10 Best Restaurants in Kuta

Ma Joly Restaurant & Lounge is located at the serene beachside of the Sandi Phala Boutique Resort in Tuban, on Kuta’s southern border. The restaurant comprises several different dining settings, from a long table shaded by a leafy arbour to a main dining area under a thatched roof and open-beam ceilings. There's also a special canopy on the sand for romantic sunset dinners.

The magnificent backdrop of the Indian Ocean and south Kuta’s rolling surf makes Ma Joly an exclusive destination for diners. Ma Joly serves tasty European dishes and offers a great selection for afternoon tea.

Rosso Vivo at Kuta Seaview Hotel, offers a classic Italian menu of soups, pastas and homemade pizzas together with a broad selection of cocktails and a sizable wine collection. You’ll easily catch sight of Rosso Vivo as you stroll halfway down Jalan Pantai Kuta’s footpath, thanks to its striking red parasols and sofas on a slightly raised terrace. 

A great escape from the midday heat of Kuta beach, Rosso Vivo features a comfortable, cosy and romantic interior that combines minimalist Balinese and European designs. The main dining room is airy with full floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the busy beach road. Zigzagging neon lamps and ambient garden lighting around the sun loungers make a cosy atmosphere after sunset.

Feast, at the Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort, lives up to its name by presenting grand buffets in a contemporary setting. Its spacious interior has an open design to ease the flow of diners moving from their tables and past the row of food stations displaying assortments from starters to dessert. If you want to sit alfresco, there's a wide patio with views of Kuta’s sunsets and Jalan Pantai Kuta.

Located on the street side of the Sheraton, with its outdoor patio adjoining Kuta Beachwalk, the restaurant is an eye-catcher. Magenta lighting glows throughout its interiors and seating, and each station has a speciality cook on standby that also takes cook-to-order requests.

Made’s Warung is a renowned restaurant in Kuta that has witnessed Kuta’s rise to fame as a premier tourism destination. Owners Peter and Made opened their humble warung (local street-side stall) in 1969 and since then it developed into the sociable eating and meeting venue for locals, expats and visitors from around the globe.

It has grown from its traditional roadside roots into the cosmopolitan restaurant it is now, serving a wide variety of food including Indonesian, Japanese and Western dishes. Their other branch is in Seminyak, featuring a similar menu but boasting a larger and more comfortable space. The menu features speciality delights such as Bali’s famous babi guling roast pig and betutu chicken.

Papa’s Limoncello is a family Italian restaurant located at the front of Alam Kulkul Boutique Resort, which is easily found at the near end of the main Jalan Pantai Kuta beach road. Home to the famous ‘volcano pizza’, a wide variety of other special wood-fired pizzas and meaty lasagnas, Papa’s tradition includes the option to experience making your own pizza, mixing your own favourite toppings assisted by the helpful and friendly kitchen staff. 

Live jam sessions are featured throughout the week, creating a laidback alfresco dining scene overlooking the beach drive. A great spot to escape the heat, Papa’s is also ideal for families looking for some tasty and authentic Italian treats.

Ketupat, named after the traditional Indonesian rice packet dish, offers an authentic Indonesian dining experience on Jalan Dewi Sri, bordering Kuta and Legian. The restaurant features traditional Javanese architecture with carved wooden Javanese houses, and also offers complete facilities for families, including a swimming pool, kids’ playgrounds and Wi-Fi.

Ketupat serves a kaleidoscope of Indonesian flavours, covering cuisine from most of the regions in the archipelago. There is also a rijstaffel option which lets you experience the famous rice table feast of Indonesia through a number of dishes, including sides and desserts. Cosy cabanas offer intimate settings, and you can also opt for private traditional houses or at the poolside.

Hard Rock Cafe Bali is a prominent dining and entertainment venue as well as a favourite nightlife hotspot located at the front of the Hard Rock Hotel Bali. Just across the Jalan Pantai Kuta road from the sands of Kuta Beach, the cafe serves American dishes off its rock n’ roll inspired menu and a wide selection of beverages and desserts.

The Cafe’s specialities include tasty appetizers, such as its Jumbo Combo for a sampling of Hard Rock Cafe’s ‘greatest hits’ that's big enough to share. For your main, choose from the famous fajitas, New York strip steak or grilled wild salmon. Hard Rock Cafe is best known for its legendary burgers that come with seasoned fries and optional freshly hand-breaded or caramelized onion rings or braised mushrooms.

With a name meaning ‘gateway’ in Balinese, Kori was established in 1998 by the figures behind the island-based Uluwatu handmade lace brand and serves a wide range of international and Asian cuisine in its leafy and cosy garden setting. Well shaded cabanas adjacent ponds and flowering hedges create intimate spaces to enjoy along with the exciting menu on offer.

Best-selling selections include hot stone meat and seafood, Singapore chilli crab and Chefs Jaya’s satay and spicy fried duck, which all offer ‘gateways’ into the rich and spicy Indonesian flavours. The various setups make it a great place to eat for couples or as a group.

Golden Lotus is widely considered as the best Chinese restaurant in Bali. Open for lunch and dinner and with a special Hong Kong-style dim sum Sunday buffet, Golden Lotus forms a significant dining outlet in the Bali Dynasty Resort – a family-oriented resort on Kuta’s south. The restaurant specialises in Szechuan and Cantonese style cuisine, which can be enjoyed in a brilliant Oriental interior and elegant dining room with exotic black wood tables. 

Long-time favourites comprise the legendary Peking duck and the Shanghai sesame chicken. Also, look out for their Hainanese chicken rice promotions at very special prices, great to be shared by a group of 4.

If you’re feeling peckish for some Japanese cuisine when in Kuta – sushi in particular – head down to Sushi Tei on Kuta’s Sunset Road. Part of the large Singapore-based international franchise, the restaurant presents a wide range of Japanese cuisine from sashimi to teppanyaki. Inside the large restaurant are choices of 8 VIP rooms for dining, meetings and private gatherings, a hall with 150 seats, and a garden setting with 50 seats. The menu also features a wide selection for those not in the mood for seafood.

The atmosphere is enjoyable and live performances augment the dining experience with jazzy and easy-listening tunes. The sushi is served on a rotating belt, but the best experience is going through and selecting from the menu. The spot does get a little busy during dinner time but is indeed a great place to briefly escape the traffic scene of Sunset Road and for a wholesome Japanese meal before heading down to the airport.