Bali is just, wonderful. The beaches, the waves, the food — you can find them all on one tiny island! And best of all, they are VERY affordable. We stayed in Kuta, so we found most of our meals in Kuta and Seminyak, although we also went to Nusa Dua for a few days, but we made sure that we did our research before trying it to make sure that it is truly tasty. If you’re heading to Bali and looking to try their local cuisines, here are some of my favourite local food, and where we went to get them!

• Gado Gado

Let’s start with the appetizer. Gado Gado can be eaten as a sharing starter, or even as a main dish. It’s a type of Indonesian salad filled with slightly boiled vegetables, eggs, tempeh, fried tofu, longtong, and topped with some really good peanut sauce. The peanut sauce brings the whole dish together and the best gado gado comes from the peanut sauce (IMO). I had so much gado gado because I was literally IN LOVE with this dish (until Bel had to stop me) LOL. This is where I found my favourite Gado Gado:

Made’s Warung (Kuta; they have another outlet in Seminyak!) : Jl. Pantai Kuta, Banjar Pande Mas, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia 

Poppies Restaurant (Kuta): Jln Legian Gg. Poppies I No.16, Kuta, Badung Regency, Bali 80361, Indonesia

• Mie goreng (Fried Noodles)

Next on the list is Mie Goreng, which is one of the most popular local food. The noodles are stir fried in sweet and savoury sauce and topped with vegetables and meat, making it one of the easiest foods to cook but the hardest to master. Everyone has different taste preferences, and you can actually find a really good instant version in the convenience stores here! (without any toppings, of course!) Back to the best mie goreng in Kuta, definitely go to:

Poppies Restaurant (Kuta): Jln Legian Gg. Poppies I No.16, Kuta, Badung Regency, Bali 80361, Indonesia

• Nasi goreng (Fried Rice)

With Mie goreng, there is definitely nasi goreng, as rice is a staple in Bali. Goreng means fried, which explains why nasi goreng and mie goreng has ‘goreng’ in it. Different places make nasi goreng differently, and well, we went to Nusa Dua and had this really good Nasi Goreng! They even had prawns on the side as well 🙂

Momo cafe (Nusa Dua): Kawasan Pariwisata Lot SW1, Jl. Nusa Dua, Benoa, Kec. Kuta Sel., Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80363, Indonesia

• Nasi Campur 

That’s right! It’s another dish with rice, and this time, there are many more sides added to it. Nasi Campur is basically rice with many side dishes, like Singapore’s cai fan or mixed rice. At some local stores, you get to choose the sides that you want, and then pay accordingly. For other restaurants, ordering nasi campur would mean the shop would select the side dishes for you, so it’s more of a tasting plate of rice with many sides. We had so much Nasi Campur because the sides were always so different and really good, but the best one we had was at:

Warung Koffie Batavia (Kuta): Jl. Kartika Plaza No.20, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia

• Pork Ribs

If you’re one who loves pork ribs, Bali has a few places with amazing ribs. It may not exactly be local cuisine, but, if it’s good, why not? The ribs we had were so juicy and tender, and we definitely regretted just getting half ribs. This is where we got those juicy ribs from:

WAHAHA Pork ribs: Jl. Sunset Road No.1689, Seminyak, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia

• Babi Guling (Roast Pig/Suckling Pig)

Sadly, the one and only food we didn’t get to try in Bali 😦 Made’s Warung was supposed to have one of the best Babi Guling, but on the day we were there, they weren’t serving on that day.  *SAD* Do make sure you go for it though; it’s something local you don’t want to miss!

Made’s Warung (Kuta; they have another outlet in Seminyak!) : Jl. Pantai Kuta, Banjar Pande Mas, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia 

• Soto Mie

Another popular noodle dish in Bali, soto mie is a dish of noodles in soup with some vegetables and meat. Mie means noodles, and soto means Indonesian soup — what better way to eat something so locally named? However, as good as it can be, the soup might be drowned in a whole lot of MSG so try not to finish the soup! (I know this can be hard!)

Poppies Restaurant (Kuta): Jln Legian Gg. Poppies I No.16, Kuta, Badung Regency, Bali 80361, Indonesia

• Sup Kambing (Mutton/Oxtail soup)

Sup Kambing is great for anyone who loves soup that is not so creamy, as it’s a light soup made with mutton and served with rice. It’s mostly found in restaurants and has quite a bit of a stronger mutton taste, so those who don’t like mutton should avoid this dish. But for those avid fans, you should definitely try it. It’s a lighter dish as compared to the rest of the fried and greasy food and absolutely great if you want a break from all that *goreng* food.

Poppies Restaurant (Kuta): Jln Legian Gg. Poppies I No.16, Kuta, Badung Regency, Bali 80361, Indonesia

• Tempeh (Fermented Soybeans)

If you haven’t been to Indonesia, you probably wouldn’t have heard of tempeh. It’s actually made from fermented soybeans, similar to the sauerkraut and kimchi family, but it kinda looks like fried tofu. I’ve only heard of it when I reached Bali, and even so, I fell in love with tempeh! It’s usually fried and served either as a side on it’s own, or in the gado gado.

• Sate (Skewered meat)

A really great sharing side (or just for yourself), sate is grilled skewered meat that can be dipped into really good peanut sauce. Sate meat can be made from beef, pork and chicken. Obviously, we had quite a few sates here but our favourite is definitely the one at:

Warung Koffie Batavia (Kuta): Jl. Kartika Plaza No.20, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia

• Pisang goreng (Fried banana)

Finally we are now at desserts! Pisang goreng, also known as fried banana, is a local dessert popular among many. Especially since Bali is a tropical island, the bananas found here are in abundance, and real sweet to boot 😉 The banana is doused in batter, fried, and served warm with palm sugar syrup (maybe even with an ice cream). This sinful, decadent dessert is definitely one that you shouldn’t miss!

Made’s Warung (Kuta; they have another outlet in Seminyak!) : Jl. Pantai Kuta, Banjar Pande Mas, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia

Is there any other Indonesian/Balinese food we’ve missed out? Tell us and share the love! We loooove Balinese food! ❤

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