Guling Samsam Merekak — Restaurant in Bali

Came here recently... Man, it's a bit difficult to find. The restaurant is quite a way down a very narrow gang, and the signage at the top of the gang is very small and easy to miss. The place is very clean and well presented. There is seating available in the front and more areas to sit around the back. There is a quite extensive menu with pork as the theme, of course. You can see into the kitchen and preparation area and see the pork cooking on a large rotisserie. All is clean and professionally maintained.

The staff were friendly and helpful.

The meal was nice, with crunchy pork skin.

But I have tried many other places as well, selling the same thing, and in general, they are all generic.. I guess that all Babi Guling restaurants end up catering for the people who are in their area. So it probably comes down to the price point.

The food prices here are (in my view) really expensive, given that the food is available in many other places also. So.... Would I come back again? No... Price and location (way off the street).. are a deciding factor for me. I would choose another option.

But please..come and try for...

To be fair, the food is delicious, but it may not the place for me. It will be a place for you if you have around 1 hour to wait for the payment, and another 1.5 hours to wait for the food! The system here is you need to order and pay first, then go inside to look for a seat and may need to clean the table by your own. Then, be patient to wait for your food. No matter how long you’ll need to wait, no refund allowed. So, make sure you are no rush, and your stomach is very patient. I’m not sure if it’s because the holidays, but I don’t think it will be any lots better in normal time as they don’t have any management. I don’t think they care how long the customers wait...

I read some reviews before deciding to come here and noticed a few people mentioned the food takes quite a while, so I ordered in advance via WhatsApp a few days before my visit. The WhatsApp admin was surprisingly very friendly and helpful!

When I arrived, I was honestly amazed—the place is super cozy, dog-friendly (huge plus!), and the staff were really welcoming and warm.

As for the food, the taste wasn’t exactly what I expected—I’ve tried some babi guling that I personally liked more—but it still tasted good and yummy. It’s pork after all, which is always good 😁

Overall a lovely experience, and worth checking out especially if you love chill places with friendly...