My recent trip to Bali has been a fruitful one as I get to cover most of the places which I had wanted to visit. During these five days in Bali, we have been using TripAdvisor as our food guide to lead us to the best cafes and restaurants in Bali. The list of recommended place always changes from time to time, so it kept me updated on what’s the newest and most popular restaurant in town. I would also read the comments left by the TripAdvisor contributors to find out what to order. It is all about being resourceful! Here are the restaurants and cafes we covered!
The best way to get around the southern part of Bali is via Uber or Grab. It is more convenient to cafe-hop around Bali with Uber or Grab. Sadly, Uber and Grab drivers operate mainly around Seminyak, Nusa Dua, Sanur and Kuta areas.
1. Babi Guling Ibu Oka in Ubud
Since this was my partner, Sam’s first time here in Bali, I got him to try this popular Balinese dish called Babi Guling. It is one of the famous pork dishes eaten by the Balinese people. It’s unique to their cultural roots since they are Indonesian Hindus and are allowed to eat pork.
I had my first Babi Guling at this popular Babi Guling in Ubud, but I believe that the standard of the dish has dropped quite drastically since I tasted it which was so many years back then. Our Babi Guling was served to our tables quickly, but it tasted cold and stale. It is still flavourful, but it lacked texture. Perhaps the dishes have been prepared hours before we reach the restaurant.
A true disappointment for the price we had to pay, but we got to try Ibu Oka’s Babi Guling for ourselves.
Babi Guling Ibu Oka
Jalan Tegal Sari No. 2
Bali 80571, Indonesia2. Potato Head Beach Club, Bali
This has become one of our favourite places in Bali. The ambience is excellent, and the food is quite delicious. Sam was so impressed with this restaurant because of the cool music and relaxed beach vibes it gave. Service, nonetheless, was excellent. Each table has a dedicated waiter or waitress so as a guest, you do really feel special dining there. We noticed that guests were celebrating their special occasions like birthdays at this super chic restaurant by the beach.
The dishes here were also prepared using mainly organic ingredients obtained from their local farms. Like most Balinese cafes and restaurants, they support the green and healthy-living cause too.
But I have to warn you that the prices at Potato Beach Club are quite steep and almost comparable to rates at our local upscale cafes in Singapore. We spent about SGD 50 plus for 2 mains and 2 drinks.
Potato Head Beach Club
Jalan Petitenget No.51B
We took an Uber from our hotel, ibis Styles Petitinget to this quaint eco-conscious cafe which is one of the best cafes in Bali on TripAdvisor website. Indeed, they do whip up really delicious breakfast items and beverages. It’s a pity that we didn’t have room in our stomach to try their coffees after having a hearty breakfast there. Oh, it’s a highly instagrammable place too. They even have a little swing also!
These are to-die-for fluffy pancakes which thank goodness, I ordered them!
My man had his fried bacon and scrambled eggs burrito. It was equally sumptuous! Guess what’s the damage? Rp28,300. It works out to be around SGD28. It wasn’t so cheap but highly affordable for its high food quality and ambience.
The Koop and Roaster Cafe
Jalan Drupadi No.66,
4. Suka Espresso
When we ventured to the Southern tip of Bali in Uluwatu area, we decided to visit Suka Espresso which proves to be a hot spot by the number of people chilling there. The place is packed, but thank goodness we didn’t have to wait very long for a table.
Like The Koop Roaster and Cafe, they have a menu full of healthy beverages and dishes. It’s another eco-conscious cafe that uses bamboo straws. Maybe living eco-consciously has become part and parcel of Balinese lifestyle here.
As usual, Sam would order this bacon eggs breakfast combo with this super creamy and sinful chocolate smoothie. For me, I went with this Pitaya smoothie bowl which was made to perfection!
Suka Espresso
Jl. Labuansait No.10
Kayumanis Resto Jimbaran is an upscale restaurant within the resort which is more expensive than the ones I recommended above. But I still find it affordable given that it is almost like a fine-dining restaurant here. It also depends on what you order as well. Our meal costs around SGD 30 plus.
There’s an assigned server which would take our orders. The menu here, however, features mainly local Balinese cuisine.
We went there for dinner just before catching our plane back to Singapore. It was pretty rushed, so we did not get to take our time to enjoy a slow meal at such a beautiful restaurant. Check out the table setting! Fine dining restaurants usually serve western bread with butter but over here, they serve crispy crackers with various types of spicy sauces.
Both of us were feeling gung-ho, so we tried their Indonesian herbal drinks which didn’t turn out to be appetizing at all. But I believe that such herbal beverages do have multiple health benefits.
Sam ordered Nasi Goreng or fried rice which proves to be a good choice. The fried rice was very fragrant! As for me, I ordered chicken coconut curry with steamed rice. It wasn’t as stellar as the Nasi Goreng dish though, but it was overall quite delicious.
I would love to head there again to enjoy my meal slowly, but there are just so many cafes and restaurants in Bali to check out! The food standard in Bali is pretty awesome, and that is why I kept revisiting this magical place.
Kayumanis Resto Jimbaran
Jl. Yoga Perkanthi
