Food in Ubud runs from Balinese dishes such as babi guling, bebek betutu, sate lilit and nasi campur, sold at warungs and markets, to sit-down restaurants. For a Japanese-style evening, Kumo, the restaurant inside Riviera Boutique Hotel on Jalan Raya Pengosekan, serves omakase and steak from 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday.
Balinese cooking is built on rice, eaten at almost every meal, with pork, chicken, seafood and vegetables. Most Balinese are Hindu, so pork is common and beef is rarely eaten, which sets the island's food apart from much of the rest of Indonesia.
Many dishes start from basa gede, a spice paste of garlic, red chilli, shallots, nutmeg, ginger, turmeric, palm sugar, cumin, shrimp paste and salam leaves. It is the base for a lot of the curries and vegetable dishes you will meet in Ubud.
Which Balinese dishes should you try in Ubud?
Babi guling is a spit-roasted pig stuffed with chilli, turmeric, garlic and ginger. Betutu is poultry rubbed with spices and roasted or steamed; the duck version, bebek betutu, is wrapped in banana leaves and cooked slowly in a pit of embers. Sate lilit is spiced minced meat pressed around skewers, often stalks of lemongrass.
Nasi campur, called nasi Bali on the island, is rice served with a spread of small dishes, and street vendors often sell it wrapped in banana leaf. Lawar mixes chopped vegetables and grated coconut with minced meat and herbs. Sambal matah, a raw relish of shallot, garlic, chilli, lemongrass and lime in coconut oil, turns up beside a lot of these plates.
Where do locals eat in Ubud?
Many Balinese households buy fresh ingredients at the market each morning and cook in the late morning, so lunch is the main meal and dinner is often the same food warmed up. Outside the home, the everyday choice is the warung, a small family-run eatery. Many warungs serve one dish, such as babi guling, bebek betutu or nasi campur.
Night markets and fruit sellers fill in the rest. Each April the Ubud Food Festival brings the town's restaurants together for a few days of special menus, and the rest of the year central Ubud has a cafe and coffee scene of its own.
Does Ubud have halal food?
Pork runs through a lot of Balinese cooking, from babi guling to lawar, so if you eat halal, ask each kitchen how a dish is made before you order. The same goes for any allergy or food you avoid.
At Kumo, the steak house mains include beef, salmon, butter shrimp and lamb shank. Tell the team what you avoid when you book.
Where does Kumo fit into eating in Ubud?
Kumo is the restaurant at Riviera Boutique Hotel on Jalan Raya Pengosekan, south of the Sacred Monkey Forest. Its menu is fusion omakase and steak rather than Balinese food. Four seats face the chef at the omakase counter, where the chef sets each course and you choose the length, from four moments to ten. The rest of the 30-seat room orders from a steak house menu.
Each steak house main comes with a seasonal appetiser, the soup of the day, seasonal vegetables, one carb and one signature sauce. If you have not sat at an omakase counter before, our guide to a first omakase dinner explains how it works.
When can you eat at Kumo, and how do you book?
Kumo serves dinner from 5pm to 11pm, Tuesday to Sunday, and is closed on Mondays. The room has 30 seats across two sittings an evening, so message ahead on WhatsApp at +62 813-5919-121 with the date, the number of guests and whether you want the counter or a table.
The Riviera Lounge in the same building serves wine after dinner, the spa is open until 9pm, and guests staying in one of Riviera's rooms are already in the building.
We highly recommend the restaurant "Kumo Fusion Omakase"! The dishes are not only beautifully presented with great care, but also a true culinary delight. On top of that, the service is incredibly friendly and attentive. Simply amazing! ๐๐ผ We thoroughly enjoyed our evening and would definitely return. Thank you for the wonderful service! ๐๐ผ
Do you know that feeling when Christmas is coming and your mum has been in the kitchen all day cooking something special for you? Thatโs honestly how we felt at Kumo. You can feel how much love goes into the food. Every dish feels personal, thoughtful and made with so much care. The whole evening felt very intimate and special. Not like just going to a restaurant, but like someone really wanted to make you happy with every course. We absolutely loved the experience. The food, the atmosphere and especially the feeling behind it. Thank you Kumo for such a beautiful evening and see you soon.
A truly wonderful evening at Kumo Fusion Omakase! From the moment we arrived, we received warm and attentive service โ the staff were friendly, courteous, and always took their time without being intrusive. We felt completely at ease. The restaurant is also visually appealing: the interior design is stylish and thoughtfully conceived, with a pleasant, modern atmosphere that invites you to linger. It's clear that attention has been paid to every detail. The food at Kumo Fusion Omakase absolutely won us over. The quality of the ingredients was outstanding, everything fresh and prepared with great care. The generous portions were particularly noteworthy โ you definitely leave feeling full and satisfied. Another plus is the location: central and easily accessible, ideal for a relaxed dining experience. Overall, a clear recommendation for anyone who values โโgood service, a great ambiance, and excellent food.
Balinese food centres on rice with pork, chicken, seafood and vegetables, seasoned with spice pastes such as basa gede. Dishes you will find around Ubud include babi guling, bebek betutu, sate lilit, lawar and nasi campur, often sold at small warungs.
Where do locals eat in Ubud?
Many Balinese families cook at home from the morning market, with lunch as the main meal. Outside the home, locals eat at warungs, small family-run eateries, many of which serve a single dish such as babi guling, bebek betutu or nasi campur.
Does Ubud have halal food?
Pork is common in Balinese cooking, including babi guling and lawar, so if you eat halal in Ubud, ask each kitchen how a dish is prepared before you order. At Kumo, tell the team what you avoid when you reserve.
