The Royal Rijsttafel at The Café Lotus Ubud

For more than four decades, The Café Lotus has served a specific version of a specific Indonesian meal beside the same lotus pond in central Ubud. It is called the rijsttafel, literally "rice table" in Dutch, a colonial-era practice in which a single meal is composed of many small dishes brought out together, so the diner can taste an entire archipelago in one sitting. Opened in 1983 as Warung Teratai by Anak Agung Arimas, wife of the late King of Ubud, the restaurant has kept the ritual alive in its own Balinese form ever since.

At the centre of the menu is the Lotus Royal Rijsttafel. Rooted in Base Genep, Bali's foundational spice blend, the set brings eleven dishes to the table for a minimum of two guests, from Sate Lilit and Babi Kecap to Gulai Kambing and Balinese sweets, served family-style on the terrace facing the pond.

"The Rijsttafel lets you taste a lot of Indonesia at once," says Wayan Sudiarta, General Manager. "You get sate lilit from here, gulai kambing from Sumatra, ceremonial yellow rice, coconut sweets to close. If someone is trying Indonesian food properly for the first time, this is the meal we recommend."

After dinner, the evening moves across the pond. Six nights a week from 19:30, the temple grounds at Pura Taman Kemuda Saraswati host a different Balinese dance: Joged on Monday, Ramayana Ballet on Wednesday, Legong on Saturday, among others. Performances have been part of the experience here since 2005, and tickets for diners are IDR 100,000 net per person.

A thoughtful revitalisation in 2025 refreshed the pavilion and introduced a new lesehan dining experience, while the ironwood beams, sandstone carvings, and view across the pond stayed untouched.