Living in a Vegan's Paradise

The menu at Paradiso Ubud

When traveling, you often have to forgo the expectation you'll be adhering to any semblance of a healthy diet. The variety of cuisine to sample, the transience of leftovers, and the whole sticking-to-a-budget thing usually take precedence over watching what you eat. There is, however, one place where this is decidedly not the case: the cultural capital of the island of Bali, Ubud.

Living in a Vegan's Paradise: The Dining Scene in Ubud, Bali

Ubud is the Western spiritual mecca popularized by the book Eat, Pray, Love, and as a result their Warungs (Bhasa Indonesia for restaurant) now cater to a particularly alternative lifestyle. A stroll around the center of the village will take you past scores of small restaurants offering every kind of cuisine: Japanese, Mexican, every variety of Asian you could imagine, and even American. But the most notable are the restaurants catering to vegans and vegetarians, which are high in volume and low in price. Here are a few of my favorite:

The Paradiso Movie Theater. The first time I went to this place, I didn’t believe the deal they offered was real. With films playing almost every night, a ticket costs 50k Rupiah and is redeemable for…50k rupiah worth of food and drink. At current exchange rates, that’s $3.98 for a movie and, well, $3.98 credit towards your dinner. The Paradiso bills itself as the first organic vegetarian cinema in the world, and even if this isn’t particularly true, they sure have something for everyone’s taste. Check out these highlights:

Tempeh Tuna Pocket: Marinated Tempeh with Apple, Ginger and Miso Tahini dressing pocketed in a Whole Meal Pita topped with Alfalfa Sprouts; 49k rupiah or $3.91
Lemon Rosemary Tofu Wrap: Baked Tofu in Lemon and Rosemary, Roasted Vegetable and Walnut Pesto Wrapped in Whole Meal Burrito; 69k rupiah, or $5.50
Chickpea Burger: Chickpea Protein Burger, baked and served on our home made Wholemeal Roll with Tofu Herb spread, Matbucha (Moroccan Red Pepper Salad), Shredded Carrot, Beets, Onions & Avocado; 59k rupiah, or $4.70
Spaghetti with Seitan Meatballs: Whole Wheat Noodle with Seitan Meatballs & Tomato Sauce; 79k rupiah, or $6.30
Exotic Tempeh or Tofu: Cooked in Coconut Milk & Lemongrass Sauce, served with Brown Rice, Garlic, Sautéed Kalian Greens & Pickled Salad of the Day; 75k rupiah, or $5.98

Dewa Warung. This is a small, hole in the wall restaurant situated up a steep set of stairs. There are a few tables that become communal during the lunchtime and dinnertime rush, and it’s a great place to meet and greet with fellow travelers while eating a delicious and healthy meal for cheap. This was my favorite meal:

Mixed Vegetable Salad (appetizer): 10k rupiah
Rice, Beans & Grated Coconut: 10k rupiah
Papaya Juice: 8k rupiah
Bali Coffee: 5k rupiah

This comes to a grand total of…33k rupiah, or $2.63 for a “four-course”, vegan friendly, healthy meal. Nothing on the menu (aside from the Balinese Smoked Duck, a decidedly vegan-unfriendly dish) costs more than 25k rupiah, or about $2.00. This was easily my favorite restaurant for cuisine, health, and price.

Kismet. A bit more on the trendy, expensive side (dishes being $5-10), Kismet is like an Italian café catering to the health-conscious. One of my favorite meals is the tempeh salad: not know what in the world tempeh was before coming to Ubud, I fell in love and by the time I left it was one of my go-to dishes. I can only describe it as an unlikely cross between peanuts and tofu, and while it sounds crazy, it’s delicious and vegan-friendly as hell. P.S. Tempeh is a derivation of the soybean, binding it into a cake form. It’s crunchy, delicious, and packed with protein.

Deyu’s Warung. Super cheap, and super delicious. They serve traditional Indonesian foods such as Nasi Goreng (brown or red rice, mixed vegetables, tempeh or tofu, egg, stick tempeh) and a wide mix of salads and vegetarian foods, but the biggest draw here is easily their vegan carrot cake: quite literally, to die for.

Soma Café Ubud. A bit more “expensive” by Balinese standards, but well worth it for the atmosphere. With guitars and instruments sitting around just waiting for you to play them, this little café set in a beautiful garden backdrop is the perfect place to while away a Sunday afternoon.

Bali Buda. A small grocery-type store on Jalan Jambawan across from the Post Office, Bali Buda is a great resource for healthy eating: stocking everything from gluten-free corn muffins to organic Balinese chocolate and every product in-between (including organic spinach chips!), you’re sure to find something here that meets your dietary needs.

Now that you have a run-down of the restaurants with some of the best vegetarian options in Bali, you’ll be happy to know that Indonesian cuisine itself is very amenable towards vegans and vegetarians, so really wherever you go you’ll be accommodated. Some of the more prevalent vegetarian dishes that you’ll find at virtually every restaurant include:

Indonesian staples are also Nasi Goreng (rice with mixed vegetables) and Nasi Campur (noodles with mixed vegetables). The streets and markets are teeming with fresh vegetables and fruits, and some of my favorites are papaya, snakeskin fruit, and the mini-bananas…you won’t be finding many apples in Ubud.

Even if you aren’t vegetarian or vegan, the food scene in Ubud has something for you to try. I’m not a picky eater, but I’ll try anything that’s put in front of me and I relished every new dish I had the opportunity to try, even picking up a few recipes in the process. The Balinese take pride in their culinary skills, and for many opening a restaurant is the road to a better lifestyle. It’s a place where you can feel OK about eating out for every meal: it’s cheap, it’s healthy, and you are supporting the local economy!

The Rice, Beans & Grated Coconut at Dewa Warung...$0.80

Dewa Warung Menus

Kismet's Tempeh Salad...or what's left of it

Bali Buda's Gluten Free Cornbread (c.) & Spinach Chips (r.)

Cap Cay. (pronounced Chaup Chai). rice cooked with garlic sauce, oyster sauce, and thickened with corn starch

Black Rice Pudding. It can be made with coconut milk or regular milk, so be sure to ask.

Free breakfast comes at most homestays--fresh fruit, banana pancakes, egg jaffle, coffee and tea--it seems endless!

Bali Buda's Chok Chok Chocolate