Ubud Cuisine Heaven: The Best Food of My Journey

PHOTO: The raw vegan dishes at Taksu are beautiful and delicious in equal measure. (photos by Shannon Wolf)

Without realizing it, after two weeks in Ubud, I managed to compile an extensive list of the best restaurants, warungs and street stalls.

Eating out is not within my budget, but the thing is, you can eat like a king in this Bali town for little to nothing. And the best part? It’s ACTUALLY good for you! I had no idea just how incredible the food was here, both in quality and for your wallet.

In almost a year of travel, I can honestly say that Ubud has provided the best food I’ve eaten on my journey thus far. Do yourself a favor and check these amazing places out!

Cheapest Eats: Visit the Ubud Market downstairs from the shopping district and learn to bargain for fresh fruit and vegetables. Watermelon, mangos, papaya, bananas and snake fruit are some of the cheapest! I was spending $1 a day for my meals here!

READ MORE: Mixing Southeast Asian Food and Travel

Top Budget Warungs:

• For the best experience and freshest food, go at lunch only.

BUFFET-STYLE: PAY-PER-SCOOP

• Warung 9: THE BEST budget vegan/vegetarian-style buffet I have ever been to, with a million options to choose from. (A gigantic plate for no more than $2!)

• Warung Ijo: Spicy, traditional Indonesian food — a favorite haunt for locals, but I wasn’t overly convinced.

RESTAURANT STYLE WARUNGS

• Warung Pojok: THE BEST gado-gado you’ll eat in Indonesia. (Gado-gado is a banana leaf with vegetables, tofu, tempeh and rice in a peanut sauce.)

• Warung Mendan Nasir: Small menu but quality food for the price:

Tofu curry ($1.50), rice (50 cents)

Warung Bia-Bia: Great curry soup ($1.80)

PHOTO: This gado-gado from Warung Pojok is as good as it looks and gets “best in Bali” honors!

Best Street Food:

The best street food can be found on Cokorda Gde Rai Road just off of the main road in Ubud.

• Nasi Lawar Bali: Babi Kecap (For meat eaters, you will never want to eat anywhere else. It’s all pork.)

• Kuliner Desa Peliatan (The BEST banana-leaf wrapped coconut fish in Ubud for 80 cents. Other street vendors serve a delicious deep-fried banana, tofu or chicken for 50 cents each.)

READ MORE: Social Etiquette in Southeast Asia: Do's and Don'ts on the Banana Pancake Trail

Expensive Restaurants (but worth it!)

• Fresh Restaurant @ Taksu (Top quality organic, healthy and raw vegan. Beautifully presented and tastes as good as it looks.)

• Buda Bowl (Superb vegan dishes — large portions, healthy, organic and worth the $5.)

PHOTO: Warung 9 is the best bang for your buck — you’ll never pay more than $2 for an incredible, filling and delicious meal!

Overrated Restaurants:

• KAFE and Yoga Barn Cafe (As it turns out, the owners of Yoga Barn also own both establishments. I have tried both with high expectations and was incredibly disappointed in how bland every meal was and the extremely high prices ($8 and up for a salad). However, the beetroot juice is wonderful!)

Follow @shannon_wolf