I decided to come to Bali this winter to have a "workation" and to see for my self why so many people choose to come to Bali to live like digital nomads. And after just two days, I totally GOT IT!
THIS IS FIRST OF ALL HEAVEN FOR VEGANS!! and health freaks in general! As simple and fantastic as that!
So the list will be long (YEI!), and I will update it as I eat my way through this little gem of a village in the middle of Bali, packed with yoga studios, healthy eateries, scooters, stray dogs (poor things), monkeys, tourists, and super friendly Balinese people.
The places below are in random order, and listed as I discover them. Okey, lets go!
Nr 1. Sayuri Healing Food
Raw vegan food, raw food chef trainings
Ubud Village
I was lucky enough to visit Bali just when they where hosting one of their many raw food courses, so Im very happy that I was abel to learn some new tricks and skills while I was here.
The place/restaurant was pretty much packed from the morning until the evening, filled with healthy looking people of all ages and nationalities. The menu is pretty large, so here you will definitively find dishes to sooth any type of craving. Because I was attending the course, I ate what we made there, and holy macaroni, it was so tasty!
Here you see some of the dishes we made; Sushi, carrot cake, burger, cheeze platter, "seafood" dish
Nice and international group of people from all over the world: Norway, Sweden, Germany, Chech Republic, Bulgaria, China, Phillipines, Spain, Mexico, Poland.
Nr 2. Elixir
100% vegan - Breakfast, Bowls, Lunch, Dinner, Pizza, Sweets, Cakes
Ubud Village
Instagram: elixircafeubud
I discovered this place purely by accident, and what an amazing discovery it was!
The place is simply stunning; great ambiance, open, airy, light, green with lots of fresh plants, chick, and OH so Instagram friendly. Every angle is a good angle!
I told the staff before even sitting down the first time; Ill come back here a lot! I visited twice the day I discovered it, and I sure went back for more!
I went back for a few times, so I had a green smoothie bowl, a creamy mushroom sandwich with spinach, and panfried pineapple and vanilla ice cream
Nr 3. BLU Café & Restaurant
100% vegan - Go there for the smoothie bowls! They are masterpieces, all of them!
Ubud Village
Instagram: blucafeubud
This place is such a hidden gem, and actually one of the reasons why I wanted to come to Bali. (not joking) The place is well-hidden and can be accessed from the Ubud market, or from the Monkey Forrest road. You will be accompanied by three lovely cats that seemed to live there, and they were just so cute; Chilling in the sofa in one minute, and playing and bouncing around the next. It was such a nice experience to see the playful little darlings while enjoying the most beautiful smoothie bowl I have ever seen in my life! The friendly waitress gave me a smoothie bowl "loyalty" card, which I will use for sure! (my excitement was easily detectable)
I mean, look at this masterpiece!
Nr 4. Lazy Cats Cafe
Vegetarian / Vegan Restaurant
Just in the outskirts of Ubud Village
Instagram: lazycatscafe
This place is such a gem! And OH so Instagram friendly! The interior is rustic and cool, and instagrammers love it. As did i!
Their meny is pretty large, offering all sorts of stuff. I was feeling hungry, so I went for the portobello mushroom burger. The portobello was fried, and it didn´t taste too much to be honest. But the stuff that came with it, did. Spicy, fresh and tasty! So I left full and happy :-)
Nr 5. Seeds of Bali
Raw food cafe & Taoist Tonic Bar
Ubud Village
Instagram: seedsoflifebali
This great cafe is placed in a quiet street in the middle of Ubud center. I came here in the morning, so I went for the traditional breakfast. And holy moly, Im happy I did! This is simply the tastiest raw breakfast I have ever tasted! I was scrambled corn, marinated mushrooms, marinara sauce, spinach, and eggplant "bacon". SO TASTY!
Nr 6. Akasa / New Earth Haven
Restaurant, elixir bar and high vibrational bliss.
Instagram: newearthhaven, akashabali
So, how can I describe this place? Well, the pictures really dont do it any justice, but I tried! I went here for a cacao ceremony and ecstatic dance, and the venue was just perfect for it. Truly a very special night. The food there was really good too! Not 100% veggie, but I decided to include them anyway! The venue just has to been seen!
Nr. 7 Sage
Vibrant Vegan Cuisine
Outskirts of Ubud Village, behind the Monkey Forrest
Instagram: sagebali
What a beautiful and serene place this is. Its located just behind the The Monkey Forrest, so its easy to get there by foot. The menu is large, with all sorts of yammi dishes, and I was lucky enough to pick the jackfruit taco, which is pretty much the BEST taco I have ever had. The picture does not do this dish any justice, so I suggest you go there and try it out for yourself.
Nr. 8 Earth Café
Organic Plant-based Café & Health Market
Ubud Village
Instagram: earthcafebali
www.earthcafebali.com
As the cafe is the first vegan restaurant in Bali, I felt it was mandatory to go there. Its right in the middle of Ubud center, so it easy to get there. I went there after a long hike, so I was starving! So I went for the seitan burger. It was a good choice :-) I also had a raw food cake after...mm....
Nr. 9 Zest
We´re here to add flavors to your life and bring that Zesty spark that will light up your day.
Just in the outskirt of Ubud Village, in the hill side.
Instagram: zestubud
www.zestubud.com
Now this place, people, feels like THE Mothership of vegan cuisine in Ubud. The vibe, the interior, the events, the food - If i could move in there, I would. The menu is massive, and I went there only at night, so again, the pics do not do the food justice at all, so just go there and experience it for your self. Try everything on the menu, stay there as long as you can, and soak up the chilled vibe. The first time I tried the amazing pasta, the second time a party/raw food platter. VERY tasty! Oh, they events of pretty frequently, so check out their event calendar on their website. Sunday night was pretty cool, if you are into music and feel like dancing like nobody is watching :-)
Nr. 10 The Yoga Barn
A place for self-discovery, healing and renewal.
Ubud Village
Instagram: theyogabarn
This one of the most popular yoga centers in Ubud, and its easy to understand why. Its packed with fun and interesting classes from morning to evening, every day. I went for weekly Kundalini classes and meditations, and enjoyed breakfast in their garden café afterwards which always was a good idea :-)
Nr. 11 Bycafe
One day I decided to visit one of the biggest tourist traps outside Ubud, the Tegallalang Rice Terrace. The place is nice, extremely touristy, but hey, as long as animals are not the attraction, its fine by me.
Anyway, being in the country side, I did not expect to find any vegan restaurants around, so I had a big breakfast before I left. To my big surprise, I was wrong! Just when I was about to leave the rice fields, I discovered a huge sign near the parking lot! WTF? am I seeing this? It was a huge sign with a PETA commercial (thank you!), and next to it a sign for a vegan/vegetarian restaurant. So of course i went to check it out! As I had just eaten, I didnt try anything on the menu, but it all looked pretty yummi to me. So go check it out! Im not sure what the restaurant is called, but its basically in the hillside next to the Tegallalang rice field.
The list goes on....
Okey, there are many more places to visit, but there is just so much time one can spend on tracking down places every day. So this is how far I got this time around, but ill leave you with names of some other places with good vegan options to check out too:
KAFE, Mudra Cafe, Moksa, Dumbo, Elephant, Sopa, Nandini Veg, Atmans, and many more...
GO; ENJOY; EVERY MINUTE; EVERY BITE!
And dont leave anything behind but your footprints ..
CANGGU
I was only in Canggu for a couple of days, and was pretty busy, but I was lucky to find these two amazing places; One super healthy n vibrant, the other the ultimate fast food place! Go check them out!
Nr 1. Shady Shack
Very popular healthy restaurant - mostly veg/vegan
Instagram: theshadyshack
This is the cutest little restaurant ever, placed in an adorable tree house, overlooking the green rice fields just off the main street in Canggu. The menu was pretty extensive with lots of healthy options to sooth any type of food craving.
We went for a bowl, a lasagne and sweet potato gnocchi. All very tasting!
Nr. 2 Plant Cartel
100% plantbased - better for you, better for the planet
Instagram: plantcartel
This place is the ultimate fast food place! Lots of choices between burgers, nachos, tacos, bowls and desserts; Super tasty varieties of all the classics, just vegan! I tried their most popular burger, the double Pleese burger! with fried jackfruit "popcorn" with a spicy mayo on the side! ...and vanilla ice-cream with brownie bites..... and donuts with chocolate sauce.. And I would, with 100% certainty, order this meal again! maybe with only one dessert next time :-D