While OnBali gives killer recs on hotels and restaurants, it’s time I talk about the cafe scene, especially in Ubud. While Eat, Pray, Love elevates Ubud to the next level with its rice fields view and the yoga, I adore Ubud because everyone needs to know how slaying the cafe scene is. Think of house blend coffees, chic brunch spots that will look bomb on your Insta feeds, and even a place where you can get some work done.
These handpicked Ubud cafes by OnBali get my stamp of approval because I went here to check them out myself, and I love every single one of them! If you plan on coming to Ubud, make sure you don’t miss these spots from your itinerary!
1. Livingstone Holyground
Let’s kick off the list with the cafe that I wholeheartedly believe is one of the best cafes in Ubud. Livingstone Holyground is the sister cafe of Livingstone in Petitenget (another great cafe, by the way), but more impressive with the kid’s playground in the back and seating area in the garden.
The legendary Baker’s Scrambled Eggs Croissant stays on my repeating order list because I can’t ever get enough of the buttery croissant with fluffy scrambled eggs and hollandaise sauce. I can finish them in no time! But it’s the house blend coffee that always gets my vote. Try Dewata Blend with the 40% Bali Kintamani, 30% Brazil Cerrado, and 30% Ethiopian Sidamo every coffee snob will appreciate the taste of citrus, black tea, and chocolate.
2. Rüsters
If a cafe with a view in Ubud is the one you’re after, then you will love Rüsters like I do. If you sit on the terrace, sip the espresso or the Americano with the view of Ubud’s lush greeneries as far as the eye can see. I can’t remember how many times I’ve been here just to take in the view while having their Eskimo, which is a white chocolate vanilla parfait with 70% local dark chocolate. Yum!
And I agree with what Mariia Ipatova said, “Another thing to love about Rüsters is they also have a designated area for tea ceremony. And if you want a different Ubud experience, sign up for a clay workshop!” A place where you can have a great coffee, do something artistic, and get one of the best views in Ubud? Who doesn’t want that?
3. Pison
If you need coffee like me to function and having one cup is not enough, then I can highly recommend Pison. Moreover, if you’re not a purist and want to explore what coffee can do when combined with other ingredients, I urge you to try Espresso Avocado and Espresso Matcha. I was initially skeptical, but when I tried them, I never looked back!
While coffee culture creates Pison’s foundation, it’s also one of the best cafes to work from in Ubud. I don’t recommend Pison if you make multiple calls in an hour, but if you just want to check some emails or are looking for inspiration, then Pison fits the bill! The cafe is also surrounded by rice fields, so you get a good view and good coffee. What more could you ask for?
4. Milk & Madu
Everyone knows the OG of Milk & Madu in Berawa, but you don’t need to make a trip down south if you want a 2-for-1 Pizza Deal that happens every Tuesday and Sunday. The Milk & Madu in Ubud brings everything that makes the original one of the best cafes on the island.
What I love about Milk & Madu is that you can go here for breakfast, brunch, or dinner and get the same vibe. Whenever I find myself craving Crispy Corn Fritters for breakfast or Madu Cheeseburger on one of those days I want comfort food in Ubud, there’s no place I’d rather be than Milk & Madu.
5. Café Pomegranate
If you think Ubud doesn’t have a hidden gem, I want to prove you wrong with Café Pomegranate. The cafe sits in the middle of the rice fields, slightly elevated from the surroundings, and on a clear day, you can see Mount Agung in the background. And if that’s not enough, come when the night falls to see the fireflies!
Luckily, Café Pomegranate is not just a cafe with a view in Ubud because I can attest, the food deserves a shout-out. One of my favorite orders is chicken Indian curry, but sometimes I pick pizza bono if I want something savory because the pizza has salted fish as topping. What I usually do at Café Pomegranate is come in the afternoon to catch the sunset over Campuhan Hills, have a glass of sangria, stay for dinner, and then see the fireflies.
Conclusion
What’s so hard about picking the best cafes in Ubud is I can only mention five. Otherwise, I will keep rambling because there are too many to mention in one post! But I keep coming back to these five cafes because I can stay there for hours, thanks to the laid-back vibe. But most importantly, they have everything I’m looking for when hunting for a great cafe: comfort food and good coffee.
Though sometimes I need to beat the brunch crowd because these cafes have become popular (thanks to social media!), now you get the idea why Ubud is more than just about pretty nature, yoga studios, and high-end restaurants. The cafe landscape here is booming, and as someone who always loves to find new spots to hang out, I cannot wait to add other names to the list of my favorite cafes!
