Sushi by the Shore: Bali’s Best Japanese Bites

Think Bali’s all about nasi goreng and beachside burgers? Think again. The island’s Japanese food scene is absolutely buzzing, with everything from sizzling teppanyaki joints to sleek sushi bars tucked away in tropical corners. Whether you’re after a bowl of rich ramen post-surf or a full-blown omakase experience with ocean views, Bali’s got the goods. It’s Tokyo meets island paradise—and your taste buds are in for a proper treat. So, without further ado, ‘itadakimasu’.

Izakaya by OKU

Inspired by the award-winning – OKU Japanese Restaurant Jakarta, Izakaya by OKU emphasises bringing out the best of its creations, in a dynamic and convivial atmosphere. This Japanese restaurant in Bali offers a bistro-chic setting and an open-kitchen dining experience, where guests and the chefs interact for deeper enjoyment.

The elaborately crafted dishes consist of the finest ingredients, combined with the latest composition techniques to serve a truly tasteful and artistic piece of art on a plate.

kempinski.com/en/the-apurva-kempinski-bali/restaurants-bars/izakaya-by-oku

Tenkai Japanese Nikkei Restaurant

Being one of the most popular dining outlets in Padma Resort Legian, renowned for its traditional Japanese cuisine and Teppanyaki for years, Tenkai Japanese Nikkei Restaurant has elevated its dining experience. Together with the newly appointed Executive Sous Chef Sandro Medrano, Tenkai is proud to introduce delicious and unique Japanese Nikkei cuisine to Bali.

Nikkei is the name traditionally given to Japanese people living in Peru, and like migrant workers anywhere, they had to adapt to a whole new variety of dishes and ingredients. The ever-evolving result sees clean Japanese preparation and presentation paired with Peruvian flavours rich in sour and spicy, thus creating new but recognisable dishes based on the ingredients at hand, such as seafood, corn, cassava, and quinoa.

With experiences around the globe, Chef Sandro, born and raised in Lima, the sprawling capital of Peru, started cooking by helping his mother prepare traditional Peruvian dishes in the kitchen at home. His passion and enthusiasm for Japanese food extend beyond Nikkei cuisine; he is also skilled in Japanese fine dining and omakase.

At Tenkai, you will discover truly tasteful and unique Nikkei cuisine, such as Ceviches, Robata Anticuchos, Nikuseco, Papita Loche, and many more. All the dishes are made using locally sourced ingredients from Bali, accompanied by beverage selections, such as sake and shochu, signature cocktails, and a premium wine with the Coravin system to preserve wine quality. On top of the Japanese Nikkei menu, Tenkai still serves its traditional Japanese selections and the popular action-packed Teppanyaki in the restaurant and by the pool.

Sign-up for their Special monthly event; Sip & Savour cocktail pairing Japanese Nikkei dinner. Alternatively, during weekend, they have an Izakaya Night from 6.30 PM – 9.30PM.

padmaresortlegian.com/dining/tenkai-japanese-nikkei-restaurant.php

Take

Renowned for its commitment to sourcing only the finest ingredients, Take boasts an unparalleled selection of over 500 meticulously curated menu items. Chef Okamoto personally frequents the market, hand-selecting ocean delicacies and premium meats to ensure an unrivaled dining experience for every guest.

From exquisite sashimi and expertly crafted sushi to live seafood offerings, Take caters to every palate with an array of delectable options. Each dish is a testament to the restaurant’s dedication to quality and authenticity, allowing patrons to savor the true essence of Japanese gastronomy.

Inspired by its namesake, “Take,” which translates to bamboo in Japanese, the restaurant’s ethos extends beyond its culinary offerings. Bamboo features prominently in Take’s cooking philosophy, as well as in its island-style furniture and decor, creating a harmonious fusion of tradition and modernity.

www.takebali.com

Hamabe Japanese Restaurant

Inspired by the serenity of a traditional Japanese garden, this restaurant at The Westin Resort Nusa Dua offers dinners a more refined Japanese dining experience. Hamabe’s famous teppanyaki counter still remains a highlight at the restaurant where guests are treated to the theatrical performance of dishes being cooked before their very eyes. The sushi and sashimi counter also draws attention to the artistic precision and knife skills of Hamabe’s well-trained culinary team. Exclusive to the new Hamabe is a robata grill that introduces guests to a traditional cooking method from the Sendai region in northern Japan. It originated from local fishermen gathering around a communal source of heat on board their boats to cook food and stay warm whilst out at sea.

The skilled culinary team of Hamabe is serving up a refined traditional multi-course Kaiseki-style brunch that features a range of premium Zensai, Sushi, Sashimi, Shiizakana and more. The menu also includes a special presentation of Kaisen Nabe – a seafood and vegetable hot pot – with tableside gueridon service. Elevating the dining experience even further is Nomihodai, a free-flow beverage package offering selected sakes, shochu, hand-crafted umeshu, Japanese-inspired cocktails, draught beer, wine, soft drinks and chilled juices. Raising the bar again, the Hamabe brunch delights diners with immersive activities such as hands-on sushi making, and expert demonstrations of traditional Japanese skills like Ikebana, Origami and how to make simple Japanese food and cocktails, with a recipe or handbook to take home as a Miyage, or souvenir.

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Shima Teppanyaki 

This restaurant provides a unique culinary experience that goes beyond delicious cuisine. They are combining authentic Japanese cuisine with a modern twist in a form of a theatrical dining event. Featuring four Teppanyaki tables, the venue is ideal for either big groups or smaller parties with privacy. It is fully equipped with highly efficient exhausts to absorb fumes during the chef’s cooking in order to ensure guests are not distracted or bothered by any emissions.

They understand and appreciate authentic Japanese cooking, known as Teppanyaki, creating tasty dishes from the finest and freshest ingredients, prepared on large iron plates directly in front of the guests’ eyes. Their experienced chefs have mastered the art of entertaining guests through skilled moves and tricks while simultaneously delivering mouthwatering food, cooked to perfection. Their Teppanyaki focuses on the fresh ingredients themselves, avoiding drowning the meats and fish in sauces — on the contrary, their premium ingredients are cooked to the guests’ preferences and are accompanied by Shima’s homemade sauces in order to accentuate and complement the food rather than overpower it. Not limited only to serving Teppanyaki, they also have Shabu Shabu, Sushi, Sashimi and Tempura, all using only the highest quality ingredients; premium quality imported Australian beef, Wagyu beef, locally caught fish delivered fresh daily and local, grown vegetables alongside an extensive list of imported wines and delicious cocktails.

shimateppanyaki.com

Menya Kenji 

This newly-open restaurant offers an authentic Japanese ramen dining experience with its homemade ramen noodles and signature broth. They bring a Japanese subculture to feel in their design details, the overall design and ambience have been well-thought out and developed by a seasoned Japanese carpenter who has produced some of the iconic Japanese ramen stalls and Izakaya-style pubs in the streets of Nonbei Yokocho, Shibuya.

Taking its ramen broth very seriously, Menya Kenji believes that the key to a wholesome bowl of ramen is in its broth. With recipes originating from Fukuoka, Menya Kenji’s team of chefs bring the utmost care and attention to the process of creating its signature chicken and pork broth, freshly made daily with the finest locally-sourced ingredients, no artificial flavours and using a low and slow cooking method; taking up to 8 hours in the making.

On the menu, they are five distinct ramen options with their own homemade noodle and broth; Kenji Signature Ramen with its signature chicken or pork broth, Curry Ramen with traditional Japanese curry broth served with potatoes, carrots and onion, Dan Dan Men with its spiced hot broth and diced meat, and Kara Kara Men with its signature broth added with a spoonful of seafood paste. 

instagram.com/menya.kenji/

Ji Restaurant Bali

Ji Restaurant Bali is the ultimate spot located in the heart of Canggu where the ancient 300 years old temple meets the red horizon over the Indian Ocean. Ji Restaurant Bali offers simply the best contemporary Japanese dining experience in a magical, sensual ambience of ancient Japan and the East, with playful Japanese & Asian inspired dishes and a 180 degree undisturbed view over the magical sea.

On the lover level, the restaurant features Ji at Bale Sutra 1706, highlighting an ancient Kang XI period temple from 1706 that had been saved from demolition, relocated & reconstructed in Bali. On the rooftop, Ji Terrace By THE SEA offers a 180-degree undisturbed view over the sparkling Indian Ocean and Canggu Beach. With a majestic rooftop for red sunsets and dining under the stars, the place celebrates Bali beach life to the fullest through dramatic interiors incorporating hundreds of beautiful artworks- from Rajasthani statue of goddess of Durga, centuries old-Peranakan urn from Lasem, Java, Balinese ancient masks & many more that transport guests to a magical world of ancient kingdoms and quixotic legends.

tuguhotels.com/hotels/bali/dining/

KO Restaurant

Combining a subtle infusion of Balinese architecture and Japanese aesthetics, this Japanese restaurant at Intercontinental Bali Resort prides itself on authentic Japanese cuisine that mixes elements of Japan’s legendary art and culture with the latest tastes. KO appeals to the eyes as well as the palate. Savour yourself unlimited servings of the freshest tuna, barramundi, salmon and other succulent specialities grilled to perfection before your eyes in a sizzling cooking performance, accompanied by Sake, beers or wines. Open for dinner only, the restaurant offers an informal yet sophisticated vibe with open-air walkways and enchanting Japanese gardens. 

bali.intercontinental.com/ko-japanese

Genji Japanese Restaurant

Offering an authentic Japanese cuisine experience in a warm and inviting ambience on the ground floor of the Ayodya Resort Bali, this restaurant marks its position as one of Bali’s most highly regarded eateries in the Nusa Dua area. With table-front cooking and your own personal chef standing by with his knife, it makes a fun and engaging feast for the diners. From light, refreshing sashimi, to tender scallop and succulent Australian Wagyu beef getting grilled on a hot grill, the aromas will surely build up that appetite. 

tasteofayodya.ayodyaresortbali.com/dining/genji/

HOSHINOYA Bali

The authentic and refined cuisine at HOSHINOYA Bali is elevated by vibrant views of blue skies to lush greenery, a sanctuary where fused Balinese and Japanese traditions are truly revered, and aesthetics deeply appreciated. A distinctive dining escape created for families and young at heart travellers, HOSHINOYA Bali’s Executive Chef, Mitsuaki Senoo, presents the complexity that so beautifully hides behind the simplicity of Japanese cuisine in his new signature dish, Kakigori.

Kakigori or shaved ice is a beloved summer treat across Japan. Chef Senoo has taken kakigori to the next level with four beautiful chic presentations. A favourite for the “Noryo” season (July and August) in Japan, which means creating coolness, Kakigori has been the preferred sweet pleasure for summer for the last 1,000 years in Japan.

hoshinoya.com/bali/en/

Izzy Izakaya Street

So much more than ‘just’ an epic Japanese restaurant, Izzy Izakaya Street is home to an entire street’s worth of authentic Japanese cuisine. Inspired by Kyoto’s street food culture, it’s the first of its kind in Indonesia, where you can bounce from six different dining destinations throughout the evening for a taste of absolutely everything. Step through the red gates and you’ll find a spacious outdoor setting, street food stalls, lanterns and Japanese carp-shaped windsocks, AKA koinobori. Start at the deep-fried bar before meandering to the indoor and intimate Ikigai sushi restaurant. Continue your food tour with ramen, yakitori and teppanyaki, before wrapping it up at the dessert shop. Thirsty? There’s even a pub on the street slinging cocktails with Japanese twists, as well as nightly live music to keep the Kyoto vibes alive.

TAKE Authentic Japanese Cuisine

Bali’s first and most authentic Japanese restaurant, Take is committed to shining a light on the freshness of the produce they serve. Expect only the very best ingredients as chef Kiyomi Okamoto frequents the market and hand pick ocean delicacies and fine meats himself. With over 500 items on the menu, from sashimi and sushi to live seafood, there really is something for every palate here. Psst – Take is Japanese for bamboo, and so it’s used in the cooking philosophy as well as in the restaurant’s island-style furniture and decor. Love!

SONO Teppanyaki

Juggled and drummed pepper shakers, flipped spatulas and flashy fireballs – SONO Teppanyaki at Anantara Uluwatu Bali Resort ticks all the boxes when it comes to a fiery Teppan feast – and the chefs know exactly how to put on an explosive show. Glamorously set on the top floor of this clifftop resort with just 14 hot seats positioned around two steel griddles, the chefs take to the stage. A rat-a-tat-tat of spatulas and chitter-chatter of knives marks the start of the show, with a constant beat of pepper shakers and intermittent hollas from the kitchen cast. Eggs are spun and juggled, vegetables are chopped and diced at lightning speed and – POOF – a circle of oil around a stack of onions is set ablaze in a ring of fire. Top-shelf produce is then whipped onto the Teppan. Whole bamboo lobsters turn a vibrant red while plump scallops glow golden as they sear in lashings of butter. Hot off the grill, try the juicy 300g black Angus beef, the enormous tiger prawns and the thick, tender slab of Tokusen Wagyu beef tenderloin. Compliments to the chef indeed.