New cafes and restaurants in Bali continually pop up like mushrooms in the rainy season. There is an enormous variety of food available and endless dining possibilities. Bali caters for every taste, from street-food served out of boxes balanced on bicycles and prepared at the roadside, to gourmet cuisine found in world-class restaurants. Food stalls and tiny street-side restaurants are known as ‘Warung’ or ‘Rumah Makan’ (literally ‘eating house’) and much of the Indonesian cuisine has been influenced by the early Chinese, Indian, Arabic, and Dutch traders and settlers. Customers choose a selection of dishes to make up a composite meal in the Warung.
International restaurants can also be found in abundance in Bali, and the range of style, setting, ambiance, and, of course, the cuisine is huge, with often extensive menus. Glamorous buildings or romantic, open-air Balinese pavilions serve fabulous food from Australia, Europe, The Mediterranean, Italy, France, Holland, Mexico, Asia, India, China, Japan, Thailand, Bali, and the Indonesian archipelago. Five-star resorts boast magnificent restaurants and top international chefs whose luscious creations not only feature premium imported ingredients, but also the high quality, fresh, and organic produce of this fertile little island. Fine wines from around the world are readily available, albeit rather expensive.
Other cafes and restaurants in Bali introduce further dimensions of flavor by specializing in seafood, comfort food, vegetarian and vegan cuisine, or a touch of fusion. Many of the cafes and restaurants in Bali have their own bakeries on the premises, serving some delicious bread, pastries, and gateaux.
