What should you eat in Bali?

Balinese food is distinct from the rest of Indonesian cuisine: more complex spice pastes, more pork, and a ceremonial tradition that produces dishes you will not find in Java or Sumatra.

The dishes to look for

Babi guling. Suckling pig, spit-roasted with a turmeric and spice paste, served with crackling, blood sausage, lawar and rice. The signature Balinese dish and, for many visitors, the best thing they eat here. Traditionally a lunchtime food; the famous places sell out by early afternoon.

Bebek betutu. Duck rubbed with spice paste, wrapped in banana leaf and slow-cooked for hours until it falls apart. Often needs ordering in advance.

Ayam betutu, the chicken version, more widely available.

Sate lilit. Minced fish or chicken with coconut, lime leaf and spice, wrapped around a lemongrass stick and grilled. Balinese satay, and better than the skewered version.

Lawar. A mix of vegetables, coconut, minced meat and heavy spice. The red version traditionally contains fresh blood. Ask if that matters to you.

Nasi campur. Not a dish so much as a format: rice with small portions of half a dozen things, chosen by the cook or by you at the counter. The cheapest good meal in Indonesia, and the one you should eat most often.

Tipat cantok, rice cakes with vegetables and peanut sauce. Jukut ares, banana stem soup. Rujak, fruit with chilli and palm sugar.

The Indonesian staples

Nasi goreng and mie goreng, fried rice and noodles, everywhere and usually good. Gado-gado, vegetables with peanut sauce. Soto ayam, chicken soup. Martabak, savoury stuffed pancake or its sweet chocolate-and-peanut cousin, sold from street carts at night.

Where to eat

Warungs. Small family-run places, often with a counter of dishes you point at. A full meal is 25,000 to 50,000 rupiah. The best food in Bali at the best price is here, and the rule is simple: eat where it is busy, particularly at lunchtime, when turnover is highest.

Night markets. Gianyar's night market is the best known, Sanur and Denpasar have good ones, and Canggu's is aimed at visitors but works.

Restaurants. Seminyak and Ubud have the depth: serious Indonesian restaurants, Japanese, Italian, and a handful of tasting-menu rooms that hold their own internationally.

Beach clubs. Fine, expensive, and not where the cooking is.

What things cost

• Warung meal: 25,000 to 50,000 rupiah.
• Cafe brunch in Canggu: 120,000 to 250,000.
• Mid-range restaurant dinner: 200,000 to 400,000 per person.
• Fine dining with wine: 700,000 to 1,500,000 per person, and the wine is most of it.

Imported alcohol carries heavy duty. Local beer and arak-based cocktails are cheap; imported wine and spirits are not.

Food safety, briefly

Busy warungs cooking to order are safer than quiet buffets. Drink bottled or filtered water. Commercial tube ice is fine. See Bali belly for the full version.

Coffee

Indonesia grows excellent coffee, and Bali's specialty scene is genuinely good. Kopi tubruk, coarse grounds with hot water poured over, is the traditional local version and worth trying once.

Luwak coffee is the one sold to tourists at plantation stops. Much of the production involves caged civets, and the taste does not justify the price or the practice. Skip it.

Dietary requirements

Bali is the easiest place in Indonesia to be vegetarian or vegan: Ubud and Canggu are full of dedicated places. Note that many Indonesian dishes use shrimp paste, terasi, and chicken stock, so "no meat" needs to be specific.

Halal food is widely available; pork is central to Balinese Hindu cooking, so check when it matters.