Bali cheap eats and good food aren’t just limited to Warungs (small family-owned business) offering Indonesian and Chinese fare. Here’s some popular restaurants to visit for a 3-day trip to Bali.
Made Warung Seminyak – Indonesian Cheap Eats
Day One – We started with the “basic”: a Warung – a local cafe selling usually Indonesian or Chinese fare. Our first stop was to “Made’s Warung”. There are two restaurants, and we went to the bigger on in Seminyak. The other one is in Kuta Beach Road (Br Pande Mas). This “high-end” warung has been operating since the 1960s, and can be considered some sort of institution for cheap eats in Bali.
They serve an extensive mix of Indonesian and Western fare, but we stuck with the basic Indonesian fare such as Nasi Campur (mixed rice) and Gado-gado (vegetable mixed salad). This place is not fancy, but it is a good way to get orientated about the cheap eats you can find in a warung in Bali.
Babi Guling – Balinese Cheap Eats
Day Two – Our challenge was to find cheap eats in Bali that weren’t Indonesian or Chinese fare.
For lunch, we headed out to try a traditional Balinese dish – Babi Guling.
For the uninitiated, Babi Guling is roasted pigs – full-grown pigs. The texture of their skin is not the same as that of suckling pig. For a cheap Babi Guling eat, we ate at “Ibu Oka” in Ubud. The setup is very basic, and it is well-known by the locals and tourists alike. We agreed that there are better Babi Gulings to be had in Bali, but if you are looking for a traditional Balinese Cheap Eat, “Ibu Oka” will be it.
My Kitchen – Vietnamese Cheap Eats
Our cheap eat for dinner was Vietnamese at “My Kitchen” (the full name is My Kitchen Home Cooking Vietnamese) – the previous name of this Viet joint was “Nuoc Cham”. We enjoyed the savoury Vietnamese crepes (Banh Xeo) and fresh spring rolls best. “My Kitchen” is located on the main road between Ungasan and Uluwatu.
Alleycats – Western Cheap Eats
Day Three – Given our “success” at finding some great cheap eats the day before, we decided to stretch our challenge further afield.
To this end, we were recommended to try “Alley Cats” in Kuta (off Poppies Lane II, near Jalan Legian). This cheap eat tends to attract foreigners who crave for something other than ikan bakar (grilled fish in banana leaf) or nasi padang (rice with various meat and vegetable dishes).
At “Alley Cats”, British food is served – think curries, spagetti and meatballs, burgers, and the like. Their English Breakfast is also raved about, but we haven’t tried it for ourselves. After dark, Alley Cats attract eye-candy backpackers who flock to this joint for its cheap drinks (the owners claim that their drinks are the cheapest in Kuta). Extensive menu, around IDR30,000.
