Doing your own cooking is sometimes possible in Bali; however very quickly you’ll find going out to eat at restaurants is the preferred option. During our visit we had one homestay with a modest shared kitchen, but the other two places had no cooking facilities available. All our places did have electric tea kettles, though, so we did spend a few nights in with ramen noodles (which are much better in this part of the world, FYI).
That said, eating out at restaurants in Bali is very easy to do, and will not break the bank. To illustrate the ease, this is a screenshot of restaurants near our homestay in the town of Canggu:
Your mileage may vary, but everywhere we stayed was easy walking distance to several dozen restaurants in all directions.
Beyond availability, the prices are very affordable in all but the fanciest of places (which we did not visit). We never spent more than ~$50 USD on a meal, usually including appetizers and multiple drinks for each person. This sushi feat on a terrace overlooking the ocean cost $36:
While this multi-plate feast at a more modest, traditional restaurant (called Warung in Indonesia) only cost $12!
Very often, you can find food in restaurants for less than what you’d pay to buy the ingredients at a supermarket. For our “cheap” nights in we went with ramen, but you can also get takeaway from most places or food delivered via Grab (the Uber of Asia).
Now, the above pictures showed the traditional Indonesian fare you’ll find at most restaurants in Bali – Satay, Nasi Goreng, and Gado Gado were our favorites – but we were very surprised just how much international and western food was available on the island. We found Indian, Mexican, Chinese Noodles, and Sushi without really looking too hard, not to mention the wide variety of pizza/burger joints and cafes serving avocado toast. You can even find BBQ places!
We suspect Balian cuisine is heavily influenced by the amount of tourism to the island – almost all “typical” restaurants you’ll find are frequented only by tourists, with locals often seen at the more traditional Warungs (which generally serve only Indonesian). Whatever the reason though, you can rest assured Indonesians can cook all kinds of food quite well!
We were fairly consistent on food photography in Bali, but admittedly not 100% – while the below doesn’t reflect everything we ate, it is a good snapshot of what you can find on the island.
