The Balinese food that's actually worth your time
A Balinese food guide built for the way you actually eat on a surf trip: starving off the beach, sitting down properly at night, or chasing down the one dish that's worth the detour.
This Balinese food guide exists because of one very specific problem: you come out of the water starving, every single time, whether you've just wobbled through your first whitewater pop-up or spent an hour chasing green waves at Batu Bolong. Surfing burns through you fast, and Bali happens to be one of the best places on the planet to refuel afterward.
I've organised this the way you'd actually use it. There's the quick fix you want the second you're off the beach, the sit-down plate for a proper appetite, and a couple of dishes worth planning a whole day around. Skip to whichever one matches your hunger.
01 Straight off the beach
The quick post-surf refuel
Some meals exist for exactly one moment: board under your arm, sand still stuck to your legs, properly hungry and not willing to wait. That's Nasi Goreng and Mie Goreng territory, Indonesia's fried rice and fried noodle staples, cooked up in minutes at any warung in Canggu.
Both are simple by design. Rice or noodles fried with a savoury-sweet kecap manis sauce, usually topped with a fried egg, a few slices of tomato and cucumber on the side. Cheap, fast, exactly what your body wants after two hours in the water. It's the closest thing Bali has to comfort food you can have in your hands within ten minutes of sitting down.
The honest bit
Nobody plans their meals around a surf trip. Bali makes you do it anyway, and that's the fun part.
02 When you've got time
Nasi Campur and Gado-Gado: the sit-down plate
When you've got more time (an evening off, or a lunch you're not rushing back from) Nasi Campur is the better order. It's a buffet-style plate built around a mound of rice, with a changing cast of small sides ladled around it: eggplant, string beans, bean sprouts, boiled vegetables, shrimp, a choice of meats, tofu, boiled egg in sauce. Every warung's version looks a little different, and you can just point at what you want rather than order blind. A full plate typically comes in under a few dollars.
Gado-Gado, the lighter option
Vegetable-forward and a good call after a big lunch on land. Stewed and blanched vegetables, carrot, cauliflower, spinach, corn, courgette, green beans, sit alongside tofu, tempeh and boiled egg, all dressed in a rich peanut sauce with krupuk crackers for crunch. Satisfying without being heavy. Smart if you've got a second session later that day.
03 Comfort and charcoal
Soto Ayam and Sate
Soto Ayam is Bali's answer to a tired evening. A turmeric-yellow chicken soup built on a fragrant spiced broth, with thick rice noodles, egg, cabbage, celery and shallot, served with a side of rice, a wedge of lime and fresh chilli so you can season it yourself. Order it when your legs are done for the day and a fried plate won't cut it.
Sate is the other constant on every Bali menu. Skewers of chicken, beef, pork or fish, grilled over charcoal and served with a peanut or spiced sauce. You'll smell it before you see it. Charcoal smoke drifting off a roadside sate cart at dusk is one of the more reliable smells of a Canggu evening. Works as a shared starter or a full meal with rice.
04 Worth the drive
Fresh seafood and Jimbaran
Bali's position in the ocean means seafood is never far from the table. Shrimp, squid, crab, octopus, fish, and if you're after something special, lobster show up regularly on menus around Canggu. It's usually grilled simply, which lets the freshness do the work instead of a heavy sauce.
For the full version, Jimbaran is the place people talk about: a stretch of coastline south of Canggu known for its fishing village and rows of beachfront seafood restaurants. Pick your own fish or shellfish straight from the market stalls, have it grilled to order a few steps away, usually right on the sand as the sun goes down. It's a day-trip rather than an after-surf option, but worth planning into a day off.
05 Track these down
Babi Guling and Lawar: worth seeking out
Some dishes in Bali belong to ceremony rather than everyday eating, and they're worth tracking down rather than waiting to stumble across. Babi Guling, spit-roast suckling pig seasoned with a rich blend of Balinese spices and served with rice and vegetables, is the best known. It's traditionally a ceremonial dish. A handful of specialist warungs now serve it daily, but the best versions still sell out by early afternoon. Lunch mission, not a dinner one.
Lawar is the other name worth learning: a traditional mixed vegetable dish, sometimes combined with meat, tied to Balinese ceremonies and celebrations, built on shredded coconut, vegetables and a heavy hit of spice. You won't find it on many tourist-facing menus. Asking a local warung owner what they'd recommend is usually the best route to trying it properly.
06 The everyday version
Warungs: Bali's everyday dining room
Almost everything above gets served at a warung, the small, usually family-run eating spots on every second corner in Canggu. They're the backbone of how Bali actually eats day to day. No menus with photos, often a handwritten board, food cooked fresh rather than pre-prepared. Bali's food culture blends centuries of Hindu-Balinese ceremonial cooking with the wider Indonesian repertoire. Nasi Goreng, Sate and Gado-Gado are eaten right across Indonesia, not unique to Bali, but the island's own ceremonial dishes and local spice blends give the everyday warung food here its own character.
On your days off from surfing, warung-hopping around Canggu is genuinely one of the best low-key things to do. Skip the plan. Just walk until something smells right.
The food, the warungs, and the table at camp.
Surf by day, eat well by night. Elsewhere's Bali camp is all-inclusive with dinners and drinks, in the heart of Canggu.
See the Bali surf camp07 Back at camp
What's on the menu at Elsewhere
All of this is a lot to fit around two lessons a day and a full social schedule, which is exactly why our Bali camp is all-inclusive. Dinners and drinks are part of the stay, so you get a genuine taste of Balinese and Indonesian cooking every evening without researching where to eat after a long day in the water. Meals are shared at the table with the rest of the group, and that's usually where the best stories from the day's surf get told.
That said, we'd never tell you to stay in every night. On your days off, get out into Canggu and find a warung that looks busy with locals. That's usually the tell for good food. The camp takes care of the days you're too tired to think about it. The town is there for the days you're not.
08 Good to know
Balinese food: FAQs
What's the best food to eat straight after surfing?
Something quick and filling. Nasi Goreng or Mie Goreng are the classic choice, ready in minutes at almost any warung and substantial enough to properly refuel you.
Is Balinese food spicy?
Some dishes carry real heat, but most staples like Nasi Goreng, Nasi Campur and Sate are served mild by default, with chilli or sambal on the side so you can add heat to taste.
What is Nasi Campur?
A rice plate served with a changing selection of small side dishes, vegetables, tofu, egg, meat or shrimp, so every plate is slightly different depending on what the warung has made that day. Usually inexpensive and very filling.
Is the food at Elsewhere's Bali camp included?
Yes. The camp is all-inclusive, with dinners and drinks included in your stay, alongside daily surf lessons at a 2:1 coaching ratio.
What Balinese food should I try that isn't on every menu?
Babi Guling (ceremonial roast suckling pig) and Lawar (a spiced mixed vegetable dish) are both worth seeking out specifically. They're less common on tourist-facing menus than everyday staples like fried rice or sate.
