Jimbaran Seafood Dinner: How the Beach Restaurants Work, What It Costs, and the Best Time to Sit Down

Jimbaran is a fishing village on the bay south of the airport, and along its beach stand rows of restaurants that put tables on the sand each evening and grill fish, prawns, squid, clams and lobster over coconut husks. You choose from the display at the front, it is weighed and priced, and it arrives grilled with rice, kangkung, sambal and a plate of fruit. Planes land behind you, the fishing boats sit on the sand, and the sun goes down over the bay. It is one of the set pieces of a Bali holiday and it is exactly what it sounds like.

There are three groups of restaurants along the bay. The northern strip near the fish market has the cheapest and simplest places and the most local trade. The middle strip at Muaya Beach is the biggest and busiest, with the most tables on the sand and dance performances at some. The southern strip near the Four Seasons, sometimes called Kedonganan, is quieter and slightly more expensive. The food is similar along the whole bay; the differences are noise, price and how many tables are between you and the water.

Fish is sold by the hundred grams from the display; a half-kilo snapper for two is normal. Lobster and prawns are priced per weight too and are where the bill climbs. Most restaurants also offer set menus per person with a mix of fish, prawns, squid and clams, which are the simpler choice and usually fairer value. Confirm the price of anything weighed before it goes on the grill, and ask whether the rice, vegetables and fruit are included. Cash and cards are both fine at the larger places.

Sunset is between 6:15 and 6:30 all year, and the tables closest to the water are taken by 5:30 on a weekend. Many people watch the Kecak at Uluwatu temple at 6:00 and reach Jimbaran at about 7:30 for dinner after dark, which loses the sunset but gains the show and the cooler evening; the drive is about 25 minutes. Or reverse it another day. For the temple side, see the Uluwatu temple guide; for the beaches to spend the afternoon on first, the Uluwatu beaches guide.