restaurants · Bali
From destination dining rooms to institutions locals queue for, these are the restaurants that define eating well in Bali. Every one holds a 4.5+ star average across thousands of reviews.
Ubud · $$
Ray Adriansyah and Eelke Plasmeijer's hyper-local tasting-menu flagship, reborn in 2023 as a futuristic lab-farm-restaurant, uses almost exclusively Indonesian ingredients. Its predecessor Locavore was a fixture on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants for years.
Insider tip: Book the 20-plus-course menu at least a month ahead and allow three and a half hours.
Sanggingan, Ubud · $$
Chef Chris Salans' garden fine-diner has paired French technique with Balinese ingredients like base genep spice paste and torch ginger since 2001. Tasting menus are served in a candlelit tropical garden rather than a dining room.
Insider tip: Choose the six-course Discovery menu with the Indonesian wine-alternative pairing; arrive 15 minutes early for an aperitif in the lounge.
Ubud (opposite Ubud Palace) · $
Anthony Bourdain crowned this warung's babi guling — Balinese spit-roasted suckling pig with crackling, lawar and spiced rice — among the best pork he'd eaten. Whole pigs roast over coconut husk fires from before dawn.
Insider tip: Go before 12.30pm; the best cuts and crackling sell out well before closing.
Seminyak (Sunset Road) · $
Seminyak's favourite babi guling stop serves a single dish: a plate of roast pork, crisp skin, blood sausage and fiery sambal matah for a few dollars. Expect to share long tables with surfers, drivers and chefs on their day off.
Insider tip: Order an extra portion of kulit (crackling) and a young coconut; it closes by late afternoon when the pork runs out.
Petitenget, Seminyak · $$
A soaring glasshouse of cathedral columns serving modern and traditional Indonesian dishes from across the archipelago, from Sumatran beef rendang to Balinese duck. The architecture alone — rainwater-harvesting funnel columns — justifies the visit.
Insider tip: Book a few days ahead for dinner and order the sharing rijsttafel-style spread for the table.
Petitenget Beach, Seminyak · $$
A two-storey open-air Italian beach house on Petitenget sand that has been Seminyak's long-lunch institution since the 1990s. Handmade pastas and grilled seafood come with front-row sunset views beside the temple.
Insider tip: Reserve an upstairs rail table for sunset, or come for the quieter weekend brunch.
April–October (dry season)
Indonesian Rupiah (IDR)
Indonesian, Balinese (English widely spoken)
How this list is made: we only feature places rated 4.5 stars or higher with 1,000+ reviews from real travelers. Ratings and review counts are approximate and move over time — always check current numbers before booking. Photos are sourced from Wikimedia Commons under free licenses (credits in each gallery).
Same city, more lists
Good to know
A week is the sweet spot: three nights around Ubud for culture and jungle, three or four on the coast (Seminyak, Canggu or Uluwatu) for beaches and sunsets. Ten days lets you add Nusa Penida or the quiet east coast.