Cheap Restaurants in Bali
The best way to score cheap and tasty food in Bali is to follow the golden traveler rule -- do as the locals do. Avoid chain restaurants and pricey resorts. The most delicious cuisine can often be found at the inconspicuous holes-in-the-wall with plastic furniture or at the rickety roadside cart -- both are typically referred to as a warung. These busy places frequented by locals serve the ubiquitous Bali rice and noodles. But you'll also be surprised by how far you can stretch your rupiahs for regional specialties like grilled chicken, minced seafood satay, or even a ceremonial roast suckling pig.
Super touristy Kuta Beach has the highest density of restaurants though it may be hard to distinguish cheap culinary gems from potential "Bali belly." This is the home of McDonalds and Pizza Hut, but authentic cheap eats can be found for a better price at the beach stalls lining Kuta and Legian beach. A massive pile of Indonesian noodles or Nasi Uduk (coconut rice served with meat or vegetable) will cost a mere $2 in Kuta Beach.
Not far from Kuta is expensive Seminyak, the place to splurge on dinner in Bali. But even here, travelers will find some excellent budget options. Pony up $1 and you'll be stuffed. Nusa Dua is a remote enclave of luxury hotels across the isthmus from Kuta and is best avoided in the search for affordable cuisine. Most of its overpriced restaurants are aimed at tour groups. But you can catch a rare break here at Bumbu Bali, the best place in the area to try cheap but excellent traditional Balinese food.
In Jalan Danau Poso, Ketut's Warung offers a good selection of hearty homemade local Indonesian cuisine. Although slightly off the beaten path, it garners patronage from locals as well as tourists. The trip here is worth the while. Away from the overpopulated southern tip of the island, culturally rich Ubud has an incredible variety of options with many family-owned warungs eager to feed the budget traveler. You can enjoy a feast of Ibu Oka's world-famous babi guling (spit-roasted pig) with all of the fixings for $3. A journey up to the smaller villages in the north, east or west, as well as the offshore islands, will reward travelers with bamboo beach huts and street-side vendors serving coastal cuisine. The red snapper and large shrimps should not be missed, and the sea breeze adds a nice touch of ambiance.
Super touristy Kuta Beach has the highest density of restaurants though it may be hard to distinguish cheap culinary gems from potential "Bali belly." This is the home of McDonalds and Pizza Hut, but authentic cheap eats can be found for a better price at the beach stalls lining Kuta and Legian beach. A massive pile of Indonesian noodles or Nasi Uduk (coconut rice served with meat or vegetable) will cost a mere $2 in Kuta Beach.
Not far from Kuta is expensive Seminyak, the place to splurge on dinner in Bali. But even here, travelers will find some excellent budget options. Pony up $1 and you'll be stuffed. Nusa Dua is a remote enclave of luxury hotels across the isthmus from Kuta and is best avoided in the search for affordable cuisine. Most of its overpriced restaurants are aimed at tour groups. But you can catch a rare break here at Bumbu Bali, the best place in the area to try cheap but excellent traditional Balinese food.
In Jalan Danau Poso, Ketut's Warung offers a good selection of hearty homemade local Indonesian cuisine. Although slightly off the beaten path, it garners patronage from locals as well as tourists. The trip here is worth the while. Away from the overpopulated southern tip of the island, culturally rich Ubud has an incredible variety of options with many family-owned warungs eager to feed the budget traveler. You can enjoy a feast of Ibu Oka's world-famous babi guling (spit-roasted pig) with all of the fixings for $3. A journey up to the smaller villages in the north, east or west, as well as the offshore islands, will reward travelers with bamboo beach huts and street-side vendors serving coastal cuisine. The red snapper and large shrimps should not be missed, and the sea breeze adds a nice touch of ambiance.
Mezzanine Restaurant & Bar
Jalan Danau Tamblingan No. 63
Sanur Village
Exciting East - West Cuisine...
