Food is one of the highlights of Bali: cheap, varied and delicious. From local warungs to hip cafés and beach clubs — this is what you have to try, with tips for eating safely.
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Add it in the trip planner →Warungs are small local eateries: cheap and authentic. Alongside them you'll find international restaurants everywhere, beach clubs (Seminyak, Uluwatu) and trendy cafés. And don't forget the best ice cream at Massimo (gelato) in Sanur.
At a warung you eat for a few euros; restaurants and beach clubs are pricier but still reasonable. Bintang is the local beer; fresh juices and coconuts are available everywhere. Watch out for the service charge + tax that sometimes appears on the bill.
Beyond the classics, look for bebek betutu (slow-cooked spiced duck), lawar (a Balinese mix of vegetables, coconut and minced meat), gado-gado and pecel (vegetables with peanut sauce), and tempeh and tahu (tofu) done a dozen ways. From evening street stalls try martabak, a sweet or savoury folded pancake. Save room for jaje (colourful rice-and-coconut sweets) and pisang goreng (fried banana), and drink a kopi Bali — or the famous luwak coffee up in Kintamani. For a healthy pick-me-up, try jamu, the turmeric-and-ginger herbal tonic.
Bali is one of the easiest places in Asia to eat vegetarian or vegan — Ubud and Canggu in particular are packed with plant-based cafés, and tempeh and tofu are everywhere. Tell staff "tanpa daging" (no meat) and most warungs will happily adapt a dish. Halal food is widely available, and larger restaurants increasingly mark gluten-free choices. If you have a nut allergy, take care: peanut and candlenut turn up in many sauces.
A warung is a small family kitchen and the heart of Balinese eating. At a nasi campur warung you point at the dishes you want on top of rice; elsewhere you order from a short menu. Expect to pay just a few euros for a full plate, a little more in tourist-facing places. Many local spots are cash-only, and a service charge plus government tax (often around 15–21% together, shown as "++") is added at smart restaurants and beach clubs — check the menu's small print so the bill doesn't surprise you.