The Best Restaurants in Ubud, Bali
We have moved to the coast of Bali, to a town called Sanur. We are loving the space and freedom of the beach after a hectic time in Ubud. We stayed in Ubud for 14 days (see our guide to Ubud with kids here), and approximately 13 of those days were spent just eating. Ok maybe not exactly, but food is a big deal to us and it can really make or break a trip away from home. We are always on the look out for the best family-friendly restaurants and they have to be vegan friendly, because occasionally I like a change from my usual diet of chaff, grass and air-dried air. So without further ado, here is the first installation in our ‘best restaurants in Bali’ series: the top restaurants in Ubud.
Top restaurants in Ubud for budget prices:
Warung Made £
This is our go-to restaurant for cheap lunchtime meals and great Wifi. The manager is a sweet guy who is more than happy for travellers to set up camp in a corner to use the Internet, or to connect visitors with local taxi drivers. The Cap Chay (pronounced Chap Chai) is a nourishing and wholesome bowl of tasty broth heaped with vegetables and cubes of tofu, served alongside home-made chilli samba and steamed rice. The fresh Summer Rolls filled with grated vegetables and tempeh and great to dip in the fresh satay sauce. The portion sizes aren’t huge but the prices are very low (£2 a main meal) so all the more reason to order a couple each and try everything on the menu!
Thrive cafe £
A tiny little nook (a few shops along from Sari Organik) that you could easily walk by and miss, Thrive has several really good options for vegans and also offers a Sunday picnic out in nature. Veggie kebabs with tofu and tempeh blend in on the menu along with pizza, salads and pasta.
Sri Sol £
This is a proper local gaff; we were only white people in there and the owners looked fairly surprised that we weren’t headed to the overpriced strip of restaurants on Ubud’s main street. We paid 100,000 rupiah for 6 main meals; that’s about 7 quid. They serve hands-down the best cap chay in Ubud, a super tasty vegetable and tofu soup with steamed rice (vegans in Bali, make sure you ask them for no chicken, they add it as standard). Sit and watch the locals get on with day to day life and see the cooks heave huge, steaming bags of rice out of the rice cooker and leg it over to the basin. Sri Sol is just off the Main Street of Ubud, two minutes walk from the clothes market.
Best restaurants in Bali: Top restaurants in Ubud for mid-range prices
Warung Mendez £-££
Rated ‘Excellent’ and recommended by Tripadvisor for two years running, Warung Mendez is a ten-minute walk from the centre of Ubud. A casual, atmospheric and open-fronted restaurant, Mendez is bordered by a fishpond that kept our toddler entertained for the duration of dinner. Fairy lights and brightly coloured tablecloths add to the atmosphere, but the food is the centrepiece of the establishment. Local Balinese and other Indonesian dishes such as Nasi Goreng, Mie Goreng and Gado Gado are all super-tasty, less spicy versions of the originals and the huge bowls of Laksa or Tom Yum soup ar hot and filling. Vegans should try the Kra Pow Gai with the chicken swapped for tofu (don’t forget to ask it without fish sauce); the Tofu Tempeh Bakur or the egg-free Gado Gado. Deep-fried banana spring rolls or sweet coconut crepes are ideal for dessert.
Alchemy ££
This funky vegan cafe is the most hipster joint I’ve ever set foot in. The whole place is white and air conditioned; it’s a little too sterile for my liking but it’s a convenient and quiet place to get hold of super-healthy food and chill on the Wifi. Jars of spirulina and other apparently magic stuff line the whitewashed shelves, while a rainbow of salads and fresh smoothies wait at the cafe. This is also the place to get vegan treats- I’m talking Bounty bars, peanut butter cups and double chocolate chip cookies. Hey, vegans need a blow-out once in a while too!
Pacha Mama ££
Vegan mexican food? Al-righty then. Think buffalo cauliflower wings, coconut tacos and all kinds of other spicy deliciousness. A few restaurants down from Sari Organik, Pacha Mama has a fairy lit al fresco dining area and daily live music. It is more on the pricey side for Bali, but when I say pricey I mean about £5-6 a dish- hardly Nobu.
Sari Organik ££
I took Eira here for a mummy-daughter date and she was in her element. Sari Organik has a quiet garden filled with little wooden gazebos and low-laying tables. Diners lounge on beanbags and padded benches; the vibe is very low-key and chilled. The spaghetti is just like home and the nasi campur is fantastic. Down the road from Alchemy, on the right hand side.
Best restaurants in Bali: The high-end top restaurants in Ubud
Bridges Bali £££
Rated as the best place in Ubud for a romantic meal, Bridges Bali does fine dining with a relaxed vibe. Delicacies include wild mushroom and polenta, vegetable terrine and tropical salad served in a crispy coconut wafer with caramelised chilli-coconut sauce. Yes please. Bridges Bali also hosts events such as wine-tasting masterclasses and audiences with crime novelists for parents who fancy an evening sans-kids.
CasCades £££
This award-winning bar and restaurant has one of the best views in Bali, with an infinity pool that overlooks tropical forests for a seriously Instagram-worthy swim. European and Asian fusion is created by executive chef Nic Vanderbeeken and includes dishes such as Red Aztec Quinoa Salad, Beetroot Infused Couscous and Spinach and Coconut soup. The menu is meat-heavy (:() but the vegetarian dishes are daily vegan-ised.
So, that’s our first post on the best restaurants in Bali, focusing on the top restaurants in Ubud. We are off to Sanur on the coast soon and can’t wait to check out all the best family eateries down there too!
For more helpful Bali posts to plan your ultimate Bali vacation, check out:
- Essential Beginners’ Guide to Bali
- The 8 Most Dangerous Bali Animals (and how to stay safe)
- Best Travel Strollers
- Best Places To Stay In Bali (and the one place to avoid!)
- The Only Ethical Turtle Sanctuary In Bali (+ How To Visit)
- Luxury Family Villas in Sanur
- 10 Reasons We Moved To Bali with kids
- Aerial Yoga in Bali
- 5 Attractions to Avoid In Bali
- Top 5 Nature Activities For Kids in Bali
- Guide to Nusa Penida
- How to Get to Gili Islands
- What We Spend In One Month In Bali
Off to Bali soon? Check out the ‘Hungry in Bali’ ultimate culinary guide to the island, with special offers, discounts and deals for eating your zway through the best restaurants in Bali. Think we’ve missed something? If you know of a top restaurant in Ubud or have an idea of what you think the best restaurant in Bali is, let us know in the comments!
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Steff says
This is an awesome list, Hannah!! Thanks so much for the tips. Can’t wait to check the restaurants out when we get to Ubud at the end of November!!
Do you know if CasCades is an adults only place? We probably won’t have a babysitter for our daughter. x
Adventure Travel Family says
You’ll love the food Steff! Our personal all time fave was Warung Mendez, it’s chilled and has the little fish pond for the kids to look at. I don’t think any of the high-end ones are adults only, it’s just down to how much you’d relax there with a bubs! Personally I just like the budget ones where I’m not worrying about the kids spilling something or wandering around! xx
Steff says
Okay, great! Warung Mendez sounds right down our alley. Hubby is a foodie and especially loves desserts. So already looking forward to the coconut crepes :). We usually go for more casual restaurants anyway (maybe once in a month at home). Just thought if we manage a date night CasCades sounded nice…We’ll see once we’re there! Thanks. x