Best Balinese Food to Try in 2025: Authentic Local Dishes You Can’t Miss

Author

Adrija Das

Updated Date

September 2, 2025

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8 minutes

Best Balinese Food to Try in 2025: Authentic Local Dishes You Can’t Miss

If you’re heading to Bali in 2025, get ready, your taste buds are about to have the trip of a lifetime! Balinese food isn’t just delicious, it’s a gateway to the island’s vibrant culture. From sizzling street snacks to grand ceremonies, these are the traditional Balinese food specialities no traveller should miss. So if you’re searching for famous food in Bali, or making a checklist of authentic Balinese dishes for your next adventure, this list will keep your belly and your heart full.

Best 10 Balinese Food to Try

Babi Guling
Sate Lilit
Ayam & Bebek Betutu
Gado-Gado
Lawar
Nasi Campur & Nasi Tepeng
Pepes Ikan
Sambal Udang
Tum or Pepes
Bubur Sumsum

1. Babi Guling (Suckling Pig): Bali’s Iconic Ceremonial Dish

Babi Guling’s roots run deep in Balinese culture, originally prepared as a sacred offering in Hindu religious ceremonies to ask for prosperity and blessings. Over time, Babi Guling transitioned from a ceremonial dish to a culinary icon available to all, gaining fame especially from Ubud’s Ibu Oka, who pioneered selling the dish portioned for tourists. The pig is stuffed with a special blend of spices and roasted whole on a spit, symbolising celebration and gratitude in the island’s culture.

Culture: Traditionally served during festivals and ceremonies, Babi Guling symbolises prosperity and celebration.
Special Ingredients: Turmeric, galangal, coriander seeds, and coconut leaves.
Where to Try: Ibu Oka in Ubud is legendary; you’ll find dedicated warungs (local eateries) across the island.

2. Sate Lilit: Balinese Satay Wrapped on Lemongrass Sticks

Sate Lilit’s history is tied to Balinese village life and temple ceremonies, where families would gather to prepare foods that are easy to grill and share. Its use of minced fish wrapped around lemongrass sticks reflects Bali’s abundant marine resources and the ingenuity of the local cooking style, which focuses on bold spices and communal dining.

Culture: Sate Lilit is central to family gatherings and temple offerings. It’s a MUST for the full Bali experience!
Special Ingredients: Grated coconut, lemongrass, bumbu Bali (Balinese spice paste).
Where to Try: Street markets in Sanur, Ubud’s bustling warungs, and beachfront grills.

3. Ayam & Bebek Betutu: Slow-Cooked Balinese Wedding Feast Dish

Betutu was traditionally reserved for major life events like weddings and temple festivals. The long, slow cooking process mirrors the Balinese virtue of patience and respect for ritual. It reflects ancient Balinese culinary techniques that preserve flavour while bonding people during celebrations.

Culture: Saved for special days like weddings and temple festivals. Betutu is about patience and flavour.
Special Ingredients: Banana leaves, lemongrass, cassava leaves, bumbu Bali.
Where to Try: Warung Makan Ayam Betutu in Gilimanuk, and local restaurants in Ubud

4. Gado-Gado: A Vegetarian Favourite in Bali’s Food Culture

Though more generally Indonesian, Gado-Gado has been embraced in Bali as a popular, everyday dish for locals. Its combination of fresh steamed veggies, boiled eggs, tofu and peanut sauce shows the simplicity and health-conscious nature of traditional Indonesian food culture, adapted to suit Balinese tastes.

Culture: Favoured by locals for lunch, it’s a healthy way to sample local flavours.
Special Ingredients: Peanut sauce, tempeh, and tofu.
Where to Try: Found in warungs everywhere, also at beachfront cafes.

5. Lawar: A Traditional Balinese Feast Dish with Coconut & Spices

Lawar carries ceremonial significance; it is often the first dish served during temple feasts and communal events, reinforcing social bonds. Its use of fresh young jackfruit or meat combined with grated coconut and spices exemplifies the harmony between agriculture and livestock in Balinese society.

Culture: Central to communal feasts and ceremonies.
Special Ingredients: Young jackfruit, coconut, local spices, pork, or chicken.
Where to Try: Gianyar and Ubud local warungs.

6. Nasi Campur & Nasi Tepeng: Bali’s Everyday Rice Specialities

Nasi Campur has evolved as a quintessential Balinese food representing diversity on a plate, combining multiple small dishes that reflect Bali’s agricultural abundance and culinary variety. Rice topped with assorted meats, veggies, peanuts, and sambal. Nasi Tepeng, a spicy rice porridge from Gianyar, preserves the local tradition of hearty, comforting breakfasts rooted in rural communities.

Culture: Everyday comfort food; Nasi Tepeng is a local breakfast hero.
Special Ingredients: Long beans, eggplant, jackfruit, moringa leaves, and grated coconut.
Where to Try: Markets and home-style warungs throughout Gianyar and Ubud

7. Pepes Ikan: Banana Leaf-Wrapped Balinese Fish Dish

Pepes, meaning food wrapped and cooked in leaves, highlights the influence of natural ingredients and traditional cooking methods passed down through generations. For this dish, fish is marinated in fragrant herbs, wrapped in banana leaves, and grilled or steamed for a hit of flavour. The use of banana leaves both for flavour and eco-friendly packaging is a hallmark of Balinese resourcefulness.

Culture: It is a classic beachside treat.
Special Ingredients: Snapper/mackerel, turmeric, lemongrass, banana leaves.
Where to Try: Jimbaran Bay seafood warungs, traditional restaurants.

8. Sambal Udang: Spicy Balinese Prawns with Coconut Milk

Sambal-based dishes are essential in Balinese cuisine, with Sambal Udang (spicy prawn dish) showcasing the island’s love for fiery flavours and fresh seafood, a reflection of its island geography and fishing heritage.

Culture: This dish reflects the island’s love for seafood delicacies and is a favourite of seafood lovers.
Special Ingredients: Prawns, sambal sauce, tamarind, and coconut milk.
Where to Try: Beachside grills in Seminyak or local seafood warungs.

9. Tum or Pepes: Balinese Street Food in Banana Leaf Wraps

Tum or Pepes originated as practical street food, capitalising on available spices and wrapping techniques for easy cooking and portability, embodying Balinese street food culture.

Culture: A street food favourite; great for an on-the-go snack.
Special Ingredients: Balinese spice paste, minced chicken/beef, banana leaves.
Where to Try: Ubud’s markets and local Warung Ibu Rai.

10. Bubur Sumsum: Traditional Balinese Dessert with Coconut & Palm Sugar

Bubur Sumsum is a traditional sweet dish with ties to ceremonial offerings. Made with glutinous rice flour and coconut milk, it’s a favoured breakfast and dessert that honours Bali’s use of local produce and sweet flavours in religious and social settings.

Culture: Served for breakfast and sweet ceremonies, don’t miss it if you love dessert.
Special Ingredients: Black/white glutinous rice, coconut milk, pandan leaves, palm sugar.
Where to Try: Local dessert carts near temples and in Denpasar.

Where Tourists Can Try Authentic Balinese Food in 2025

Ibu Oka (Ubud): For the legendary Babi Guling.
Warung Ayam Betutu (Gilimanuk/Ubud): Famous for Betutu.
Jimbaran Bay: Seafood feasts, fresh Pepes Ikan and Sambal Udang right on the sand.
Sanur & Seminyak Street Markets: For Sate Lilit, Lawar, and Tum.
Local Warungs in Gianyar: Grab breakfast like a local, Nasi Tepeng is a must!

Final Thoughts: Savour the Best Balinese Food on Your Bali Trip

If you’re planning to explore things to do in Bali or searching for party places in Bali, don’t miss the food markets; they’re buzzing with energy day and night. Hungry yet? Bali’s traditional Balinese cuisine is a true celebration, rich, spicy, and always fun. Whether you want to feast like a king, snack on the go, or dive deep into local flavours, these Balinese food specialities will make your visit unforgettable. If you crave Indian food after your Balinese food trail, and you are in Ubud, you can try some of the best Indian restaurants in Ubud. Book your Bali tour packages, jot down your foodie wish-list, and get set for a spicy, joyful, flavour-packed journey!

Bon appétit, or as the locals say, “Selamat makan!”