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North Bali has a handful of dedicated vegetarian kitchens and a Balinese table with a strong vegetable side. There is a fully vegetarian and vegan kitchen on the Lovina strip, a specialty coffee shop near it that cooks vegan food, a farm-to-table restaurant in Munduk whose menu marks every dish, an organic restaurant in Pemuteran, and a food corner in Singaraja that serves tipat cantok, the Balinese rice cake and vegetables in peanut sauce. This is where to eat, each place in its own words with a map, and then the Balinese dishes worth asking for, with the ones that hide shrimp paste, fish broth or meat.
In Brief
In Lovina, Akar Cafe on Jalan Binaria describes itself as "vegetarian and vegan dishes made with love," and Coffeenosky, a few minutes' walk away on the main road, serves "fusion, vegan, and vegetarian food" with coffee from locally grown beans. The Global Village Cafe in Kalibukbuk lists vegetarian and vegan dishes on an international menu. In Munduk, The Botanist at Desa Eko labels each dish regular, vegetarian or vegan, and MiMPi Restaurant at Munduk Moding Plantation offers vegetarian and vegan options. In Pemuteran, Taman Bidadari describes itself as an organic restaurant cooking with produce from local farms. For Balinese food without meat, order tipat cantok, urab, gado-gado (it has egg), tempe and tahu, and ask for your sambal without terasi, the shrimp paste. We do not print prices or hours; every entry links to the source.
Vegetarian North Bali at a Glance
- Fully vegetarian and vegan, Lovina: Akar Cafe, Jalan Binaria, Kalibukbuk
- Specialty coffee with vegan food: Coffeenosky, Kalibukbuk
- International menu with vegetarian and vegan dishes: The Global Village Cafe, Kalibukbuk
- Hilltop, vegetarian and non-vegetarian menu: TopVibes Pool & Eatery, Sambangan
- Singaraja, tipat cantok and other Balinese dishes: Umah Ketipat, Jalan Sudirman
- Singaraja, some vegetarian dishes: Mailaku Roemah Nongkrong, Kaliuntu
- Munduk, every dish labelled: The Botanist at Desa Eko
- Munduk, vegetarian and vegan options, North Balinese vegetables: MiMPi and Warung Bongkot, Munduk Moding Plantation
- Pemuteran, organic: Taman Bidadari
- Pemuteran, vegetable dishes on a Balinese menu: Tirta Sari
- Watch for: terasi (shrimp paste) in sambal, fish broth, egg in gado-gado, and lawar, which usually contains meat
Tipat cantok at a warung in Ubud: rice cake and vegetables in peanut sauce. Photo: Gunawan Kartapranata / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How Vegetarian Eating Works in the North
Outside the few dedicated cafes, eating vegetarian in the north means ordering well in ordinary kitchens. Balinese food has a strong vegetable side: urab, steamed or boiled vegetables in spiced grated coconut, can be eaten on its own as a vegetarian meal, as Wikipedia's entry notes, and tempe, the fermented soybean cake, is an Indonesian staple (Wikipedia). The catch sits in the seasonings. Shrimp paste goes into many sambals and dressings, and some dishes that look like vegetables are made with meat or broth. The dish list further down names them.
The places that cater to vegetarians are spread out: three in Lovina, the rest in Singaraja, the hills, Munduk and Pemuteran. For the island-wide picture, including Ubud and Canggu, see vegan and vegetarian food in Bali. For the full range of places to eat on the coast, see the best restaurants in Lovina and the best cafes in north Bali.
Lovina
Akar Cafe
What it says about itself: "Vegetarian and vegan dishes made with love," in the words of its listing with the Buleleng tourism office. Its Instagram shows tropical granola, coconut dhal, waffles and sandwiches, tagged vegan food and "vegetarianandvegan."
Where: Jalan Binaria, Kalibukbuk, the street that runs down to the dolphin statue. Map
Go for: breakfast or lunch where you do not have to ask what is in anything.
Coffeenosky Coffee & Eatery
What it says about itself: "We are a cafe serve fusion, vegan, and vegetarian food. And we are a specialty coffeeshop using high quality local grown coffee beans. 100% Halal," per its Buleleng tourism office listing. Its Instagram shows coffee mocktails and evening dinners; the menu carries meat dishes too, so ask which plates are vegan.
Where: Jalan Raya Singaraja to Seririt, Kalibukbuk, on the main road through Lovina. Map
Go for: north Bali coffee and a vegan plate in the same stop. More on the coffee in the best cafes in north Bali.
The Global Village Cafe
What it says about itself: An international menu, from bruschetta and dim sum to pasta, sushi and nasi goreng, which "also offers a variety of vegetarian and vegan dishes to cater to various dietary preferences," per its Buleleng tourism office listing. The listing gives its contact under the Global Village Foundation's name. We found no working website or Instagram for it.
Where: On the main road through Kalibukbuk. Map
Go for: a table where a vegetarian and a meat-eater can both order easily.
TopVibes Pool & Eatery, Sambangan
What it says about itself: An "open space at the top of the hills" with a pool, and "rich choices of vegetarian and non-vegetarian menu," per its Buleleng tourism office listing. The listing points to Maha Hills for contact.
Where: Jalan Tiying Tali No. 8, Banjar Anyar, Sambangan, in the hills south of Singaraja near the Aling-Aling waterfall. Map
Go for: a meal after the waterfalls.
Singaraja
Umah Ketipat Food Corner
What it says about itself: Its Buleleng tourism office listing names its menu: tipat plecing kuah, tipat cantok, blayag, rujak, sioke and es daluman. Its Instagram shows the rest of the kitchen, which includes seafood fried rice and fried duck, and live music evenings. Meat is on the menu, so order with care.
Where: Jalan Sudirman No. 43, Banyuasri, Singaraja. Map
Go for: tipat cantok, the vegetable dish in peanut sauce, in a local setting. See the dish notes below before ordering the plecing or the rujak.
Mailaku Roemah Nongkrong
What it says about itself: "A concept restaurant with vintage feel," where "most of their menu are chicken meats but they also served vegetarian food," per its Buleleng tourism office listing. The Instagram account named in the listing no longer loads.
Where: Jalan Dewi Sartika Selatan No. 17A, Kaliuntu, Singaraja. Map
Go for: a meal in town with a vegetarian dish or two. The Singaraja old town guide covers what to see nearby.
Munduk and the Highlands
The valley from a coffee-farm terrace in Munduk. Photo: Stefan Fussan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
The Botanist at Desa Eko
What it says about itself: "Food = Medicine." A farm-to-table restaurant at Desa Eko that has, "since 2017," been "rooted in sustainable practices, creating wholesome meals that utilize the unique flavors of the flora & fauna of North Bali," with "evolving seasonal menus." Its online menu labels each dish regular, vegetarian or vegan.
Where: Jalan Kayu Putih, Munduk. Map
Go for: a full vegan meal in the hills, ordered from a menu that tells you what is in it.
MiMPi Restaurant and Warung Bongkot, Munduk Moding Plantation
What it says about itself: At MiMPi, "for our plant-based guests, we offer a variety of delicious vegetarian and vegan options," alongside Indonesian, Balinese and international dishes. The resort's Warung Bongkot cooks North Balinese food with "organic ingredients sourced from our very own gardens and plantation," and describes "the unique North Balinese technique of blanching vegetables" and sambals "ranging from mild to fiery."
Where: Munduk Moding Plantation, Desa Gobleg, near Munduk. Map
Go for: North Balinese vegetables cooked the local way. Ask Warung Bongkot which dishes and sambals are meat-free and made without shrimp paste. Its Sunset Bar is the place for the end of the day.
Munduk Moding Plantation on Instagram
Pemuteran and the West
Taman Bidadari
What it says about itself: "An Organic & Fresh restaurant located in Pemuteran Village," serving "a variety of organic dishes made from fresh ingredients from local farms," in "a tranquil natural setting," per its Buleleng tourism office listing. The website named in the listing no longer loads, so the listing is what we can show you.
Where: Jalan Bali Profil, Pemuteran. Map
Go for: a fresh lunch between dives. The Pemuteran guide covers the village.
Tirta Sari
What it says about itself: The menu at Tirta Sari Bungalows has a vegetable section, with vegetable curry, vegetables in banana leaf and a vegetable omelette, and lists uraban Bali ("mixed boiled vegetable with coconut sauce"), gado-gado Bali and vegetable noodle soup among the starters and soups.
Where: Tirta Sari Bungalows, Pemuteran. Map
Go for: Balinese vegetable dishes from a local menu.
In West Bali National Park beyond Pemuteran, Pantai Restaurant at The Menjangan lists a vegan menu among its menus.
The Balinese Dishes to Ask For
Tipat cantok. Ketupat, the rice cake, with boiled vegetables, usually long beans, bean sprouts and water spinach, in peanut sauce. Tipat means ketupat in Balinese and cantok means ground in a mortar (Indonesian Wikipedia). Umah Ketipat in Singaraja has it on its menu.
Urab (uraban). Steamed or boiled vegetables mixed with seasoned, spiced grated coconut, called urab sayur in Bali and eaten as a vegetarian meal or a side (Wikipedia). Tirta Sari lists it as uraban Bali, and it is one of Warung Bambu Pemaron's signature dishes.
Gado-gado. Raw, blanched or steamed vegetables with fried tofu and tempe, sliced lontong and peanut sauce. It usually includes hard-boiled egg (Wikipedia), so vegans should ask for it without.
Tempe and tahu. Tempe is fermented soybean cake (Wikipedia); tahu goreng is fried tofu (Wikipedia). Ask for them fried, with rice and vegetables, for a simple meat-free plate.
Fried tempe and tahu on a banana-leaf tray. Photo: D.W. Fisher-Freberg / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Sambal matah. Bali's raw sambal, made with shallots, lemongrass and bird's eye chilli (Wikipedia). Ask whether the kitchen adds anything else.
The Dishes to Ask About
Plecing kangkung. Blanched water spinach under a sambal of chilli, shallot, garlic, candlenut and kaffir lime that also contains shrimp paste (Wikipedia). Ask for it without terasi.
Plecing kangkung: the sambal on top usually carries shrimp paste. Photo: Midori / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
Rujak. Fruit and vegetables in a sweet, spicy dressing that is often made with shrimp paste. In Bali, rujak kuah pindang soaks the fruit in a spiced fish broth, and rujak bulung, a seaweed rujak, uses fish sauce and shrimp paste (Wikipedia).
Lawar. A Balinese mix of vegetables, coconut and spices that looks like a salad. Wikipedia's entry is plain about it: lawar "is not a vegetarian dish, since most often it is mixed with minced meat or even blood" (Wikipedia).
Lawar looks like vegetables and coconut, but is usually made with meat. Photo: ちちゃ / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.1 JP)
Sate lilit. The Balinese wrapped satay is made from minced pork, fish, chicken or beef (Wikipedia), so it is never a vegetarian order.
For the rest of the Balinese table, see what to eat in Bali, and for local kitchens, the best warungs in north Bali.
Words That Help
- Saya vegetarian. I am vegetarian.
- Tanpa daging. Without meat.
- Tanpa terasi. Without shrimp paste.
- Tanpa telur. Without egg.
- Tanpa ikan. Without fish.
More useful words in Balinese and Indonesian words and phrases.
How to Fit It In
In Lovina, Akar Cafe and Coffeenosky are a few minutes apart and make a morning after the dolphin boat. Munduk is a day of its own: the twin lakes or the coffee farms in the morning and lunch at Desa Eko or Munduk Moding. Sambangan pairs with the waterfalls south of Singaraja, and Umah Ketipat with a walk through the old town. Pemuteran works around a snorkel or a dive.
Practical Notes
- Ask about terasi. Shrimp paste is the common hidden ingredient in sambal and dressings.
- Ask about broth. Some dishes, such as rujak kuah pindang, are made with fish broth.
- Eggs. Gado-gado usually includes egg; say tanpa telur.
- Cash. Warungs usually want cash; cafes and resorts take cards, but ask.
- Hours change. Every entry links to its own page or listing.
FAQ
Are there vegan restaurants in Lovina? Akar Cafe on Jalan Binaria describes itself as "vegetarian and vegan dishes made with love." Coffeenosky on the main road serves "fusion, vegan, and vegetarian food," and The Global Village Cafe lists vegetarian and vegan dishes on its menu.
Is Balinese food vegetarian-friendly? Partly. Urab, tipat cantok, gado-gado, tempe and tahu are built on vegetables, soy and rice. Shrimp paste in sambal and dressings, fish broth in some dishes, and meat in lawar and sate lilit are the things to ask about.
Is lawar vegetarian? Usually not. Lawar is a mix of vegetables, coconut and spices, but it is most often made with minced meat and sometimes blood.
What should vegans avoid in Bali? Terasi, the shrimp paste in many sambals and in plecing kangkung, fish broth in rujak kuah pindang, egg in gado-gado, and lawar and sate lilit, which are usually made with meat or fish.
Where can I eat vegetarian food in Munduk? The Botanist at Desa Eko labels each dish on its menu regular, vegetarian or vegan, and MiMPi Restaurant at Munduk Moding Plantation offers vegetarian and vegan options.
Is there vegetarian food in Pemuteran? Taman Bidadari describes itself as an organic restaurant using produce from local farms, and Tirta Sari's menu has a vegetable section. The Menjangan's Pantai Restaurant, in the national park, lists a vegan menu.
Sources
- Akar Cafe, Buleleng tourism office listing and Instagram, read September 2026
- Coffeenosky, Buleleng tourism office listing and Instagram, September 2026
- The Global Village Cafe, Buleleng tourism office listing, September 2026
- TopVibes Pool & Eatery, Buleleng tourism office listing, September 2026
- Umah Ketipat, Buleleng tourism office listing and Instagram, September 2026
- Mailaku Roemah Nongkrong, Buleleng tourism office listing, September 2026
- The Botanist at Desa Eko, restaurant page and online menu, September 2026
- Munduk Moding Plantation, MiMPi Restaurant and Warung Bongkot pages and Instagram, September 2026
- Taman Bidadari, Buleleng tourism office listing, September 2026
- Tirta Sari Bungalows, restaurant and bar menu, September 2026
- The Menjangan, Pantai Restaurant page, September 2026
- Warung Bambu Pemaron, website, September 2026
- Wikipedia: Tipat cantok (Indonesian), Urap, Gado-gado, Tempeh, Tahu goreng, Sambal, Plecing kangkung, Rojak, Lawar, Sate lilit, September 2026
Staying in the north: Palm Living's villas are around Lovina, a short drive from Akar Cafe and Coffeenosky; Munduk and Pemuteran are each a longer drive. For fish instead, see the best seafood in north Bali; for the evening, sunset drinks in Lovina.
