Food ended up being one of our favourite parts of travelling around Bali.
Before we arrived, we knew the usual names like nasi goreng and satay, but we really didn’t know just how much we’d enjoy eating our way around the island.
And some of our best meals didn’t come from restaurants with beautiful décor or long menus.
They came from little local warungs, market stalls and simple places we might easily have walked straight past.
The food was fresh, full of flavour and often incredibly affordable. More importantly, eating at these smaller local places became part of experiencing Bali for us.
We certainly had our favourites.
And there was one dish in particular that I became just a little obsessed with.
Soto Ayam.
But before we get to that, there’s something worth knowing about eating in Bali.
Start With the Warungs
A warung is generally a small, locally run place to eat. Some are more like little restaurants, while others might be a simple roadside stall with a handful of tables and chairs.
When we first arrived, there were definitely places we walked past and thought, hmmm… maybe not.
That didn’t last long.
Once we started eating at the smaller local warungs, we discovered some of the best food of our entire trip.
They weren’t fancy, and that was part of what we came to love about them.
Why We Loved Eating at Warungs
- The food was usually freshly prepared and full of flavour.
- Prices were often incredibly reasonable.
- They were a great place to try dishes we hadn’t eaten before.
- Many had only a relatively small menu, which made choosing much easier.
- We were eating alongside locals rather than only other tourists.
- Some of the meals we still talk about came from the simplest little places.
There seems to be this idea when you’re travelling that you should constantly eat somewhere different because there are so many places to try.
Not us.
If we found somewhere serving fantastic food, we’d happily return.
And 2 little places in Sanur were about to see a lot more of us.
The Best Dishes to Try in Bali
One of the joys of eating in Bali is discovering just how many different dishes there are to try.
Some are distinctly Balinese, while others are Indonesian favourites you’ll find all over the island. You’ll come across everything from fragrant soups and rice dishes to grilled meats, fresh fish, satay and plenty of sambal.
You don’t need to know what everything is before you arrive either. Some of our favourite meals came from simply seeing something on a menu, asking what it was and giving it a go.
So rather than giving you a huge list of foods you must eat, these are the dishes we’d recommend looking out for, starting with the one I couldn’t stop ordering.
Soto Ayam – My Bali Favourite
If there was one dish I could happily eat again and again in Bali, Soto Ayam was it.
Soto Ayam is an Indonesian chicken soup, usually packed with flavour from turmeric, lemongrass and spices, with chicken, noodles and different toppings depending on where you order it.
We first tried it at a small family-owned warung across the road from our homestay in Ubud.
I was hooked.
When we moved on to Sanur, we discovered Sindhu Night Market, where we ate every night during our seven-night stay. One stall, Warung Muslim Madura, specialised in Soto Ayam, and their version was completely different again.
It had so much flavour and even came with chicken feet.
Soto Ayam quickly became the dish I looked for wherever we went, and I ended up eating it most days during our time in Bali.
If you’ve never tried it, don’t assume every bowl will be the same. Different warungs put their own spin on it, which gave me the perfect excuse to keep ordering it.
Nasi Campur – A Little Bit of Everything
If you’re not sure what to order, Nasi Campur is a great place to start.
It usually begins with rice surrounded by small portions of different foods, which might include chicken or pork, vegetables, egg, peanuts, sambal and other local dishes.
The exact combination varies depending on where you order it, which is half the fun.
It’s a great way to try several Balinese and Indonesian flavours on one plate without having to know exactly what everything is first.
Nasi Goreng & Mie Goreng – The Easy Favourites
You’ll see Nasi Goreng and Mie Goreng everywhere in Bali, and they’re two of the easiest dishes to try if you’re new to Indonesian food.
Nasi Goreng is fried rice, while Mie Goreng is the noodle version. Both can come with chicken, seafood or vegetables and are often topped with a fried egg and served with sambal on the side.
They’re simple, filling and usually inexpensive.
They also became those reliable dishes we knew we could order when we wanted something quick and easy without studying a menu for half an hour.
Sate Lilit – Bali’s Take on Satay
Most of us know satay as pieces of meat threaded onto a skewer, but Sate Lilit is a little different.
Minced meat, often fish, chicken or pork, is mixed with coconut, herbs and spices before being wrapped around a skewer and grilled.
It’s full of flavour and definitely worth trying if you spot it at a warung or market.
And don’t forget the sambal. You’ll soon discover that Bali has a way of making you wonder why you ever ate grilled meat without it.
Babi Guling – Balinese Roast Pork
Babi Guling is one of Bali’s best-known traditional dishes and definitely one to look out for if you eat pork.
The pork is seasoned with a mixture of herbs and spices and traditionally spit-roasted, giving you tender, flavoursome meat with that all-important crispy skin.
You’ll often find it served with rice, vegetables, sambal and other small sides, making it another good dish when you want to try a mixture of Balinese flavours.
Ayam Betutu & Bebek Betutu – Slow-Cooked and Full of Flavour
If you like dishes that have been cooked slowly with plenty of spices, look out for Ayam Betutu (chicken) or Bebek Betutu (duck).
The meat is seasoned with a traditional spice mixture and slow-cooked until tender, often wrapped in banana leaves during cooking.
These aren’t the quick fried-rice meals you’ll find everywhere. They’re richer, more aromatic dishes and a great way to try something more traditionally Balinese.
Fish & Seafood
Being on an island, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that you’ll find plenty of fish and seafood around Bali.
One dish worth looking out for is Pepes Ikan, where fish is seasoned with spices, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed or grilled. Cooking it this way keeps the fish moist while all those flavours soak in.
You’ll also find plenty of grilled and fried fish, often simply served with rice, vegetables and sambal.
Sometimes that’s all you need.
Fresh fish, rice, something spicy on the side and a cold drink.
Bali food doesn’t always need to be complicated to be good.
Mak Beng – A Sanur Institution
If you’re staying in Sanur and love fish, Mak Beng is one place worth knowing about.
It’s famous for keeping things incredibly simple. Rather than a huge menu, people come for its signature combination of fried fish, rice and a bowl of fish head soup.
Of course, we had to try it.
The fish was beautifully fried, but it was the fish head soup that made the meal a little more interesting. Full of flavour and quite different from anything else we’d eaten in Bali.
Mak Beng is one of those places where you don’t need to spend ages deciding what to order.
You pretty much go there knowing what you’re going to eat.
And sometimes the places that do just one thing really well are the ones worth seeking out.
Gado-Gado – A Great Vegetarian Choice
If you’re looking for a break from meat and fried dishes, Gado-Gado is a good one to try.
It’s an Indonesian dish made with a mixture of cooked vegetables, usually served with tofu, tempeh, egg and a rich peanut sauce. You may also find rice cakes added depending on where you order it.
It’s filling, full of flavour and a good option for vegetarians, although we’d still recommend checking how it’s prepared if you have specific dietary requirements.
Sambal – Bali Likes a Little Heat
It won’t take long before you meet sambal.
This chilli-based condiment appears alongside all sorts of dishes in Bali, and there are plenty of different versions, ranging from fresh and fragrant to seriously hot.
One to look out for is Sambal Matah, a Balinese favourite made with ingredients such as shallots, chilli, lemongrass and lime leaves. It’s fresh, spicy and particularly good with grilled fish or chicken.
You’ll also come across other versions, including Sambal Terasi, which uses shrimp paste, and the sweeter Sambal Kecap, made with sweet soy sauce, chilli and shallots.
Our advice?
Start with a little.
You can always add more.
Removing it once you’ve confidently spooned half the bowl onto your dinner is a slightly more difficult operation.
Something Sweet
If you’ve still got room after all that, Bali has plenty of sweet treats to try too.
Dadar Gulung
These little green pancakes are filled with grated coconut and palm sugar, then rolled up. They’re sweet without being too heavy and you’ll often find them at markets and local food stalls.
Klepon
Klepon are small green rice-cake balls filled with liquid palm sugar and coated in grated coconut.
Be warned, the palm sugar inside can burst when you bite into them, which is all part of the fun.
Es Campur
Perfect when Bali’s heat is getting the better of you, Es Campur is a colourful shaved-ice dessert with a mixture of fruit, jelly and sweet syrup or condensed milk.
There are plenty of variations, so what turns up in your bowl may be slightly different depending on where you buy it.
Eating at Bali’s Night Markets
Some of our favourite food experiences in Bali came from night markets rather than restaurants.
They’re casual, inexpensive and a brilliant way to wander between stalls, see what’s being cooked and simply choose whatever looks good.
Sindhu Night Market in Sanur was our favourite.
We were in Sanur for seven nights and ate at the market every single night.
Some nights we’d return to something we’d already discovered, while other nights we’d try a completely different stall. It was also where I found that unforgettable version of Soto Ayam at Warung Muslim Madura.
There’s no need to make eating at a Bali night market complicated.
Walk around first, see what’s busy, have a look at what everyone else is eating and then start choosing.
And don’t feel as though you need to order your entire dinner from one stall.
Part of the fun is trying a little from here, something else from there and seeing where the evening takes you.
Take a Balinese Cooking Class
If you enjoy Balinese food, a cooking class is a brilliant way to understand what actually goes into it.
We did a couple during our time in Bali and loved them. You get to see the herbs, spices and pastes behind many of the flavours you’ve been eating, then sit down and enjoy everything you’ve made.
It’s also a great way to discover dishes you might not have thought to order yourself.
We enjoyed our classes so much that we’d happily do another one next time.
Our Tips for Eating in Bali
After several weeks of eating our way around Bali, there are a few things we’d recommend.
- Don’t judge a warung by its appearance. Some of our favourite meals came from the simplest little places.
- Eat where the locals eat. A busy little warung or food stall is usually worth a closer look.
- Try something you don’t recognise. Ask what it is and give it a go. That’s how we discovered some of our favourites.
- Start carefully with sambal. You can always add more.
- Give the night markets a go. They’re inexpensive, casual and a great way to try several different foods.
- Don’t feel you have to eat somewhere new every night. If you find a place you love, go back. We certainly did.
- Carry some cash. Smaller warungs and market stalls may not always offer the same payment options as larger restaurants.
- Take a cooking class. It gives you a completely different appreciation of the food you’re eating.
And perhaps most importantly, don’t spend your entire holiday eating only at restaurants aimed at tourists.
Some of the best food experiences in Bali are found in the little places you could easily walk straight past.
Final Thoughts
Food became a much bigger part of our Bali experience than we’d expected.
Yes, we ate at restaurants, but when we think back on Bali, it’s the little family warungs, night markets, cooking classes and simple local meals that we remember most.
And of course, Soto Ayam.
I went to Bali knowing very little about it and left completely hooked.
So our advice is simple.
Try the warungs. Wander around the markets. Order something you’ve never heard of. And if you find a dish you love, don’t worry about eating it again tomorrow.
I certainly didn’t.
“The discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness than the discovery of a new star.”
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