Plan
Things to do in Ubud if you travel for food
Put a Petulu kitchen on the list
IDR 530.000promo · per guest
Warung Tumang Bali in Petulu with Chef Wayan Suryana — about 10 minutes from central Ubud, depending on traffic.
- Private kitchen IDR 700.000.
- Afternoon 14:30–17:30 ends in dinner — that is the evening session.
- Vegetarian or vegan at the same Petulu kitchen. Say so when you check dates.
A short list for food lovers in Ubud: the dawn market, a warung lunch, cooking in a Petulu kitchen, the herons at dusk, and a night market. Not a restaurant roundup.
By Chef Wayan Suryana, Warung Tumang BaliLast updated
Chef Wayan Suryana at Warung Tumang Bali, Banjar Laplapan, Petulu, Ubud, Gianyar, Bali 80571. The kitchen is about 10 minutes from central Ubud, depending on traffic. Pin -8.4945671, 115.2812928.
The short answer
For food lovers in Ubud: walk the morning market after dawn, cook a full Balinese meal in a village kitchen such as Warung Tumang Bali in Petulu, eat nasi campur at a warung, watch the Petulu herons fly in at about 5pm, and finish at the Gianyar night market for babi guling.
1. Walk the morning market just after dawn
The Ubud morning market is for households, not souvenirs, until mid-morning. Look for chili sold by the heap, roots with dirt still on them, grated coconut, banana leaves, and trays of green klepon. Bring small notes and leave before you are in the way.
2. Cook one full Balinese meal
The most useful hours of a food trip are the ones where you learn why it tastes like that. At Warung Tumang Bali in Petulu, Chef Wayan Suryana has guests grind base genep first, then cook the rest of the meal with it. Morning 8:30am–12:30pm with the market, or afternoon 2:30pm–5:30pm ending in dinner. Free pickup in the main Ubud area, at most eight guests.
3. Eat one plate at a warung
Nasi campur at a local warung is the everyday Balinese lunch: rice with small portions of whatever was cooked that morning. Point at what you want. One plate is enough on a cooking day; the warung lunch note explains how to order without overdoing it.
4. Watch the Petulu herons at dusk
Thousands of white herons fly into Petulu village to roost every evening, from about 5pm until just before 6pm. It is the same village as the kitchen. An afternoon class finishes at 5:30pm, right when the birds come in.
5. Go to a night market
The Gianyar night market, about 13 km east of Ubud, is where Balinese families eat babi guling, sate lilit, and lawar after dark. Sayan night market is smaller and closer to the west side of Ubud.
Questions before the day
- What food experiences can I do in one day in Ubud?
- Morning cooking class with the market (8:30am–12:30pm), a rest, then the Gianyar night market for dinner. Or a light lunch, the afternoon class (2:30pm–5:30pm), and the herons straight after.
- Where is the cooking class?
- Warung Tumang Bali, Banjar Laplapan, Petulu, about 10 minutes from central Ubud, depending on traffic. Free pickup from hotels in the main Ubud area.
- Is the Ubud morning market worth it?
- Yes, just after dawn, before the souvenir stalls take over. That is when you see the ingredients Balinese households actually buy.
Plan the rest of the day
- The Ubud morning market, before the heatWhen to walk a working Ubud morning market: just after dawn, chili and coconut still piled, then leave. How the Petulu class uses those stalls, not souvenirs.
- The Petulu herons at duskThousands of white herons fly into Petulu village near Ubud every evening. Arrive about 5pm, park by the north booth, and watch from the platform mid-village.
- The Gianyar night market from UbudGianyar night market (Pasar Senggol) is 25–35 minutes from Ubud. Arrive around 6pm for babi guling, sate lilit, lawar, and klepon. Bring small cash notes.
Cook the dishes from this day
- Base genepHow to make base genep (bumbu Bali): pound shallot, garlic, roots, and candlenut, then fry 8–10 minutes until the raw smell is gone. From a Petulu kitchen.
- KleponHow to make klepon: pandan glutinous rice balls filled with palm sugar that melts as they boil, then rolled in coconut. About 20 balls in 35 minutes, from Bali.
Where the kitchen is
Chef Wayan Suryana at Warung Tumang Bali, Banjar Laplapan, Petulu, Ubud, Gianyar, Bali 80571. The kitchen is about 10 minutes from central Ubud, depending on traffic. Pin -8.4945671, 115.2812928.