On this page
- In Brief
- Ubud Dining at a Glance
- Which Kind of Place Suits Which Meal
- Ubud Is Known for Plant-Based Food, with Balinese Cooking Underneath
- What to Eat in Ubud: Four Kinds of Cooking
- Where to Eat in Ubud, by Setting and Budget
- Ubud Is a Natural Meal Stop on the Way North
- Practical Notes: Book the View, Ask What Is Good Now
- FAQ
- Sources
In Brief
The best restaurants in Ubud come in four kinds: warungs, town restaurants, rice-paddy and jungle restaurants, and a small fine-dining end. Eat at a warung for value and Balinese food. Book a rice-paddy table at sunset for the atmosphere, and reserve ahead for a special dinner.
Ubud is known above all for healthy, vegan and vegetarian cooking, with farm-to-table kitchens fed by the highland farms nearby. It also has good traditional Balinese food, including babi guling and crispy duck.
Restaurant names turn over quickly here, so this page steers by setting and type. Ask your host or your driver what is good now.
Ubud Dining at a Glance
- Known for: healthy, vegan, vegetarian and farm-to-table food
- Also strong: traditional Balinese food, and jungle and rice-paddy settings
- Best value: warungs, at a fraction of restaurant prices
- Atmosphere: rice-paddy and jungle-edge restaurants
- Cost: warung plates at one end and tasting menus at the other, with each restaurant publishing its own menu
- Booking: reserve for the top tables, especially in high season
- Vibe: wellness-leaning and calm
- Named on this page: Bebek Bengil for crispy duck, Moksa for plant-based cooking, and the Ubud Food Festival
Which Kind of Place Suits Which Meal
| If you want... | Eat at |
|---|---|
| Value and Balinese food | A busy warung, a street back from the centre |
| Atmosphere | A rice-paddy-edge table, booked for sunset |
| A special meal | One of Ubud's destination restaurants, reserved ahead of time |
| The widest spread of kitchens | The central streets of town |
| Crispy duck | Bebek Bengil |
| Plant-based cooking from a garden | Moksa |
The names turn over quickly, so the sections below go by setting and type instead of a list that dates within a season.
Ubud Is Known for Plant-Based Food, with Balinese Cooking Underneath
Ubud's food follows its life as a wellness and culture hub. Three things set it apart at the table.
- Vegetarian and vegan food, one of the deepest scenes of its kind in Bali
- A strong farm-to-table movement, drawing on the surrounding highlands
- The setting, rice terraces and jungle, which turns a meal into a view
Underneath the healthy-eating reputation, Ubud has excellent traditional Balinese food too. That includes some of the island's best-known babi guling and bebek (duck), and plenty of cheap, honest warungs.
The town even runs its own yearly food festival, the Ubud Food Festival. It brings chefs, food talks and vendors from across Indonesia.
The range runs from a warung plate to a refined tasting menu. The setting ties it together, along with a leaning toward fresh, local and plant-forward food.
What to Eat in Ubud: Four Kinds of Cooking
Healthy and Vegan
Plant-based cooking is an Ubud speciality, more developed here than in most of the island. You will find:
- Buddha bowls
- raw food
- smoothie bowls
- creative plant-based cooking
See the Bali vegan and vegetarian guide for the wider picture.
Traditional Balinese: Babi Guling and Crispy Duck
Ubud and the villages around it are known for babi guling (suckling pig) and crispy duck. Both are worth seeking out at specialist spots.
For duck, Bebek Bengil has served its crispy duck since 1990 and has a restaurant in Ubud (Map). For the dishes themselves, see what to eat in Bali.
Farm-to-Table
These restaurants draw on the highland farms nearby, often with menus that change with what is growing.
Moksa, a plant-based restaurant, cooks from its own permaculture garden (Map). The rice-paddy-edge restaurants are the atmospheric end of this kind of cooking.
Warung Food
Warungs are where locals eat, at a fraction of the restaurant price. A street back from the centre, they serve nasi campur and the daily spread.
Where to Eat in Ubud, by Setting and Budget
Each setting below comes with the same three notes, so you can compare them.
Rice-Paddy and Jungle Restaurants
What it is: Ubud's signature, with tables on the edge of green terraces or over the forest.
What to know: You pay for the view, and the good ones earn it. "Rice-paddy view" covers a lot, from a table on the edge of a working terrace to a strip of green beyond a car park. Check the restaurant's own site for the setting before you book.
Best for: atmosphere, at a table booked for sunset.
Town Restaurants
What it is: the widest spread in Ubud, along the central streets. It runs from casual healthy cafes to Indonesian and international kitchens.
An organic cafe on Jalan Hanoman, Ubud. Photo: Fabio Achilli / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
What to know: the casual cafes are walk-in.
Best for: choice, since the widest spread of kitchens is here.
Warungs
What it is: the value tier, found across Ubud's neighbourhoods.
What to know: warungs are walk-in. Look for a busy one, a street or two off the main tourist drag.
Best for: value and Balinese food.
Fine Dining
What it is: a small top end of tasting menus and destination restaurants.
What to know: these restaurants take reservations well ahead. A tasting menu here is priced the way fine dining is priced anywhere.
Best for: a special meal, reserved ahead of time.
Ubud Is a Natural Meal Stop on the Way North
Ubud sits in the central highlands, roughly between the south and the north coast. That makes it a natural stop on the way to Lovina and the north Bali highlands.
If you are crossing the island, an Ubud meal breaks the journey well. The routing is covered in the north Bali travel guide.
Practical Notes: Book the View, Ask What Is Good Now
- Book ahead for the rice-paddy-view restaurants and the fine-dining end, especially in high season.
- Walk in at warungs and casual cafes.
- Read the menu for prices. Each restaurant publishes its own menu, and that is the rate to trust.
- Ask what is good now. Your host or your driver will know. Check the restaurant's own site or account before you make the trip.
- For the island-wide picture, see where to eat in Bali.
FAQ
What food is Ubud known for?
Healthy, vegan and vegetarian food above all. It is also known for farm-to-table cooking and traditional Balinese specialities like babi guling and crispy duck, often in rice-paddy or jungle settings.
Is Ubud good for vegetarians and vegans?
Yes. Ubud has one of Bali's deepest plant-based scenes, from raw food to creative vegan restaurants. See the Bali vegan and vegetarian guide.
How much does eating in Ubud cost?
It spans the whole range. A warung plate is the cheap end, and cafes and restaurants sit in the middle. The tasting menus at the top are priced the way fine dining is priced anywhere. Each restaurant publishes its own menu, and that is the rate to trust.
Do you need to book restaurants in Ubud?
Yes, for the rice-paddy-view restaurants and the fine-dining end, especially in high season. Warungs and casual cafes are walk-in.
Where do locals eat in Ubud?
At warungs, a street or two off the main tourist drag. Nasi campur and the daily spread cost a fraction of the restaurant price there.
Is Ubud food expensive?
It can be at the restaurant and fine-dining end, where a tasting menu is priced like fine dining anywhere. Eating warung-style keeps Ubud very affordable.
Sources
- Bebek Bengil, official site, read September 2026
- Moksa Ubud, official site, read September 2026
- Ubud Food Festival, official site, read September 2026
Next: what to eat in Bali has the dishes themselves. The best warungs in north Bali shows how the same food is cooked on the coast. North Bali vs Ubud helps if you are deciding where to base yourself.
.jpg){kind=link}