SEMINYAK | Seminyak is a Balinese city that’s known for being a popular tourist destination with a vibrant nightlife. While it’s most definitely those things, it’s also a great place to enjoy a great variety of food, which is what this Seminyak food guide is all about.
There’s popular beachside spots serving up internationally inspired cuisine, affordable local gems hidden amongst the tourist traps, and high end dining as good as you’ll find anywhere else in the region.
In this Seminyak Food Guide, updated as at August 2023, I’ll tell you the places to visit if you want to experience the best food and drink in Seminyak.
I’ve placed the tips in alphabetical order, and they’re all worth checking out. Are any of your favourites listed below? Are there any places that you think should be on my Seminyak food guide?
Babi Guling Sari Kembar
Babi guling, aka Balinese spit-roasted suckling pig, is arguably Bali’s signature dish, and there’s a good reason for it. The flavoursome combination of tender, juicy meat; melt in your mouth fat; and crispy crackling is unbeatable.
Babi Guling Sari Kembar, and its sister restaurant, Babi Guling Sari Kembar 99, serve some of the best babi guling in Seminyak. A generous serve of meat, served with rice, sambal, and Indonesian salad. It’s one of the most affordable meals you’ll have in town, too.
Bambu
Bambu is a high end restaurant set in a beautiful, casual, semi-outdoor space. The focus is on contemporary Balinese cuisine, showcasing food from Indonesia’s diverse regions, and quality Balinese produce.
Think things like kepiting soka (Sulawesi soft shell crab with jicama, rose apple salad, and sweet chilli sauce), mie kuah kepiting (Aceh fresh egg noodles with papua crab, tiger prawn, and fragrant tamarind spice broth), and bubur manis (warm Balinese coconut rice pudding with mango salad).
Biku
Biku is a popular café, set in a 150-year-old Javanese teak joglo. It offers a variety of Western and Balinese brunch and dinner dishes, and high tea. It does those things well, but why it’s on my list is for the tea.
On Biku’s tea menu, you’ll find over 50 kinds of tea, selected by Biku’s tea master, Tjok Gde Kerthyasa. Several of the teas are from Indonesia, and are quite rare. They’re brewed and prepared tableside, tea ceremony-style.
Chontea
Sticking with the topic of tea, another brilliant option for tea lovers is Chontea. Hidden on the mezzanine level of UMA Seminyak, Chontea is a Japanese-style teahouse offering a selection of the best teas from around the world.
There are some seriously exclusive and interesting teas to be found here, including many from across Indonesia. Visit for a relaxing, informative, experience that showcases tea in the best possible way.
FED
FED was started by three Balinese friends and chefs, Made, Dhanu, and Nikolas Leonard-Artha. They were living in Melbourne, training to be chefs, and subsequently working in venues across the city. In their spare time, they’d cook pop-up dinner for friends’ birthday parties, graduations, and events. They enjoyed it, so when they found themselves back in Bali when COVID hit, they ramped up the pop-up thing.
After popping up at some of Bali’s top spots, they decided to progress to the next natural step, and open their own restaurant in 2001. FED is a marriage of their Balinese heritage, and time spent in Melbourne. They don’t serve Balinese dishes, rather it’s a broadly Asian-influenced menu, showcasing the best locally sourced produce that Bali has to offer. Think modern-Australian, with a Balinese twist.
The Koop Roaster & Cafe
If you’re after a quality cup of coffee in Seminyak, you have to visit The Koop Roaster & Cafe. The team here take their bean to cup philosophy seriously, and have their own coffee farm so that they can be across all aspects of the process. The result is brilliant coffee, be it their house blend or seasonal brews, all roasted in house.
All kinds of brewing methods are available, be it black or white coffee you’re after. There’s also several unique Indonesian style brews on offer. The baked goods and brunch options are quality too.
KU DE TA
For over a decade, KU DE TA has been on visitor’s lists as a must visit Seminyak destination. There’s not much that I can say about the place that hasn’t already been said. If you’re looking to relax with a drink, and perhaps a cigar, while watching the sunset, KU DE TA is still one of the best places in town to do it.
My Place Cafe
There’s always been a small Russian community in Bali, but since the war in Ukraine started, it’s gotten a lot bigger. Several cafes and restaurants have sprung up catering to Russian tastes, meaning that you can find authentic Russian food in Seminyak.
My Place Cafe is a great place to try some things, offering classic Russian dishes like borscht, okroshka, and blini with red caviar and sour cream. Be sure to check out the baked section of the menu too, offering things like honey cake and more.
Nasi Ayam Kedewatan
Nasi Ayam (literally rice and chicken) is a dish that you must try when in Bali. Nasi Ayam Kedewatan, who have four locations across the island, is a great place to try it.
The signature Nasi Campur Ayam Kedewatan gets you a sizeable serve of tasty stuff served on a banana leaf. Nasi putih (steamed white rice), urap sayur (steamed mixed vegetables mixed with seasoned and spiced grated coconut), Ayam betutu (roast chicken), kacang ayam suwir (shredded chicken), chicken sate (chicken satay), telur (hard boiled egg), roasted peanuts, and sambal.
Naughty Nuri’s
Naughty Nuri’s might be a well known chain these days, but it still appears on many Seminyak food guides for good reason. The signature BBQ pork spare ribs are fantastic. They’re marinated in Balinese spices and glazed over charcoal with house BBQ sauce. Be sure to grab one of their famous margheritas, lauded by none other than Anthony Bourdain, back in the day.
Potato Head Beach Club
There are many reasons why Potato Head Beach Club is considered by many to be the best beach club in Bali. The view is spectacular, the atmosphere relaxed, and the food and drinks quality. Add to that, their support for local small artisans and growers, and a zero waste, low-carbon footprint philosophy, and you’ve got a venue that’s deserving of the hype.
Sangsaka
Aussie chef Kieran Morland and his partner Yukika are doing some rather special things at Sangsaka. It’s a modern Indonesian restaurant, serving classic Indonesian dishes with a twist. Family recipes from Yunika’s East Javanese heritage often inform the menu, and the results are fantastic.
Take, for example, the restaurant’s take on Mie Kepiting Pontianak. An intoxicating dish of noodles and squid ink noodles with mud crab butter & sea urchin. Its true to its roots, but something unique to the restaurant at the same time. A must try Seminyak food guide inclusion for some truly unique food.
Woobar
Along with Potato Head Beach Club, Woobar is my favourite venue of its kind in Seminyak. Thankfully, you don’t need to be a guest of the W Hotel to visit. It’s a large, multi-zoned venue, offering the expected spectacular beachfront views, along with one of the most interesting cocktail lists in town.
If you’re into it, there’s also shisha available to smoke, with a wide variety of flavours on offer.
Have you been to Seminyak before? What are your favourite things to eat there, and your favourite place to eat them? What would you add to this Seminyak Food Guide?