Paella in Bali: Sazón, Ina Ré and El Kabron

For paella in Bali, three addresses in our catalogue put it on the table in their own words. Sazón, at Regent Bali Canggu, makes a whole evening of it, with a paella masterclass, a Thursday Fiesta and a giant paella at Sunday brunch. Ina Ré, the restaurant of Desa Kitsuné in Canggu, serves paellas to share. El Kabron, on the cliffs of Uluwatu, has paella on its oceanfront menu. The concierge books the table, and the masterclass, with the restaurant for you.

Sazón at Regent Bali Canggu: paella as an event

Sazón is the Mediterranean restaurant of Regent Bali Canggu, IHG's beachfront resort on Batu Bolong, and its kitchen is led by Chef Andrew Walsh. The menu is built on fire and sharing — grilled flatbreads, citrus-dressed seafood, slow-cooked meats, fire-roasted vegetables — and paella runs through the week in three forms:

• The Paella Masterclass, which the restaurant calls "Mastering the Paellera": an interactive dinner where, in its words, guests "sit back, sip sangria, get involved in the cooking process", with Mediterranean bites alongside the chefs. It is for two people or more and must be booked in advance.
• Sazón Fiesta on Thursdays: dinner, a big paella and a live DJ.
• Sunday brunch, a Spanish brunch whose courses include a giant paella show by the garden. The Sunday brunch guide sets it beside the island's other brunches.

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.

The masterclass suits a couple who want more than dinner, or a small group celebrating something: it gives the evening a shape. The Fiesta is the louder option, a dinner that turns into a party.

Ina Ré at Desa Kitsuné: paellas to share

Ina Ré is the restaurant of Desa Kitsuné, the lifestyle village on Jalan Munduk Catu in Canggu. Chilean executive chef Cristian Encina brings together Mediterranean flavours and Latin American street food: paellas to share, ceviches, tacos, empanadas and wood-fired meats. The space draws on Balinese arts and crafts, and it has private dining rooms for groups — a good fit when the paella is for a table of friends.

Ina Ré

Restaurants · Canggu

Ina Ré is the restaurant of Desa Kitsuné, the lifestyle village on Jalan Munduk Catu in Canggu. Chilean executive chef Cristian Encina brings together Mediterranean flavours and Latin American street food: paellas to share, ceviches, tacos, empanadas and wood-fired meats such as the Stockyard tomahawk. The space draws on Balinese arts and crafts, with handmade materials, weavings and traditional motifs, and includes private dining rooms for groups. Sunday brunch has its own menu, and so do Courtyard Saturdays.

Ina Ré also has its own Sunday brunch menu and a Courtyard Saturdays menu; the Ina Ré guide covers both. On Tuesdays and Fridays, Desa Kitsuné's Garden becomes the party, rain or shine, so a paella dinner can run straight into the night. The party is 21+, smart casual, and each night's page shows its terms:

DESA KITSUNE FRIDAY

Desa Kitsuné

GuestlistTable

HALLOWEEN SOIREE - LES CLOWNS DU CHAOS

Desa Kitsuné

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SINNERS SOIRÉE

Desa Kitsuné

GuestlistTable

HALLOWEEN x DISKO AFRIKA

Desa Kitsuné

GuestlistTable

JORDAN JOHN

Desa Kitsuné

Table

DESA KITSUNE FRIDAY

Desa Kitsuné

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El Kabron in Uluwatu: paella with the ocean in front

El Kabron has stood on the limestone cliffs of Pecatu since 2011. Its oceanfront Mediterranean restaurant serves, in its own words, "fresh seafood, oysters on ice, steak and paella", with panoramic views of the ocean and the sunset. The Sunset Theater at the cliff edge is set up for sunset dinners, and the adults-only Hedonism Lounge sits by the infinity pool, so a long afternoon can end with paella as the light goes.

El Kabron

Beach clubs · Uluwatu

El Kabron stands on the limestone cliffs of Pecatu in Uluwatu, above the Indian Ocean, and has been open since 2011. It has three parts: the Hedonism Lounge, an adults-only infinity-pool area with daybeds and sofas; the Sunset Theater at the cliff edge, set up for sunset dinners; and a Mediterranean restaurant serving seafood, oysters, paella and steak. Its sunset parties bring DJs with live saxophone, violin and trumpet, with the White Sunset Party, the Afro House Sunset Party and pool parties among the weekly regulars.

For the rest of the Bukit, read the El Kabron guide and Uluwatu restaurants.

Which paella for which evening

1. A cooking experience: Sazón's masterclass, booked in advance.
2. A dinner that becomes a party: Sazón Fiesta on a Thursday, or Ina Ré before a Tuesday or Friday at Desa Kitsuné.
3. A long lunch for the family: Sazón's Sunday brunch.
4. A group dinner with privacy: one of Ina Ré's private dining rooms.
5. Sunset first: El Kabron, on the cliff.

If paella is part of a broader Mediterranean evening, Mediterranean restaurants in Bali lists the other kitchens, and seafood restaurants in Bali the places built around the catch.

Practical points

• Paella is made to share and takes time to cook. Book the table for the whole group rather than adding people on the night.
• Say if anyone has an allergy, especially to shellfish, when you book; the concierge passes it to the restaurant.
• Menus change. What we describe here is what each restaurant publishes; the concierge checks the dish is on for your date.
• Plan the car home, especially from Uluwatu. FirstBali arranges a car with a driver in the same message.

How FirstBali books it

Tell the concierge the restaurant, the date, the number of guests and whether you want the masterclass, the Fiesta or a regular table. FirstBali books with the restaurant on your behalf, and the table is yours once the restaurant has confirmed it. An assistant answers at any hour, and the team through the Bali day and evening.

Read next: the Ina Ré guide, the El Kabron guide, the Sunday brunch guide and Mediterranean restaurants in Bali.