Locavore NXT
In 2019, the Locavore restaurant was awarded a ranking among the 50 Best Restaurants in Asia, as well as picking up a Sustainable Restaurant Award, and The Best Restaurant in Indonesia. Even so, for Eelke Plasmeijer and Ray Adriansyah, the founders of Locavore, this wasn't enough. Locavore NXT is the extension of their vision to create a groundbreaking and ambitious project where restaurants, food and alcohol production, research, development, and experimentation are carried out under one roof.
At Locavore NXT, sustainability and local ingredients are at the core of everything they do. From the solar panels and water recycling system to growing their own mushrooms, your meals at Locavore NXT are guaranteed to be sourced from local farmers and places nearby. Your dining experience at Locavore NXT goes far beyond just the enjoyment of its tasting menus.
Even before you sit down and are presented with the dishes, you'll be taken around the Locavore NXT to learn more about its ecosystem. This is the place for a true foodie, as the 3+ hours you spend at the industrial-inspired building surrounded by rice fields with creative and thought-provoking meal options will be the most transformative dining experience you ever have in Bali.
Content
All You Need to Know Before Coming to Locavore NXT
Reservations
Locavore NXT doesn't accept walk-ins, so you need to plan your visit here because securing a table is difficult. You can make a booking directly on their website and, if you can get a table, get ready for the most mind-blowing dinner (or lunch) in Bali.
Welcoming Service
From the get-go, you'll be greeted with the choice of a warm and cool towel before another staff member ushers you to the so-called lobby. Then, you'll be served a welcome drink and snack with a small card explaining the concept. Before heading to the main restaurant, you'll be taken on a short tour of Locavore NXT, including their Mushroom Chamber with a 3D BIO Library.
First Impression
Impressive is not a significant enough word to describe Locavore NXT as this is the only Indonesian restaurant taking sustainability to the next level. The high ceilings, the Food Forest on the way to the main building, the welcome snacks and drinks, and the short tour are carefully planned and executed perfectly by the team members. The anticipation is high even before they bring out the first course!
Our Favourites at Locavore NXT
Since the tasting menu at Locavore NXT consists of 20+ courses, including the drinks pairing, it's impossible to put them into boxes in terms of which ones were our favorites. Instead, we wanted to highlight the concept of meals at Locavore NXT and how this stands out from any other restaurants in Bali.
The Theme of The Tasting Menu at Locavore NXT
Since reopening in 2023, Locavore NXT's mission has been to create a tasting menu that celebrates everything surrounding it: the space, the time, the building and, of course, the ingredients. The tasting menu theme at Locavore NXT has always adapted because it embraces the seasonal produce available in Indonesia, specifically in Bali, as a way to support local farmers.
Hence, if you visit Locavore NXT in February and then make another visit in October, the theme may change, and so will the courses. Aside from serving modern dishes with locally sourced ingredients, Locavore NXT also doesn't use wheat flour. The flours they use are made from fermented roots like cassava or sweet potatoes – a big win for you if you're allergic to gluten.
Expect your meals to have a unique combination of ingredients like aloe vera, unripe papaya, daluman, jengkol, mud crab, soursop, and cuttlefish crackers, among others, depending on the seasonal theme. Regardless, the Locavore NXT team has succeeded in making every dish memorable.
The cocktails at Locavore NXT also highlight the local ingredients, creating a drink that is mysteriously fascinating with a hint of familiarity. They will serve the drink for each course, and each drink will have a touch of the same ingredients as your course.
Special Offers at Locavore NXT
🛌 Wood Rooms
The Wood Rooms, an accommodation integrated into the Locavore NXT ecosystem, is available to anyone who travels to Bali to experience Locavore NXT exclusively. There are only three cabins at the moment so, if you're planning to stay here, you need to book it right away.
🧑🍳 Full NXT Experience
This is perfect if you want to know more about Locavore NXT, as it gives you a chance to have a sumptuous dinner, followed by an overnight stay at the Wood Rooms. Then, you'll have a private tour of the NXT project, a meeting with Chef Eelke and Chef Ray, the founders of Locavore NXT, and breakfast at the Canteen restaurant with an off-menu breakfast.
👕 Concept Store
Before you leave the restaurant, there is a corner where you can check out some of the interesting qualities of Locavore NXT. From apparel to ceramic sets and books, all the items they sell are a product of collaboration with local artists to further cement their mission to build strong relationships with locals.
What We Like and What We Don't
Locavore NXT is an impressive restaurant to visit, as you need months in advance to secure a table. Not everything is perfect though, as there are a couple of things that could still be improved at Locavore NXT.
What We Like
The creativity at Locavore NXT is unmatched. The way they paired every ingredient and the final products are worthy of a standing ovation because, for a place like Bali, this is remarkable.
The welcoming service, including the tour of facilities, is top-notch and unforgettable. When people say that the first impression matters, Locavore NXT takes this to the next level with its attention to detail and the kind of service it provides upon your arrival.
The building is spacious and far from pretentious. Many fine dining restaurants are often pretentious, but Locavore NXT is not one of them. The narrow passage to the main building is one of our favourite things.
The no wheat flour commitment, as well as only using local ingredients, should be the norm in Bali. There is something special about a restaurant that practices this, and Locavore NXT is certainly one of the few restaurants in Bali that does this practice best.
The service is impeccable and the staff's product knowledge is unparalleled. The service, from arrival to explaining each course with their knowledge, is one of the reasons (besides the food) that makes the dining experience at Locavore NXT memorable.
What We Don't
The dish was inconsistent in that not all the courses were delicious. It's understandable that not every dish is excellent out of 20+ courses, but this is a pity because there were expectations and, sadly, some of those expectations weren't met.
Some of the areas are quite dark and, if you're not careful, there is a chance you can slip. Though the staff always remind you to be careful, sometimes you can get lost in the experience so that minding your step is possibly the last thing on your mind.
The meals did not contain animal protein, aside from a few seafood items. Though the website stated that they use less animal protein, the whole course felt like a vegetarian set menu with a few exceptions. To be honest, we expected more.
Locavore NXT Location + Opening Hours
Locavore NXT Opening Hours
Monday: 5:30 PM – 11 PM
Tuesday: 5:30 PM – 11 PM
Wednesday: 5:30 PM – 11 PM
Thursday: 12 PM – 1:30 PM (Lunch) / 5:30 PM – 11 PM (Dinner)
Friday: 12 PM – 1:30 PM (Lunch) / 5:30 PM – 11 PM (Dinner)
Saturday: 12 PM – 1:30 PM (Lunch) / 5:30 PM – 11 PM (Dinner)
Sunday: Closed
Expert Opinion About Locavore NXT
Saying that Locavore NXT has looked to revolutionise the dining experience in Bali is an understatement because they are more than just the flavour of the creative cuisine presented on the set menu. By committing to only using locally seasonal ingredients, which means they have to be creative in creating and adapting to what's available, Locavore NXT confidently propels itself as among the best of Indonesia's top restaurants.
With the Wood Rooms steadily making waves, it surely won't be long before Locavore NXT becomes an icon of the dining scene in Bali that people will remember for years to come.
We cannot recommend this place enough (if you can secure a table), as each dish at Locavore NXT will stay with you long after you leave the restaurant. Locavore NXT is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and one you will talk about over and over again. Don't blame us if you immediately make a reservation for your next visit.
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Reviews About Locavore NXT
Ethan B
Melvin O
Luke MHow can you evaluate
Hi everyone! My name is Catur, and I was born and raised in Central Java. I moved to Bali in 2011 but left the island in 2016 before returning in 2018. Bali feels more than a home to me, and maybe that’s why my name feels like a premonition. Catur means four, both in the Balinese and Javanese languages. It is spoken like ‘c’ in chess, which is also the meaning of my name in Indonesian.
