Bali is a dream destination and hosts some stunning scenery and golden sands. It is famed for the volcanic mountains, coral reefs and paddy fields as well as some genuinely breathtaking temples. It goes without saying that you will want to see as much as possible while you are there, but after that, a well-earned meal will be in order, so here are five of the finest dining options for your time on this magical island.
1. Boneka Restaurant at St. Regis, Nusa Dua
Translated into English the word Boneka means puppet and this stunning eatery has a definite puppet theme. It is located in the St Regis Hotel, but non-residents are welcome. There is a chef on all day so you can even begin your morning with breakfast if you fancy a change. Evening meals are served between 8 pm-10 pm and you can enjoy the most exquisite seafood or something from the turf if you prefer. Tasting platers are provided, and you can choose from the menu or buffet options.
2. Swept Away Restaurant at The Samaya Ubud
Overlooking the river Ubud the dining terrace provides a stunning backdrop for your perfect dining experience. The evening menu comes with a choice for four or six courses so you may want to skimp on lunch. Again you will find some locally sourced delicacies fresh from the sea and the wagyu beef is a popular choice if you are not a fish fan. They also provide lunch and tapas throughout the afternoon.
3. Sangkar Restaurant at Bulgari Resort, Uluwatu
It isn’t hard to find sea views on an island, but this one takes some beating. Set within the Bulgari Resort, the Sangkar Restaurant is nestled on the side of a cliff and boasts sunning 360 views of the sea beneath. One of the house specialities is the Gourmet Lobster Menu which will set you back IDR 1,320,000 but comes with three fantastic lobster dishes, something sweet and a glass of something sparkling.
4. Blanco par Mandif, Ubud
An exclusive dining restaurant within a museum might not be what you are expecting, but the Blanco par Mandif is part of the Blanco Renaissance Museum and has vistas of the Tjampuhan River. This is intimate dining and booking is essential as there are only ten guests at any one time. The menu is unusual and very local, known as Jajanan Pasar, which is traditional street food. Expect choices like duck, sticky rice and Lapis Legit, which is a sweet layered cake. There is a seven-course or twelve-course menu on offer.
5. The Dava Bar & Grill at Ayana Resort, Jimbaran
Within the Ayana Resort and Spa, you will find the wonderful Dava Bar and Grill, which is set with ocean views and is a self-styled steakhouse and seafood grill that is certainly worth checking out. Serving breakfast and dinner there is plenty on offer including slow-cooked suckling pig, Canadian Lobster and Stockyard Silver Label Wagyu Tenderloin depending on your fancy. There is also a range of delicious desserts should you want more.
Kerrie Potts is CEO at Exclusive Private Villas. Exclusive Private Villas offers exquisite, handpicked luxury villas around the world. If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.
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17 Comments
I have never heard of Jajanan Pasar food and I’m always up for trying new styles of food. For that reason alone I think that
Blanco par Mandif would be top of my list. With a menu made up of loads of small dishes it would be quite an introduction to local Balinese cuisine.
Like so many of my friends I did Bali on a shoestring-budget on a Gap Year between school and university. Food was a luxury that I couldn’t afford, I lived on little more than rice and some runny sauces.
Bali was one of the most beautiful places that I visited on my epic 14 weeks of exploration.
Now that I’ve got a job and a little bit of money I’d like to go back and visit some of these brilliant restaurants. It wasn’t easy as a starving backpacker smelling appetising aromas and knowing that I couldn’t even afford a bottle of water in those places.
Wow. Your early trip sounded amazing. Give some of them a try and let me know your thoughts.
Sitting up here in the northern hemisphere with the mercury plummeting and the days becoming shorter sitting on a terrace of a restaurant in Bali seems a world away. The thought of an al fresco breakfast is very tempting. Bali is one of my all-time favourite holiday destinations but my partner and I haven’t visited that beautiful land for a few years. When we return we now know where to eat.
Travelling to Bali next month for honeymoon. Was wondering which of these, you think, is the best spot for that purpose? You know one that exudes a true romantic vibe- candlelight or dim ambience, quiet setting, floral arrangement and some live cheesy music in the background!
Jenilia dear, I would highly recommend you to visit Kabu at Ritz-Carlton, Ubud for that. It is an exclusive fine dining restaurant with exotic Mediterranean and European cuisine. There are also delectable vegetarian, vegan-friendly and gluten-free options too. One can choose from the extensive ala carte or the 9-course degustation menu. And of course, there is a diverse range of world-class wines to choose from. The best part for honeymooners and babymooners is, there are 9 private cocoons with scenic Ayung River vistas. These are the perfect intimate bamboo huts where the two of you can be lost in each others eyes and get swayed by the enchanting breeze. All in all, it was nothing short of a fairy-tale experience for the two of us.
Location: Jalan Kedewatan, Banjar Kedewatan Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Ubud 80571 Indonesia
Website: https://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/indonesia/mandapa/dining/kubu/about-us
Oh Lord!! Came across this article so on time. Vacationing in Bali right now. Was badly craving for that perfect Lobster and have tried multiple sea food restaurants for that purpose. Sadly all of them failed to deliver that finger-licking taste (won’t mention the names of those eatries as their other dishes were comparatively much better). Some were not cooked to perfection while others lacked that flavor, missed on an essential ingredient or, even worst, tasted awefully stale.
But now definitely gonna give Sangkar a shot. And quite hopeful the the experience will turn out to be great!
Thanks for your message. That’s really appreciated and let us know how you get on with your dining.
Yes have heard the locals singing lots of praises for Blanco par Mandif. Also, knew that one needs to book it well in advance. But never knew that it only caters to 10 guests at a time. Oops! I was planning to make a reservation on Xmas Eve for 12 people. Will it be able to accommodate just 2 more guests?
They say it’s 10 max but give them a call and check.
Regards,
Kerrie
Wagyu beef has been becoming one of those expensive novelties over here in the UK but I don’t really know of restaurants selling it, mainly only supermarkets. Thing like that and gourmet lobster are great choices for Bali because they’re that bit more special and you can’t get them everywhere. I had to Google the price of that lobster. So IDR 1,320,000 is about £72? Yikes! Just as well I don’t like sea food! I love the look of the Dava Bar & Grill though, combining the steakhouse with the seafood for meat eaters like me. Looks really fresh with the decor too.
If I could add one more to this list…I was in Bali very recently and before the trip booked a restaurant in Seminyak for a romantic dinner with my SO. That restaurant was Breeze at The Samaya. The food was amazing with a wide choice of local dishes like Bebek Goreng done gourmet style, and international food like Angus Tenderloin. It was the perfect place to enjoy dinner while staring at the famous Bali sunset by the beach. I couldn’t have asked for a better spot.
Have you experienced Sunday Brunch at Boneka Restaurant at St Regis? I have been wanting to try it out but not sure if it would be suited with the kids or should we get a sitter and go without them. Cheers Kate
I tried wagyu beef for the first time more recently and I must say I was quite impressed. I’m a convert! I love the look of that Swept Away Restaurant; sweet name for the place and a very sweet, peaceful and quite romantic setting. It’s semi al fresco and a wonderful way to appreciate the outdoors, it looks beautiful. I’m not a fish fan so it’s good to see plenty of other options and meat as an alternative. Yum yum.
2. Swept Away Restaurant at The Samaya Ubud
Overlooking the river Ubud the dining terrace provides a stunning backdrop for your perfect dining experience. The evening menu comes with a choice for four or six courses so you may want to skimp on lunch. Again you will find some locally sourced delicacies fresh from the sea and the wagyu beef is a popular choice if you are not a fish fan. They also provide lunch and tapas throughout the afternoon.
2. Swept Away Restaurant at The Samaya Ubud
Overlooking the river Ubud the dining terrace provides a stunning backdrop for your perfect dining experience. The evening menu comes with a choice for four or six courses so you may want to skimp on lunch. Again you will find some locally sourced delicacies fresh from the sea and the wagyu beef is a popular choice if you are not a fish fan. They also provide lunch and tapas throughout the afternoon.
3. Sangkar Restaurant at Bulgari Resort, Uluwatu
It isn’t hard to find sea views on an island, but this one takes some beating. Set within the Bulgari Resort, the Sangkar Restaurant is nestled on the side of a cliff and boasts sunning 360 views of the sea beneath. One of the house specialities is the Gourmet Lobster Menu which will set you back IDR 1,320,000 but comes with three fantastic lobster dishes, something sweet and a glass of something sparkling.
4. Blanco par Mandif, Ubud
An exclusive dining restaurant within a museum might not be what you are expecting, but the Blanco par Mandif is part of the Blanco Renaissance Museum and has vistas of the Tjampuhan River. This is intimate dining and booking is essential as there are only ten guests at any one time. The menu is unusual and very local, known as Jajanan Pasar, which is traditional street food. Expect choices like duck, sticky rice and Lapis Legit, which is a sweet layered cake. There is a seven-course or twelve-course menu on offer.
5. The Dava Bar & Grill at Ayana Resort, Jimbaran
Within the Ayana Resort and Spa, you will find the wonderful Dava Bar and Grill, which is set with ocean views and is a self-styled steakhouse and seafood grill that is certainly worth checking out. Serving breakfast and dinner there is plenty on offer including slow-cooked suckling pig, Canadian Lobster and Stockyard Silver Label Wagyu Tenderloin depending on your fancy. There is also a range of delicious desserts should you want more.
I have never heard of Jajanan Pasar food and I’m always up for trying new styles of food. For that reason alone I think that
Blanco par Mandif would be top of my list. With a menu made up of loads of small dishes it would be quite an introduction to local Balinese cuisine.
Definitely recommend giving it a try Tim
Like so many of my friends I did Bali on a shoestring-budget on a Gap Year between school and university. Food was a luxury that I couldn’t afford, I lived on little more than rice and some runny sauces.
Bali was one of the most beautiful places that I visited on my epic 14 weeks of exploration.
Now that I’ve got a job and a little bit of money I’d like to go back and visit some of these brilliant restaurants. It wasn’t easy as a starving backpacker smelling appetising aromas and knowing that I couldn’t even afford a bottle of water in those places.
Wow. Your early trip sounded amazing. Give some of them a try and let me know your thoughts.
Sitting up here in the northern hemisphere with the mercury plummeting and the days becoming shorter sitting on a terrace of a restaurant in Bali seems a world away. The thought of an al fresco breakfast is very tempting. Bali is one of my all-time favourite holiday destinations but my partner and I haven’t visited that beautiful land for a few years. When we return we now know where to eat.
Thanks Diana. You should come back.
Travelling to Bali next month for honeymoon. Was wondering which of these, you think, is the best spot for that purpose? You know one that exudes a true romantic vibe- candlelight or dim ambience, quiet setting, floral arrangement and some live cheesy music in the background!
Jenilia dear, I would highly recommend you to visit Kabu at Ritz-Carlton, Ubud for that. It is an exclusive fine dining restaurant with exotic Mediterranean and European cuisine. There are also delectable vegetarian, vegan-friendly and gluten-free options too. One can choose from the extensive ala carte or the 9-course degustation menu. And of course, there is a diverse range of world-class wines to choose from. The best part for honeymooners and babymooners is, there are 9 private cocoons with scenic Ayung River vistas. These are the perfect intimate bamboo huts where the two of you can be lost in each others eyes and get swayed by the enchanting breeze. All in all, it was nothing short of a fairy-tale experience for the two of us.
Location: Jalan Kedewatan, Banjar Kedewatan Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Ubud 80571 Indonesia
Website: https://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/indonesia/mandapa/dining/kubu/about-us
Oh Lord!! Came across this article so on time. Vacationing in Bali right now. Was badly craving for that perfect Lobster and have tried multiple sea food restaurants for that purpose. Sadly all of them failed to deliver that finger-licking taste (won’t mention the names of those eatries as their other dishes were comparatively much better). Some were not cooked to perfection while others lacked that flavor, missed on an essential ingredient or, even worst, tasted awefully stale.
But now definitely gonna give Sangkar a shot. And quite hopeful the the experience will turn out to be great!
Thanks for your message. That’s really appreciated and let us know how you get on with your dining.
Yes have heard the locals singing lots of praises for Blanco par Mandif. Also, knew that one needs to book it well in advance. But never knew that it only caters to 10 guests at a time. Oops! I was planning to make a reservation on Xmas Eve for 12 people. Will it be able to accommodate just 2 more guests?
Smith,
Thanks for your message.
They say it’s 10 max but give them a call and check.
Regards,
Kerrie
Wagyu beef has been becoming one of those expensive novelties over here in the UK but I don’t really know of restaurants selling it, mainly only supermarkets. Thing like that and gourmet lobster are great choices for Bali because they’re that bit more special and you can’t get them everywhere. I had to Google the price of that lobster. So IDR 1,320,000 is about £72? Yikes! Just as well I don’t like sea food! I love the look of the Dava Bar & Grill though, combining the steakhouse with the seafood for meat eaters like me. Looks really fresh with the decor too.
If I could add one more to this list…I was in Bali very recently and before the trip booked a restaurant in Seminyak for a romantic dinner with my SO. That restaurant was Breeze at The Samaya. The food was amazing with a wide choice of local dishes like Bebek Goreng done gourmet style, and international food like Angus Tenderloin. It was the perfect place to enjoy dinner while staring at the famous Bali sunset by the beach. I couldn’t have asked for a better spot.
Have you experienced Sunday Brunch at Boneka Restaurant at St Regis? I have been wanting to try it out but not sure if it would be suited with the kids or should we get a sitter and go without them. Cheers Kate
Thanks for your suggestion. Will certainly have to check this out.
I tried wagyu beef for the first time more recently and I must say I was quite impressed. I’m a convert! I love the look of that Swept Away Restaurant; sweet name for the place and a very sweet, peaceful and quite romantic setting. It’s semi al fresco and a wonderful way to appreciate the outdoors, it looks beautiful. I’m not a fish fan so it’s good to see plenty of other options and meat as an alternative. Yum yum.