7 Outstanding Nusa Lembongan Restaurants You Absolutely Must Try

There are 165 Nusa Lembongan restaurants according to Trip Advisor. Given Nusa Lembongan is only about 8 square kilometres, that’s just over 20 restaurants per square kilometre. Sadly our three days on the island didn’t allow us to sample as many restaurants in Nusa Lembongan as we would have liked and choosing was quite a challenge. The Hubs and I love our food and life is too short to waste on a bad meal so we did as much research as we could before our arrival. As with any best laid plans, not everything goes to script, but we had more hits than misses. If you are looking for the best restaurants in Nusa Lembongan read on for all the details …

 

 

Nusa Lembongan Restaurants Overview

Nusa Lembongan is just a 30 minute Scoot Fast Cruise away from Bali, but it feels a world away from the hustle and bustle of the Island Of The Gods. Life feels slower here. More relaxed. It’s the perfect place to do a whole lot of not much. Nusa Lembongan is tiny, not as tiny as Nusa Ceningan, but tiny all the same. The food scene on Nusa Lembongan is dominated by rustic warungs, usually with stellar views. There are a few fancier establishments, but Michelin stars are not exactly thick on the ground. We spent three glorious days in this tropical paradise of endless sunny days and crystal clear beaches. We tried as much of the local fare as our stomachs will allow and we left a few kilos heavier than we arrived. But it was worth it!

 

 

1. Lemongrass: My Pick For Best Restaurant In Nusa Lembongan

Lemongrass gets busy. Like seriously busy. Turns out I’m not the only one who thinks this is the best restaurant in Nusa Lembongan. We were turned away the first night without a booking and booked on the spot for the following night. I’m so glad we did because people were being turned away left right and centre while we dined. We shared a Grostini Prosciutto to start. It was very good, but it could have been great if the underside of the deliciously soft bread was lightly toasted, the cheese was grilled a little longer and the prosciutto was thinly sliced rather than diced. All the ingredients were there, but attention to the execution could have lifted it to a whole new level. For the main course I chose the Chicken Saltimboca. It was a delicious combination of chicken breast wrapped in bacon with mash and a creamy sauce. If I was being really picky, the sauce was just a touch oilier that I would have liked. The Hubs went for the Pollo Vino Blanco Olive. He couldn’t fault it. The decor at Lemongrass had a sophisticated tropical feel and there was a man with a guitar providing background music. Lemongrass was hands down my favourite Nusa Lembongan restaurant.

 

 

2. Nyoman Warung: Budget Beach Lembongan Restaurant

We found Nyoman Warung on Trip Advisor and walked there for lunch on our first day on the island. It’s in a less popular part of town on the road towards the mangrove forest, yet there were quite a few other tables occupied when we arrived. I got the impression that their food has long since been cleared and they were lingering for the free WiFi. The staff were in no hurry to move them on. Nyoman Warung has a relaxed atmosphere and all 9 tables are at the rear of the restaurant on the sand just steps from the water. There was no wine on the menu so I opted for a watermelon juice (IDR15,000) while The Hubs had his usual Bintang (IDR25,000). My Chicken in Banana Leaf (IDR50,000) had a hint of chili and a complex mix of spices that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but enjoyed immensely. The serving size was large and I only managed to finish one of the parcels. The Hubs’ Grilled Tuna (IDR50,000) was an equally generous serve and had a nice chili hit. It was a little overdone for his liking. While our meals were lovely, the millions of flies that surrounded us the minute the food hit the table were most definitely not. And they were particularly persistent. We wolfed down our food as quickly as we could while swatting them away, but it soured the overall experience. I was contemplating dessert, but when a stray cat parked itself at our table and started howling we knew it was time to go.

 

 

3. Warung Putu: A Waterside Budget Restaurant In Nusa Lembongan

On one of our days on Nusa Lembongan we hired a scooter and explored the island and nearby Nusa Ceningan on two wheels. There are no shortage of amazing views and I highly recommend stopping at all the viewpoints along the way. Warung Putu enjoys an absolute waterfront location near the famous yellow bridge and we stopped in for a late lunch after a morning of being awed by the natural beauty of one of Indonesia’s prettiest islands. Warung Putu is about a 10 minute ride away from the centre of Lembongan, but well worth the trip. We chose to dine inside on one of the centre tables for ease, but the bar stools around the ledge at the edge of the deck provide the best views of the boats bobbing peacefully on the aquamarine water. There are a handful of tables outside where you can sink your bare feet in the sand and the kids (or the young at heart) will love the wooden swings around the perimeter. We started with Chicken Lumpia (3 traditional spring rolls IDR33,000) and the interesting sounding Nasi Vego Bites (6 pieces IDR28,000). The spring rolls were petite, fried to perfection and piping hot. The Vego Bites were delicious dipped in the house made peanut sauce. Service is very efficient at Warung Putu and within seconds of our empty plates being cleared our mains hit the table; Cap Cay (IDR33,000) for The Hubs and Chicken Red Curry (IDR44,000) for me. We asked for our dishes ‘spicy’ and we certainly got that. They were lip tinglingly, nose runningly good. The Cap Cay was chock full of the freshest crisp local vegetables swimming is a deliciously complex broth dominated by oyster sauce. The Red Curry was a little oily for my liking, but the flavour was spot on. We shared a black rice pudding for dessert (IDR35,000) simply because I have never tried it before and was intrigued. It was nothing like the traditional rice pudding my Mum used to make. I’m not sure if I am entirely sold on it so I’ll let you make up your own mind on that one.

 

 

4. The Sampan: Large Central Lembongan Restaurant

When we couldn’t get into Lemongrass on our first night, The Sampan was our plan B. We chose The Sampan out of convenience as it was directly across the road from our hotel the d’Nusa Beach Club & Resort. I thought the lanterns in the nearby tree and the candles on each table was lovely, but The Hubs thought it was too dark and he insisted we move from the first table I picked because he couldn’t read the menu. We started with a pub favourite; potato skins. They were OK, but I have certainly had better. The mains arrived within nano seconds of our starter. I hadn’t even finished chewing the first bite of my potato. I find this happens a lot in Asia. I did mention to our server that we would have liked a break between courses, but it was lost in translation. My Caprioska also arrived around the same time (yes after the mains). It was a lot darker in colur than I am used to, but was truly delicious. Everyone has a safe dish and we both opted for our standard go to Indonesian meals; Satay Chicken for me and Nasi Goreng for The Hubs. Both were fabulous and the only negative was that the egg on The Hubs’ Nasi Goreng was too well cooked and didn’t have the traditional runny yolk. Not bad at all for a plan B restaurant.

 

 

5. Sandy Bay Beach Club: Beachfront Nusa Lembongan Restaurant

Sandy Bay Beach Club is located on the west coast of Nusa Lembongan near Devil’s Tear and is a great place to stop while exploring the island. The setting screams beachy chic and the absolute waterfront location is hard to beat. We chose table three which was as close to the waves as possible without getting wet. As we settled into our seats we ordered a couple of drinks and contemplated the impossibly blue sea in front of us. The cocktails were not cheap by Indonesian standards, but at AUD$10 a pop they are still half the price I would pay at home. I sampled a Dragon Fly and a Lychee Martini during the course of the afternoon and both were just OK. The Hubs’ Bintang was not cold enough for his liking, but he drank it (quickly) anyway. Sandy Bay Beach Club has a small pool close to the sand and a young girl was having a great time splashing around on the day we dined. Her childish delight widened my already broad smile. It was breezy near the water and we did contemplate moving to a more sheltered table, but we couldn’t tear ourselves away from the view. The menu was quite varied and we deliberated for a while before deciding on pizza. They do things a bit differently at Sandy Bay Beach Club. There is only one pizza on the menu, a Margerita, which you can then customise with any toppings you choose. We chose chicken, caramelised onion, feta, capsicum, pineapple, spinach and feta. Truthfully, it was a bit disappointing. The biscuit like base was perhaps the biggest let down and it didn’t taste freshly made. They say less is best and in hindsight we should have kept it simple and only selected two or three toppings. I guess you live and learn. Our lunch totaled IDR500k which is a little more than we would usually spend, but premium prices are to be expected in a prime location.

 

 

6. The Deck: Central Lembongan Restaurant With Great Cocktails

We stopped in at The Deck one blistering afternoon for some liquid refreshment. The Deck is located along the walking path leading away from the main beach on Nusa Lembongan and boasts spectacular views of the busy stretch of sand. We chose a couple of bar stools with brilliant views and waited for our cocktails to arrive. My ‘Loose Lychees Sink Ships’ was delicious as was The Hubs’ Watermelon Caprioska. Our bill totaled IDR230k for the two drinks, but if you want to save a few pennies head to The Deck during happy hour (5 – 6.30pm) for 25% off a selection of drinks.

 

 

7. Lighthouse Restaurant & Bar

The Lighthouse Restaurant & Bar is located inside d’Nusa Resort where we stayed. The restaurant is located towards the rear of the resort and covers two floors, the upper of which has the better water views. Given breakfast was included with our stay, we popped in every day. The buffet offered a reasonable selection of Western and Asian dishes and my pick was the vegetable nuggets while The Hubs loved the cook to order egg station. One our last night in Nusa Lembongan we had no transport and couldn’t be bothered to venture out. We contemplated the room service menu, but decided to dine in instead. We were after simple fare and the burgers sure hit the spot.

 

 

Do you have any favourite Nusa Lembongan restaurants? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below …

 

 

Until Next Time …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Disclosure Statement: This review is not sponsored. I paid for all my meals in full. The information in this article is based on my own personal experiences and has not been influenced in any way by the brand(s) featured. This post may contain affiliate links which if clicked may earn me a small commission on purchases at no extra cost to you.