I feel lucky that I am able to spend quite a bit of time in Bali, Indonesia, and one of the main reasons why I enjoy it so much is because of the outstanding restaurants in Bali, in which one will find astonishingly good value for money. Cuisines from around the world are represented, but vegetarian food in Bali is a Bali tip that I always like to share, as it is uncommonly good here.
Being just 8° south of the equator, Bali is blessed with a climate that allows for superb fruits and vegetables year-round, with a variety that will take your breath away. New visitors to Bali will find several varieties of fruit, in particular, that they may never have even heard of before: mangosteen, rambutan, and tiny finger-sized bananas packed with flavor. All Bali restaurants benefit from this variety and freshness of produce, but none more so than vegetarian restaurants.
In my experience Bali vegetarian food blends the wonderful local offerings with Western veggie favorites such as sprouts and spirulina to make a wonderful blend of the best of East and West.
As a Hindu island, you might expect Bali to have great vegetarian food, but ironically unlike many Hindus from the Indian subcontinent most Balinese are not vegetarian. To me it appears that vegetarian food options were brought mostly by Westerners who wanted to open restaurants as a way to never have to leave Bali!
Without wanting this short article to sound too much like an advertisement for particular restaurants, I should at least mention Zula, in the southern tourist area of Seminyak, and also Sari Organic, up in the expat enclave of Ubud. An added attraction with Sari Organic is a several-hundred-yard walk up to the restaurant through rice paddies- a gorgeous prelude to your meal, as long as it’s not raining!
Even if you’re not vegetarian, don’t miss the opportunity to explore restaurants of this type if you come to Bali. You won’t be sorry.
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