4 Best Restaurants in North Bali, Indonesia

Enjoy Japanese, Indonesian, or Western dishes at Café Teras Lempuna, a versatile restaurant that meticulously prepares every dish to showcase vegetables grown in the nearby hills. The chicken salad has the usual greens, tomatoes, and broiled chunks of chicken, then mixes it up with carrots, string beans, cauliflower, and anything else that happens to be in season. Eat in the cozy dining room with a European bistro feel or on the terrace overlooking the precisely trimmed garden with a lempuna palm tree at the center. Café Teras Lempuna makes a memorable lunch stop for Bedugul day trips, or stay over and come back for dinner.

Overlooking Lovina, this boutique resort serves remarkably tasty food around its stunning pool. Lunch focuses on burgers, sandwiches, and salads. At dinner, Damai shifts into high gear: showstoppers include exquisitely marinated and seared tuna tetaki and broiled jackfruit steak, the latter a must for vegans and vegeterians. Damai raises much of what it serves, from produce to pigeons, so the menus follow what's in season. Most dishes have local touches among the imaginative accompaniments, such as chili tapenade. If no tables are available, drink in mountain air and a cocktail by the campfire at sunset.

Fight the mountain chill at Meme Surung, which serves a savory house soup that combines vegetables, noodles and tofu in a clear broth. Main dishes are Indonesian and Balinese favorites. Meme Surung's ayam sambal matah (chicken with onions, shallots, and chili) produces the fresh flavor the dish is meant to have. Finish with Indonesia's favorite sweet snack of fried bananas or Balinese black rice pudding and a pot of local coffee. Meme Surung also has 11 simple guest rooms with private bath—either way it's a real taste of Bali.

A cut above what you usually find in Lovina, the Spice Beach Club delivers ambitious cuisine and lovely views of the ocean. Amid the aqua-and white-décor on its breezy beachside terrace, the place serves sandwiches and salads for lunch, plus an all-day dinner menu of seafood, steaks, and international dishes, including Greek specialties ranging from souvlaki to stuffed grape leaves. The beach club, open to all diners, has lounge chairs and umbrellas, and a pool where you can soak up the sun. With a DJ or band five nights a week, Spice Beach Club aims to raise the dining and nightlife game in Lovina.