On one of our first walks in Ubud, we left the main roads and followed a little alley. Soon enough, we were walking down a narrow and quiet street, lined by restaurants, massage shops and stores! It is much quieter than the bustling main roads, and we wanted to try out some of the little restaurants in the evening. Our first choice was Buonasera, a little open-air Italian restaurant – and it turned out to be the best pizza I’ve ever had on Bali!
Buonasera is located on Jalan Goutama (Gootama, Gautama), a few minutes walk from the Ubud Palace. The restaurant is open to the outside, with cute wooden tables upfront and a real, woodfired pizza oven in the back. They were packed when we arrived, but the Italian owner was very nice, freed up a table she was working on and we were on our way to a great meal. The staff was as friendly as the owner and helpful and attentive throughout!
If the woodfired oven wasn’t a hint – Buonasera really is all about the pizza. Yes, they also have pasta, but the pizza is to die for and you should really go for it, at least on your first visit. We started with a caprese salad of tomato and mozzarella with some bread (which was good) and had the house wine (which was ok). We shared a meat pizza as our main course and it was awesome: The crust is thin and baked to perfection with just a little “burn” on the edge for that ideal flavor! We loved it and enjoyed every bite of it! We finished with a Tiramisu for dessert (which was good).
If you love pizza then you shouldn’t leave Bali without having one at Buonasera – if they were in my hometown, I’d be a regular. The appetizer and dessert as well as the wine were ok, but all is good if the pizza is THIS good! And if you insist on local food for every meal of your vacation, you might want to consider making an exception for Buonasera – it will certainly be a “good evening”!