If you’re a foodie looking for fine dining at a price that won’t break the bank, then Bali should be high on your travel list. Fine dining restaurants in Bali serve high-quality food and cocktails and a fraction of the price you can expect for a similar meal in Europe, United States, Singapore, Australia or New Zealand.
Bali has been gaining a well-deserved reputation these past few years for becoming a genuine foodie destination, attracting a growing number of high-status chefs from around the globe. If these are too expensive, check out The Ultimate Guide to Restaurants, Cafes & Bars in Seminyak.
Here’s a list of my all-time favourite fine-dining restaurants in Bali.
Merah Putih
My go-to restaurant for taking visiting friends. One of the best in Bali, the name Merah Putih pays homage to the Indonesian flag – merah meaning red, and putih meaning white – and has a unique menu with local Indonesian dishes on the left-hand side of the menu, with a contemporary version with a modern twist on the right.
Merah Putih is my number one go-to if I have guests and only one night to spare for a special dinner.
Like most restaurants in Bali, this one is stylistically impressive. The massive, white, floor-to-ceiling columns are actually water catchments that funnel rainwater into their underground reservoir, making the restaurant self-sufficient when it comes to water usage.
The prices are like most places in Bali – surprisingly affordable, with most main dishes under IDR200k. The menu changes seasonally, but they stick to what they are great at and the bar menu is a great option for a cocktail or two and some lite bites, especially if you are dining solo for the evening.
The cocktail bar is also a great place for pre-dinner drinks, or if you’re in the mood they have a selection of light bites from an excellent bar menu.
I’ve been going to Merah Putih for 5 years and it never fails to impress. Be warned, while the portions may appear small, over-ordering is a common mistake. Get some dishes to share, take stock of the hunger levels, and then keep ordering anyway.
Address: Jl. Petitenget No.100X, Seminyak
Opening Hours: Mo-Su 12:00-15:00, 18:00-23:30
Phone: +62-361-846-5950
Room 4 Dessert
Unique, innovative one-of-a-kind fine dining from a world-renowned chef. A long time ago, in a New York very far away, an avant-garde pastry chef made his mark with a restaurant that only served dessert. Now if that doesn’t grab you I don’t know what will.
Will Goldfarb landed in Bali a decade ago and is now in his 9th year running his decidedly unique take on a fine dining restaurant. Falling in love with the locally grown and sourced ingredients that are at the heart of a pastry chef’s art, Will makes great use of cinnamon, locally made chocolate and a plethora of fresh herbs and flowers are grown on-site in the restaurant gardens.
Dining at Room 4 Dessert is undoubtedly a unique experience with a format I’ve never seen before. In the current 9th season it started with 7 courses in the informal, newly expanded back bar, followed by another 7 courses in the luxuriously draped and dark panelled main dining room, finishing with 7 petit-fours beside the garden outside on the terrace.
While some of the courses were better-than-ok, several of them were pure standouts. The tasting menu is spectacularly good value – currently Rp 740k for the tasting menu and Rp 1150k including paired bespoke cocktails – and for the level of creativity and execution you won’t find either a better experience nor better value anywhere in Bali.
Restaurant: Room 4 Dessert
Stars: 5
Price: $$$$
Address: Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud
Opening Hours: Tu-Su 17:00-23:00
Phone: +62-813-3705-0539
Cuisine: Dessert
Sarong – Closed for Renovations
Seriously romantic, spectacular decor, stunning food. A legend in the local dining scene, the street-food chef Will Meyrick’s flagship modern Asian restaurant Sarong is the most romantic of restaurants. It’s expensive by Balinese standards, but much less than you’ll pay in other countries for a spectacularly presented modern take on Indonesian dishes.
Address: Jl. Petitenget No.19, Seminyak
Opening Hours: Mo-Su 18:30-23:30
Phone: 0812-3634-3386
Locavore
Book well ahead of time. It’s Popular! Located in Ubud, Locavore serves a degustation menu for lunch and dinner daily that is becoming so well regarded it can be booked out weeks ahead.
Restaurant: Locavore
Stars: 5
Price: $$$$
Address: Jl. Dewisita No.10, Ubud
Opening Hours: Mo-Sa 11:00-23:00
Phone: +62-361-977733
Cuisine: Modern Asian
Mozaic
The longest-running fine dining restaurant in Bali. Mozaic has been going for 16 years, operated by chef/owner Chris Salans. It’s promoted with Indonesian ingredients with French techniques and the dinner degustation menu is well worth trying because the cuisine is quite unique. They are now open for lunch 7 days a week, providing a slightly cheaper menu option while catering for those who left it too late to get dinner reservations.
Restaurant: Mozaic
Stars: 5
Price: $$$$
Address: Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud
Opening Hours: Mo-Su 12:00-14:00, 18:00-23:00
Phone: +62-361-975768
Cuisine: Modern Indonesian, French
Mejekawi
Degustation dinner with a 5-star sunset. The fine-dining restaurant upstairs at the popular beach club Ku De Ta, you can go to town on a 5-course degustation dinner at Mejekawi for only IDR700k, IDR1.1 million++ including the wine pairing. Including tax and service that’s around AUD$140 per person including wine which is pretty good value for a fine dining degustation experience.
Restaurant: Mejekawi
Stars: 4
Price: $$$$
Address: Jalan Kayu Aya No. 9, Seminyak
Opening Hours: Mo-Su 18:00-22:00
Phone: +62-361-736969
Cuisine: Modern
Loving your recommendations!
Thanks for all your recommendations Michael. We haven't just followed your guides on money and booked a tour through you but we just booked 2 of the restaurants on this list to treat ourselves while here in Bali. Thanks!!
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