Swarawarta.co.id – Apéritif Restaurant is a fine dining restaurant based in Ubud, Bali. Set within the ultra-refined Viceroy Bali estate just north of central Ubud, it pairs old-world glamour with forward-looking cuisine, making it one of Indonesia’s most compelling fine-dining rooms. The experience is orchestrated by Executive Chef Nic Vanderbeeken, whose “borderless cuisine” tasting menus interpret global techniques through an Indonesian lens – precise, elegant, and deeply satisfying. From the first canapés to the final petit fours, Apéritif is designed as a journey; service is choreographed, the wine program is serious, and the setting is a theatrical salute to the 1920s with checkered floors, crystal lighting, and a view of emerald jungle beyond.
A setting that elevates the meal
Apéritif Restaurant is the quintessential fine dining Ubud restaurant. Part of what makes dinner here feel special before a single bite is the room itself. Apéritif’s dining salon channels 1920s grandeur, with monochrome floors, high ceilings, and white-linen tables – while remaining resolutely Balinese in its sense of place: windows frame rice fields and rainforest valleys, and the ambient hush of Ubud seeps in without ever disturbing the ritual of service. The restaurant is fully air-conditioned (a blessing in Bali’s humidity), and the team gently encourages guests to dress smartly—think smart to formal.
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Borderless cuisine, Balinese soul
Chef Nic’s cooking is defined by polish and play. “Borderless” here means techniques and inspirations range widely – classic European, contemporary Asian, modernist touches, yet the flavors often circle back to Indonesia through spices, produce, and narratives. The tasting menus (there are multiple journeys to choose from, including dedicated vegetarian and vegan paths) offer a disciplined progression of courses that balance delicacy with precision plating. Expect the team to move confidently between pristine seafood, expertly handled meats, and treatments of vegetables that feel like headliners rather than concessions. It’s thoughtful, globally fluent cuisine that still tastes unmistakably of Bali.
Collaborations and guest-chef “four-hands” dinners are a recurring feature of the calendar, keeping the kitchen’s perspective dynamic and giving regulars something new to anticipate. Recent lineups have included reunions and special menus that spotlight technique, terroir, and Indonesian ingredients with new context.
The tasting experience
Apéritif’s degustations are composed to tell a story, one course setting up the next – rather than simply listing greatest hits. Courses arrive with impeccable pacing; sauces are glossy and precise; garnishes are never extraneous. Menus evolve with seasonality and events, but a few signatures tend to anchor the experience: playful amuses to start; seafood with bright acidity and texture; a meat course that shows off technique and balance; and a pastry section that understands restraint. Meanwhile, those choosing plant-based menus are not treated as afterthoughts – vegetarian and vegan progressions are designed as complete, original experiences, not substitutions.
If you enjoy a longer arc, plan on lingering – not just at the table, but also in the adjoining cocktail setting after dessert. The rhythm here invites unhurried conversation.
A huge wine cellar and pairings with purpose
Apéritif’s wine program is one of the most ambitious on the island, with a large cellar curated by an in-house sommelier and pairing flights calibrated to the kitchen’s arc – from crystalline whites and grower Champagnes to elegant reds and sweet wines that complement the pastry team’s final notes. If you prefer to select by the bottle, the list rewards curiosity, offering both classic regions and discoveries that suit Bali’s climate and the menu’s breadth. The team’s accolades include recognition for wine selection alongside culinary awards – useful shorthand for the seriousness of the program.
Awards and recognition
While Bali’s dining landscape grows more sophisticated each year, Apéritif consistently appears in conversations about the country’s best restaurants. It has been included in Indonesia’s 30 Best Restaurants Of The Year by PRESTIGE Gourmet Awards. The restaurant publicly highlights a string of distinctions gathered over the years – signals that its blend of hospitality, cuisine, and design resonates beyond the island. Awards never tell the whole story, but they do underscore how firmly Apéritif has entered the top tier.
Polished yet personal service
Fine dining can sometimes drift into ceremony for its own sake. At Apéritif, the choreography supports comfort: servers are informed but warm; pacing feels naturally attuned to the table; and explanations add texture without turning into lectures. Little touches – how a wine is introduced, how dietary notes are handled, how transitions are managed, make the evening feel seamless.
Practical notes for planning
Reservations & timing. Book ahead for both lunch and dinner, particularly around holidays and high season. The restaurant accepts lunch bookings from noon to 2 pm (last order, with 24-hour advance booking recommended) and dinner bookings until 8:30 pm for the last kitchen order. If you’re planning to visit the adjoining Pinstripe Bar as well, arrive a little early to ease into the evening.
Dress code. Apéritif recommends smart to formal attire; sportswear, singlets, and flip-flops are discouraged. It’s a comfortable, air-conditioned room where a jacket or dress feels at home but not mandatory.
Location & access. You’ll find Apéritif at Br. Nagi, Jl. Lanyahan, Petulu, Ubud, Gianyar 80571, within the Viceroy Bali grounds, a short drive from central Ubud. If you’re staying at the resort, the concierge team can coordinate your evening seamlessly; otherwise, it’s easy to arrange transport via taxi or hotel car.
Who it’s for. If your sweet spot is fine dining with exacting technique, a serious wine list, and a room that makes you sit a little taller in your chair, Apéritif Restaurant is for you. Couples seeking a romantic anniversary, culinary travelers building an Indonesia itinerary, or locals marking a milestone will all find the experience well pitched.
Conclusion
Ubud’s reputation for wellness and craft runs deep. Increasingly, it’s also where Bali’s most ambitious kitchens are making a case for the island as a serious culinary destination. Apéritif embodies that evolution. The restaurant looks backward aesthetically – borrowing the poise and polish of the 1920s, while looking forward on the plate, translating the archipelago’s ingredients into narratives with international fluency. The result is a dinner that feels both grounded and glamorous, intimate and expansive.
That duality is perhaps Apéritif’s signature: a place where you can gaze at rice fields and talk terroir; where the breeze seems to pause for your next sip; where an Indonesian spice or a Balinese fruit, reframed with technique, becomes the flavor you remember most. In a dining scene that’s increasingly sophisticated, Apéritif remains a benchmark, proof that Ubud can deliver destination dining without losing its particular magic.
Essential details
- Executive Chef: Nic Vanderbeeken
- Cuisine: “Borderless” contemporary fine dining tasting menus, with vegetarian and vegan options
- Dress code: Smart to formal
- Location: Br. Nagi, Jl. Lanyahan, Petulu, Ubud, Bali (inside Viceroy Bali)
- Bar next door: Pinstripe Bar (separate venue; refined cocktails and wine)
