Ubud Guide
Ubud has one of Bali's strongest cafe cultures, helped by the island's own highland coffee and a slow, morning-first pace. Specialty coffee and quiet corners are easy to find in the centre. Riviera Boutique Hotel keeps a cafe and coffee lounge on Jalan Raya Pengosekan, serving specialty coffee and artisan pastries by day.
Bali grows its own coffee in the highlands, and Indonesia is one of the world's larger coffee producers, so good beans are close to hand here. Ubud, as the island's arts and wellness town, grew a strong cafe culture on top of that, where a morning coffee is a slow ritual rather than a takeaway. The result is a centre full of cafes, from busy roasters to quiet corners set back from the main streets.
For coffee, look for places serving specialty or single-origin beans, ideally Indonesian ones, and brewing them with care rather than by the pot. For everything else, it comes down to the room: whether you want somewhere lively to watch the street or somewhere calm to read, write or start the day slowly. The best cafe for you in Ubud depends as much on the atmosphere as the cup.
Bali's best-known coffee comes from the Kintamani highlands around Mount Batur, where the altitude gives the arabica a bright, citrusy character. Indonesia is also the origin of kopi luwak, the novelty processed coffee you will see advertised on tourist trails, though it is more curiosity than everyday cup. For most visitors, a well-made Kintamani arabica is the coffee worth seeking out.
The busiest cafes cluster along Monkey Forest Road and the streets around the market, which are lively but rarely quiet. For a calmer morning, the cafes set back from that core, along Jalan Raya Pengosekan and the lanes off it, tend to be gentler. Riviera's cafe and coffee lounge sits on Pengosekan and serves specialty coffee and a small selection of artisan pastries in a warm, softly lit room open to guests and visitors.
The same room that serves coffee in the morning shifts mood after dark. In the evening Riviera's lounge turns to wine, with occasional wine tastings, storytelling evenings and small gatherings. It keeps the same calm, private feel, which makes it a softer end to the day than the busier bars in the centre.
See the cafe and coffee lounge at Riviera, or read our guide to the best things to do in Ubud.
Common questions
Yes. Bali grows arabica in the Kintamani highlands, and Ubud has a strong cafe culture, so specialty coffee is easy to find across the centre.
Arabica grown in the Kintamani highlands around Mount Batur in Bali, known for a bright, citrusy character from the altitude.
Riviera's cafe and coffee lounge on Jalan Raya Pengosekan serves specialty coffee and artisan pastries by day, in a calm setting open to guests and visitors.