Canggu Bali: Affordable Culinary Journey
Hand on your heart – who is not spending most of the money on food or drinks? Sitting in fancy cafés, sipping on a latte (or whatever) with oat milk while eating a smoothie bowl became one of the most expensive trends our generation. Firstly we totally forget that at the same time the real culture of the country is somewhere completely else, secondly we could invest our money so much better. Don’t get me wrong – I even do it by myself and I really enjoy it. But I think, as for every part in life, it’s all about balance. Combining these places with affordable local restaurants and cooking at home helps me to decrease my expenditures and raise my savings for my travels in the long run. So let’s go: I want to share same local spots in Canggu Bali with you guys you can enjoy (sometimes – not everyday) without bad conscience and the knowledge that you are not spending more on food than on your monthly rent.
My Favorite: Warung Varuna (Jl. Pantai Batu Bolong No.89x, Canggu, Kec. Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali)
The Good Alternative: Warung Bu Mi (Jl. Pantai Batu Bolong No.52, Canggu, Kec. Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361)
It can get quite busy at Varuna sometimes, especially around lunch (1pm) and dinner (8pm) time. A good alternative just around the corner is Warung Bu Mi. The price is basically the same, just the seating options can’t compare with my favorite once as it’s quite small and the interior reminds me of an old canteen at school. Therefore I would not choose it for a sexy date night, especially as you would probably not hear half of the conversation. However it serves its purpose – as the food is cheap and good in quality.
The Healthy Option: Warung Local (Jl. Pantai Batu Bolong No.10, Canggu, Kec. Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361)
The third place was actually introduced to me by one of my best friends in Canggu Bali. It’s a cute blue venue so it fits perfectly for a girls meet-up. Furthermore, if you are on a healthy fitness trip (as basically everyone here) you should not miss this out: You can literally taste the freshness of the ingredients at this place as they are using less oil to cook it in. For a vegetarian like me, there are even a lot of different options you can not find anywhere else. For example I highly recommend the pumpkin and jackfruit curry. I know – the last mentioned tastes most of the time like nothing – but at Warung Local they conjure the shit out of that weird fruit. Combine this with the peanut sauce (2.000 IDR extra, around 32.000 IDR in total) and you will feel like you’re in heaven sitting on fluffy pillows and surrounded by fairy lights.
The Pretty One: Warung Sika (Jl. Tanah Barak No.45, Canggu, Kec. Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80351)
I am person who is attached to the importance how the food looks like and in which way it’s been served. Accordingly I believe in – we eat with our eyes! Warung Sika understands the importance of this concept. That’s why you’re eating your chosen food here in an Indonesian way from banana leaves and huge straw baskets. Even the view out of the restaurant speaks for itself. Surrounded by the noise of motor bikes in Canggu Bali most of the time, this spot gives you a break out of the business although it is located super central. So enjoy a beautiful rice terrace and palm trees as you would spend calm time in Ubud. Okay, we are not going to start the discussion now about what’s the better place between those two in Bali, so let’s continue.
The Posh One: Ithaka Warung (Jl. Pantai Batu Bolong No.168, Canggu, Kec. Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80351)
This Warung actually differentiates itself from the previous once as it is not designed in a buffet kind of style. You have a proper menu and service here which also affects the price of the food. For example Gado Gado, a typical Indonesian salad made of tempeh, vegetables and peanut sauce starts with 60.000 IDR. In compare to my other recommendations it’s obviously pricy, but it’s so good and worth it why it’s going to be my favorite dish for ever and longer. They even offer a lot of breakfast options, western infused food, soups, curies and tapas all served in high quality kitchenware made of wood to set it up in a fancy and attractive way. So I would suggest to come here with someone if you have a special occasion (we all know what I mean) or you just want to enjoy the roof top restaurant with an ocean view located 50 meters away from the beach (super combinable with watching a romantic sunset before by the way).
The Local Market: Pasar Berawa (942X+7F9, Jl. Canggu Permai, Tibubeneng, Kec. Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361 )
Last but not least one of my absolute secret tips: I am going to this local market located in Berawa Canggu at least once per week for buying fruits and vegetables here. Please don’t do the mistake of spending all you money at Pepito, Frestive and so on. Before I knew that place I felt in that trap and I bought my loved pineapple I eat almost everyday at those tourist supermarkets – well I got almost an heart attack. So I thought that can’t be it. Where are all the local people buying their stuff? And tadaaaa (@Odie, I am dying of laugh) that’s the solution. You can get even so much more here, from clothes to cleaning supplies if needed. But the taste of the fruits is insanly fresh and the price is ridiculous low. For example I lost only 50.000 IDR on a whole pineapple, mango, a dragonfruit, papaya and bananas here. Just for the comparison again: That is only 3 Euro. In Germany you can feel lucky if you can find one of these fruits for that price and even then you would have a really good day. So, this market is literally the shit and gives you the option to even buy more stuff for yourself and cook more times at home – where we would be back at the beginning of the whole story.
Hope that helps you guys a little bit, and as I said: It’s all about balance – eat that cake because life is too short!
