Denpasar is at its most sociable after dark. From late afternoon, market yards and car parks become pasar malam — night markets — where families eat dinner at plastic tables for a fraction of restaurant prices. The best known is Pasar Kreneng, on Jalan Kamboja east of the centre. The evening market around Badung Market is the most atmospheric, and Pasar Sindhu in Sanur is the easiest for visitors.
The food is a mix of Balinese specialities and dishes from across Indonesia: nasi campur, babi guling (spit-roast pork), sate, lawar (minced vegetables, coconut and meat with spices), fried noodles, bakso meatball soup, grilled fish, martabak and terang bulan pancakes, and coloured rice-flour sweets called jaje Bali.
Top things to do at Night Markets: Kreneng & Sindhu
Eat at Pasar Kreneng
Kreneng is a daytime produce market that turns into the city’s largest night market in the evening, with rows of food stalls alongside clothes and household goods. It is thoroughly local: little English, low prices and a lot of choice.
Start easy at Pasar Sindhu
Sanur’s night market, off Jalan Danau Tamblingan, is small and friendly, with a couple of dozen stalls and menus that are easy to navigate. It is a good first night market if you are staying by the beach.
Try the things you cannot get at home
Order nasi jinggo (a tiny banana-leaf parcel of rice with spicy trimmings), sate lilit (minced fish or pork pressed round a lemongrass stick), tipat cantok (rice cake and vegetables in peanut sauce) and a glass of es daluman (green grass jelly with coconut milk and palm sugar).
Go with someone who knows
If the choice is overwhelming, an evening food walk with a local guide takes care of ordering and explains what is in each dish.
How to get to Night Markets: Kreneng & Sindhu
- Pasar Kreneng: Jalan Kamboja, about 1 km north-east of Puputan Square; 5 minutes by taxi from the centre, 20–25 minutes from Sanur.
- Pasar Sindhu: on Jalan Pasar Sindhu, just off Sanur’s main street, Jalan Danau Tamblingan; walkable from most central Sanur hotels.
- Badung evening market: the streets around Pasar Badung, 10 minutes’ walk from Puputan Square.
Insider tips
- Stalls set up from around 5 pm and are busiest between 6 and 9 pm.
- Choose stalls with a queue and food cooked to order. Bring hand sanitiser and small notes.
- Much Balinese food contains pork; Muslim-run stalls (often selling Javanese dishes) are halal. Ask if you are unsure — “babi” means pork.
- Chilli sambal is served on the side at most stalls. Say “tidak pedas” if you want it mild.
- Stick to bottled or sealed drinks if you have a sensitive stomach, and go easy on ice at very basic stalls.
Best tours & tickets for Night Markets: Kreneng & Sindhu
These well-reviewed experiences are the easiest way to see Night Markets: Kreneng & Sindhu:
Private evening walk from €39 Bali: Private Evening Walking Tour with Culinary Experience
A private walk through the centre in the evening, combining the lively local markets with street-food tastings and the old town’s landmarks. A new listing with very few reviews — read the latest ones before booking.
- Starts at Badung Market, the largest traditional market in Denpasar
- Balinese street-food tastings
- Private guide, historic landmarks on the way
Food & market walk from €40 Bali Heritage & Street Food Tour in Denpasar Badung Market
The most-reviewed tour that actually takes place inside Denpasar. A local guide leads you through the stalls of Badung Market and the old trading streets next to it, stopping to taste the things the city eats every day and explaining what you are looking at.
- Guided walk through Badung Market, Bali’s biggest traditional market
- Tastings of Balinese dishes such as babi guling and jaje Bali sweets
- Heritage streets around the market with a local guide
Cooking class from €33 Sanur: Balinese Cooking Class with Optional Market Tour
Learn the spice pastes behind Balinese cooking and make a handful of classic dishes, then sit down to eat them. The optional market visit is worth adding: it explains the ingredients you will see all over Denpasar’s markets.
- Hands-on class with a local chef
- Optional visit to a local market first
- Eat what you cook; pickup within the Sanur area
