Street vendors peddling delicious local Balinese foods are a common sight on the streets of Bali. Many of my favourite Balinese foods are sold by street vendors, either from their street stalls or food carts. Street food sold on the streets of Bali, and in fact, all of Indonesia is varied, cheap and tasty.
Some tourists worry about hygiene and getting sick (Bali Belly) from the street foods. I eat street food all the time and don’t get sick; however, I have been eating it for years now. Furthermore, on my first visit to Bali in 2004, I did get ill, and it wasn’t pleasant. *It wasn’t street food that made me sick, as I hadn’t yet eaten from a food cart at that time.
I do think you will be missing out on a very yummy part of Bali if you skip eating the street foods, so here are a few tips for those wary, but wanting to try some of the delicious meals on offer.
- Eat where the locals eat.
- Eat during the popular eating times (busy time).
- Eat at the busy places – long lines usually mean satisfied customers and high food turnover = fresh.
- Buy from a vendor that specialises in one type of food – they will be replacing their fresh ingredients regularly.
- Hot food such as the bakso, soto ayam and sates are probably better to start with than the already packaged foods such as nasi campur and nasi jinggo.
- Use sanitising wet wipes to clean your hands and face before eating.
You cannot visit Bali without trying the sate. This is my favourite! Sate babi is skewered pork, cooked over a charcoal grill and served with peanut sauce and/or chilli sauce, and lontong (which are slices of compact rice cake). Sate also comes with different meat e.g. sate ayam (chicken), sate kambing (goat), sate sapi (beef) or sate ikan (fish).
2. Pisang Goreng
Fried banana! Bananas are sliced lengthways, battered and then deep-fried until golden brown on the outside, and soft, sweet and yummy on the inside.
3. Bakso
You can literally find bakso stalls everywhere in Bali, and there are many mobile basko carts still doing the rounds. This meatball soup is very popular with the locals and tourists alike. The bakso meatballs, typically made with finely ground meat and tapioca flour, are usually served in a beef broth with noodles, tofu, vegetables and crispy wonton. Sauces can be added for flavour if you choose.
4. Nasi Campur
Nasi campur translates to “mixed rice”. You can purchase nasi campur from street carts where it is served in a small package containing rice and a selection of other dishes, including meat, tofu, vegetables, peanuts and egg.
5. Nasi Jenggo
Similar to nasi campur, nasi jenngo differs only in the inclusion of chilli sauce (from what I can tell). It is served in a banana leaf and contains white or yellow rice along with a selection of side dishes, including fried tempeh, chicken, vegetable and chilli sauce.
6. Soto Ayam
Chicken soup! This famous chicken soup can be found all over Bali in food stalls and street carts. It is a spicy chicken broth which contains chicken, noodles and egg.
More Information
Currency
IDR – Indonesian Rupiah is written here as Rp
Motorbike Hire
We hired a 150cc scooter in Kuta for Rp480,000 for 6 days. That was Rp80,000 / day. Approximately AUD 7.80 or USD 5.90 / day.
Accommodation
We typically book our accommodation through booking.com. We like the convenience of booking online, and we are usually able to pay for our accommodation on arrival at the hotel/resort or room. booking.com advertise many different accommodation styles in Bali, so you are sure to find the perfect place.
Munduk Accommodation
Cost – Rp300,000 / night (AUD 29.00)
Pros – Beautiful location with lovely views. Wonderful, helpful staff. Good size room with a comfortable bed, bedside tables, lamps and lots of pillows. The window opens, the bed has a mozzie net. No need for a fan or A/C. Terrace with a seating area. Breakfast served daily on the terrace. Breakfast limited to four choices, but delicious. My favourite was the Pisang Rai! Lots of storage space for luggage and clothes. Laundry service was convenient and very cheap ( Rp15,000 / kg – AUD 1.45 / kg)
Cons – We ran out of hot water in the shower once or twice.
Our Verdict – This accommodation doesn’t include fridge, kettle, TV or A/C… but they were not really needed. The lovely staff made us tea and coffee when we needed it. It was a perfect place to use as a base for exploring the waterfalls, lakes and mountains – and quite pleasant for a relaxing getaway.
Kuta Accommodation
Cost – Rp180,000 / night (AUD 17.50)
Pros – Close to airport, but too far for most to walk. Pool, breakfast available, wardrobe, A/C. Has restaurants nearby.
Cons – TV has poor reception and no English channels. Room, and bathroom in particular, very tired and worn.
Our Verdict – Close to the airport and comfortable enough. Having since stayed at Chillin Kuta Homestay I would choose it over Anika next time.
Cost – Rp 210,000/ night (AUD 20.00)
Pros – Very close to the airport. We walked to the airport for our 01.00 flight. Comfortable room with A/C, bedside tables, lamps and cushions.
Cons – No fridge, kettle and no bathroom sink!
Our Verdict – Only suitable for a short stay. Extremely convenient for arriving from or going to the airport.
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