KILN Petitenget in Bali is the choice destination for every occasion—gathering with friends, lunch with your family and even a romantic date with your partner in the evening.

Taking over the space of the now-defunct Petitenget, KILN Petitenget’s food menu is designed with inspiration from Eastern Mediterranean influences and diners can expect to munch on wood oven baked flatbreads, chargrilled skewers, various dips and more.

Give KILN Petitenget a chance and you will see why it is a great addition to Seminyak’s lively food and nightlife scene.

You may be surprised to find out that KILN Petitenget is actually the brainchild of a young Singaporean, Nicholas Scorpion and his partner Morgan McGlone, an Australian celebrity chef.

They started this venture with an aim at providing a space where only good vibes and the best Balinese culinary practices can be found at one destination.

We started our meal with the Grilled Beef Cevapi (RP70,000++/ S$7++). For those who are unaware of what a Cevapi is, the dish is usually made of grilled minced meat. The savoury beef is enhanced with spicy red pepper relish and topped off with onions and a dollop of sour cream.

Of course, we did not skip their signature skewers which came fresh off the charcoal grills. While we preferred the Grilled Beef Cevapi, their Pork Neck (RP60,000++/ S$6++) and Chicken (RP55,000++/ S$5++) skewers are decent and worth a try. It is recommended to pair the skewers with beer or cocktails on tap.

Other food choices you may be interested in include Wood-Fired Pita (RP30,000++/ S$3++), Smashed Roti Prata (RP30,000++/ S$3++) and Grilled Barramundi Wrap (RP65,000/ S$6.50++).

The coffee beans at KILN Petitenget are sourced from Expat Roasters, one of the most well-known specialty coffee producers in Bali.

KILN Petitenget 
Jalan Petitenget No. 40X Seminyak
Badung, Bali, Indonesia
Tel: +62 361 3701100
Daily: 11am – 11pm

Bali is one happening island to take a holiday at. We love that Indonesian island so much that we visit it at least thrice a year! It is a popular destination for nomads too, and we know of many who make Bali their base because it makes such a relaxing office – with good food and coffee on top of free wifi, of course.

So what is it like over at the Island of Gods? You might think they are pretty undeveloped, but the cafe scene is a booming one and there is always so much fanfare about the wondrous themes and incredible menus. A cup of quality flat white can be as cheap as S$2, and a generous stack of pancakes would surprise you with a S$4 price tag.

Let’s just say cafe-hopping at Bali is for all, because it is impossible to not fall in love with chic spaces, good food and coffee – all at unbeatable prices. In this guide, we let you in to our regular haunts and picks of the year, as well as some thematic restaurants that serves eclectic menus at cafe prices.

Here are 16 cafes in Bali that offer you unique dining experiences without breaking the bank.

ANGELITA PATISSERIE

Bali’s very own Ladurée, Angelita Patisserie might just be our newfound favourite in Seminyak. It is every bit Parisian, in the softest pastel hues and candy-coloured chinaware. A stunning display of in-house bakes and sweet creations, Angelita is an elegant tea salon-cum-patisserie that serves French sweets.

Think eclairs in assorted flavours like oreo and passionfruit, chocolate tarts and raspberry mousse cakes, and a very delectable banana and nutella tart with a chocolate biscuit base. Fine and exquisite, everything here is so reasonably priced between RP30,000 to RP50,000.

Jalan Raya Kerobokan no. 10A
Banjar Taman, Kerobokan, Kuta, Bali
Tel: +62 361 7473138
Area: Seminyak

BIKU

A perennial favourite and evidently well-loved by the crowd, Biku is perpetually packed with loyal fans. The wait will be worth the while, because their Nasi Campur (RP45,000) is so unforgettably delicious that we make it a point to return for a meal every time we are at Seminyak. Afternoon tea sets are also available here; at RP95,000 per pax, you get a three-tier set that includes scones, quiches and sandwiches.

Jalan Petitenget No.888
Seminyak Kerobokan, Kuta, Bali
Tel: +62 361 8570888
Daily: 8am – 11pm
Area: Seminyak

BALIQUE

Located near Intercontinental Hotel at Jimbaran, Balique is a beautiful vintage restaurant which serves a good balance of Indonesian food and western food. It is by the same owners as The Bistrot, another of our favourite restaurant in Seminyak.

Jalan Uluwatu no. 39
Jimbaran, Bali 80361
Tel: +62 361 704 945
Daily: 11.30am – 11pm
Area: Jimbaran

CASA LUNA

Casa Luna is an institution in Ubud. It first opened in 1992 and has since become a must-visit for food lovers. The menu is comprehensive and affordable. It includes breakfast items, organic salads, homemade pastas, Balinese food, bread and pastries. The coffee here is also very good as the baristas are trained by The Five Senses coffee team from Australia. Casa Luna is a good spot to chill out and relax when you are in Ubud.

Casa Luna is listed in our guide to Ubud’s best places to dine at.

Jalan Raya, Ubud, Bali
Tel: +62 361 977 409
Daily: 8am – 11pm
Area: Ubud

CORNER HOUSE

Corner House is inviting from every angle. Standing prominently at the tip of Jalan Laksmana (Seminyak), it is a restaurant-cum-bar that boasts a vintage decor with romantic touches of long-hanging dim lights and jars of hydrangeas. Look out for their daily specials on the blackboard, else we’d say go for the Corner House Burger (RP95,000), Fish & Chips (RP85,000) and Puff Pastry Quiche (RP52,000). We really loved the quiche, by the way.

Jalan Laksmana, 10 A
Kerobokan, Seminyak, Bali
Tel: +62 361 730276
Daily: 7am – 12 midnight
Area: Seminyak

IPPOLITO COFFEE

Housed in Maca Villa, Ippolito shares the same space as Mase Restaurant – a gorgeous poolside restaurant – and it is another great coffee joint in Seminyak. Finding the café can be slightly difficult, as it is located off the main road. But trust me, it is worth the effort, especially for those of you who love off-the-track cafes.

Jalan Lebak Sari No 7 Petitenget
Seminyak, Bali
Tel: +62 361 739090
Area: Seminyak

GARDIN BISTRO

A standalone glasshouse nestled in the quieter part of Jalan Petitenget, Gardin Bistro is a stunning restaurant that took our breath away. A trail through the garden led us to the mysterious and big wooden door, and we stepped in to an elegant space that is warmed by the sun rays. Gardin is romantic and every bit sexy, and so is their menu. Slightly on the pricier side, but we trust that your date would be impressed. The main courses were sadly nothing much to hype about, but their desserts left us lingering for more.

Jalan Petitenget No.106
Seminyak, Bali
Tel: +62 361 8499799
Daily: 11am – 1am
Area: Seminyak

LIVINGSTONE CAFE & BAKERY

A little country style, a little Australian, and every bit comforting. Livingstone Cafe & Bakery is among our favourite spots for breakfast in Seminyak, and it is impossible to not fall in love with the bright space. It has a bakery with fresh daily bakes, a counter of pretty cakes and pastries, and a hearty menu with classic brunch favourites. Customise your own breakfast, or pick from the list – we loved the Classic Fluffy Pancakes (RP65,000) and The Baker’s Big Breakfast (RP90,000).

Jalan Petitenget 88x Kerobokan, Bali
Tel: +62 361 4735949
Daily: 7am – 10pm
Area: Seminyak

PETITENGET

There are plenty of good restaurants along Jalan Petitenget, and one of our favourite places is Petitenget – a casual and chic French bistro. It is the kind of place where you can go for breakfast and coffee, and grab a magazine to spend the rest of the day at. It is equally charming at night, and its comforting menu makes it easy to understand why the bistro is so well-liked by expats and travellers.

Jalan Petitenget No.40X
Kerobokan, Bali
Tel: +62 361 473 3054
Daily: 7am – 11pm
Area: Seminyak

REVOLVER EXPRESSO

Revolver Espresso is one of the coolest coffee joints in Seminyak, Bali. If you love coffee, and enjoy cafe-hopping, you have to drop by Revolver for a cuppa when you are exploring Jalan Laksmana. One will be hard-pressed to find Revolver Espresso unless they are in the know, or stumble on it entirely by accident. The easiest way is to look out for Bali Clinic as they are tucked in a lane opposite the clinic. Alternatively, you can enter from the back of Home Store or This is a Love Song store.

Jalan Kayu Aya No 3, Oberoi
Seminyak, Bali
Tel: +62 0361 788 4968
Daily: 8am – 5pm
Area: Seminyak

SARI ORGANIK

For the quintessential Ubud experience, you got to dine the local way among the padi fields. Our lunch at Sari Organik became the most memorable one at Ubud. It is a long walk in to the diner, we’d not deny; we took 30 minutes. But we were rewarded with a closeness to the ruralness, and a wholesome meal that was prepared with fresh produce from the fields. We dined with a view of the vast padi fields, decorated with hay stacks and with dogs running around freely; it was one refreshing experience for city kids like us.

Sari Organik is listed in our guide to Ubud’s best places to dine at.

Jalan Raya Tjampuhan, Ubud, Bali
Tel: +62 361 972087
Daily: 8am – 8pm
Area: Ubud

SEA CIRCUS

A bright and cheerful restaurant that serves awesome coffee and brunch, we love Sea Circus for its vibrancy and upbeat atmosphere. Most of the items on the menu are priced below RP80,000. Besides brunch, it is also a great place for evening cocktails. And they make great tacos for dinner, too!

22 Jalan Kayu Aya, Oberoi Road
Seminyak, Bali
Tel: +62 361 738667
Daily: 8am – 10.30pm
Area: Seminyak

SENIMAN COFFEE STUDIO

Seniman Coffee Studio is the place to head to when you need good coffee in Ubud. This speciality coffee joint not only sources for the best coffee beans in Indonesia, they also roast the beans in-house. The cafe also offers a simple food menu at pocket-friendly prices. With free wifi, good coffee and simple comfort food, it is a great place to hang out with friends.

Seniman Coffee Studio is listed in our guide to Ubud’s best places to dine at.

Jalan Sriwedari, Ubud
Tel: +62 361 972085
Daily: 8am – 7pm
Area: Ubud

SISTERFIELDS CAFE

Among the many new names to Seminyak’s dining scene, Sisterfields ranks the most popular and it is not hard to understand why. It was pouring the day we dropped by, but at 10am, the cafe was packed; nothing and no one seemed bothered by the rain. On its all-day menu, there were too many options that enticed us. Of salads, eggs, burgers and green juices, Sisterfields is the it place to be at for breakfast when in Seminyak.

Jalan. Kayu Cendana
No.7 Seminyak, Kerobokan Bali
(Near Seminyak Square)
Tel: +62 361 9050507
Daily: 7am – 5pm
Area: Seminyak

THE COFFEE LIBRARY

Sitting right in the heart of Seminyak, The Coffee Library is chic and outstanding. The exterior features cascading vines and parked motorbikes, but do step in for some fresh brew and light bites. We enjoyed the Mushroom Stir Fry (RP48,000) and Steady Chicken (RP60,000). If you need your caffeine, lattes and flat whites are at RP32,000 per cup.

Jalan Kayu Aya No.50
Kuta, Badung, Bali
Tel: +62 818 763769
Area: Seminyak

THE FAT TURTLE

Very new to the cafe scene in Seminyak, The Fat Turtle is fast becoming a favourite among holiday-goers with their impressive menu at even more amazing prices. We did a double take when we first saw the menu, but not kidding – Green Tea Churros (RP27,000), Red Velvet Pancakes (RP45,000) and Brekky Sandwich (RP40,000).

But what took our breath away was the Kaffir Lime Leaf Sweet Corn Fritters (RP50,000) – a beautiful dish that includes crispy bacon, tomato jam, poached eggs and avocado Hollandaise. Definitely a must-go at Seminyak, we’d say!

Jalan Raya Petitenget 886A
Tel: +62 813 37374766
Daily: 9am – 7pm
Area: Seminyak

For more recommendations, read our complete Bali Food Guide that features 34 restaurants, cafes, bars and eateries that you must visit.

One of the best meals that I had in Bali during my recent trip was at Merah Putih, a classy restaurant that serves traditional Indonesian cuisine for the purists, and at the same time, dedicating another column in the menu to providing options for Indonesian food with a modern interpretation.

Indonesian cuisine is a communal affair, and this is reflected in Merah Putih’s offerings of dishes in small and large plates. The dining concept is actually inspired by the local nasi padang, where you have an array of dishes to choose form – hence the small plates to share. The owner told us that he created the restaurant because whenever someone asked him where they could go for Indonesian food in a nice setting, he did not have an answer as there was not many options. So he created the answer by conceptualising and building Merah Putih where you can enjoy the classic dishes and also discover something new.

The dining space is gorgeous, with a high ceiling and solar filtered glass walls which allow light to shine in and fill the restaurant.

The menu, as mentioned, is divided into two sections – traditional and modern, and further segmented by portion – small plates and large plates. Prices range from Rp 55,000 to 90,000 (S$7 to S$11.50) for a small plate, while you can get a large plate from Rp 145,000 (S$18) – which I believe to be fair given the quality of the food and the ambience of the restaurant.

One of the traditional small plates that we had was the Jangkang (Rp 75,000/S$10) – fried soft shell crab with salted egg, chilli and leek. It was good, but nothing to write home about. What made us sit up and take notice was the Bebek Goreng Sambal Manga (Rp 80,000/S$10.40). The crispy boneless duck with mango sambal was flawless. Every bite was so good and savoured to the last morsel.

Also good was the Balinese Yellowfin Tuna (Rp 80,000/S$10.40) – with wing beans, chilli and sambal kluwak and lemon grass – from the modern small plates menu. Every chunk of the flesh was a medley of flavours, and every bite was a mixture of invigorating spices so sensational for the taste buds.

For something more substantial, go for the large plates such as the Ayam Taliwang (Rp 145,000/S$18.80), a chargrilled Lombok spring chicken, or the Ikan Bakar, a whole chargrilled Jimbaran fish with green tomato and ginger flower. The Sumatran Duck Leg (Rp 160,000/S$20.70) and the Chargrilled Angus Beef Short Rib (Rp 160,000/S$20.70) are also tempting options on the menu.

The highlight for us was the Babli Guling (Rp 170,000/S$22). Merah Putih does a modern intrepretation of the famous Balinese suckling pig. Served with long bean kalasan, and crackling by the side, it was utterly delicious.

The humble Nasi Goreng (Rp 75,000/S$10) – with baby corn, wild mushroom, local greens, egg and fried egg – was also surprisingly good.

The folks at Merah Putih Restoran have done a fantastic job at pushing the boundaries of Indonesian cuisine. Judging by the crowd during dinner, Merah Putih is already very popular even though it has only been around for a few months. It has the potential to become one of the best restaurants in Bali.

Merah Putih Restoran
Jalan Petitenget No 100x
Kerobokan, Badung, Bali
Tel: +62 0361 8465950
Daily: 5.30pm – 11.30pm