A Foodie’s Guide to the Best Restaurants in Ubud, Bali.

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Looking for the best restaurants in Ubud? You have come to the right place! Honestly, I was not a big fan of Indonesian food in general when I first came here, but Ubud may as well have been on a different planet – the food options were amazing and I was sad not to get to eat everywhere I wanted. Or to eat certain dishes again and again. Yes, I’m looking at you, Gado Gado!

With that said, this is by no means a comprehensive guide to the restaurants in Ubud, but just a little overview of the places that I found and loved and some I cannot wait to come back for.

The best Ubud restaurants – according to me…

Best Indonesian Food in Ubud

NusantarA

I am always surprised by how many people who travel to a place like Bali but are scared to try street food. If you are one of them but still want to get a whole Indonesian dining experience you have to eat at Nusantara. 

It has been a firm favorite amongst the Ubud restaurant scene and is part of the Locavore family (more about those in a moment). Nusantara offers a unique take on Indonesian classics in a beautiful, modern setting.

The menu is organized by small plates and mains as well as sides, rices, and sambals. Each dish also shows where it comes from in Indonesia. If you think Indo has nothing to offer but satay and mie goreng you are in for a very pleasant awakening. 

Each meal starts with the most incredible “Berbagi Rasa” snack wheel accompanied by a cute card explaining what you are eating. Honestly, I wish I could have had a whole bowl of the crispy potatoes and peanuts. 

Then again, I got pacco tuna tartare from South Sulawesi and the most incredible mud crab with turmeric sauce, rice grilled in a banana leaf, cucumber with fern tips, and Sambal Cakalang with shredded smoked mackerel. I did order too much but tried my very best to put a dent in it. 

They also have a wonderful cocktail menu, both virgin and alcoholic, made from local ingredients. The Rujak 2.0 with Sidemen arak and kaffir lime chili cordial was one of the best cocktails I have ever had. 

Spice by Blake

If you are in the mood for a modern interpretation of Indonesian food with some good cocktails and a relaxed setting, Spice by Blake is the place to go. Blake is Blake Thornley, also head chef at Mozaic, a Kiwi native with extensive experience with Indonesian flavors and, yes, spices. 

A gong will announce your arrival, but luckily this is more tongue-in-cheek than ceremonial – Spice offers a chilled ambience and you are welcome in your flipflops (or Birkenstocks in my case). 

While they do offer wines, I was immediately drawn to their cocktail menu with a mix of classic and Indonesian creations. Spirits like Jackfruit Gin and, of course, Arak, are featured. The Island Tribe reminded me of my favorite tiki bar in Da Nang, while the White Snapper with umami tomato soda and chili was wonderfully weird. 

The menu itself is simple enough and clearly divided into starters and mains – not a given amongst modern Bali restaurants. The motto throughout: classic Indonesian dishes reinterpreted and with Blake’s personal spin. The rendang croquettes, corn fritters, and pork belly slider are scrumptious and morish, while the cured kingfish with pomelo and rujak sauce and coral trout are light and fresh. 

And while I can’t speak for all the mains, the star is definitely the beef cheeks braised in rendang spices. Honestly, I doubt I will ever have a rendang that can compare to this. Beef cheeks are just such a good cut for a curry, plus kenari nuts added a wonderful hint of freshness and crunch. 

All in all, a meal to remember and luckily just a quick Grab ride away, wherever you stay in Ubud.

Warung Mek Jewel

Do you know the Local Tongue? It was one of my favorite foodie websites where chefs share their favorite eateries in the city they work in. You will usually find a few cool spots but most importantly local hangouts where you can find the best authentic food. This holds true for Bali as well: while most recommendations evolve around cool Canggu restaurants I also found Warung Mek Jewel in Ubud.

This place is as authentic as it gets and is known for its Nasi Ayam. It is not far from town and while the rice paddies it overlooks are not the most scenic, it is still a nice area. I don’t actually know if they have a menu as I was simply offered Nasi Campur with chicken (the infamous ayam) and all I got to decide was my spice level. 

The restaurant is usually full of Indonesians, always a good sign, because the food is just that good. On the plate: rice, some noodles, shredded coconut, urab (blanched mixed veggies), a satay, boiled egg, sambal matah, and that infamous chicken. The chicken made Mek Jewel famous and for good reason. They are happy farm chickens and the lady of the house tells me they are using special wood for cooking – you can taste the smokiness and without having eaten enough Nasi Campur to know for sure, I know this is one of the best. 

Also: if you are looking for a cheap meal in Ubud this might be just the place – a plate is Rp 25k.

Check out this Ubud food tour for more authentic Balinese dishes

Warung Mendez

My first meal in Ubud became my favorite. Gado Gado at Warung Mendez. A warung is basically a small, usually family-run cafe and you can find them all over Bali. But not all warungs are created equal.
Warung Mendez is on Jalan Penestanan, an untouristy street, a 20-minute walk from Jalan Hanuman, one of the main areas in Ubud. I stayed at an incredible Airbnb there and Warung Mendez was literally the first place I saw leaving the house in search of food.

OMG. Sorry, but really – OMG. Their Gado Gado comes raw as a salad with a piece of fried tofu slathered in peanut sauce and a poached egg on top. I ate the same dish for the next 3 days in a row. How I managed not to eat it for lunch AND dinner I do not know.

Liap Liap & Folk

The newest family member of the Bisma Eight clan is Liap Liap in front of their pool restaurant Folk. Here you will find anything grilled and some great options that go far beyond your regular Satays.
The portions are huge and made for sharing. You must try the quail. I am usually not a fan of eating meat from the bone especially not when they are that tiny but man, that quail was good. Make sure to ask for extra pickles! I may or may not have told the chef that I liked his pickle which promptly made me blush and put my foot in my mouth but his pickles are truly so good.

If you are keen for a swim head to the backyard where the Folk Pool & Garden is located. The menu is a bit more basic – poolside dining is the name of the game here – and not as good. But the setting is amazing and perfect to cool off on a hot day in Ubud. You can either pay for a daybed which comes with towels, water and snacks or simply kick back in many of the sun loungers around the pool with a cooler of beers or pose with a cocktail on a swimming beanbag. Mind you, the crowd is unrowdy and chilled – even on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
Check out their program as they have open-air movie nights too.

Mads Lange at Capella

I got to spend an entire afternoon at beautiful Capella Resort and honestly didn’t want to leave – seems like the perfect place to spend a honeymoon in the jungle, far away from everything.

Their restaurant Mads Lange (the best restaurant in Ubud with a view!) offers various cuisines and is a great choice if you are keen to try some local dishes in style. All of their produce is free-range, organic, and of course, locally sourced. 

If on the menu, I recommend you go for the Rijsttafel, an array of classic Indonesian dishes which are served family-style and are perfect for sharing. Otherwise, try the lobster wontons and the puffed taro crackers with peanut to start with, and head straight to their Nasi Goreng afterward. This one is special, as it is served with a tiger prawn and wagyu beef satay. Another dish I would choose again: eggplant parmesan. I know it may sound like an odd choice, but their chef is Italian and wow, it shows in this dish!

Find a tent at Capella

The restaurant, as well as the spa, is open to outside guests and Capella offers a shuttle a few times per day from Ubud center that you can use. Mind you, I highly recommend you book a room as well!

Fine Dining Restaurants in Ubud

Mozaic

Looking for a fine dining restaurant in Ubud? Look no further because Mozaic is the place to go. It is unpretentious but chic, and you can choose between a full dining experience at their Dining Room or eat à la carte at the Tiple Room. And if you want to see Blake Thornley up close and in action, you can book the chef’s table. 

If you choose the Dining Room, there is a 6-course or 8-course menu on offer. And while I am not a vegetarian, I appreciated the option of a botanical menu. Especially in this day and age when more restaurants turn back from vegan/vegetarian options (looking at you, Eleven Madison Park), I love a fine dining restaurant that is inclusive. 

In addition to your food, you can choose between a wine pairing, a cocktail pairing, or the so-called Grape & Grain pairing that offers the best of both worlds. A lovely idea, I wish more restaurants offered. 

During your meal, you will change venues. I don’t know if that is an Ubud thing, but luckily, it was just twice and actually offered a welcome change of scenery. Dishes are also served according to the venue, i.e., the eel with foie gras snow needs theatre and an air-conditioned room, while the duck breast is served outside right next to the open fire where it was cooked. 

You do get a table arrangement that moves with you, full of herbs, spices, fruit, and veggies that are featured in the dishes. The staff will show you which ones you will have with each dish – a nice introduction into the world of Indonesian ingredients. 

So what else is on the menu? Of course, it changes seasonally, but honorable mentions go to the blue swimmer crab with laksa leaf gel, the lamb ragout and sweetcorn sponge, and the duck skull. While this wasn’t meant for eating, it was definitely a conversation starter, home to a very delicious duck croquette, and sign that Mozaic doesn’t take itself too seriously. So while it is perfect for a fancy night out, it is anything but another boring fine dining, and thank the restaurant gods for that!

Locavore NXT

It is hard to put a dinner at NXT, the new venture of Locavore into a few paragraphs. Chefs and masterminds behind the family, Eelke Plasmeijer and Ray Adriansyah, call it rightfully “More than a restaurant. A localised rebellion.” It is not just a restaurant but a hub – a fermentation lab, a food forest, a lab sauna, a mushroom chamber, and three Wood Rooms for overnight guests are all part of the experience. 

And yes, apparently I wasn’t the first one to draw a comparison to the movie The Menu, but nobody minded either. I quickly realized that it was a lot less scary. Instead, people who are passionate about what they do. From Alfonso the creative mind behind many of the dishes to Serpico who is in charge of the beverages and the fermentors who work – as the name implies – in the fermentation lab. There is an ease and a palatable joy with the people working here. And while tropical brutalism reigns supreme when it comes to the interior there is also a three-legged cat, a Balinese door leading to the uber-cool mushroom basement, and whimsy around every corner. 

My stay started at the Wood Room, a perfect version of a cabin in the woods only overlooking the rice fields. Any dinner will start at a garden shed before you move to the bar area. More stunning views and the first snacks appeared. I ate “the whole banana tree” and we were off to a good start, even though bananas are my least favorite. Next was frog floss on casava bread before I was asked to follow staff into the basement. I don’t want to give it all away but let’s just say there is nothing ugly about the “ugly mushroom tea” and the evening quickly started to feel more like Alice in Wonderland. 

The menu at NXT is 20 courses with various pairing options. Most dishes are completely gluten and dairy free and produce is as local as it gets, much is grown on the premises or foraged all over Bali. 

Notable highlights were the chayote with ant eggs, something I only learned after I devoured the bowl, and the lobster with pineapple. There was the most amazing duck with rosella and an interesting dessert of sweet potato, tea leaves, and scoby. Though sticking to a hyper-local concept it was never to the detriment of the dishes tasting good. 

A special nod to the amazing old-school playlist. 

You can simply book dinner at NXT or a package with a night or two at the Wood Rooms. You will also get breakfast and a tour of the hub, something you don’t want to miss. If you are staying longer than a night there are meals at the other Locavore premises included as well as a foraging experience. 

Herbivore

“All flora, no fauna. Wildly different.” This is the motto of Herbivore, the latest member of the Locavore family which has recently moved into Locavore’s old location in the center of Ubud.

As you could rightfully assume, Herbivore is completely plant-based. In addition, it is mostly gluten and dairy-free yet they don’t like labels. I still decided to mention that I severely dislike celery lest they serve me a celery steak but I shouldn’t have worried. Herbivore doesn’t try to come up with meat substitutes and in fact, it is more about celebrating local fruit and vegetables without dogma. 

There is only one set menu but you can choose an alcoholic or non-alcoholic pairing. They do have some natural wines as well but I went with the alcoholic pairing which features local brem and sake. 

So what’s on the menu? Chef Arnaud Hauchon though French clearly shows his passion for the local flora. How about wing bean, peanuts, and kayu manis? Or the task of eating tiny disks of unripe fruit with chopsticks so you can dip them in different scented salts? 

A favorite of mine was the purple dragon fruit torched with coconut oil. A surprise, as I usually think dragon fruit is one of the most boring fruits out there. More classic flavors but equally delicious were the shittake with coffee and a bitter gourd mousse while the coconut pandan flan was served with banana water, a funky concoction. 

While flavors ranged from innovative to unusual, the creativity never overpowered the taste. To call it a yummy meal sounds trite but it was just that… yummy. 

The menu will change bi-annually. At the moment you will get 4 snacks, 5 mains, and 4 desserts as well as candies. Reservation is strongly recommended though you might get lucky as an early walk-in on weekdays or for lunch. 

api Jiwa at Capella

If you are in the mood for something different than Indonesian head to Api Jiwa, the fine-dining Omakase restaurant at Capella Ubud. Omakase is a Japanese concept but that doesn’t mean the food is all Japanese. It simply means that what you will get is left up to the kitchen and the chef. Api Jiwa means “fire to the soul” and how soulful it is…

At Capella, it means a 10-course trip around Asia with dishes from Indonesia, Bali, China, and yes, Japan. You can choose between a wine pairing or a cocktail pairing option, or of course, order your own drinks to go with your meal. While they have some regular tables I definitely recommend getting a seat at the chef’s counter as this is the most fun. And no, don’t worry – nobody is going to chuck prawns at you!

But what you get is, as mentioned above, up to the chef and the menu at Api Jiwa changes every three months. For my meal, I got delights like local oysters, lobster and chawanmushi in an egg shell (I could have eaten that again for breakfast), cauliflower and curry, lamb sausage and “tea” as well as an amazing babi guling bao.

I went for the cocktail pairing as I found this more interesting and was definitely not disappointed. Whatever you go for, do order one of their amazing Jasmine Gimlets from the menu before!

Booking is necessary and dining time is set for 7 pm. 

Embers

If you are in the mood for something Mediterranean look no further than Embers, part of the Bisma Eight empire, and at home at the Bisma Eight Villas. It is a modern yet earthy garden restaurant in Ubud where the concept of farm-to-table gets taken to a new level. 

Upon arrival, I first took a stroll through their little vegetable garden (the rest of their homegrown produce comes from just out of town) to soak up the atmosphere. If you come early enough the staff will be more than happy to show you around to discuss the differences between eggplant and brinjal. 

While I was hoping for a cocktail once I sat down I got offered a green juice straight from the garden first. Since it didn’t come with any celery, it was actually a great and very healthy way to start a meal. After I moved on to the cocktail menu – next to classics they make their own concoctions with flavors and cordials from the garden.

Book a room at Bisma Eight Villas

On the menu you will find favorites with a selection of pizza, sandwiches, and Indonesian classics during the day. In the evening the direction takes a distinct shift: local produce with Mediterranean flavors. Think carpaccio with pinenuts but make it Wagyu, burrata with Balinese tomatoes, roast butternut from the garden, locally caught fish with lobster foam, and truffled peas. And yes, in the evening you can order from both menus!

The service is incredibly friendly, always happy to give a recommendation, and very attentive. Whether you are coming here for a date night or dining solo, ask for a table right by the garden for the nicest setting. And no matter how full you are, do order the tarte tatin for dessert – I have only had better in Paris!

Looking for a romantic dinner in Ubud? Check these locations:

Honey and Smoke

Will Meyrick is no newcomer to the Bali restaurant scene and Honey and Smoke is his new baby. Everything centers around the chargrill and as he says “Our food is blessed by the fire”. It is a blessing indeed but fear not if you are not a carnivore, there are plenty of veggies, fish, and seafood that get blessed as well on the menu. 

My first impression when I sit down: it looks like a fancy dining car on a train. And then I wonder if I am allowed to say that because maybe comparing a restaurant to a train is rude?! I shouldn’t have worried because the interior purposefully looks like a chic old-fashioned steamer train, remembering an era of traveling unfortunately long gone. Or so the manager tells me. 

While I am usually always one for wine, I decide to go for the cocktails instead, which turns out to be an excellent choice. My favorite is the Norihana Smoke but if you wanted something a little less ‘complicated’ (not everyone enjoys nori in their drink) go for the Yuzu on Passion, a grown-up and very sophisticated version of a Pina Colada. Either way, make your way up to the cocktail bar upstairs after or before dinner and just find your own favorite!

The menu is meant to be shared, always making it a bit tricky when eating alone and wanting to try everything. Definitely go for the lardo char-grilled prawns and the smoked pork & prawn sausage. If you wanted something with a bit more green, try the tempura zucchini flowers which are crisp, light, and decadent at the same time. Also, if you are not sharing with a whole group don’t over-order – their portion sizes are more than generous!

Hujan Locale 

In lieu of a table at Locavore, I made it to Hujan Locale – a beautiful restaurant with modern colonial touches and a menu to match. Old classics from all around Indonesia are modernized here and served with some killer cocktails.

I am really bad when it comes to ordering food especially if I really like a menu – this one is extensive and everything sounds drool-worthy so it took me about half an hour and a whole basket of their yummy bread/cracker selection. Taking my time paid off – the fish carpaccio and prawn curry were some of the best dishes I ate during my three months stint.

The only downside is that you will have to pay prices to match their international, cosmopolitan counterparts.

Healthy Cafes & Vegan Restaurants in Ubud

Wild Vegan

The number of vegan restaurants in Ubud is almost endless. That said, I am not a vegan, which makes me an especially picky customer when it comes to vegan food. Ariel, owner of Wild Vegan, is also not vegan, which I think makes him the perfect, equally picky, person to run a vegan restaurant. 

Amongst a sea of vegan, raw, healthy places – you name it, he has managed to create a place where people don’t go “because they have to” but because they want to. Carnivores included. 

First up is Wild Vegan’s location on Jalan Sugriwa, a relaxed road as far as Ubud is concerned, but close to all the action. You enter through a freestanding Balinese door. Next to regular tables and Instagram-worthy tents, there are also sharing tables – if you choose to sit there, you are explicitly in the mood to meet and chat with others. What a nice idea!

The menu is an interesting one, and while all dishes are 100% vegan, there is no other dogma. Dishes are a mix of Western and Indonesian food, some raw and some cooked, with a big selection of sugar-free desserts. You either choose according to your mood or on something you want to improve upon, i.e., digestion, energy. All dishes are based on herbal medicine. The menu not only shows you the ingredients and macros but also the details of what a certain dish or drink is good for. 

I simply went by – give me the yummiest dish you have – and got the jackfruit rendang. I am a huge fan of jackfruit in all forms, and this was an absolute delight. And no beef was harmed or missed in the process of making this curry! I also liked the addition of a crunchy colorful side salad, something you usually don’t get with Indonesian staples. 

The drinks deserve a special mention at Wild Vegan, especially if you want to do something for your gut. Next to kombuchas and water kefir, you will also find a tepache, a Mexican drink made from fermented pineapple and nonalcoholic ginger beer on the menu. I recommend you try the Miniture Brew Tour. It is basically a tasting flight of all their fermented drinks and after you can choose a regular size of your favorite (tepache for me). 

And as always, do leave room for dessert. If there is any place in the world that knows how to do sugar-free yumminess, it is this Ubud restaurant.

Alchemy

Waiter: “How was your pizza?”
Guy next to me: “Eh, oookay. Can I see the menu again?”

I am not surprised by his reaction because the guy looks like a typical buff meat-loving gym dude and he just ate a raw, vegan pizza at Alchemy. To be fair though, I think my reaction was similar during my first visit. I didn’t get the hype Alchemy received and was left feeling underwhelmed and hungry by the dish I had chosen. 

I have been back twice since and my ordering has gotten a lot better. First, I learned that I am not a fan of raw cuisine and that while I like vegan food, I am not a fan of vegan substitutes like papaya “salmon” and aubergine “bacon”. Any ingredient that uses quotation marks are not for me. 

But luckily Alchemy is not good raw vegan restaurant in Ubud for all those who like crystal water and a side of woo-woo with their cold soup but also offers healthy, yummy choices for everyone else. For me, these are their Asian/Japanese inspired dishes like their vegan sushi and the Poke Bowl as well as their desserts. They also have regular non-raw pizzas on the menu now if you are keen for a vegan pizza in Ubud.

In addition, they make great cold pressed juices and you can even get a green juice without the celery – just ask!

Gluten Free on Bisma

Gluten Free is a bit unassuming, but since I ended up there a few times during my stay on Jalan Bisma, I thought it only fair to include them.

Their jamu is homemade and one of the best I have had, as is the Gado Gado which I had for breakfast a few times. 

As the name implies, their main game are gluten-free dishes. I tried the French Toast which was nice though, to be honest, I can’t speak to the quality of the gluten-free toast as I have little to compare it to. The dish was yummy though, and I am keen to go back and try their Eggs Benedict on rosti. 

kafe

I went to KAFE years ago, and then it fell off my Ubud restaurant radar for some reason. I am happy to say that I have rediscovered it! 

Let’s get one thing out of the way: KAFE is not particularly chic or Instagrammable. In fact, it reminds me a bit of a raggedy house from a children’s story – part of its charm for me. It pulls an odd assortment of customers, and I guess the equally odd menu is to ‘blame’. Healthy bowls, keto dishes, something Mexican, something Thai, lots of Indonesian fares, and in between treasures like a raw tuna sandwich and a weekly oxtail soup special.

Do order the tuna sandwich and have a lavender spritz – it is a wonderfully weird and yummy drink!

Yellow Flower Cafe

Yellow Flower came highly recommended and is a great option if you are looking for a healthy treat in Penestanan. The setting has an earthy boho vibe, maybe because there is one of Ubud’s favorite yoga studios, Intuitive Flow, right around the corner. However, the menu makes it clear: even non-yogi carnivores are welcome!

The café has two rooms with different seating choices from huge tables to hanging chairs and floor cushions, with the kitchen in between. I tried their homemade tofu nuggets (definitely not a starter portion) and nasi campur, but my favorite was the breakfast stack with corn fritters and poached eggs. 

Obviously, they have a myriad of healthy hot and cold drink choices, and I loved the fact that you could order jamu either as a medicinal drink or lite version with more coconut water. 

Great Ubud Restaurants for every day

Locavore to Go

Everybody who knows anything about food and restaurants in Indonesia will mention this place: Locavore. Local, modern cuisine and a tasting menu apparently worth splurging on. I didn’t manage to get a table in time, so I had to make do with their downscaled deli version – Locavore to Go.

After feasting on a prawn hotdog with edible flowers I knew I had to come back. On my second visit, I ate their waffles with duck eggs, bacon and hollandaise. And yes, I almost died. But I would have definitely gone to heaven because this dish is worth not eating anything for the rest of the day.

Judging by the decor you may think yourself in Brooklyn, not on a crumbling road on Bali. If you are keen to take some of their beautiful crockeries home, head next door to Kevala Home where their china comes from.

Galle Club

As you may or may not know, I love Sri Lankan food. It is one of my favorite cuisines, and while I was busy planning my next trip to Sri Lanka, I needed something to tide me over. Just my luck – Galle Club in Ubud had opened its doors.

To be fair, it is not 100% Sri Lankan but rather offers a mix of Sri Lankan and South Indian food. No worries, we like Indian food as well… 

I went for a little lunch to check out the options. While I wanted nothing more than hoppers and curry, I ended up putting together my own meal from their dinner choices. They offer sharing plates, short eats, side eats, and mallungs – a term new to me but basically a Sri Lankan side dish of shredded vegetables.

I ended up getting the prawn pepper fry, which was served on sourdough, something I somehow missed when reading the description. While I wasn’t expecting basically a sandwich, it was delicious, but made my pol rotis a bit redundant. I also got the cucumber mallung with toasted coconut, lemon, and peanuts – one of the best salads/ veggies sides I have had in a while. 

I’d definitely come back to do string hoppers and curry, or the mutton paan rolls, though I don’t think they can substitute a visit to Sri Lanka proper. But if you are in Ubud and are craving something other than Mie Goreng, this is the spot! 

Ropana 

Jalan Sugriwa runs parallel to Jalan Hanoman but unless you stay in the neighborhood, chances are you will never go there – it is residential in the best possible way. So I discovered Ropana by accident as it was close to my Airbnb and I was looking for a quiet spot to get some work done over coffee.

What I found was a lovely cafe in Ubud that should get a lot more business than it currently does (good for you as they don’t mind if you hog a table for hours). Especially coffee lovers have come to the right place as they really know what they are doing – they even have Vietnamese drip coffee on the menu! 

A lot of the dishes are also distinctly Vietnamese and while the banh mi wasn’t quite comparable to Madam Kanh’s they are really good. The best thing on the menu though is their curry Eggs Benedict. They come with the best pork belly bits I have had and are served on sourdough and not stupid muffins – yum!

Even if you are not staying in the neighborhood I say Ropana is definitely worth a little detour and for now, you will still be guaranteed to get a table here. 

L’Osteria Pizza e Cucina

Looking for the best pizza in Ubud? Me too! As you know I am a pizza snob and while Umah is a good choice if you are on a budget and in the area, sometimes you will want a bit more. 

I read rave reviews about L’Osteria for both their pasta and their pizzas and I can confirm the pizza definitely delivers. Make sure you have a reservation or come very early. I arrived before 6 pm, usually a good time to snatch a seat without reservation for me but the downstairs was already completely full and I was only given a table upstairs with the caveat that I had to be done by 7 pm. 

Pizzas are Neapolitan style, maybe not everyone’s favorite but the dough was yummy and the right amount of chewy. My pizza could have used a bit more cheese, but I am also a firm believer that a pizza can never have too much cheese so maybe don’t take my word for it. 

House wine is cheap(ish) at Rp 90k per glass and you get a Limoncello on the house after dinner as it should be with any good Italian restaurant. So while eating at Osteria is definitely a little pricey treat, I’d go again and try their Cacio e Pepe. 

Copper Kitchen & Bar at Bisma Eight 

I usually don’t care for hotel food, I really don’t. Even if the hotel overall is great the food tends to be mediocre and overpriced. But then again, I knew Bisma Eight was a little different from the get go. That notion got confirmed when I found chicken liver parfait on waffles on the menu of Copper Kitchen. Waffles for dinner!!

Find a room at Bisma Eight

In addition to a simple modern menu with Indonesian and international touches, the decor is beautiful: you are either sitting on the terrace surrounded by billowing curtains or inside which resembles a greenhouse. Windows everywhere which means you not only get a nice breezy but can also see the stars above you.
For those lucky enough to stay there, the breakfast is something different altogether. I will tell you more in a complete review soon, but let’s just say it, once again, involved waffles.

Milk & Madu

I was super excited to find a branch of my favorite Canggu restaurants, Milk & Madu, now in Ubud. And their interior here is extra special – someone needs to call Wes Anderson.

A few years later, they still have my favorite dish: a lamb and falafel salad, and some great bowls. They also have a dedicated pizza section, and as a pizza snob, I will say – I am impressed. I tried their seafood pizza, which rivaled my favorite in Thailand! I especially appreciated the sizes: the small pizza is perfect for one, and I guess the large would be great for sharing with a side salad. 

In a previous review, I mentioned how nice it was that Milk & Madu in Ubud wasn’t very crowded yet, but unfortunately those days are gone. They are packed most of the time, so I recommend you come very early or very late. 

What else to do in Bali? Check my Ubud Travel Itinerary with all my favorites.

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