Being vegetarian in Bali is pretty easy especially if you eat the local fare and like your soya derivatives. However, the food can often be kind of the same in every place, especially restaurants geared towards tourists. What's more, local restaurants might think fish or just removing the meat is fine for a veggie. Luckily, there are many veggie and vegan options in most areas with Ubud being the mecca of plant-based dining! Nusa Penida, despite only having developed a variety of options for dining out since 2019, is slowly seeing more and more vegan and veggie-friendly or pure plant-based eateries opening up.
Here is a list of some of our favourites. They made the list because they have a varied and interesting selection of dishes without any animal products but also have original and creative options filled with various veggies (so not just tofu and sauce ;))
Vegan vegetarian dishes you can get anywhere in Bali/Nusa Penida
Before we dive into our list of restaurants, we thought we'd give you a quick heads-up on local dishes that are vegan and that you will find pretty much anywhere.
Gado Gado: Steamed veggies with peanut sauce
Mie Goreng/nasi goreng 'vegetarian' or 'tanpa daging': fried noodle or rice vegetarian or 'without meat'
Cap cay vegetarian / tanpa daging: mixed veggies, often in a broth (ask if the broth is veggie or if they added oyster sauce)
Urap (or spelt urab): Balinese 'salad': grated coconut on green beans often with bean sprouts, grated carrots etc. Vegetables are usually cooked.
Tempe manis: tempe (compacted fermented soya bean) chopped in o small pieces and cooked in sweet soya sauce (kecap manis)
Tempe or tofu curry (kare): coconut milk base curry with tempe or tofu
Vegan Soul Kitchen
The original vegan restaurant in Nusa Penida. Vegan Soul Kitchen has existed since way before Nusa Penida was popular. Perched at the top of a hill overlooking the forest with the sea in the background, this beautiful wooden restaurant on stilts has a great vegan menu: delicious burgers, poke bowls, salads, sandwiches and plenty more. Everything is colourful, flavourful and deliciously healthy. Add red rice and fresh juices and you have the perfect place for a chilled meal coming back from your exploring on the south coast (it's quite close to Toyapakeh but the road is a bit bumpy so plan to come back in daylight).
Warung Beach
In a perfect location next to the ocean, this tiny restaurant has a selection of delicious fusion dishes, find vegan burritos, veggie curry served with paratha, vegan bowls, delicious urap and veggie dishes. It also has some meat dishes but most of the menu caters to plant-based lovers. We love it so much we order our (100 per cent veggie)lunch for our divers from there!
Warung Tu Pandeh
Though not strictly vegetarian this warung has a selection of delicious vegetable-only curries and dishes. They are particularly creative with pumpkin and have an eggplant curry to die for. Definitely worth a stop for something a little different
Organica
Organica is not strictly vegetarian either but has a great selection of vegan meals including a juicy burger and lush vegan bowl. They also have vegan pizza which makes for a nice change!
Penida colada
Right next door to Warung Beach but aimed at a much fuller wallet, Penida Colada has a selection of tasty vegan meals. It made this list because of the creativity of the dishes. The green goodness bowl is a mix of avocado, asparagus, broccoli and quinoa served with a tahine sauce. There are a few other dishes like this one that are great if you want to tantalise your taste buds and treat yourself a little. There is also a great selection of vegan and raw desserts.
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