Sardine Bali: seafood by the rice fields in Seminyak

Sardine is a seafood restaurant on Jalan Petitenget in Seminyak, run by the K-Club Group. It sits in an open-air bamboo building that looks over a stretch of rice paddies — a hidden green view in the busiest part of Bali — and it cooks the day's catch in a modern Mediterranean style. Lunch, sunset drinks and dinner all happen here, and on some nights the evening carries on at Les Toilettes, the group's club at the same address.

Sardine

Restaurants · Seminyak

Sardine by K-Club is a seafood restaurant on Jalan Petitenget in Seminyak, set in an open-air bamboo building that looks over a stretch of rice paddies, with a terrace for lunch or dinner. The kitchen cooks the daily catch (yellowfin tuna, scallops, snapper) in a modern Mediterranean style, with vegetables from its own farms and a vegetarian set menu. Evenings can run late: Les Toilettes, the hidden club on site, hosts DJs, and once a month The Gates of Bali brings fire dancers and aerial acts.

What Sardine is

The restaurant calls itself a Seminyak landmark and has been there for well over a decade, by its own account. The room is a large bamboo pavilion, with a terrace for eating outdoors over the rice fields at lunch or dinner, and a lounge and bar for those who only want a drink. Sardine describes the mood as "high-end but relaxed": a place for a long, breezy lunch, a date night or a celebration.

What the kitchen does

The menu is built on the daily catch from the Indian Ocean — the restaurant names yellowfin tuna, scallops and snapper — with organic vegetables from its own farms. On the current dinner menu:

• To start: Lombok oysters, a citrus-marinated sardine fillet with anchovy stracciatella, seared yellowfin tataki, a trio of tartare (salmon, tuna and mahi-mahi), and clams cooked island-style in coconut milk with lemongrass and kaffir lime.
• From the grill: squid, prawns, octopus, tuna, scallops and lobster, served with Sardine's own trio of salts.
• Mains: a Jimbaran-style whole grilled fish with plecing kangkung, coconut rice and sambal; a Provençal fisherman's bouillabaisse; mussels in white wine and cream; and a slipper-lobster linguine made for two.
• For the table: a mixed grilled seafood platter, the fisherman's whole fish of the day, and a Wagyu tomahawk for two, sliced at the table with a flaming sword.
• To finish: a passion fruit soufflé, an apple tatin, or a pistachio cheesecake made at your table.

There are vegetarian and vegan dishes on every menu, a vegetarian set menu, and a Pasta Day menu of fresh handmade pasta. Between lunch and dinner, the kitchen serves tapas with sunset drinks.

The evening format

Dinner is the main event, but Sardine plans its nights around it:

• Magic Night, every Wednesday and Thursday: close-up magic performed at your table during dinner.
• The Gates of Bali, once a month: a late takeover with fire dancers, aerial silks and hoop acts, then DJs.
• French Friday — Bleu Blanc Rouge, once a month: the lounge turns French, with French music, dancers, pétanque and French wines.
• Les Toilettes, the hidden club on site, opens as dinner winds down — see our Les Toilettes guide.

Sardine also hosts occasional candlelight jazz dinners with a set menu. Dates change, so ask the concierge what falls on your night, or check the events page. According to Sardine, dinner guests have access to its late-night events; others may have to register in advance.

How to book a table

You can walk in at the lounge and bar, but Sardine recommends booking a table for lunch or dinner, especially for a front-row view of the rice fields — and says a booking is a must on Saturdays and festive nights. Private events are hosted too, from small dinners to weddings.

Tell the FirstBali concierge your date, the size of your group, lunch or dinner, and whether you want the terrace or the club afterwards. We ask Sardine on your behalf; the table is yours once the venue confirms it. For Les Toilettes, the minimum spend is set by the venue for each night and passed on before you decide.

What to wear

Sardine publishes two standards. For lunch and dinner: casual elegant — comfortable but polished. For the late night at Les Toilettes, dress a bit sharper: no flip-flops, sandals, board shorts, singlets or sports jerseys. Les Toilettes admits guests aged twenty-one and over. More on door rules in our Bali club dress code guide.

Getting there

Sardine is on Jalan Petitenget, in Kerobokan Kelod, at the Seminyak end of the road. Look for the bamboo structure and the white-stone wall hung with traditional fishermen's hats. There is private parking with valet service, and the restaurant says it is wheelchair accessible. Petitenget is busy in the evening, so a driver who waits is the simplest way home — ask for one when you book.

Read next: Seminyak nightlife, street by street, where to eat in Bali, a birthday in Bali and Les Toilettes, the club next door.