Warung Nusa

Warung Nusa sits next to the Kuta morning market and serves the kind of honest, filling Indonesian food that keeps budget travelers going for weeks. The warung is a classic nasi campur setup: a glass display case filled with freshly cooked dishes from which you point and choose. Typical options include rendang sapi (beef rendang), ayam goreng (fried chicken), ikan bakar (grilled fish), tempe orek (sweet soy tempeh), sayur lodeh (vegetable curry), perkedel (potato fritters), and sambal goreng kentang ati (spicy fried potato and liver). Pick rice, choose three or four sides, and your plate arrives loaded with a colorful, flavorful meal for IDR 15,000-25,000. Everything is cooked fresh each morning. The sambal is made daily and ranges from warm to volcanic depending on the cook's mood. The iced tea (es teh manis) is sweet and refreshing. The warung is busiest between 12pm and 2pm when local workers come for lunch — arrive early or late for the widest selection of dishes. The space is basic: plastic tables and chairs under a tin roof with fans. No English is spoken, but pointing works perfectly. Cash only. Open 8am to 4pm or until the food runs out, whichever comes first. Closed on Sundays. This is essential eating for travelers who want to eat like locals and spend like locals in Kuta.