The TOP 5 PLACES TO EAT Ubud

If you’re traveling to Bali make sure Ubud is on your list of places to visit. After 10 days in Seminyak we ventured inland to Ubud for our final 5 days and I think we all instantly regretted not setting aside more time there. Ubud is a town like Seminyak but it’s where you’ll find the best yoga centres, a slower paced life and a tad more relaxation.

Once we arrived we jumped straight into all things Ubud from the rice terraces to the famous monkey forest, all of which I will be posting about this weekend in my “Ultimate Bali Guide”. But for now, I wanted to share the best food spots for your visit. For me, I don’t think there is anything more stressful than trying to research the best eateries, especially as a foodie. A huge part of travelling for me is trying new dishes and eating delicious food, when I only have a short window in a place I just don’t want to waste any meals! I use apps like yelp, I find local bloggers and I also use relative hashtags for that area on Instagram to help find the best spots. We got to eat in over 15 places but here are my top 5, I also included at the bottom some extra shops to check out whilst you’re meandering.

 

Watercress

This place was my favourite spot for breakfast, however they’re also open for lunch and dinner and It’s one of those places where anything you order is going to be delicious. We decided to eat here before heading to the Monkey Forest, it’s about a 5-10 minute walk from the café so it’s the perfect place to grab food before you get robbed by monkeys

(more on this at the weekend). When you walk in to Watercress it’s open with strong beams of wood soaring up from the ground into a two story building. You’re greeted by a long blue and white industrial style coffee dock that leads to the kitchen. It kind of reminds me of a café you might see in London but not as open and not raining. There is plenty of seating around but I would recommend booking a table in advance, I would also recommend you sit upstairs as it’s a great spot to look out and people watch. The menu has a really nice mix, it’s not huge but it does offer a little bit of everything you could want to start your day.

Note – They do run out of ingredients so just as an FYI if there’s something in particular you really want to try just go for an early breakfast (We missed the acai bowls). I think Watercress is one of those places on holidays, you might find if you go there once you’ll end up returning a lot because you know you’ll get great food in a really nice atmosphere.

 

Recommendations

Corn Fritters

Bircher Muesli

Avg Price per dish – €4.30-6.00

Opening Hours Mon – Sun 7.30m-10.30pm

Pre- book

@watercressubud

 

 

 

 

 

The Lazy Cat Café

Well, this place is so cool from the décor to the atmosphere I don’t think you could beat The Lazy Cat café for a better relaxing lunch. The café itself doesn’t look amazing from the outset, the front is quite unassuming but once you enter you realise there’s a lot more to this place. You walk in and follow the winding stairs up to the main café passing edgy prints hung along the wall you kind of start to get a feel for it. Once you arrive on the first floor where the busy open kitchen is to the right and the main seating area down into the left, you will either be distracted by the tall celling’s or the cabinet full of desserts. The main seating area is a mix match of decor and I can say it was one of the coolest eateries I’ve been in. With great views looking on to a busy temple, mopeds flying up and down the road in front of it, it’s almost like watching it all from a bubble. The menu like most places here offers something for everyone, it’s a large menu but not overwhelming. The prices are noticeably cheap and the food service fast!

 

Recommendations

Potatoes sunny side up

BBQ jackfruit Ciabatta with slaw

Avg price per dish; €2.50–4

Mon- Sun 8am-10pm

@lazycatubud

 

 

Arang

The best meal which we happened to have on the last night of our trip in Bali.

Now this place wasn’t recommended or on any sites I researched but on our wandering around Ubud I kept noticing it. Attracted by its décor which is very similar to one of my favourite London Restaurants Dishoom. I took a photo of it and a few days later remembered to look it up, we were tied between a few places to eat on our last night and boy I am so happy we picked here. It was delicious, cheap and the portions were very generous. The Menu is all based around “sate” which means satay to you and I although it offers much more than just skewers. The menu is meat and fish heavy but they do cater for vegan and veggies, but only 3-4 dishes.

 

Recommendations

Butterfish skewer

Oyster mushroom skewer

Seafood Nasi Goreng

Avg. Price per dish skewer €2

Main; €6

Opening hours Mon- Sun 11 am -11 pm

@arangsatebar

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bridges

For a fancy dinner night out you have to visit Bridges. This was recommended to me by all you guys and it tops the list of lots of sites as the best dinner venue in Ubud. I think the best part of the restaurant is the view. Picture this – Once you walk into the restaurant you can see this open forest view to the left, if you go to the lower bar you can really get a look at the gasping scenery. Surrounded by a wall of forest on either edge and the sound of the Wos river at it’s feet-It was probably one of the most romantic dinner settings for myself and my 6 friends JThe food is International Indonesian, there is dishes suitable for all dietary requirements which are all clearly labelled. The service is exceptional and very formal, I would opt for a casual lunch in the bar if you fancy something more relaxed.

 

Recommendations

Open Mushroom Ravioli

Crusted Zuchini Blossoms

Avg Cost per dish €6-10

Pre-Book

Opening Hours Mon – Sun11am-11pm

@bridgesbali

 

 

Bittersweet

It pretty much does exactly what it does by the name, a cake shop with an even tastier lunch and dinner menu. Bittersweet has totally won “Best Carrot Cake award” on my travels. Yes, I have a secret love of carrot cake – it’s the one cake I can’t say no to. I love nothing more on holidays than having the odd cake stops, if I could find a place like this everywhere I travelled I would be a very happy girl. The café itself is kind of a mix match with a huge homeware section, flower station and workshop all under the same roof as the café. With everything going on at once it kind of adds to the experience. While I was there, there was a flower workshop going on which looked like a really fun thing to do if you were into crafts or gardening. Back to the food, the café is full of yummy desserts waiting  at the counter, with a simple menu on hand to showcase what they have for their savoury selection. The café was busy with both locals and tourist and it seemed to be the place to go for a good cup of coffee and something sweet.

 

Recommendations

Carrot Cake

Avg price per dessert €1.50-3.00

Opening Hours Mon – Sun 8.30am-9.30 pm

@bittersweetubud

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other places to check out

Room 4 Dessert- most of you guys will have heard of this place from Chefs Table, we couldn’t get a booking :9 my advice If you love dessert plan this night out weeks even months prior to your trip.

Masala Coffee –for the best oat milk iced latte

Earth Café store – for bamboo straws, vegan snacks and new kinds of bars and brands – if you’re a foodie you’ll understand the excitement of this.

Zest Ubud – for delicious raw food and lunch

Milk Madu– for a pit stop and a break from the heat, serving up homemade drinks, smoothies and food. Really recommend the coconut lychee granita.