Moksa Ubud — Restaurant in Bali

I recently visited Moksa after a few friends insisted I try this restaurant if I was ever in Ubud. My husband and I are vegetarian, so we were really excited to try a clean, fully vegan restaurant.

The restaurant is a little out of the way, but worth the extra time and effort. First glance at the menu, I will say it was a bit long and while there are so many options, it is a bit overwhelming.

Being that we were only going to be able to eat here once, we decided to go big and sample a large portion of their menu. Below I will list everything we tried and my thoughts:

Sushi Maki: I was not a fan of the sushi. While the presentation looked great, I was not a big fan of the jicama rice. It had a weird texture and taste (for reference, I do like jicama).

Herbed Cheese Ravioli: Another must try! This dish was my favorite! Absolutely delicious and you’d never know it was vegan!

Smashed avocado bruschetta: Had nice fresh tomatoes and a delicious pesto, however I was missing a crunch in the bread. The coconut bread was too chewy and one note with the avocado in my opinion.

Moksa Dhal: This is a must try!! This was my husbands favorite dish. Wonderful flavor, not salty, and craveable.

Moksa Sampler: I really enjoyed the mini lasagna and mini pizza, however I did not enjoy the other two items on the plate.

Ubud Souvlaki: I was not a fan, too chewy and hard to eat.

Tempeh ribs: These were okay, but didn’t wow me.

Coconut nice cream: I wasn’t getting much coconut flavor, I actually was tasting bubblegum which was odd. Not bad, but not what I was expecting.

Iced maca cappuccino: I enjoyed this drink, great flavor!

Overall, we had a great lunch sampling all the dishes. The presentation was nice on every dish and the service was great. My only recommendation is to reduce the menu and really hone in on perfecting the dishes. I absolutely love that they use fresh ingredients, many that are grown on the property. While my review may seem harsh, please note all the dishes were good, not great. Which is why I think they should limit the menu and deliver perfection...

It was my 3rd time here, previously I had lunch or dinner. This time I had a big vegan breakfast plate.

First of all, service was as bad as I remember it from 8 months ago, with only me and another table being occupied as I was there right at the opening hours 10:00, the staff came to bring me menu, but 10 minute passed and they forgot I was there, I couldn’t wave my hand because they weren’t even staying at the table area, to check if people needed something, they were probably inside to attend to other business.

Also, the food took a lot of time to arrive, even though it was a simple breakfast plate, and it was just me and another table occupied.

Also, after I ordered, another table of 10 Russians arrived from yoga class and ordered, some of their foods and drinks arrived before mine, great.

As for the food itself, I’m sorry but you can’t ask for 78.000 IDR for such an awful kind of food. Yes, I am comparing you to every single other top rated vegan place in Ubud such as Zest, Sayuri and Plant Bistro.

The portion size is laughable and the amount of protein is very very small. Lots of high-carb starchy potatoes (which I didn’t like) to fill the plate and make it look bigger.

The service fee of course is mandatory and included in the bill even though it’s awful.

Notice that the problem of staff taking forever to notice if you want to order and the kitchen taking too much to cook it is not mentioned just by me, but also reviews.

And also, the mosquitos, yes there are a lot of them there, luckily this time I came prepared with my own mosquito repellent, but I don’t understand why knowing that they have sooo many, why then don’t put on some mosquito lamps or just place a mosquito repellent spray...

This is hands down my favourite restaurant in Bali. Throughout my 4 trips to Ubud in the last 2 years, I have eaten there at least 10 times. I even celebrated my 50th birthday there last year. The food is incredibly tasty and so innovative but what I love most is that it is all made from locally made produce, some of which is from their own garden. I am a dedicated meat eater but if I could eat at Moksa everyday I would gladly become vegan. Chef Made and his team make incredibly tasty dishes with so much flavour that each mouthful is a taste sensation. My absolute favourite dish is the "Asian not squid salad" which is made with fried young coconut but you genuinely think you are eating squid. I loved it so much that I did Chef Made's cooking class to find out how to make it myself. I highly recommend doing his class if you have the time. I also have to have the Turmeric tonic drink each time I go as well, so I haven't tried any other drinks but my friends were all happy with their choices. One time a friend of mine arrived at the restaurant feeling a little unwell and Chef Made personally went into the garden, picked some leaves and made her a tonic to help alleviate her symptoms. We were all so touched by this kind gesture. The "cheese" platter, again vegan, is insanely delicious, as are the Oyster mushrooms, which you find right at the back of the menu, which I failed to see on my first trip there. I have tried so many of their dishes and I wouldn't hesitate to have each of them again. And I still have so many to try. The staff are all so friendly and even recognise me now, as I've been so many times, despite there being 6 months between visits. I can't...