Indonesian restaurants in Bali
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Warung Sulawesi
Although seemingly upscale, Kerobokan is blessed with many a fine place for a local meal. Find a table in this quiet family compound and enjoy fresh Balinese and Indonesian food served in classic warung style. Choose a rice, then pick from a captivating array of dishes that are always at their peak at noon. The green beans are yum!
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Warung Nikmat
This Javanese favourite is known for its array of authentic halal dishes, including beef rendang, perkedel (fried corn cakes), prawn cakes, sop buntut (oxtail soup) and various curries and vegetable dishes. Get there before 2pm or you'll be left with the scraps.
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Warung Murah
Lunch goes swimmingly at this authentic warung specialising in seafood. An array of grilled fish awaits; if you prefer fowl over fin, the sate ayam is succulent and a bargain. It's hugely popular at lunch; try to arrive right before noon.
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Warung Mimpi
A sweet little open-air shopfront warung in the midst of cacophonous nightlife. A dear husband-and-wife team cook Indo classics simply and well. It's all fresh and tasty.
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Warung Kolega
A Javanese halal classic. Choose your rice (we prefer the fragrant yellow), then pick from a delectable array that includes tempeh in sweet chilli sauce, sambal terung (spicy eggplant), ikan sambal (spicy grilled fish) and other daily specials.
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Warung Ibu Made
The woks roar almost from dawn to dusk amid the constant hubbub on this busy corner of Jl Raya Seminyak. It's one of a few simple stalls. The meals from this warung couldn't be fresher; they put to shame some of the Western fakery just down the road.
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E
Warung Hanafi
The best dish here is straight from the owner's Sumatran mother: nasi goreng (the secret is day-old rice). Watch the passing traffic chaos while you try a refreshing – and bright-red – tamarillo juice. The drinks menu is booze free and everything is halal.
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Warung Beten Gatep
This warung is run by the Wisnu Foundation, a much-respected environmental group. Enjoy simple, honest Balinese fare, prepared with high-quality and sustainable coconut oil, under palm trees. A shop sells cool handbags made from trash. It's about 500m north of Warung Gossip.
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Waroeng Bonita
Balinese dishes such as ikan rica-rica (fresh fish in a spicy green chilli sauce) and the classic spicy beef rendang are the specialities here. Nab a table under the trees, unless it's Baliwood night when drag queens put on an unmissable and flamboyant spectacle inside.
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Top Deck
Hovering above Crackers, and with the same Australian owners, this airy cafe with an open kitchen looks over the market and has a full menu of creative Indo fare. At lunch there's a buffet option.
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Sate Bali
Some very fine traditional Balinese dishes are served at this small cafe run by chef Nyoman Sudiyasa (who also has a cooking school here). The multicourse rijsttafel (165,000Rp) is a symphony of tastes, including the addictive babi kecap (pork in a sweet soy sauce) and tum bebek (minced duck in banana leaf).
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Saleko
Just off the madness of Jl Legian, this modest open-front place attracts the discerning with its simple Sumatran fare. Spicy grilled chicken and fish dare you to ladle on the volcanic sambal. Everything is halal.
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Pasar Malam
Inside the Rumah Bali guesthouse, this warung fulfils the role of the village market eatery. There are local coffees, and exhibits and dishes celebrate the many forms of Balinese rice. The food is of the same high standard as that at Bumbu Bali.
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Mang Engking
Serving the food of Indonesia, this large restaurant is a metaphor for the islands themselves, with various thatched dining pavilions set amid ponds and water features. Hugely popular with Bali's emerging middle class, the long menu focuses on fresh seafood. Service is snappy like the jaws of a shark, but far more friendly.
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Made's Warung II
Vastly expanded, the northern branch of Made's has a buzz many thought unlikely for such a long-running veteran. But the well-prepared Indonesian food is delicious as ever and the presentation artful. Even the little bags of Balinese snack crackers are a delight. You'll need to book (or wait) in high season.
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Made's Warung
Made's was the original tourist warung in Kuta, and through the years the Westernised Indonesian menu has been much copied. Classic dishes such as nasi campur (rice with side dishes) are served with colour and flair. Although not the hub it once was, Made's is among the nicest options in the area.
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Kuta Night Market
This enclave of stalls and plastic chairs bustles with locals and tourism workers chowing down on hot-off-the-wok treats, grilled goods and other fresh foods.
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Ketupat
Hidden behind the antique-filled Jonathan Gallery, Ketupat is a calm oasis that is an escape from the Kuta clamour. Open-air dining pavilions overlook an azure pool. Dishes originate from across Indonesia, including Javanese curries such as nasi hijau harum (fried rice with greens, shrimps and herbs).
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Kafe Batan Waru
The Tuban branch of one of Ubud's best eateries is a slicked-up version of a warung, albeit with excellent and creative Asian and local fare. There's also good coffee, baked goods and kid-friendly items such as pasta and chicken fingers.
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Ibu Mangku
Where your driver takes lunch. Look for the cabs in front of this bamboo place with a serene garden out the back. The must-have is the superb minced-chicken satay, redolent with lemongrass and other spices.
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Dapur Alam
A real find (if you can find it). The name of this upscale night market means 'natural kitchen'. Spotless tables under two pavilions welcome diners to a shady spot below the road near the river. Various open kitchens serve dishes from across the archipelago. Even standards like the spicy sate ayam (chicken satay) are inspired. Kids enjoy a playground.
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Bumbu Bali
One of the finest restaurants on the island, Bumbu Bali serves the best Balinese food you'll have during your visit. Long-time resident and cookbook author Heinz von Holzen, his wife, Puji, and enthusiastic staff serve exquisitely flavoured dishes. Many diners opt for one of several set menus (from 255,000Rp). The rijsttafel (array of Indonesian dishes) shows the range of cooking in the kitchen, from satays served on their own little coconut-husk grill to the tender be celeng base manis (pork in sweet soy sauce) and the amazingly tasty and different jaja batun bedil (sticky dumpling rice in palm sugar), with a dozen more courses in between. Tables are set under the stars…
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Yellow Flower Cafe
New Age Indonesian right up in Penestanan along a little path through the rice fields. Nearby views look out over Ubud but you'll be happier concentrating on organic mains like a good nasi campur (rice with side dishes) and rice pancakes. Snackers will delight in the good coffees, cakes and smoothies.
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Warung Lembongan
Silver folding chairs at long tables, shaded by a garish green awning out front. These are details you will quickly forget after you have the house speciality: chicken lightly fried yet delicately crispy like the top of a perfect crème brûlée. The special costs 17,000Rp and includes ayam (chicken), rice, soup and a beverage. The KFC in Sanur wants over 200,000Rp for its deeply inferior mass-merchandised version.
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Warung Enak
A breezy two-level restaurant with a winsome logo, Enak specialises in Indonesian food. The rijstafel (array of Indonesian dishes) is justifiably popular or you can go modest by choosing from the long menu of satays and variations on mie goreng.
reviewed