A Foodie’s Guide to Canggu

The Midnight Blue Elephant, Aug 2024

Last year I stayed a couple of months in Canggu, Bali to write my book. Only then did I discover the amazing Canggu restaurants and what they have to offer and as we know I like to judge a place by its food so I decided to settle down for a bit.

[Canggu is] so hip that it hurts. If you don’t surf, ride a scooter (with your board firmly attached to the side and no helmet as to not mess up your surf hair), ask for freshly made almond milk with your coffee, and have sunkissed blonde locks you will stick out. Since we have established I can’t surf to save my life and had to give up after one scooter lesson (thanks to a crushed ego after two ten-year-olds overtook me), I had to milk the ‘I do yoga and am a cool writer chick’ card.

But all and all, Canggu is the place to be in Bali for a digital nomad and I like it. Bali restaurants in general are amazing and Canggu was no exception, easily living up to Ubud when it comes to food. So… where to eat in Canggu?

-Those who know me know how often I crave a nice, simple bowl of pasta and a glass of red wine. When I am in Bali, I go to Bottega Italiana for my fix. After their branch in Seminyak I now discovered the Canggu outlet.

The concept is the same: some starters and salads, various sauces that you can mix and match to your liking with various pasta shapes.

In addition, they make wonderful fresh gluten-free pasta and the house wine is incredibly cheap compared to normal Bali prices for alcohol. The Batu Bolong branch is tiny and only offers one high bench and bar stools inside as well as a couple of tables outside. Come early or expect to wait a bit!