Coffee, healthy cafés, clifftop sunsets, beach clubs and the local warungs that serve the best-value food on the peninsula. Where we eat in Uluwatu.
Uluwatu's food scene has grown up fast. Twenty years ago it was surf-shack warungs serving nasi goreng to hungry surfers. Today you'll find specialty coffee, health-focused cafés, clifftop restaurants with ocean views and some of Bali's best beach clubs, alongside the simple local warungs that still serve the best-value food on the peninsula.
We look after two villas in Uluwatu and eat out here all the time. These are the places we go back to and recommend to our guests.
A long-time Uluwatu favourite for good coffee and generous breakfasts, with a relaxed, sociable feel. Busy most mornings, which tells you everything.
Big, colourful breakfast plates, smoothie bowls and good coffee on the main Uluwatu road. A reliable choice before a beach day.
Part surf shop, part café, near Padang Padang. Good coffee and healthy food, plus a well-curated shop of boards, books and surf wear.
A Bingin institution with a leafy garden, wholesome, mostly plant-based food and a laid-back crowd of surfers and yogis. Perfect after a morning at the beach.
The roads around Bingin, Padang Padang and Labuan Sait are lined with newer cafés too. New places open all the time, so ask us for what's good right now.
Perched on the cliff right above the Uluwatu surf break, Single Fin is the original Uluwatu hangout. Come for a drink and dinner at sunset while the surfers ride the last waves below. Its Sunday sessions are legendary.
A Spanish-inspired restaurant and cliff club with one of the best sunset views on the Bukit. Paella, tapas and cocktails at the edge of the cliff. Book ahead for sunset.
A relaxed clifftop venue with great food and uninterrupted ocean views. One of our favourites near Unite By The Sea.
Uluwatu's beach clubs are destinations in themselves, with pools on the cliffs and food to match. Savaya is the big one, a tiered amphitheatre of pools with international DJs. Sundays Beach Club sits down on a white-sand beach in Ungasan, reached by an inclinator down the cliff, and is great for families. Most charge a minimum spend for day beds, so book ahead for weekends and sunset. For more, see our guide to things to do in Uluwatu.
Some of the best meals in Uluwatu cost a few dollars. The small family warungs on the roads to Padang Padang and Bingin, and the shacks on the beaches themselves, serve fresh fish, nasi campur, mie goreng, satay and fresh juices. Look for the busy ones.
Don't leave without trying babi guling, Bali's famous spit-roasted suckling pig, served with rice, crackling, spicy vegetables and sambal. There are well-known babi guling warungs around Jimbaran and Nusa Dua, a short drive away. Get there by lunchtime, as the best ones sell out.
About 25 to 40 minutes north, Jimbaran Bay is famous for seafood dinners on the sand. Choose your fish, prawns and squid by weight, watch them grilled over coconut husks, and eat with your feet in the sand as the sun goes down. Agree the price per kilo before it's cooked. See our guide to things to do in Jimbaran and Nusa Dua.
The luxury resorts on the cliffs of Uluwatu and Jimbaran have some of the most beautiful restaurants in Bali, and most are open to non-guests. They're ideal for an anniversary, a honeymoon dinner or a long lunch with a view. Book ahead and ask for a table at the edge for sunset. Rock Bar at AYANA in Jimbaran, on the rocks just above the waves, is a famous spot for a sunset drink before dinner.
We have two villas in Uluwatu, and we live in Bali and look after every stay ourselves. Unite By The Sea is a four-bedroom villa with a private pool in Pecatu, about eight minutes from Padang Padang and its cafés. Temple of Tides is a one-bedroom pool loft near Nyang Nyang Beach, made for couples. Booking direct with us means no platform fees.
Single Fin and El Kabron are the classics, both right on the cliffs. For seafood on the sand, head to Jimbaran Bay. Book ahead for sunset in the dry season.
It can be either. Beach clubs and clifftop restaurants charge resort prices, but local warungs serve excellent meals for a few dollars. Mixing the two is the best way to eat.
Plenty. Most cafés have vegetarian and vegan dishes, and places like The Cashew Tree are mostly plant-based. Indonesian staples like gado-gado, tempeh and tofu dishes are often vegetarian too.
Generally, yes. Choose busy places with a high turnover, eat food that's freshly cooked and hot, and drink bottled or filtered water.
Book Unite By The Sea or Temple of Tides direct. Best rates are always here, with no platform fees.
Check availability