A Practical Guide to Bali
Bali has become one of the most popular destinations in the world for vegan travel, and it is easy to see why. The island offers a strong mix of fully plant based restaurants, naturally vegan local dishes, and a café culture that makes eating well simple in most areas.
This guide brings together the best places to eat and explore across Bali based on ongoing experience and research, along with past trips and planned return visits. It is designed to be practical, current, and easy to use whether you are visiting for the first time or returning again.
We originally shared a guide to vegan travel in Bali in 2020 and later explored specific areas such as Canggu in 2024. This updated version brings everything together into a more complete and modern overview of the island for vegan travellers.
Why Bali Works So Well for Vegan Travel
Bali stands out because vegan travel here is not limited to specialty restaurants. It is built into the broader food culture in a way that makes plant based eating feel easy in everyday situations.
Many traditional Indonesian dishes are naturally plant based or can be made vegan with small adjustments. Meals based around rice, vegetables, tofu, and tempeh are widely available, and once you are aware of a few common ingredients like fish sauce, shrimp paste, or egg, navigating local menus becomes fairly straightforward.
Alongside this, Bali has developed a strong café and wellness culture that has supported the growth of fully vegan and plant forward restaurants across the island. These range from simple, casual spots to more elevated dining experiences, often using local ingredients in a thoughtful but accessible way.
What makes this combination work so well is the flexibility it creates. You are not choosing between eating local food or eating vegan food. You can move between both naturally, often within the same day and within the same area. It makes the experience feel open and varied without requiring much planning.
Best Places to Eat in Bali
Ubud
Ubud remains one of the strongest areas for vegan food in Bali. The focus here is less about trends and more about depth, ingredients, and experience.
Zest Ubud is one of the most consistently recommended spots. It offers a creative menu in a setting that feels relaxed and intentional. It is the kind of place that fits easily into both casual meals and planned dining experiences.
Moksa Plant-based Cuisine & Permaculture Garden offers a different pace entirely. It is quieter, more grounded, and closely connected to local growing practices. It is especially appealing for those who want a deeper connection between food and environment.
Kismet Restaurant & Lounge is a strong example of this. It provides a more refined setting with a clear plant based focus, where attention is given to both flavour and plating. It works particularly well for a dinner where the experience feels as important as the food itself, with a slightly more elevated pace compared to the casual cafés found in other parts of the island.
Ubud as a whole feels more refined than in previous years, with fewer novelty focused spots and more restaurants that focus on quality and consistency.
Canggu
Canggu is one of the busiest areas for vegan food in Bali, with a high concentration of cafés and restaurants. The challenge here is not finding options, but choosing where to go.
The Shady Shack remains a reliable choice. It is casual, consistent, and works well for breakfast or lunch without needing much planning.
Secret Spot is a relaxed café offering a range of plant based friendly options in a casual setting. It is less focused on fully vegan cuisine than some of Ubud’s more dedicated spots, but works well as an easy, unfussy stop during the day.
I Am Vegan Babe is one of the more popular fully plant based restaurants in the area, known for generous portions, comfort style dishes, and a lively Canggu atmosphere.
Canggu overall is best approached with selection in mind. The variety is strong, but not every spot stands out equally.
Because of this, we provide a curated list of our favourite places to eat in Canggu for Getaway Co. guests, focusing on spots that consistently deliver in terms of food, experience, and overall value.
Seminyak
Seminyak offers a more polished dining experience compared to other areas, with fewer fully vegan restaurants but a stronger focus on presentation, atmosphere, and overall dining experience.
Café Organic is still widely known and visually appealing, though it leans more toward café culture than culinary depth. It remains popular, but experiences can vary depending on expectations.
Tasty Vegan is a hidden garden style restaurant offering fully vegan Indonesian and international dishes in a calm, tucked away setting that feels removed from the main streets.
Vrindavan is a refined Indian vegetarian restaurant offering a fully vegan friendly menu in a calm, elegant setting that focuses on traditional flavours and consistent quality.
Beyond individual restaurants, Seminyak tends to feel more curated overall. Menus are often broader, spaces are designed with aesthetics in mind, and there is generally a stronger emphasis on atmosphere and service. While there are fewer fully vegan spots compared to Ubud or Canggu, many places offer solid plant based options that are easy to navigate once you know what to look for.
Seminyak is generally better suited for planned meals rather than casual exploration. It is an area where choosing a specific restaurant in advance tends to lead to a better overall experience, especially for dinner.
Traditional Vegan Friendly Dishes
One of the strengths of eating in Bali is how many local dishes can naturally fit a vegan diet when ordered correctly.
Common options include dishes built around vegetables, rice, tofu, and tempeh. Tempeh in particular is a key ingredient in Indonesian cuisine and appears in many forms across the island, from simple stir fries to more traditional preparations that highlight its texture and flavour. It is one of the easiest ways to experience local food while staying plant based.
Many dishes are also adaptable once you understand the base ingredients. Nasi based meals, vegetable curries, and noodle dishes can often be made vegan with small adjustments, and it is common for restaurants and warungs to customise meals when asked.
The main consideration is communication, as some dishes may include fish sauce, egg, or shrimp paste unless specified otherwise. Learning a few simple phrases or clearly stating dietary preferences makes a noticeable difference and opens up far more options than it may seem at first.
Once this is understood, eating locally becomes very accessible and often one of the most enjoyable parts of travelling in Bali, especially when combined with the island’s strong café culture and fully vegan restaurants.
What to Know Before You Go
Bali is highly accommodating for vegan travellers, but a few small details can make the experience noticeably easier and more enjoyable.
Communication around food is one of the most important parts. Many Indonesian dishes are naturally plant based or can be made that way, but ingredients like shrimp paste, fish sauce, or egg are often used in traditional cooking. In busier tourist areas, restaurants are used to dietary requests, so simple phrases like no fish sauce or no egg are usually understood. In smaller local spots, pointing to ingredients or using a translation app can help avoid confusion.
It also helps to stay open to different types of dining. Some of the best meals come from fully vegan cafés that are common in areas like Ubud, Canggu, and Seminyak, while other memorable experiences come from small warungs that are willing to adjust dishes on the spot. The variety is part of what makes eating in Bali feel so dynamic.
Each area has a slightly different rhythm. Ubud tends to feel more relaxed and consistent, with a strong focus on health conscious menus and calm dining spaces. Canggu has a wider range of trendy cafés and international influences, though quality can vary more from place to place. Seminyak leans toward style and presentation, with more polished restaurants and resort style dining.
Getting around is straightforward but can take longer than expected. Distances that look short on a map often take more time due to traffic, especially between popular areas. It is often easier to group activities and meals within the same neighbourhood rather than moving across the island in one day.
For entry, many travellers use a Visa on Arrival, which is commonly available at the airport or can sometimes be arranged in advance depending on current rules. It usually allows a short stay and can often be extended if needed. Entry requirements can change, so it is worth checking official updates close to your departure date to make sure everything is current before travelling.
Final Thoughts
Bali has a way of feeling familiar and new at the same time. For vegan travellers, it is one of the easiest places to move through day to day, not because everything is labelled perfectly, but because there is a natural flexibility in how food is approached and shared.
Beyond the practical side, part of the experience is learning to slow down into the rhythm of each area. Ubud often encourages a more intentional pace, where meals feel tied to wellbeing and atmosphere. Canggu brings energy and variety, with something different on every corner if you are willing to explore. Seminyak feels more curated, where dining is as much about setting as it is about food.
What stands out most is how much the experience shifts depending on how you choose to engage with it. Some days are spent in fully vegan cafés, other days lead to small local warungs where simple adjustments open up the menu in unexpected ways. That mix is what gives Bali its depth for plant based travellers.
Bali is also where it all began for us, and it continues to hold a special place in our journey. It feels only fitting that we return as part of the Getaway Co. line up for the Tempeh Nation Celebration in 2026, reconnecting with the island that has shaped so much of how we experience and share plant based travel!
For more journeys like this, take a look at our Upcoming Getaways and see what is coming next.
