years. There's a wide choice of dishes (on the menu and on notes on the walls) from many parts of the world: local "Nasi Campur" (a mini rijsttafel) and Gado Gado, Japanese Sashimi, their own version of a Thai "Tom Yam" soup, good prawn and squid dishes, pasta, acceptable steaks, etc), plus  a variety of cakes, delicious home-made coconut ice-cream, fresh fruit juices and good Capuchino (served either hot or iced). Try the "Arak Madu" or "Arak Lemon di Blender" (the local rice liquor with either just honey, or with honey and lemon, prepared in a blender). From morning to late night you'll see many regulars who've been coming here since Peter (the Dutch owner) and his Balinese wife Made started their "Warung" in the early 70's. In those days, MADE'S was the only 'after-hours' place in Kuta. They kept selling toilet paper, mosquito curls, snack food and drinks until 8:00 in the evening when everybody else closed around 7:00 p.m. Today they close at midnight when Bali's night life just begins, but MADE'S is still an institution in Kuta. In August 1996 Peter and Made opened a new, quite similar but larger and more comfortable MADE'S WARUNG in Basangkasa on the way to the Oberoi Hotel. The menu is a bit more interesting than in Kuta, and they offer a choice of imported wines at very reasonable prices. Have a look at the various shops which are part of the complex, too.

UN'S PARADISE RESTAURANT
Hidden away a few meters down the narrow lane next to MADE'S In a pleasant garden setting you can enjoy well-prepared Swiss and Italian specialties such as Carpaccio, Gnocchi, Ravioli, tender (imported) steaks, fish, prawns, and a few vegetarian dishes. Main courses range from 40,000 to 80,000 Rupiah. There is a small choice of wines, many liqueurs and cocktails, special coffees and teas, and even Balinese Arack and Brem. A live band entertains diners, and many guests at the horse shoe bar come just for a chat with the Swiss owner Peter Erni.

POPPIES RESTAURANT
on Poppies Gang (lane) nearby has also been well-established for over 20 years. In a beautiful garden setting you can choose from a number of Asian and Western dishes including, soups, curries, lobster and steaks. It's very pleasant for a leisurely lunch in the shade of large trees, but in the evenings the place tends to become crowded with tourist groups.

TJ'S MEXICAN RESTAURANT
Candi Dasa
also on, is well-known for tasty food, good music, margaritas, strawberry daiquiris, and to meet regulars around the far corner of the long bar. Pleasant garden setting, good service. The owners, Jean and Nigel, also run the WATER GARDEN hotel in Candi dasa.

POCO LOCO
Jl Padma Utara, Legian
has two sometimes busy bars on different levels and offers a choice of Mexican dishes, good salmon steaks and other grill items, a delicious but very heavy "Muddy Mud Pie". Tequila shooters are served by the walking "Mini-Bar", and there is good music and a lively atmosphere. The restaurant is open daily for
dinner from 6 p.m. until about midnight. The "in-crowd" arrives after 9 p.m. (The same owners opened in May 1995 a second branch in Nusa Dua, Jalan Pantai Mengiat, which tends to be much more quiet if they don't have a group booked for the evening.)

RYOSHI
Jl Raya Seminyak 17
The small air-conditioned sushi bar RYOSHI, and a newer branch in Jalan Melasti in Kuta, serves fresh Sashimi, Sushi, Tempura, Miso soup, and other Japanese dishes at very low prices. It's interior is simple but comfortable, and the restaurant is often crowded during meal times. There are also branches in Sanur and Ubud.

KURUMAYA
Sashimi or Teppanyaki, Shabu-Shabu and Sukiyaki prepared at your table. For good at the Bali Padma Hotel in Legian.

TEPPANYAKI restaurant
Small but more elegant, at the Bali Imperial Hotel in Seminyak.
 

INAGIKU
located in its own Japanese style building in the garden of the Grand Hyatt Resort in Nusa Dua or the cosy Japanese restaurant at the Bali Cliff Resort). You'll find a popular late-night Sushi Bar (until 1:00 in the morning if the fish is not sold out earlier) inside the large, open-air GOA 2001 (a few steps south from RYOSHI) which serves also a number of Indian, Indonesian, Thai and seafood dishes. Good music and drinks, quiet and pleasant during dinner time. After midnight GOA becomes one of Bali's most crowded hang-outs.

KIN KHAO Thai Restaurant
Jl Raya Seminyak No. 37
However, their "Thom Yam Gung", Fried Fish Cakes, Green Papaya Salad, Spring Rolls, a Green Chicken Curry, and "Hormok" (steamed mixed seafood) are recently lacking the spicyness of real Thai food -- although you can specify when ordering how you'd like your food. Most dishes are 10,000 to 15,000 Rupiah. The same owners opened in Summer 1997 a larger, more luxurious new branch in Jalan Kartika Plaza. The food there is equally "touristy", and boring, and the prices are about 50% higher than in Seminyak.

GADO GADO
Thai dishes during the evenings at Gado-Gado (on the beach front at the end of Jalan Dhyana Pura in Seminyak) which turns later at night into a hot disco.

GOLDEN LOTUS
inside the Bali Dynasty Resort (operated by Shangri-La Hotels) in Tuban is well-known for a wide range of of good Chinese dishes and 'Dim Sum' (during lunch on Sundays) which are served in comfortable hotel surroundings.

LA LUCCIOLA
(with a beautiful beach front setting next to the Petitenget temple and great    views of Kuta's famous sunsets) serves a range of Italian specialties. The quality of the food is sometimes excellent but not reliable. Most visitors know 66 (called 'Double Six') in Seminyak only as one of Bali's most popular beach front discos. However, during the early evenings it's a pleasant restaurant offering a small choice of semi-Italian dishes and good views of the sometimes spectacular sunsets.
 

TERAS or LA TERRAZZA
Jl Legian 494
In the center of Seminyak, nearly opposite Double-Six-Road, you'll find on the third floor an Italian-run roof-top restaurant with a long bar, good drinks, sometimes too loud music, and a large, airy terrace. The friendly but often unattentive staff serve many delicious (thin-crust) pizzas for 21,00 to 28,000 Rupiah.

PANTEREI
a beautiful modern restaurant serving tasty Greek specialties in comfortable surroundings.

LA PORCHETTA
Jl Legian near Jalan Melasti
Opened only in July 1998, Italian Grill & Seafood Restaurant is a pleasant open-air eatery on Jalan Legian near Jalan Melasti and very close to "Peanuts Disco". Australians who know these restaurants from Melbourne will love it. Nice informal
style, tasty, reasonably priced food (steaks and lobster around 25,000 to 35,000 Rupiah), but the wines are a bit on the expensive side at 350,000 Rupiah per bottle for table wines and 480,000 Rupiah for Champagne.

WARISAN Kafe
Jalan Raya Kerobokan
about one or two kilometers further north from Seminyak/Basangkasa was re-opened under new management in 1997. Now run by the young, enthusiastic French chef Said Alem, this pleasant and trendy open-air restaurant offers an interesting menu (including a number of vegetarian dishes). Entrees are Duck & Pistachio Terrine, Tuna Carpaccio, Smoked Fish Salad, and Escargots served in Roasted Mushrooms. You can continue with a Mediterranean Fish Soup, followed by one of the pasta dishes or Roast Duck Breast, Roast Rack of Lamb, Chicken Tarragon, or Australian steaks. For seafood lovers there are grilled Swordfish or Tasmanian Salmon, pan-fried Tuna steaks, and poached Bawal fillet. Instead of serving the standard string beans and French Fries, each dish is accompanied by different vegetables such as baked eggplant, Ratatouille, tomato compote, potato gratin or hash brown potatoes, garlic croutons, or Curry Linguini. To finish your meal you can choose either Creme Brulee, Apple Crumble, or Ice Cinamon Soufflé. On the drink
list you find a number of drinkable French wines starting around 250,000 Rupiah, a good choice of cocktails, five different kinds of tea, Espresso, Cappuchino, and Bali Coffee. Service is attentive, and prices are reasonable (a three-course dinner for two will cost you about 250,000 to 350,000 Rupiah – and 500,000 to 600,000 Rupiah if you add a bottle of wine). WARISAN Kafe is definitely a very welcome addition to Bali's restaurant scene and seems to become better and more popular every day! Don't go without a reservation.

PURNAMA (Full Moon) Steak House & Restaurant
When you continue on the road to Kerobokan, turn at the next intersection to the left to Pantai Petitenget, and follow the signs to the "Bali Intan Beach Village" hotel, you'll see right before the hotel's access road the Purnama Steak House & Restaurant which we'd seen for some time but only visited after it was was highly recommended on our BALI travel Forum. The experience was not bad: many guests, some of them obviously staying at  the neighbourhood hotels and eating here not the first time, appetizers (tasty chilli prawns with a sauce similar to that served in Szechuan restaurants, breaded garlic prawns, honey  prawns, spicy chicken wings, etc) priced around 30,000 Rupiah each and served with rice and/or French fries and nearly sufficient as a main course. Australian steaks for around 60,000 to 70,000 Rupiah, and a good choice of different sauces to choose from for all grilled items. A large carafe of drinkable house wine is 130,000 Rupiah, all prices plus 10% tax. There is generous space between tables (but there aren't too many of them, therefore, expect to wait at the bar), and the service is friendly but slow. Tasty, solid food at reasonable prices in simple surroundings, recommendable if you stay nearby, but not worth to go out of your  way for.

TAJ MAHAL
A good choice of rather well-prepared Indian specialties is offered at the (in December 1996) re-opened Taj Mahal, a large, open-air restaurant on Jalan Oberoi. Vegetable Samosa, Butter Chicken, Mutton Shahi Korma, a range of Tandoori dishes, Aloo Gobi, Dhal,  Raita, Papadum and Indian breads baked in a Tandoor oven such as Nan etc. present a welcome change from other in Bali more usual cuisines.

WARUNG KOPI
Rather boring but very cheap Indian food can be found at Jalan Legian 427, which also serves a choice of vegetarian plates either street-side or in the garden patio.

MAMA’s
For basic German dishes and sausages you can try your luck in the open-air MAMA'S restaurant in Kuta which is open around the clock and is after midnight popular with "Kupu Kupu Malams", their "managers" and "Kuta Cowboys", as well as a sometimes quite strange late-night drinking crowd. Owner is the German Honorary Consul Reinhold Jantzen.

SWISS RESTAURANT
You like dining with Consuls? You can also visit the Swiss Consular Representative Jon Zurcher  who entertains his guests.
Jalan Kuta Palace in Legian

LENNY'S RESTAURANT
If you like seafood, the long established LENNY'S RESTAURANT on Kuta's Jalan Pantai and the SEAFOOD MARKET adjacent to GOA 2001 in Seminyak are good choices.

INDAH SARI, MINI, SC
There are also several restaurants (INDAH SARI, MINI, SC, etc) along Jalan Legian in Kuta which display on the roadside fresh fish, lobster, crabs and prawns on ice. You select your favorites from the display and tell the staff how to prepare your dish (grilled, steamed, boiled etc). The BALI SEAFOOD MARKET and KUTA SEAFOOD on Jalan Kartika Plaza between Kuta and the airport offer a wide choice of fresh seafood and live entertainment  including Balinese dances.
Jalan Kartika Plaza

SEAFOOD AT JIMBARAN BEACH
The best place for fresh seafood is Jimbaran Beach with its two rows of open restaurants right on the sandy beach on both sides of the Bali Inter-Continental Resort.

Warung ROMA
(on the airport side) used to be the most popular, but its neighbors serve the same delicious food, are less crowded, and offer much better service. All kinds of fresh fish, squid, crabs, prawns, and lobsters are prepared on the open grill (burning coconut husks instead of charcoal) with exotic herbs and spices, and the prices are very reasonable. A large grilled snapper with vegetable, salad, rice, potatoes, several sauces, and different sambals,
costs around Rupiah 35,000 per kilo; one kilo of grilled prawns about Rupiah 90,000, lobster130,000 per kilo, and a large bottle of beer only Rupiah 10,000. A great place to watch Bali's famous sunsets, too!

KO Japanese Restaurant
For fine dining the Bali Inter-Continental Resort is hard to beat -- the KO Japanese Restaurant is one of the best in Bali

SINGARAJA Restaurant
is well-known for delicious seafood and other Asian specialties.

COZY LA INDONESIA
is located nearby on Jalan Uluwatu and offers a variety of Indonesian dishes in pleasant surroundings. It attracts many couples with its romantic garden setting.

EATING OUT IN NUSA DUA
All 5-star hotels in Nusa Dua have a number of restaurants offering various cuisines in comfortable and sometimes luxurious surroundings at rather steep prices.

PICA PICA
has moved to new premises inside the Galleria Nusa Dua Shopping Complex. The restaurant is now much larger and offers pleasant open-air seating. Their specialty is Churrasqueria-style charcoal grilled meat. The price of 90,000 Rupiah (plus 21% service & tax) includes unlimited quantities of grilled beef, lamb, chicken, pork, and various sausages as well as salads and desserts. This is a great bargain, and they can only make some money on drinks: they charge 16,500 Rupiah ++  i.e. nearly 20,000 Rupiah for a small glass of draft Carlsberg.

OLE OLE
Right opposite and under the same management is Ole Ole, a pleasant mediterranean restaurant and Tapas Bar.

ON THE ROCKS
more or less next door which features hot-stone cooked steaks. Other restaurants in the same area offer Italian, German, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino and other Asian dishes for lunch and dinner. Walk around and have a look!  The nearby BUMBU BALI Restaurant (& Cooking School) in Tanjung Benoa, operated by Heinz von Holzen, the author of the book "The Food Of Bali" and former food guru of the Grand Hyatt and Ritz Carlton hotels in Bali, is a must if you are interested in authentic local cuisine. In beautiful surroundings you can enjoy appetizers such as "Ayam Pelalah" (chicken with chillies and lime), beef, chicken and prawn Satay, or "Jokut Kakul", a delicious snail soup with lemon grass and black pepper. Main dishes include "Ayam Betutu" (roasted chicken in banana leaf), "Siap Mapanggang" (ox tongue in sweet nutmeg sauce), "Satay Lilit" made from minced seafood, and "Ikan Pepes", grilled fish in banana leaf, and you can choose from a range of exotic desserts such as Black Rice Pudding, Coconut Pancakes, etc. Or  indulge yourself by ordering the "Balinese Rijstaffel" which consists of 14 different dishes served together with various kinds of rice. For the less adventurous there are grilled sirloin, tenderloin and lamb chops, imported by air from Australia and then marinated in Balinese herbs and spices. Seafood is bought daily fresh on the local market, and you are actually invited to accompany the chef on his daily shopping trip (or even join one of his cooking
classes). There is also a choice of exotic cocktails, imported beers and wines, and you can end your meal with various gourmet flavoured coffee preparations or special flavoured Indonesian teas (apple, apricot, black currant, cinnamon, orange, peach, raspberry, strawberry, vanilla, etc). Service is friendly and attentive, and prices (about 80,000 to 120,000 Rupiah per person) are reasonable.

CLUB MED
even if you don't stay there, for about    US$25 per person you can enjoy their lunch buffet and choose from about 60 different dishes from many Western countries, from China, Korea, Japan, and other Asian countries, and  UNLIMITED free wine and beer. After the main restaurant closes at 2:00 p.m. you can even move to another restaurant which serves light lunch (and drinks) until 3:00 p.m. Also included in the price is the use of CLUB MED's wide range of sports facilities which include snorkeling, sea kayakking, wind surfing, tennis, and even a circus school for adults! Day guests have to leave around 17:30, or you can buy another ticket for about US$30 to enjoy their dinner buffet, disco, and daily changing evening entertainment. 

BATU JIMBAR CAFE
Jl Danau Tamblingan No. 152, Sanur
is a casual sidewalk cafe and popular with many expatriates living in Sanur who meet here for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can choose from a number of fresh fruit juices, healthy salads and light dishes; the vegetables and herbs are grown at the owner's farm near Bedugul. In the back of the outdoor restaurant is a good book shop  with international newspapers.

CANDI
Grand Bali Beach Hotel, Sanur
Air conditioned, adjacent to the lobby of  the Grand Bali Beach Hotel serves tasty Thai cuisine in pleasant and comfortable surroundings.

KOKI Restaurant & Pub
Jl By-Pass No. 9X, Sanur
This is a popular and sometimes quite noisy meeting place for expatriates living in Sanur who come here for a talk with the Austrian manager Olaf Aistleitner and his friendly waitresses, large portions of German/Austrian home cooking at reasonable prices (grilled snapper with parsley potatoes, Wiener Schnitzel, Beef Goulash, Chicken Gordon Blue (!), quite good steaks (for Bali standards), kidneys, and liver "Berlin Style" etc, all served with salad and French fries or rice for about 15,000 to 30,000 Rupiah, a game of Billiards, or to watch a movie. The kitchen is open until midnight.

LEMON GRASS
Less formal, next to the TROPHY PUB, near the entrance to the Aerowisata Sanur Hotel.

MING'S restaurant
Well-known for good seafood is the open-air, between the Aerowisata  Sanur Hotel and the Sanur Travelodge.

ORIENTAL RESTAURANT
Radisson Hotel, Sanur
inside the Radisson Hotel, Jalan By-Pass in Sanur, is now run by the chef who made the GOLDEN LOTUS (at the Dynasty Hotel in Tuban) the probably most famous Chinese restaurant in Bali. Watch out -- it might become  good!

TANJUNG SARI hotel's restaurant
Jl Tamblingan, Sanur
has been well-known since more than 20 years. In a stylish setting with a festive, almost cathedral-like atmosphere near the beach, you can watch on some evenings traditional dances and try the many dishes which are part of a Balinese
Rijsttafel (here served as a buffet). However, the main reason for many guests to come here is the beach front bar and the 'Arak Bumbu', a wonderful mix of the potent local rice liquor with a combination of herbs and spices (including ginger, garlic, pepper, honey, lime, and many others). Not cheap (dinner for two about Rupiah 150,000 to 250,000) -- but worth every Rupiah.
  

TELAGA NAGA
operated by the Bali Hyatt hotel in Sanur and located right opposite the hotel on the main road) has a beautiful garden setting with ponds and ducks, bridges, pavilions, and well prepared Chinese (mostly Szechuan) food. Don't miss the
delicious "Smoked Duck". The birds served here are imported from the United States and have -- unlike their Asian relatives -- a lot of tender meat. I can also recommend the Chicken in Sesame Sauce (in many places known as 'Bon Bon Chicken'), the Hot & Sour Soup, and their Scallops in Black Bean Sauce. Expect to pay hotel prices, i.e. dinner for two around US$60 to US$80 with some beer but without wine.

The VILLAGE
Kampung Sanur, Jalan Tamblingan 66 in the middle of Sanur's tourist strip, serves tasty Western dishes in very pleasant surroundings. On the menu you'll find Carpaccio, a melon soup with prawns, mushroom-spinach strudel, mushroom consomme, tenderloin steak, a (disappointing) duck chilli, and a number of seafood dishes which are all well prepared. The beautiful presentation of the food shows the professional chef. Prices are very reasonable; wine, however, is quite expensive.
Jl Tamblingan 66, Sanur

RYOSHI
For good Sushi, Sashimi, Tempura and Soba at very reasonable prices visit the small and air-conditioned in the back of Jalan Danau Tamblingan 150. However, if you come after 8:30 p.m. Most of the fish might be gone.
Jalan Danau Tamblingan 150

SANUR BEACH MARKET BAR & Restaurant
A restaurant at the end of Jl Segara serves from noon to 9:00 or 10.00 p.m. a choice of Indonesian, Chinese and Balinese dishes with an emphasis on seafood. Great location, good food in an unpretentious setting, and reasonable prices.
Jl Segara Ayu 45 (Phone: 288574/289374) 

UBUD
 

CAFE LOTUS
has been an institution for many years. Located in the center of Ubud between
the main street and a large, beautiful lotus pond this pleasant open-air restaurant serves a variety of Italian pasta dishes, some Asian and local specialties such as the Balinese duck 'Bebek Betutu', and a good choice of cakes and fruit juices. Although the prices here are rather steep for Ubud standards and the service can be slow, CAFE LOTUS is busy the whole day.

CASA LUNA
Nearly across the road is CASA LUNA offering a number of Balinese and Mediterranean dishes which look very interesting on the menu but can be a bit disappointing, and a branch of the well-known RYOSHI serving good Sushi, Sashimi and Tempura until midnight at very low prices.

MURNI'S WARUNG
located next to the Campuan bridge, is another of Ubud's institutions. Built on several levels between the road and the river, this is an excellent place to try the 'Bebek Betutu' (order one day in advance to be sure) and other local specialities.

BRIDGE CAFE
cascades also down over several levels -- right opposite on the other side of the river -- and offers creative 'Pacific Rim' cuisine i.e. tasty culinary creations with influences from Thailand, India, China and Japan as well as local specialties, salads and vegetarian dishes. Try the Szechuan Pancakes filled with deep fried duck, the Thai Chicken Pizza, or the Chilly Prawns. Very pleasant atmosphere and good service.

DIRTY DUCK / BEBEK BENGIL
Padang Tegal, Ubud
Located in Padang Tegal about one kilometer south of Ubud's main street. Forget their special "Crispy Duck" which is very dry and sometimes rather tough. Their range of other Indonesian and Western dishes, however, is quite tasty, the garden setting very pleasant, and the live background music in the evenings
creates a nearly magic atmosphere.

ARY'S WARUNG
Ubud
a stylish side-walk bistro in the center of town with creative oriental/international cuisine.

KOKOKAN CLUB
Pengosekan
a choice of interesting vegetarian dishes, and the KOKOKAN CLUB in Pengosekan serving a range of tasty Thai specialties in pleasant surroundings.