Bali has a ton of delicious and Instagram worthy cafes, but some of them are better than others. I've written this little guide for you so that you can navigate to the best cafes and restaurants in Bali that you just MUST visit. You might have seen some of these on my own Instagram, where you can find full Bali guides in my highlights. Here you can find the best cafes and restaurants with the best food in Bali and the best cafes and restaurants in Bali with pools - all of these are around the Canggu, Berawa and Kuta area.
The cafes and restaurants you should visit for the food
Copenhagen Canggu
We will start out the list strong with my personal favourite - and yes, I might be a bit biased, because it's simply so special to me to find a piece of home in Bali. Copenhagen Canggu brings the Copenhagen style brunch and lunch to Bali and to say that it's a delicious HIT is an understatement.
The beauty of the concept at Copenhagen Canggu is that you can create your own brunch or lunch plate curated exactly to your own liking. When seated you get a little paper with all the dishes on, and then you simply tick off the ones you want. 3 dishes costs 65K (4.50$), 5 dishes costs 95k (6.65$) and then you can add 1 dish more for 25k (1.75$). The dishes are of course very Nordic inspired and you can find cinnamon rolls, open faced sandwiches (smørrebrød), salmon and chicken salad - and a lot of their dishes are vegan (like the cinnamon roll - major score!). They also serve some of the by far best coffee in Bali, and many people drop by here just for a cup of coffee too.
Copenhagen Canggu also has Copenhagen Bakery and Copenhagen Sunset, which are only serving coffee and baked delicious goodies from the bakery - so for brunch and lunch, you have to head to the main location, Copenhagen Canggu. You can sit and eat there or you can order and get it delivered with Gojek or Grab.
Copenhagen Canggu is one of my absolute favourite places on the whole island and it holds a special place in my heart - I really can't recommend it enough.
Zin Cafe
Zin Cafe is my favourite place to go work, as they have a whole area dedicated to co-working and you don't have to pay to sit there, as you do in many other co-working spaces! And I absolutely love to be able to work in a bamboo hut while getting served fresh coconuts and delicious smoothie bowls or rice dishes.
Zin is a big place with many different areas to sit and hang out, so of course you shouldn't just go there for working. I love that the whole place is very open and it's spread out over 3 floors, so there's plenty of space.
Milk & Madu
Milk & Madu was me and my friends weekly little tradition when they have 2 for 1 pizzas on Sundays and Tuesdays. On these days the restaurant was always completely full (before covid), so we had to make sure to get there early to get a table.
They don't just serve pizza, they also have many other delicious things on their menu, such as burgers and good drinks.
Strawberry Fields
If you're looking for a less crowded place with some pretty jungle feels, Strawberry Fields is the right place for you! I've been there countless of times and tried pretty much half of their menu, and I can confidently say that every single thing is so delicious!
They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and also has an amazing selection of drinks. If you're looking for a good night, I would really recommend you to go here!
Varuna Warung
I wanted to include at least one local restaurant, and which one is better than my favourite warung, Varuna? Varuna is located on Batu Bolong and has one of the best selections of warung food I've seen. I always prefer to eat at the local warungs, because it's amazing and cheap food and it's some of my favourite, as I'm a sucker for tempeh and rice.
Warung is the word for a traditional and local Indonesian restaurant, and the eating style of a warung is, that you simply choose whatever dishes you want. They have them all lined up in a big glass display and then you simply just tell them which ones you want. The price of your meal depends on what and how many dishes you choose, but I've never paid more than 30k (2.10$) for a warung meal.
The cafes and restaurants you should visit for the pools (well.. and food)
Panama Kitchen & Pool
Panama was one of my first go-to places, because it was very close to my house - and a good bonus was that I often had it all to myself! They have an amazing vibe of Miami Beach mixed with the cool 70's or something. There's both seating inside a restaurant building, but also a lot of beanbag chairs and a lounge area by the pool.
The food here is also good, and they can even do a floating breakfast upon request! To use the pool and chill here, you need to buy something to eat or drink.
DreamSea Surf Camp
DreamSea is a mix of everything I think, and I totally love it! They have cool accommodation, a cafe area, a pool and then they also offer tons of activities, such as yoga, movie nights, surf lessons and so on. People here are super open and friendly, so I feel like it's also a good place to make friends. It's located right on the famous Canggu shortcut so you'll definitely see it at some point.
I mainly came here to chill by the pool, as you can just walk in and you don't need to buy anything to eat or drink - although it's a nice thing to do to support the place.
Yema Kitchen
Unfortunately I only found Yema Kitchen a few days before I left Bali, as it had just opened, but I quickly fell in love with the space. It has a cool chill boho vibe with a nice backyard with string lights, lots of seating choices and of course a pool in the middle.
Their food is really good too, and since there's often a lot of shade, it's a good place to work from as well. The staff is also really nice and friendly and you can easily come here alone and make friends with them. You have to buy something to eat or drink to sit here.
Koast Cafe
Koast was one of my preferred cafes with a pool to work from, even though the internet wasn't always 100% reliable. It has cool and open vibe with a little grass garden with a nice pool in. They serve yummy food and drinks, and you can easily spend most of the day here.
You don't necessarily have to buy anything to eat or drink to sit here, but the staff will come ask you every 10ish minutes if you don't - and again, I'd say it's the best thing to do to support the place.
There's many more delicious and good places to eat and drink in Bali, but these are some that are not as "mainstream" and that I always make sure to visit when I'm there and I can't wait to go back. If you're looking for some of the best restaurants and cafes in Bali, then I can't recommend these enough.
Bali, I'm so ready to come back!