Best cocktail bars in Bali: speakeasy to cliff-top

The best cocktail bars in Bali come in three kinds. For a speakeasy, The Shady Pig in Berawa hides behind an unmarked door and asks for a password. For a hotel bar with a view, Rock Bar sits on the cliffs of AYANA Bali in Jimbaran, and L'Atelier by Cyril Kongo looks over the ocean from the top of The Apurva Kempinski in Nusa Dua. For a hotel bar by the beach in Canggu, Bar Nua and the Beach House at Regent Bali Canggu. FirstBali books them through the concierge.

The speakeasy: The Shady Pig, Berawa

The Shady Pig on Jalan Pantai Berawa is the original bar of The Shady Family, the group behind The Shady Fox, The Shady Flamingo and The Shady Bunny. The theme is Birmingham in the Roaring Twenties and a family of bootleggers; the bar calls itself "an experimental sipping lounge like no other". There is no sign on the door, and you need the password to get in.

The drinks are where the experiment shows: the bar works with distillation, barrel ageing and fermentation. The Shelby mixes cognac, Campari and red vermouth; The Chester brings whiskey, port, distilled cherry and smoked cinnamon; the Negroni is aged in the barrel. Small plates and bites come with the drinks, and DJs take over later in the night. How the door works is in our Shady Pig guide.

The Shady Pig

Bars · Berawa

The Shady Pig is a speakeasy on Jalan Pantai Berawa and the original bar of The Shady Family, the group behind The Shady Fox, The Shady Flamingo and The Shady Bunny. The theme is 1920s Birmingham bootleggers: the bar hides behind an unmarked door, and you need the password to get in. Cocktails lean experimental, using distillation, barrel ageing and fermentation, from the Shelby to a barrel-aged Negroni. Small plates, pinchos and sandwiches come with the drinks, and DJs take over later in the night.

The cliff-top hotel bar: Rock Bar, Jimbaran

Rock Bar is AYANA Bali's bar on the rocks above the ocean in Jimbaran. You reach it by inclinator, watch the sun set over the sea, and stay as the DJs play on. The signature cocktails each start from a different spirit, from gin with prosecco to mezcal with Aperol or tequila with Campari and jalapeño, and the food is Mediterranean tapas built on the catch of Jimbaran Bay.

It is a hotel bar first, and the rules follow from that. Visitors who are not staying can reserve a dinner table, a sofa, a tapas table, a day bed or a counter seat, each with a minimum spend set by the bar; the Round Deck is kept for AYANA villa guests and the Top Bar for hotel guests. Payment is by card or QR only. AYANA asks for smart attire — no tank tops, sleeveless shirts, surf shorts or clothes with drinks-brand logos — and large bags are not allowed. The details are in our Rock Bar guide.

Rock Bar

Bars · Jimbaran

Rock Bar is AYANA Bali's cliffside bar in Jimbaran, stretching some 270 metres along the rocks above the ocean, with 880 seats spread over 22 areas. Guests reach it by inclinator, watch the sun set over the sea, then stay as the DJs play on. The bar pours cocktails inspired by the colours of the sea alongside Mediterranean tapas built on Jimbaran Bay seafood. Non-resident visitors can reserve; the Round Deck is kept for villa guests and the Top Bar for hotel guests. Payment by card or QR only.

Ocean-view lounges: The Apurva Kempinski, Nusa Dua

L'Atelier by Cyril Kongo occupies the highest floor of The Apurva Kempinski, with open views over the Indian Ocean that the hotel says are "best enjoyed at sundown". The walls carry original graffiti works by the artist whose name it takes. The bar pours crafted cocktails and premium spirits with Mediterranean tapas, and the music comes from resident pianists, a band, DJs and saxophonists. Casual dress. In the gardens below, Pala has a rooftop bar for sundowners. The resort's restaurants are in our Apurva Kempinski guide.

The Apurva Kempinski

Restaurants · Nusa Dua

The Apurva Kempinski Bali is a five-star resort on the cliffs of Nusa Dua, facing the Indian Ocean, and its dining spreads across several venues. Koral, which the hotel presents as Bali's first aquarium restaurant, serves set and tasting menus beside the tanks, adults only at dinner. Izakaya by OKU is a sister to OKU in Jakarta; Reef Beach Club sits on the sand beside a 42-metre infinity pool; Bai Yun serves hot pot and dim sum; L'Atelier by Cyril Kongo is a lounge with ocean views and Mediterranean tapas.

By the beach in Canggu: Regent Bali Canggu

Bar Nua is the cocktail bar inside CURE Bali, Chef Andrew Walsh's restaurant at Regent Bali Canggu. Its name means "new" in Irish Gaelic, and the menu draws on Irish heritage: a quieter, more intimate room for a drink before or after dinner. On the beachfront, the resort's Beach House pairs its pool and the ocean breeze with craft cocktails and seafood small plates, the easier choice at sunset.

Regent Bali Canggu

Restaurants · Canggu

Regent Bali Canggu is IHG's beachfront resort on Batu Bolong, on Canggu's southwest coast, and the first Regent in Indonesia. Designed by WATG with interiors by HBA, it has 150 rooms and suites. Two of its restaurants are led by Chef Andrew Walsh: Sazón, a Mediterranean neighbourhood hideaway, and CURE Bali, European cooking shaped by Asian flavours. The Beach House pairs its pool and ocean breeze with craft cocktails and seafood, and the resort is home to the first Regent Spa & Wellness.

Restaurant bars that carry the night

Several of Berawa's restaurants have a bar that is a reason to come on its own:

• Jade by Todd English makes inventive cocktails with "a touch of Asia", with a DJ every day.
• Miss Fish has a Lounge for cocktails and shared plates, and more than forty labels of sake and Japanese whisky.
• Riviera Bistro is a wine bar as much as a restaurant, with aperitifs at the bar and cocktails and DJs on Saturdays.
• MOI builds its cocktails on sun-warmed botanicals before the evening turns into a party.

Jade by Todd English

Restaurants · Berawa

Jade by Todd English is a Mediterranean restaurant and bar in Berawa, whose culinary direction draws on American chef Todd English, known for his flagship restaurant Olives. The kitchen works around a wood-fire grill, with a focus on local farms and producers, on a menu designed for sharing among friends. The cocktail bar gives its drinks an Asian touch. Warm lighting and earthy tones set the room, and the mood shifts as the night goes on, with a daily DJ and weekly late-night events.

Miss Fish

Restaurants · Berawa

Miss Fish is a Japanese restaurant and late-night venue on Jalan Raya Semat in Berawa, Canggu, open since 2022. Executive Chef Carlos Barvo leads a seasonal omakase that pairs Japanese technique with European and Latin American influences. Guests choose between the Omakase Bar, a chef-guided onyx counter, the open-air Patio and the Lounge for cocktails and shared plates, and the bar holds more than 40 sakes and Japanese whiskies. Later in the evening, DJs take over. Dress code: smart casual.

Riviera Berawa

Restaurants · Berawa

Riviera Bistro is a Mediterranean restaurant and wine bar on Jalan Pemelisan Agung in Berawa, the original venue of Riviera Group, which also runs Riviera Trattoria in Pererenan and Riviera Cafe in Cemagi. The kitchen works with fresh pasta and local ingredients, with dishes such as tagliatelle in a Wagyu beef and pork ragù or cacio e pepe risotto with tuna battuta. Expect an extensive wine list, aperitifs at the bar and candlelit tables; on Saturdays the evening turns into PRÏVE, with cocktails and DJs.

Moi

Restaurants · Berawa

MOI Canggu is a Mediterranean restaurant on Jalan Pantai Berawa, inspired by the Aegean and by Bodrum, home of its sister address MOI Bodrum. The kitchen works with fire and Mediterranean flavours, for dinners meant to be lingered over, and the cocktails draw on sun-warmed botanicals. After sunset the mood shifts and the evening turns into a party. Themed nights include Monday Society and Bazaar MOI, an Eastern Mediterranean dinner spectacle with dancers and costumes.

Which bar for which evening

• A date with a secret: The Shady Pig.
• The sunset, drink in hand: Rock Bar, or the Beach House in Canggu.
• A view and live music after dinner: L'Atelier by Cyril Kongo.
• A quiet drink in a good hotel: Bar Nua.
• Cocktails that become a night out: Jade, Miss Fish or MOI, then Canggu after dark.

Dress, booking and the way home

Hotel bars ask for smart dress more often than not; a shirt with sleeves and proper shoes pass everywhere on this list. For a sunset seat at Rock Bar, ask early: hotel guests have priority for sunset reservations. Tell the concierge the bar, the date, the size of your group and whether you want dinner too; we ask the venue on your behalf and pass on any minimum spend it sets. The seat is yours once the venue confirms. A driver who waits makes the evening simpler — see our cars.

Read next: the best sunset spots in Bali, Bali nightlife for couples and fine dining in Bali.