My Favourite Sanur Restaurants and Not So Favourite 11


One of the joys of travel is food.

So during our recent Bali family vacation where we return to the Sanur Paradise Plaza Suites, we vow to eat out at more of the local Sanur restaurants.

Sanur restaurants to discover in Bali

Please PIN this for later.
Just hover over the image and use the red P button

Sanur is located on the east coast of the Indonesian island of Bali.  Many of the Sanur restaurants can be found on the shaded boardwalk along the beach front or the main street of Sanur (Jalan Danau Tamblingan), which is situated halfway between the beach and the main highway.

10 Sanur Restaurants We Discovered

We start with eating out in Sanur at one of our favourites from last years Bali family holiday.

The Fire Station

Ask anyone for a Sanur restaurant recommendation and the Fire Station will be top of their list.  The highlight is their succulent tender Slow Cooked BBQ Ribs, the meat just falls off the bone and melts in your mouth.

Sanur Restaurants - Fire Station ribs

There’s even a ribs option on the kids menu.  But for our son it is the kids Fish and Chips.  He loves the crispy beer batter encasing the moist white fish and the chips 😉

Sanur Restaurants - Fire Station fish and chips

The Fire Station has a good-sized menu with popular pub meals all around the 100k IDR and the drinks are reasonably priced as well.  We enjoy a glass of crisp white wine from Chili for 75k IDR.

Price Tip: 10k IDR = $1AUD or $0.76USD (approx.)

Massimo Italian Restaurant

Our other local favourite from last year is the Italian restaurant of Massimo’s.  If you haven’t booked be prepared to wait for a table – and plenty of people do as the food is worth the wait.

As far as I am concerned this is the best Italian restaurant in Sanur.  After ordering drinks we receive a plate of fried cheese balls and bread sticks – yum is all I can say.

Drink Ordering Tip: always ask for extra ice, the drinks rarely come out cold enough and the ice is safe to drink.  (We do this at all the Sanur restaurants where we eat).

Once our meals are ordered (we like to stick with the traditional Italian dishes of Pizza Margarita, Fettuccine Bolognese, Spaghetti Carbonara or Pappadelle with prawns).

Sanur Restaurant - Massimo Italian pasta

Our son Lewis loves walking to the back of this Sanur Restaurant and watching the chef making the pasta.  We just know our pasta choices are going to be beautiful – we are not disappointed.

Sometimes we round off our meal with one of their homemade gelatos.  We usually opt to join the queue and choose from 20+ flavours at the Gelato Bar on the sidewalk for 20k IDR/small bucket.

Three Monkeys Sanur

Another good Sanur restaurant we visited last year was the Three Monkeys.  Whilst we didn’t revisit this year it wasn’t because of the food.  The food in fact was beautiful – if anything a little more upmarket than the rest of the Sanur restaurants we try.  The food was well presented and my Prawn Saganaki delicious.

Sanur Restaurant - Three Monkeys prawn spaganaki

I think it would make a great date night venue.  But you will need to book and we just weren’t that organised to get there this Bali family vacation.

Popular Restaurant Tip: at many of the well-known and recommended restaurants you will need to book.

Costa Rica

Just up and across the road from the Three Monkeys is the local restaurant Costa Rica.  We enjoy some tasty satay cooked on the fire grill on the sidewalk, whilst having a Balinese Hattens white wine and listening to a 2 piece band.

Sanur Restaurant - Costa Rica satay ayum

A really enjoyable night and cheap eat in Sanur.

Wine tip: The local Balinese wines is OK and around the same price as ordering a glass of wine in Australia 75K IDR approx.

Wicked Parrot

Next door is the popular restaurant the Wicked Parrot.  Last year we tried to eat out here however the service was so poor we couldn’t get an order taken.

However others have told us it was good with live music and the restaurant is always busy, so perhaps we just got a bad night.

Review Tip: Just because someone enjoys a meal somewhere, doesn’t necessarily mean that you will.

Sanur Night Markets

Another place we didn’t actually try is the Sanur Night Markets.  There are a number of stalls located inside this small nightly market.  The food is cheap, however we are warned, be careful where you choose to eat.  So we just avoid the whole thing.

Sanur Restaurant - Night Markets

Bennos

So after a short wonder about the night market we make our way down to the beach, to another of our preferred Sanur restaurants from last year – Bennos.  This local eatery is located right on the beach front.  The tables are on decking over the sand and during the past year they have added a roof top, perfect for those nights when it rains.

There are a several dishes that become our favourites: Fish and Chips (for Lewis), Chicken Satay (one of the better ones that we have during this Bali family vacation), and Buttered Garlic Prawns served with a choice of rice or chips and vegetables or salad.  The dishes are huge and a great price, this dish was under 100K IDR.

Sanur Restaurant - Bennos garlic buttered prawns

Beachside Restaurant Tip: if eating out on the sand choose a restaurant with decking or concrete floor.  The sand flies can be fierce.

La Playa

Late in our stay we discover a whole heap more Sanur restaurants on the southern tip of Sanur beach.  During the day this boardwalk strip has a relaxed carefree vibe, almost as if you are strolling along a Greek Island waterfront.

Upon a recommendation from a passerby we choose to eat at La Playa.  However soon after ordering we wish we hadn’t, the petrol fumes coming off the water from the speedboats are not pleasant.  No wonder there aren’t many seated in this restaurant.  Fortunately our “freshen up” drinks (I have lemon and Lewis orange) are refreshly tangy after our bike ride.

Food wise it was a bit average.  My Satay and my partner Steve’s Nasi Goreng are both a bit lacking in flavour, the highlight I think is Lewis’s toasted cheese sandwich.

Sanur Restaurant - La Playa nasi goreng

Choosing a restaurant tip:  If there are few people eating at the restaurant there is possibly a good reason why.

Cafe Bamboo

We don’t give up on this area though and try again a couple of nights later.  The speedboats have stopped taking tourists for joy rides and there is a light breeze wafting in from the Bali Sea.  We opt for the Cafe Bamboo restaurant which has cement floor out over the sand and pretty lights hung through the trees.

The Indonesian food we order is nice, the staff are friendly and attentive, plus it is a well priced night out.  Possibly one of our cheapest nights out.

Sanur Restaurant - Bamboo satay ayum

Cafe Batu Jimbar

Completely opposite from the Cafe Batu Jimbar – our most expensive night out costing us 1 000 000 IDR.  But then again we probably did over indulge.

It is so lovely walking into a Sanur restaurant with the twinkling lights, clean gleaming hard wood tables and attentive service.

Sanur Restaurant - Cafe Batu Jimbar

We can’t resist getting carried away.  We order crisp spinach samosas, followed by Satay Ayum, Nasi Campur and a Thai red curry, all washed down with a few glass of Australian white wine.

And whilst we relax over the last of our wine the staff allow Lewis to pop up to the couches to go to sleep – how to have date night with the kids 🙂

Sanur Restaurant to discover in Bali

Please share this on Facebook.
Just over over the picture and use the blue F button

So which of these Sanur restaurants appeals to you?

Or have you discovered your own favourite Sanur Restaurant?

Please tell me about it in the comments.

If you would like to learn more about our Bali family vacation please sign up for my once a month e-newsletter.

#TheWeeklyPostcard

Toddlers On Tour



About Sally-Ann Brown

I am Sally-Ann the author of Toddlers on Tour. I am a wife and mother who has always had a passion for travel. I love sharing my experiences and lessons learned to help you have a better family holiday or day trip. Read "All About Me" under the "Home" tab to discover my story and what lead me to here.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

seventeen + two =

11 thoughts on “My Favourite Sanur Restaurants and Not So Favourite

  • Lyn @ A Hole in my Shoe

    We have just returned from Bali and stayed again in Kuta. We never made it over to Sanur this time round so never tried any of your suggested restaurants, but did find some great places where we enjoyed some amazing meals. We have never found it difficult to find good value, tasty good in Bali although must admit I regularly order Satay Ayam and Nasi Goreng as my standby if I can’t find anything I think I’ll enjoy more.

  • Kreete

    I am loving all these food photos! I am heading to Bali in Feb/March so will definitely keep an eye out on the restaurants recommended! Great tip about the ice too and I love that you mention the prices too! Thanks for sharing!

    • Sally-Ann Brown Post author

      Thank you Kreete and let me know if there is anything else you would like to know about Bali. During this trip we also went to “Frankensteins” dinner and show. I have a post coming out on the evening soon.

  • Ruth

    For me, it would be exciting to eat in Bali. Good to know there is a wide arrange of options. I think I will stick with your favorites. I know there are going to be average or mediocre eats when you visit a place but reading recommendations from other travelers can help to avoid those places. #TheWeeklyPostcard

  • Lisa - FlipFlopGlobetrotters.com

    I came across this post as you linked to it from your review of Sanur Paradise Plaza Suites (linked up with #FearlessFamTrav). We stayed in Sanur for 4 weeks with our 2 year old, in 2015. One of our favourite places to eat was the night market! Don’t you just love Balinese food? I even did a cooking class in a little town near Ubud, which was wonderful 🙂

  • Fiona

    The food at the night markets are amazing! Some of the freshest, delicious local cuisine. I’ve eaten here for years with no problems, my favourite stall is the grilled seafood at the back. Honestly don’t be fooled by the look from the outside. We also ride our bikes to the morning markets, drink Jamu Jamu and fresh grilled sate sticks with locals, enjoy the culture and buy up on fruit for the holiday.