Living in Ubud, Food: Vegan & Vegetarian Restaurant Reviews

This is part 4 of a 5-part series on Ubud, Bali where I share things to take note as a foreigner living in Ubud and how to make the best out of your trip there.

• Part 1: Living in Ubud Series: Introduction, Visa, Accommodation
• Part 2: Environment: Nature, Climate, Villages, Animals
• Part 3: Transport: Scooters, Taxis, Go-Jek
• Part 4: Food: Vegan & Vegetarian Restaurant Reviews
• Part 5: Others: Insects, Language, Internet Speed, and More (Conclusion)

Food in Ubud

Food in Ubud is AMAZING. Living in Singapore, I constantly felt like an outlier because of my diet. Once you make the choice to be vegetarian (don’t even talk about being a vegan) plus to be a healthy vegetarian without all the refined/sugary/fried stuff, you’ve effectively cut out 95% of the food options in the country. If you want to be vegan and a healthy vegan, you have almost nothing to eat unless you’re willing to cook your own meals or constantly travel out to restaurants.

But reaching Ubud, I felt home. “Home” in the sense of being in an environment where the people recognize and pride healthy eating as much as I do. For the first time in a long time, I don’t feel crazy for wanting to eat healthy and to consume a vegan diet. I don’t have to downplay my interest in healthy eating from living in a place where businesses don’t seem to care about selling healthy food. I don’t have to hop from restaurant to restaurant, trying desperately to find some semblance of vegan food. And I don’t have to fret and scan through a menu just to see if they have one vegetarian dish I can contend with.

In Ubud, good, healthy vegan food is aplenty. You will not find establishments like Dunkin Donuts, McDonald’s, or junk F&B outlets that have overtaken modern cities.

As I don’t know how to ride a scooter, I wasn’t able to explore Ubud freely to explore their veg restaurants. :( I have, however, some very good vegetarian/vegan restaurants to share with you! In this post I share my review of some of the most popular vegetarian/vegan restaurants in Ubud. :D Because I ordered takeout at times, the food may not look as appetizing as the stylized “bokeh” shots you see on Instagram, but hopefully you can focus on the content like with the material at PE! :)

* Not in priority order

1) Sayuri Healing Food

I only discovered Sayuri in 2018 and wound up eating there a few times a week. Sayuri is a raw vegan restaurant that serves a mix of Western and Asian-style food. They have a big menu ranging from mains to smoothie bowls to desserts!

Sayuri’s famous Lasagna Italian (69k rupiah + 15% charge). It’s all raw! Made of zucchini, spinach, marinara sauce, and nuts. (Not to be confused with their Lasagna Mexican dish.)

Their Enchilada, available on Thursdays only (69k + 15% charge): 2 rolls of soft corn tortilla with sauteed mushroom + corn + spinach. Everything is raw except the sauteed vegetables. It’s amazing!

Their food is very high quality plus with great service to boot. Their servers speak great English, something I found to be rare even among the expat restaurants in Ubud. They also have a delivery option for a 10k fee (min. order size 100k rupiah + 15% charge). I ended up ordering delivery quite a few times and the food would arrive within 45 minutes. I was just staying 5 minutes away though so it may be longer if you stay very far away. This is by far my favorite Ubud restaurant with healthy wholesome meals. I highly recommend visiting at least a few times! :)

Definitely try: Enchilada (Thursdays only), Lasagna Italian, Falafel Wrap, Nut-Free Choco-Vanilla Cake (be careful about ordering their desserts for takeaway as they melt after a short while). Their Breakfast Burrito is great too!

• Cost of Main Meal: 59-69k rupiah + 15% charge
• Cost of Drink: 45-60k rupiah + 15% charge
• What’s great about this place:
  • Truly raw healing food
  • Their meals are tasty and very well-done. Everything is amazing from their mains to cakes!
  • Excellent service. Their staff have a good command of English and are well-trained.
• Cons:
  • A little pricey to eat daily for all meals
• Address: Jl. Sukma Kesuma No.2
• Links: Trip Advisor | Happy Cow | Facebook | Website

2) Alchemy

Entrance of Alchemy

The interior. It’s huge!

Alchemy is another raw vegan restaurant in Ubud; it’s the first 100% raw vegan cafe to open in Bali. They have built an excellent brand for themselves and you can see this in their never-ending flow of customers!

Make-your-own-salad (65k rupiah + 16% charge): Salad leaves, four ingredients, and one dressing. Additional ingredient costs 10k each.

Philadelphia Maki Nori (69k + 16% charge): Raw sushi rolls filled with cauliflower rice and papaya, served with sesame shoyu dip and warm miso soup

Their food is fantastic, particularly the salads which generally come in a large serving. However, their service isn’t the best and that’s not good as they are charging very high prices. While I was there, the staff just kind of expected that you’d know what to do and gave piecemeal pointers. One tourist I met was surprised when I got myself a menu (this was after she finished eating; she thought they only had salads).

The staff also doesn’t seem to have very good English skills. The staff at the dessert counter couldn’t answer my question on whether the cake would melt if I did a takeaway, and when I ordered delivery (via Whatsapp), the staff would reply in very broken, unintelligible English and it was hard to clarify questions.

Definitely visit a couple of times to check out their range of dishes: their salad and smoothies are their signature items, and also try their cakes. For regular visits, I would go to Sayuri.

Definitely try: Their Salads, Spinach Mushroom Quiche, and Cloud 9 Vanilla Cake for a light + lemony-tasting cake. Their Spinach & Mushroom Pizza is popular too, but I found it too nut-heavy for my taste, plus it has oil so it’s not something I’d order again.

• Cost of Main Meal: 55-69k + 16% charge
• Cost of Drink: 20-65k + 16% charge
• What I love about this place:
  • Tasty salads with a large serving size
  • Nice airy setting with a great availability of sitting spots
• Cons:
  • Staff’s English isn’t good which is weird as they target expats
  • Their range of mains isn’t as extensive as Sayuri’s. Alchemy is more for salads/smoothie bowls whereas Sayuri is great for mains.
  • Portions for non-salad mains (raw sushi, quiche) are a little small for the price.
• Address: Jl. Penestanan Kelod No.75
• Links: Trip Advisor | Happy Cow | Facebook

3) Siboghana Waroeng

Entrance leading up to Siboghana Waroeng

Siboghana Waroeng offers the best value out of all the cooked vegan restaurants in Ubud Center. They have a small menu focusing on local cuisines like mee goreng and nasi campur. They still use the traditional stove with wood-fire which may be part of their secret in bringing out the amazing taste!

Their full menu

Mee Goreng at 20k only (no extra charge)

Fried Vegetable Spring Roll (15k) and Iced Ginger Tea (15k). Would have much preferred it if they have a steamed option but unfortunately they don’t.

The place isn’t very accessible though — it is in Ubud Center but it’s some ways off the main road. When you walk towards Jalan Made Lebah No.36 (search “Siboghana Waroeng” on Google Maps), you’ll pass by a small building called “Bali Shell.” Walk along the small bridge and you’ll see a sign that says “Siboghana Waroeng.” After you enter the track and follow the signs, you’ll see the restaurant inside a Balinese compound.

(If you reach the restaurant and there’s no one there, just go to the kitchen (the next building) and call for someone; they are likely there cooking.)

Notable Dishes: Mee Goreng (Fried Noodles) or Kare Goreng (Curry Noodles), Nasi Campur (Fried Rice), Iced Ginger Tea

• Cost of Main Meal: 20-30k rupiah (no extra charge) 
• Cost of Drink: 15-20k rupiah (no extra charge)
• What’s great about this place:
  
  • Unbeatable price, amazing value. If you do visit, I’d give them a tip — they deserve it!
  • Genuine service from the heart
• Cons: Out of the way unless you have a scooter
• Address: Jl. Made Lebah No. 36 (About 5-10 minutes walk from Taco Casa)
• Links: Trip Advisor | Happy Cow | Facebook

4) Wulan Vegetarian

Entrance of Wulan Vegetarian; it’s a small but cosy shop

Wulan Vegetarian has become very popular since I wrote about them in 2016. Despite having “Vegetarian” in their shop name, they serve a fully vegan menu with soups and local cuisines.

Their food menu (partial)

Their most popular dish is “Nasi Campur with 7 Veg” — a mix of 7 veg that change every now and then. The dish used to be 33k rupiah (2016); it has since increased to 45k rupiah (2018). It’s still great value though with no tax or service charge.

Wulan’s popular “Nasi Campur with 7 Veg” dish (45k). Nasi campur is a common Indonesian dish that means “mixed rice.” Wulan’s Nasi Campus usually has lentils, spinach + green curry, pumpkin, tempeh (it’s a common soy dish in Indonesia), veg “prawn,” edamame, and some other vegetables.

Their Nasi Goreng (fried rice, 39k) is also tasty — it’s red rice fried with vegetables and tomato/chilli sauce. But definitely go for their Nasi Campur if it’s your first visit. The difference is that their Nasi Goreng is fried and has more rice with less veg while their Nasi Campur has less rice with more veg.

Their soups are awesome too — large serving at 25k each. Their drinks are a mixed bag though; I tried their Aloe Vera Chunky drink (19k) and it was just water (?) with a lot of aloe vera chunks (and sugar if you want it sweetened). I’d say that their food is their forte and drinks not so much.

Notable Dishes: Nasi Campur with 7 Veg (their signature dish), Sweet Corn Soup (comes with spinach), Veg Stuffed Pancakes (read a lot of good reviews but didn’t get to try it)

• Cost of Main Meal: 39-47k rupiah (no extra charge)
• Cost of Drink: 13-25k rupiah (no extra charge)
• What’s great about this place:
  
  • Great variety of vegetables in a 45k nasi campur. Their soups are awesome: comes at a large serving at a great price.
  • Great service, humble staff who are all smiles. You feel happy and appreciated when you are there.
• Cons:
  • It’s noisy eating here due to the loud traffic
  • Some of their staff don’t know English and can only take direct orders, so it’s difficult to make special requests
  • Might not be worthwhile eating here if you’re avoiding soy. Their dishes are too heavy on soy, and when I requested to exclude soy/nuts, I didn’t get any replacement food or increased quantity of other veg, so it felt like I was eating half the dish at the same price.
• Address: Jl. Sukma Kesuma No.14 (near Sayuri)
• Links: Trip Advisor | Happy Cow | Facebook

*The owner opened another vegan shop in 2018 called Ayo Vegan — it’s located along the same street, Jl. Sukma Kesuma No.87.

5) Warung Sopa

Warung Sopa is a vegetarian restaurant known for their customizable Nasi Campur. Simply order Nasi Campur at the counter (go for the normal rice serving which is 7k rupiah, not the 6k serving which has a very small quantity of rice) and pick your side dishes at the display counter (9k each). Most people order four side dishes so it adds up to 7k + 9k x 6 = 43k rupiah.

They used to serve their side dishes cold which I thought was terrible, but as of 2018 they heat up your food after ordering. This has greatly improved the taste of the nasi campur.

The display counter where you order your Nasi Campur sides

Nasi Campur (34k) and Tamarind with ginger lime soda (22k)

The other dishes are a mixed bag though. Their soaps are very thick with a rich taste, so I definitely recommend them. A half serving (20k rupiah) will fill you up.

Green pea soup, half serving (20k). All their soups are rich with ingredients and come with a bun. They have other soups like Corn, Cauliflower, and Pumpkin.

They offer a set of Japanese dishes (sushi roll, gyoza/dumpling, Natto) and Western food (pasta) but I don’t recommend them. As someone who eats a lot of Japanese food, their Japanese food isn’t close to what Jap food should be but just their own interpretation of it, plus with terrible QC. For example, their “gyoza” is a very thick layer of dough with almost no vegetables in it — pre-made dumplings in the frozen food section of Singapore supermarkets taste much better than this. The quantity of your sushi filling depends depending on who is making your order. I once ordered avocado sushi but had literally no avocado in half the sushis! When I mentioned this to the staff, she became defensive and said “this is how sushi should be” (not true). I feel that their “Japanese dishes” are just targeted at the average Western expat who rarely tries real Asian food and lacks a comparison checkpoint on what proper Asian food should be. You’re better off ordering their Nasi Campur and local food.

I didn’t order their pasta as it’s not vegan but read similar bad reviews on other sites. Again, go for their local food, not the “Asian” or “Western” food.

Notable Dishes: Nasi Campur; Soups (it’s very thick and comes with a bun); Lime Mint Juice. DO NOT get their sushi/”gyoza” dumplings.

• Cost of Main Meal: 30-44k rupiah (no extra charge)
• Cost of Drink: 13-30k rupiah (no extra charge)
• What’s good about this place: 
  • Large seating area
  • Can choose what you like for the Nasi Campur. Soups are very thick; fantastic quality.
  • Service is great for the most part
• Cons:
  • They serve some vegan food but it’s not clearly marked. You have to ask different staff because a staff can give you the wrong answers.
  • I’m not sure how fresh their Nasi Campur dishes are. Seems that some of them have been kept for 1-2 days, plus they don’t make a habit to cover them — I have seen flies on the food behind the counter.
  • Their dishes are a mixed bag; you have to know what to order. Do not order their Japanese dishes.
• Address: Jl. Sugriwa No.36
• Links: Trip Advisor | Happy Cow | Facebook | Website

6) Dayu’s Warung

Dayu’s Warung is located along the same street as Warung Sopa and it’s just 30 seconds walk away. While Dayu’s Warung is not a fully veg restaurant as they serve meat and seafood dishes, they have a good selection of vegan/vegetarian options from smoothie bowls to salads to mains.

Green Moringga Spirulina Smoothie Bowl (35k + 10% charge): Banana, avocado, lemon, spinach, moringga, ginger, almond milk, dates, topping w/ dried coconut, roasted banana, raisin, cinnamon, gomasia spirulina. It’s very nutritious!

I love how generous they are with their salad and smoothie bowls. There’s a great range of ingredients, the serving size is huge, and the price is fantastic (35k + 10% charge). This is really rare considering that they are situated right in Ubud Center, surrounded by other expat restaurants with hiked prices. Definitely beats the smoothie bowls at the other places!

Mungbean Spinach Burger (45k + 10% charge). Mungbean sweet potato patties w/ steamed spinach “wrap.” Side with pumpkin lentil curry and avocado coconut gomasio.

However, their cooked food is a mixed bag. I tried their Mungbean Spinach Burger and Pepesan Pumpkin (both 45k + 10% charge each), and both aren’t that great. Their cooked dishes vary in quality depending on who is making your order, and within a single dish, some parts would be lukewarm while some parts would be extremely hot. The taste also varies from being overly salty in one part of the dish to somewhat tasteless in other parts, so it doesn’t function well as one entire dish. For the price and location, their cooked dishes seem like a steal, but I found them to be rather underwhelming.

Notable Dishes: Their smoothie bowls and salads. Smoothie bowls are essentially fruits/nut milk/etc. but they are much cheaper here (35k + 10%) than international cafes (65k + 15%).

• Cost of Main Meal: 35-45k rupiah + 10% charge
• Cost of Drink: 20-30k rupiah + 10% charge
• What’s good about this place: 
  • Great price given its location. Their portion sizes will fill you.
  • Fantastic value for their smoothie bowls and salads. Dishes that don’t require cooking skills are fine.
• Cons:
  • Their cooked dishes vary in quality and seem more like a consolidation of different ingredients rather than a proper dish
  • Staff attitude varies depending on who is serving you
• Address: Jl. Sugriwa No.28 (near Warung Sopa)
• Links: Trip Advisor | Happy Cow | Facebook

7) Nine Heaven Vegan

Nine Heaven is just a few shops up from Wulan — they are located along the same road. Their restaurant is unique in that it sells vegan Korean food. It’s very difficult to get vegetarian food in a Korean restaurant, much less vegan food, so it is a great welcome!

Korean Bibimbap (45k + 10% charge). Portions are huge with fresh vegetables! It comes with tofu and sesame oil+seeds but I requested to exclude them.

Their Nasi Campur (35k + 10% charge). While okay/nice, it doesn’t compare to Wulan or Siboghana Waroeng’s food. I feel that Korean dishes are their specialty, not Indonesian dishes.

Kimchi Pancake (35k + 10% charge) comes with 3 moderate-sized pancakes

However, as with most of the “warung-type” shops in Ubud, I find that quality control is an issue. I ordered their Noodle Soup (30k + 10%) and it turned out to be a tiny bowl of instant noodles that barely fills you up. What’s more, there were over 100 thinly chopped chilli flakes that made it extremely spicy, and the menu picture didn’t show this at all. Online reviews of their Vegan Ramen (35k + 10%) mentioned the same problem where it’s just packet noodles rather than proper ramen/noodles.

I would go for their Korean food, specifically their Kimchi pancake, Korean Bibimbap (if you enjoy fresh vegetables), and other Kimchi-related dishes. These are “safe” dishes since I believe they use packaged kimchi (so the quality is consistent). For local food, you’re better off going to Wulan, Siboghana Waroeng, or Warung Sopa.

Notable Dishes: Korean Bibimbap which is a healthy mix of fresh vegetables with rice, Kimchi Pancake

• Cost of Main Meal: 30-45k rupiah + 10% charge
• Cost of Drink: 15-25k rupiah + 10% charge
• What’s good about this place: 
  
  • Veganized Korean food in large quantities (except for their Noodle Soup / Ramen)
• Cons:
  • You have to know what to order. I wouldn’t recommend their Indonesian dishes or Noodle Soup / Vegan Ramen.
  • No option of brown rice which I thought should be a basic for a vegan place
• Address: Jl. Sukma Kesuma No.23 (near Wulan)
• Links: Trip Advisor | Facebook | Website

8) Sawobali Vegan Buffet

Sawobali is unique in that it’s a vegan buffet restaurant. There is a competitor vegan buffet restaurant right next door (Veggie Karma), but the quality is terrible so don’t go there. Sawobali has an all-day buffet (50k flat fee) that comes with a daily soup, a small salad selection, brown rice, and 12 main dishes!

The buffet spread. They always have 12 main dishes, a small salad bar (not seen here), brown rice, and a soup.

Part 2 of their buffet spread. They refill the trays quickly so you always have warm/hot steaming food.

All the buffet food is vegan and gluten-free with no onion and garlic. After going there every day for a week, I notice that 9-10 of the dishes are the same (turmeric rice, 2-3 soy/tempeh dishes, mashed potato, cauliflower/broccoli, eggplant, cooked jackfruit, etc.) while the rest are rotating dishes. Pro tip: If you visit around 6pm, you will get as many as 16 dishes as they bring out new varieties of food for the evening crowd!

They also offer ala carte meals but I never ordered these as the buffet is already such a steal. They also have a selection of drinks and cakes (vegan and vegetarian) at a good price.

Notable Dishes: Their buffet — it’s their mainstay!

• Cost of Main Meal:
  • 50k rupiah for buffet (nett, no additional charge)
  • 40-50k for ala carte (+15% charge)
• Cost of Drink: 20-35k + 15% charge
• What’s good about this place: 
  
  • Fantastic value for money. Great selection of vegan food at only 50k rupiah; eat till you drop. The restaurant has a refill policy of two plates (so three plates in total), but they honestly don’t monitor this. Also, most people would be full by the time they finish their second plate (assuming they get a full plate).
  • Staff is friendly and always smiling. Most of their staff speak good English.
• Cons:
  • Can’t think of any really — it’s great value for money and a great way to try different Indonesian dishes at a low price!
• Address: Jl. Hanoman no.73 (opposite Coco Supermarket)
• Links: Trip Advisor | Happy Cow | Facebook

9) Veggie Karma

Veggie Karma is a vegan buffet restaurant that’s next to Sawobali but I wouldn’t bother going here. Their buffet food is lukewarm and looks like it’s been untouched for hours; they have fewer selections than Sawobali; the food doesn’t taste good; and their serving pots are small (it takes them a while to refill the dishes too so you can never get a lot at one go). Their staff look unmotivated and bored.

Also, customers are allowed to smoke, so you may end up eating dinner and breathing in smoke (this happened when I was there). If you’re a non-smoker, this is something to watch out on.

• Cost of Main Meal:
  • 55k rupiah for buffet (nett, no additional charge)
  • 40-65k for ala carte (+10% charge)
• Cost of Drink: 20-35k + 10% charge
• What’s good about this place: 
  
  • Large sitting area with nice garden view
• Cons:
  • Buffet food is very poor quality; go to Sawobali which is just next door
  • Staff has poor attitude
  • Customers are allowed to smoke so you may end up breathing in smoke while eating
• Address: Jl. Hanoman no.73 (opposite Coco Supermarket)
• Links: Trip Advisor | Happy Cow | Facebook

10) Atman Nourish Kafe

Atman Nourish Kafe should not be confused with Atman Kafe, both of which are located along Jl. Hanoman. Atman Kafe is their first cafe which serves meat and seafood dishes. Atman Nourish is an extension of the original Atman Kafe and offers a purely vegetarian menu (though their menu still includes egg).

I ended up visiting Atman Nourish very often in 2018 because it’s right next to where I stayed. They offer a wide mix of your standard Western dishes (soups, pasta, pizza), Tex-Mex dishes (tapas, burrito), and cakes/desserts. Some dishes are a hit and miss. Their soups are pizzas are great. Their Vegan Potato Rosti is terrible (extremely oily) and their cap cay (local dish) is underwhelming. For the most part, go with their western food as that’s their main focus.

They also have smoothie bowls and local food though I would just go to Dayu’s Warung (just 5 minutes walk away) for large and cheap smoothie bowls and the other vegan warungs like Siboghana, Wulan, and Sopa for the local food.

Notable Dishes: Potato & Spinach Soup (very tasty and delicious, must-try), Their Pizzas

• Cost of Main Meal: 50-80k (price already includes 16% charge)
• Cost of Drink: 13-63k (price already includes 16% charge); they sell alcohol too at a higher price
• What’s good about this place: 
  
  • Large sitting area with nice garden view
  • Great food quality for their good dishes
• Cons:
  • Pricey considering there are many great food options just 1-2 streets away; the place is clearly targeted at tourists/expats
  • Some dishes are a hit and miss. Their soups, pizza, and smoothie bowls are great. Don’t order their Vegan Potato Rosti (extremely oily) and Asian dishes.
• Address:
  • Jl. Hanoman No.43B
  • Their other outlet Atman Kafe is along the same street, at No.38
• Links: Trip Advisor | Happy Cow | Facebook

11) Taco Casa

Unlike the other shops listed here, Taco Casa is part of a chain. The Ubud branch is one of their three stores in Bali (the other two are in Seminyak and Canggu).

Taco Casa is a non-veg Mexican restaurant with veg/vegan options, offering a great selection of Mexican food: tacos, burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, and quesadillas. I love that their staff are very knowledgeable about dietary needs and can customize your order to fit a wide range of needs — from vegan to gluten-free. While I was originally apprehensive as all their dishes have some kind of cheese/cream, their staff was able to make my meal vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free. I also had a fluke encounter where they served me unripe avocado, and they promptly took it off my bill after I told them about it. Two thumbs up for the service!

Make-Your-Own Taco, veganized ( 70-90k rupiah + 15% charge depending on what you order). I ordered tomato, red rice, avocado, and grilled veggies here.

Notable Dishes: Make-Your-Own Burrito/Taco, Naked Burrito Bowl (ask the server to veganize it)

• Cost of Main Meal: 62-92k (+ 15.5% charge)
• Cost of Drink: 15-41k (+ 15.5% charge); they sell alcohol too at a higher price
• What’s good about this place: 
  
  • Tasty Mexican food
  • Excellent service standard despite the huge crowd during peak hours
  • They offer delivery within Ubud at only a 5k delivery charge
• Cons:
  • Would be good if they have ready vegan options; it’s troublesome to ask the server to customize a vegan order each time
  • Serving size is small for the make-your-own taco; I was barely filled and had to order more food after that
• Address:
  • Jl. Raya Pengosekan (South end of Ubud)
• Links: Trip Advisor | Facebook | Website

12) Kismet

Kismet’s mod-like interior. They have a 2nd floor too!

Kismet is an expat restaurant/bar which serves gourmet vegetarian food. It has a hip look, hip music, and the whole place is very mod-looking.

Their menu offers an eclectic mix of Western (lasagna, pasta, burgers, wraps) and Asian (Thai/Indonesian) food. However, their establishment isn’t vegan-friendly — almost every dish has cheese in it, and there is no marking for vegan dishes. I would say that their food is more like “vegetarian junk food” rather than “healthy vegetarian food that’s tasty at the same time.” It caters to an expat crowd and is expensive compared to even places like Atman and Alchemy. 

Haloumi Burger: Coconut charcoal bun with grilled halloumi cheese, tomato, and avocado, plus fries and salad (89k + 15% charge). When I visited in 2016, I was a vegetarian (not full vegan) so I ordered this.

Vegetarian skewers with peanut sauce (59k + 15% charge). The skewers are a mix of tempeh, tofu, grilled veg, and mushroom.

My two items above cost me 150k rupiah in 2016; the same meal in 2018 would cost me 170k. I didn’t revisit in 2018 as there are better value restaurants elsewhere and Kismet is not vegan-friendly.

• Cost of Main Meal: 69-89k rupiah + 15% charge
• Cost of Drink: 29-79k rupiah + 15% charge; they sell alcohol too at a higher price
• What great about this place: 
  • Eclectic mix of vegetarian food that’s tasty (though not exactly the healthiest)
  • One of the rare places in Ubud with hi-speed wifi at 50mbs. You have to spend a minimum of 50k/hour to use this.
• Cons:
  • It’s overpriced. There are much better places with both great tasting and cheaper food.
  • It’s more like a bar with loud music and a hip set up, so if you’re looking for a local experience, you won’t get it here.
  • The place is vegetarian but not vegan friendly. I didn’t visit in 2018 as I had adopted a fully vegan diet.
• Address: Jl. South Goutama No.27
• Links: Trip Advisor | Facebook | Website 

12) The Garden Kafe (Yoga Barn)

The Garden Kafe is a cafe in Yoga Barn, a popular yoga studio and retreat studio in Ubud. Because Yoga Barn is a popular hotspot, Garden Kafe is frequently full as yoga goers hop over to have lunch after their yoga practice. When I was there, I was asked to share a table with three different sets of customers (some talking loudly amongst themselves) and this seemed like quite a common occurrence. I would have preferred to have my private space though since I wanted to get work done, so I didn’t stay long to try their lunch menu items. A pity though and might return next time when I’m in Ubud.

• Cost of Main Meal: 39-69k rupiah + 15% charge
• Cost of Drink: 16-55k rupiah + 15% charge
• What great about this place: 
  • Extensive menu with cooked, raw, vegan and Ayurvedic menu items
  • Nice location overlooking a rice field
• Cons:
  • Difficult to get seats, so may end up sharing seats with others
  • They don’t have a lot of vegan options other than salads, smoothie bowls, and raw meals.
• Address: Jl. Raya Pengosekan (5-10 minutes away from Taco Casa)
• Links: Trip Advisor | Happy Cow | Facebook | Website 

13) Seeds of Life

Seeds of Life is another raw vegan restaurant in Ubud. However, I cannot on good faith recommend them as they have really bad service and quality control. I was originally a regular but became turned off when I found live worms in two of my orders (one of them was squirming in the salad sauce, so you have to really watch when you eat) and their staff were nonchalant in the service recovery. I had also ordered their “Vege Wrap” dish on four separate occasions and find the quantity and quality to vary wildly across orders. Combined with bad service, I eventually stopped dining there and went to Sayuri instead.

Go at your own risk; my biggest concern is quality control given that I found live worms twice (which means their staff likely don’t bother washing the salad leaves, despite whatever internal guidelines they may have).

• Cost of Main Meal: 45-65k rupiah + 15% charge
• Cost of Drink: 35-75k rupiah + 15% charge
• What’s good about this place: Great tasting raw dishes when they do it right
• Cons:
  • There is a lack of quality control. Even when ordering the same dish, the quantity can vary as much as 30% on different days. Quality varies too, from fresh salad leaves to half-wilted leaves on different days.
  • Service standards are questionable, not sure if staff get proper training. I would go to Sayuri for consistent service and quality.
• Address: Jl. Gautama No.2
• Links: Trip Advisor | Happy Cow | | Facebook | Website

Other Notable Restaurants in Ubud

Of course, there are many other veg restaurants in Ubud. Trip Advisor has nearly 180 listings!!! Here are some popular ones that I didn’t list above:

• Kafe (Trip Advisor | Website | Add: Jl. Hanoman No.44B)
• Clear Cafe (Trip Advisor | Website | Add: Jl. Hanoman No.8)
• Sage (Trip Advisor | Add: Jl. Nyuh Bulan No.1)
• Moksa (Trip Advisor | Website | Add: Puskesmas Ubud II)
• Warung Semesta (Trip Advisor | Website | Add: No.9 Indonesia, Jl. Monkey Forest)

More Ubud vegetarian restaurant reviews:

• 15 vegan and vegetarian friendly restaurants to try in Ubud
• Guide to Ubud Vegetarian Restaurants
• Ubud Organic Vegetarian Restaurants
• List of Ubud Vegetarian/Vegan Restaurants [Trip Advisor]

I hope you’ve found this guide helpful. :) In the next part, I’ll share some miscellaneous points about living in Ubud as well as round up the series. Read: Living in Ubud, Others: Insects, Language, Internet and More

This is part 4 of a 5-part series on Ubud, Bali where I share things to take note as a foreigner living in Ubud and how to make the best out of your trip there.

• Part 1: Living in Ubud Series: Introduction, Visa, Accommodation
• Part 2: Environment: Nature, Climate, Villages, Animals
• Part 3: Transport: Scooters, Taxis, Go-Jek
• Part 4: Food: Vegan & Vegetarian Restaurant Reviews
• Part 5: Others: Insects, Language, Internet Speed, and More (Conclusion)

(Images: Personal Excellence)