Best Vegetarian and Vegan Places in Uluwatu Worth Visiting

Photo by  Alexandra Smielova

18 min read · Uluwatu, Indonesia · vegetarian vegan ·

Best Vegetarian and Vegan Places in Uluwatu Worth Visiting

DR

Words by

Dewi Rahayu

Share

If you are hunting for the best vegetarian and vegan places in Uluwatu, you are in luck. This whole stretch of the Bukit Peninsula has quietly become one of the most rewarding corners of Bali for anyone who does not eat meat. From raw food cafés tucked behind the main roads to full-blown plant based restaurants with ocean views, the options have multiplied fast. After living down here for three years and eating my way through nearly every menu south of Pecatu, I can tell you exactly where to go and what to order. These are the spots that locals and long-stay expats actually return to on a regular basis.

1. FiJi Restaurant at Impossibles Surf Camp / Single Fin Area

Neighborhood: Padang Padang beachfront, right near the surf break at the base of the cliff opposite Single Fin.

The first time I walked into FiJi it was late afternoon and the whole place was full of surfers who had just come out of the water at Padang Padang. It is not a vegetarian only spot, but the plant based options here are some of the best you will find in the entire Uluwatu area, and they are clearly marked on the menu. The raw zucchini pad thai is what I always order; it comes with a cashew cream sauce and a squeeze of lime that tastes unreal after a morning session. Their smoothie bowls are enormous and loaded with local fruit, the dragon fruit and banana combination is the one most people go back for.

The building itself is simple; open-air bamboo with a view of the cliffs and the surf break next door. It fills up fast around noon on surf days when the swell is running, so if you want a seat near the railing with the best view, get there before 11:30 AM. On Fridays they sometimes close early for a staff event, which has caught me out more than once. The connection to Uluwatu runs deep because this whole strip, from Padang Padang to Uluwatu temple cliff, has been a surf and hangout zone for decades, and FiJi sits right in the middle of it.

Local Insider Tip: Go on a weekday morning before the lunch rush and ask for the off-menu coconut yogurt parfait that they keep behind the counter. The regulars know about it but it is not listed anywhere.

Honestly, even if you are not a committed vegan, the plant based dishes here stand on their own. It is one of the few spots on the peninsula where a meat eater would never miss it.

2. Mana Uluwatu

Neighborhood: Pecatu Indah Resort area, along the road that runs between Uluwatu temple and New Kuta.

This is the one that most people mean when they talk about vegan restaurants Uluwatu. Mana is fully plant based and the kitchen takes it seriously, not as a token gesture but as a proper culinary philosophy. The mushroom rendang is the dish I recommend to anyone who is skeptical about a fully vegan menu; it comes with compressed rice and pickled vegetables and has a depth of flavor that rivals any traditional Balinese warung. Their jackfruit curry is another standout, rich and slightly smoky in a way that takes you by surprise.

The space is a two-story open-air restaurant with a pool on the ground floor and most of the seating upstairs. Upstairs gets the breeze and the natural light, but if thewind is strong the papers can blow around and it becomes a bit chaotic. The downstairs pool area is calmer and more shaded, though it does not get the same sunset glow in the late afternoon. I usually sit upstairs because the light is better for photos, but the noise from the kitchen carries up through the open plan space and it can get loud during dinner service on Saturday nights. Mana sits right in the heart of the Pecatu zone that has transformed over the past ten years from rice fields and quiet surf shacks into the most concentrated stretch of cool cafés and villas on the whole peninsula. Uluwatu used to be all about the surf break and the temple; now food is part of the draw.

Local Insider Tip: Ask your server about the daily special before you look at the printed menu. They often have a seasonal item, usually a salad or soup, that uses whatever came from the morning market and it is almost always better than something from the regular menu.

If you only visit one fully plant based restaurant while you are down here, make it this one. The portions are generous and the price is fair for the quality.

3. Peloton Supershop

Neighborhood: Bingin area, along the main access road that leads from the Bukit down to Bingin Beach.

Peloton Supershop is technically a health food café that caters to the CrossFit and functional fitness crowd that has settled around Bingin and Dreamland over the last several years. But the menu is almost entirely vegetarian or vegan, and the plant based food Uluwatu options here are genuinely creative. The vegan burger, made with a house-made black bean and mushroom patty on a brioche-style bun, is the thing I keep going back for. Their açai bowls are reliable, the coconut bowl with cacao nibs and bee pollen (non-vegan, theyhave a fully plant version with hemp seeds instead) is the one I always end up ordering. The cold-pressed juice menu changes depending on what is available at the Ubud organic market that morning.

Peloton fills up with a very specific crowd: fitness people, digital nomads on laptops, and yoga teacher trainees from one of the studios nearby. It gives the place a certain energy that is different from the surf-focused cafés further north. The Wi-Fi works well, which matters more than most people want to admit. My only real complaint is that the tables on the front veranda get very hot in the middle of the day from around 12 to 3 PM during the dry season, and there is not much shade out there once the sun is directly overhead. Peloton reflects a side of Uluwatu that has nothing to do with surfing. The southern Bukit has become a wellness hub, and this café sits right at the center of that scene.

Local Insider Tip: They restock their bakery case around 4 PM with whatever baked goods came out of the oven that afternoon. If you want the freshest banana bread or the sourdough toast, do not come at 9 AM; swing by in the late afternoon when the new batch lands.

It is not cheap by local standards, but you are paying for quality ingredients and a kitchen that cares about what it is doing. Worth every rupiah.

4. Samasti

Neighborhood: Padang Padang area, on the hill above the main road between Pecatu and Uluwatu temple.

Samasti is a boutique resort with a restaurant that has one of the most plant-forward menus on the peninsula. The restaurant is open to non-guests, which surprises a lot of people who assume it is only for people staying overnight. The space is gorgeous; low-slung bamboo structures that look out over the Padang Padang valley and the ocean beyond. The chef rotates the menu seasonally, but the coconut laksa has been a constant and it is probably the best version of that dish I have had in Bali. Rich, deeply spiced, with house-made plant-based protein that holds up beautifully in the broth.

Their dessert menu is on a different level. The raw cacao and avocado mousse tastes like something you would get in a fine dining restaurant in Melbourne or Copenhagen, not in a bamboo pavilion on a cliff in the Bukit Peninsula. The downside is that service can be slow when the resort is at full capacity. I have waited 40 minutes for a main course on a Saturday evening, and the staff were apologetic but clearly short-handed. Samasti sits on land that used to be covered in buffalo grass and dry scrub before the resort development wave hit Pecatu about eight years ago. The transformation of this entire hillside is one of the most dramatic physical changes in Uluwatu's recent history.

Local Insider Tip: Come for the set lunch rather than dinner. The prix fixe option is significantly cheaper than ordering à la carte and the kitchen uses the exact same ingredients. You get three courses for a fraction of the dinner price.

Samasti is the kind of place that makes you rethink what vegetarian food can be. It is not trying to be a vegan café; it is trying to be a great restaurant that happens to have extraordinary plant dishes.

5. The Loft

Neighborhood: Pecalu Indah area, just off the main road near the junction that leads down to Padang Padang.

The Loft is one of the original health food cafés in the Uluwatu area and it has been holding down its corner of Pecatu for years. The menu is about sixty percent vegetarian or vegan, and the meat free eating Uluwatu crowd treats this place as a default breakfast spot. The vegan big breakfast, with scrambled tofu, roasted mushrooms, sourdough, and a house-made cashew cheese, is the dish that built their reputation. Their coffee is brewed with almond milk by default if you ask, and they roast their own beans, which you can smell the moment you walk in.

The interior is open and airy with high ceilings and a mezzanine level that is good for getting work done on a laptop. The ground floor gets crowded quickly on Saturday and Sunday mornings, so if you do not want a wait, come on a weekday or before 8 AM on the weekend. One thing that bothers me is the parking situation; the lot is small and when there is a yoga class next door, you end up circling the block looking for a spot for ten minutes. The Loft has been part of the Pecatu community long enough to have watched the neighborhood evolve from a quiet backroad into something much busier. It operates like a neighborhood joint, and the staff remembers your order if you come in more than twice.

Local Insider Tip: They have a takeaway window on the side of the building that most people walk past. If you just want a smoothie or a juice and do not need to sit down, use it. The line is almost always shorter.

The Loft is unpretentious and reliable. You come here for a solid breakfast and good coffee, and that is exactly what you get.

6. Suka Espresso Padang Padang

Neighborhood: Padang Padang, right along the main strip between the temple access road and the beach parking area.

Suka Espresso started in Canggu, but the Padang Padang outpost has become a fixture in its own right. The menu is about half vegetarian and half vegan, and the kitchen is very clear about labeling allergens and which dishes are fully plant-based. The vegan pancakes with coconut cream and banana compote are soft, slightly dense, and genuinely satisfying. Their poke bowls with tofu instead of fish are well seasoned and come with a sesame-miso dressing that has a nice kick.

The space is compact and stylish in minimalist coastal Bali style, lots of white and light wood. Because it is small, you will almost certainly share a table with strangers during peak hours, which is either a social opportunity or a mild inconvenience depending on your mood. The biggest downside is that the wait for food can stretch past 25 minutes on busy mornings, and the staff, while friendly, do not always communicate wait times clearly. Suka reflects the broader wave of café culture that has moved south from Canggu and Kuta into Uluwatu over the past five years. It is part of the same network of plant-forward菜单 that has redefined eating on the Bukit Peninsula.

Local Insider Tip: They serve the same menu all day, so if you want the vegan pancakes at 3 PM you can have them. A lot of places in Uluwatu cut their breakfast menu at noon; Suka does not.

Suka is a reliable choice for a quick meal near the beach. The coffee is better than most and the plant based options are thoughtful, not afterthoughts.

7. Green Village Café

Neighborhood: Green Village area, along the ridge road that connects Ungasan to the Pecatu Indah estate.

Green Village is the residential complex built entirely from bamboo by the Ibuku design team, and the café that serves the community doubles as one of the more unusual plant based food Uluwatu spots in the area. The setting is extraordinary; you sit among these sweeping bamboo structures with views that stretch across the valley below. The menu is vegetarian-first with many vegan options, and the kitchen emphasizes local Balinese ingredients. The Balinese lawar made without meat, using green bean and grated coconut with traditional spice paste, gives you a taste of local cuisine that many visitors never get to try. It is lighter and more herbaceous than the version you find in a traditional lawar warung.

The cycling is experiential, a combination of architecture tour and meals, of a sort. The café is more of a bonus, a place for people who are already in the area to stop and refuel. I have been three times, and the experience has been different each time. The only warning I would give is that accessibility is limited. You need to either have your own scooter or arrange a ride. Public transport does not reach here and ride-hailing apps sometimes struggle with the exact GPS location. Green Village is one of the most architecturally significant developments in Uluwatu and has drawn international attention to the area since construction began around 2010. The village and its café demonstrate a totally different side of Uluwatu, one focused on design innovation and sustainable building rather than tourism or surfing.

Local Insider Tip: Check their social media the day before you plan to visit. The café sometimes closes for private events or filming and does not always update business directories.

The lawar alone is worth the trip. If you are in Uluwatu and want to eat something genuinely local without any meat, this is the place to do it.

8. Ours Café and Creative Space

Neighborhood: Pecatu Indah, on a side road near the cluster of yoga studios and villas that define the residential estate.

Ours is a project that functions as a café, an art gallery, and a co-working space, all wrapped into one. The menu is small but entirely vegetarian with numerous vegan options, and everything is made to order. The nasi campur with grilled tempeh, sambal matah, and a turmeric-tahini sauce is simple but perfectly executed. It tastes like something a Balinese grandmother might serve if she were also trained as a nutritionist. Their smoothies are blended with fresh young coconut water, and the mango-ginger combination is the one I always recommend to first-time visitors.

The atmosphere is creative and relaxed, with rotating art on the walls from local Balinese artists and a small library of books on Balinese culture and design that you can flip through while you wait. It is the kind of place where you arrive for a quick lunch and end up staying for three hours without meaning to. The only downside is that they close by mid-afternoon most days, usually around 4 PM, so it is not a dinner option. Ours represents what Pecatu has become over the last five to seven years; a hub for creatives, wellness practitioners, and people building alternative lives on the Bukit Peninsula. It sits right in the yoga-and-digital-nomad cluster that has reshaped the identity of Uluwatu away from just surf and temple tourism.

Local Insider Tip: Ask about the community board near the entrance. There are often flyers for local cooking classes, farmer's markets, and plant-based pop-ups that are not advertised online.

Ours is where I send friends who want to understand what modern Uluwatu feels like beyond the surf. It is small, intentional, and quietly excellent.

When to Go and What to Know

Uluwatu's café and restaurant scene runs on a rhythm that is different from the rest of Bali. The dry season, from roughly April to October, is when everything is easiest to reach. Roads are clear, parking is less chaotic, and outdoor seating stays comfortable. During the wet season, from November to March, the rain does not always last all day but it can turn the unpaved sections of the Pecatu roads into messy, rutted tracks that are hard on scooters. Always carry a rain jacket if you are heading down for lunch between December and February.

Most vegetarian and vegan-oriented places in Uluwatu are busiest on Saturday and Sunday mornings, when the yoga teacher training crowd and the villa-stayer brunch crowd converge. If you want a peaceful meal with no wait, aim for Tuesday through Thursday. Many of the plant based kitchens in the area source from organic markets in Ubud and Denpasar, so the freshest ingredients tend to arrive early in the week after the weekend deliveries. You can taste the difference between a Wednesday Buddha Bowl and a Saturday one.

Getting around the Bukit Peninsula still requires a scooter or a private driver for most visitors. Ride-hailing apps work in Uluwatu but availability drops significantly once you leave the main Pecatu-Uluwatu road. If you are planning to hit multiple spots in one afternoon, renting a scooter for the day is the most practical option. Just be aware that the roads in the Bukit are narrow, steep in places, and shared with trucks carrying construction materials for the ever growing villa developments. Drive carefully and wear a helmet; it is not optional and the checkpoints near Pecatu are real.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Uluwatu expensive to visit? Give a realistic daily budget breakdown for mid-tier travelers.

A mid-tier daily budget in Uluwatu runs around 600,000 to 900,000 Indonesian Rupiah, which is roughly 40 to 60 US dollars. A plant based lunch at a café like Mana or Peloton costs between 80,000 and 150,000 rupiah. Scooter rental is around 70,000 to 80,000 rupiah per night. Villa accommodation in Pecatu or Bingin ranges from 400,000 to 800,000 rupiah per night for a clean, well-located room with a pool. Add 50,000 to 100,000 rupiah for petrol, water, tips, and snacks.

Are there any specific dress codes or cultural etiquettes to keep in mind when visiting local spots in Uluwatu?

Somewhat. If you visit Pura Luhur Uluwatu temple, which many tourists do on the same day they eat at nearby cafés, you must wear a sarong and sash; these are provided at the temple entrance or you can bring your own. Inside local warungs and more traditional Balinese eateries, modest clothing is appreciated even if not strictly enforced. At the casual plant-based cafés in Pecatu or Bingin, attire is completely relaxed; board shorts and singlet tops are standard. Pointing with your left hand or stepping over food offerings in the street are considered disrespectful in Balinese Hindu culture.

How easy is it to find pure vegetarian, vegan, or plant-based dining options in Uluwatu?

Easier than almost anywhere else on Bali outside of Ubud. In the Pecatu, Bingin, Padang Padang, and Ungasan corridor, you can find fully plant-based restaurants, vegetarian-heavy cafés, and at least one vegan option on the menu at nearly every eating spot. Mana Uluwatu is fully vegan. FiJi, Suka Espresso, Peloton Supershop, The Loft, Ours, Samasti, and Green Village Café all have clearly marked vegan dishes. Traditional Balinese warungs can also prepare meat-free nasi campur or gorengan on request, though cross-contamination with shrimp paste is common unless you specify "tidak pakai terasi."

What is the one must-try local specialty food or drink that Uluwatu is famous for?

Es campur, the shaved ice dessert with coconut, syrup, condensed milk, and jelly or fruit, is widely available from street vendors around the Uluwatu temple area and along the Pecatu main road. Traditional versions are not vegan, but several cafés in the area now serve plant-based versions using coconut milk and palm sugar syrup. The Balinese lawar, a traditional dish of chopped vegetables, coconut, and spice paste, is another specialty that is worth trying in its vegetarian form. At Green Village Café, you can get a meat-free lawar made with green beans and fresh grated coconut. You should also try young coconut water; it is sold everywhere, costs around 15,000 to 25,000 rupiah, and is the most refreshing drink on the peninsula during the hot dry season.

Is the tap water in Uluwatu to drink, or should travelers strictly rely on filtered water options?

Tap water in Uluwatu is not safe to drink. This is consistent across all of Bali. All restaurants and cafés in the area use filtered or purified water for cooking and ice. Refillable glass bottles or filtered water jugs are standard at every café on this list. Carrying a reusable water bottle and refilling at restaurants or the many water refill stations in Pecatu costs almost nothing, typically 3,000 to 5,000 rupiah for a large refill. Buying single-use plastic bottles is becoming less common as the community pushes toward reducing plastic waste, partly driven by the eco-conscious culture that Uluwatu's wellness and surfing communities have adopted.

Share this guide

Enjoyed this guide? Support the work

Filed under: best vegetarian and vegan places in Uluwatu

More from this city

More from Uluwatu

Best Nightlife in Uluwatu: A Practical Guide to Going Out

Up next

Best Nightlife in Uluwatu: A Practical Guide to Going Out

arrow_forward