Cooking Class vs Restaurant Dinner in Bali | Which Is Better?

You can eat at a restaurant any night. But a cooking class gives you something you take home forever: the ability to recreate Balinese flavors in your own kitchen.

Bali has incredible restaurants. From beachfront seafood to fine dining in Ubud, you could eat out every night and have an amazing time. But a cooking class offers something fundamentally different: an experience, not just a meal.

Cost comparison: A mid-range restaurant dinner for two in Bali costs Rp 500,000-800,000. A cooking class costs Rp 350,000 per person (or Rp 500,000 for two in a couples class) and includes your meal. The cooking class is actually similar in price to dinner but includes 3-5 hours of instruction, recipes, and skills.

What you take home: From a restaurant, you take home a full stomach. From a cooking class, you take home recipes, techniques, spice knowledge, and the ability to cook Balinese food for the rest of your life. Every meal you cook at home using those recipes extends the value of the class.

The social aspect: Restaurant dining is passive. A cooking class is active, social, and engaging. In a group class, you meet fellow food lovers from around the world. In a private class, you get quality time with your travel companions.

Our suggestion: do both. Eat at Bali's great restaurants AND take a cooking class. They complement each other perfectly. The cooking class deepens your appreciation of what you eat at restaurants, and restaurant meals inspire new dishes to try in the kitchen.