ORIGEN Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Bali

What a wonderful restaurant!

First, the space is beautiful! I went at night and sat outside. The textures of the building and the soft lighting gave a rustic yet elegant vibe. If you take your girlfriend, I suggest showing up a little early because she will want to take some pictures here.

I ordered cocktails and some food. Here's how it went:

Pica pica margarita - I always enjoy a spicy margarita. The flavor was fresh with a hint of spice. They know how to make a margarita.

La favorita - Basically a margarita with coconut milk. This was a lovely combination and I really enjoyed the dried coconut on the rim.

Al pastor tacos - I personally feel like al pastor is a make-or-break meat. Some places overdo it with the pineapple, others don't spice it properly. These tacos were delicious though! The house-made tortillas had a nice corn flavor to them and delicate texture. Lovely!

Alambre sirloin - Who doesn't like meat and cheese? The beef was tender and came on a sizzling cast-iron skillet. Served with tortillas, so I made tacos with them. This was a great way to try out the salsas that also came with the meal. I was very happy with this dish.

You're also served chips and salsa with your meal. The chips were lovely, thin and crispy. The salsa was delicious. There are additional salsas that are meant for your food but I dipped my chips in them too. I also ordered a spicier salsa on the side that was actually quite nice but I can't remember what the chile was called for the life of me. I like they they have a salsa macha in their offering, which is a unique salsa made with oil, chile and nuts or seeds. It gave a nice boost of umami to everything.

I also felt lucky that they passed out shooters to everybody while I was there. I don't remember what was in it but it was a nice little shot of cocktail to finish off my night.

The staff was wonderful and attentive, and they looked amazing in their colorful Mexican dresses. They completed the aesthetic of the restaurant very nicely.

Overall I'm very happy that I stopped by and I can't wait to visit...

As Latin Americans who lived in Mexico for many years and have now been in Bali for over four years, we've tried all the tacos and Latin food places around. While many are good, they often lack a chef or recipe creator originally from Mexico or Latin America. What makes this place unique is their remarkable job of recreating traditional Mexican food using Bali ingredients (I know it’s not the same, but it's pretty darn good).

Some standout features in my opinion:

Authentic Atmosphere: Their staff dresses in traditional clothes and always wears a smile. Great Drinks: They serve real micheladas, Coronas, and really good margaritas. Amazing Ceviche: Both the fish and shrimp ceviche are unreal—ceviche is rare in Bali. High-Quality Tacos: They are the only place I've found with truly homemade, high-quality corn tortillas, like you’d find in Latin America. Most places use a single manufacturer, and their tortillas are so hard. I love the fish, shrimp, carnitas, and birria tacos. Perfect Music and Ambiance: The music and ambiance are on point, transporting you to Latin America with classics of salsa and cumbia. The owners are always around, ensuring everything is held to a high standard.

In summary, they’ve done an excellent job of creating a place that makes you feel like you’re in Latin America while enjoying the charm of Bali. Their food is good and the closest you will find to traditional Latin...

I've been looking forward to trying this place out. Atmosphere/ambiance and the service were fabulous. However, both those things didn't make up for the lackluster flavors.

Guacamole was fabulous. Margaritas were passable though pretty weak.

Tried the Madre Mole & the Pescado Birria. For the price to quality ratio, I was disappointed. The Mole altogether lacked flavor, wasn't seasoned well enough for my taste, and arrived with maybe 1/3 cup of rice. Both pieces of chicken were breast (around 200g) tender and well cooked but altogether lacking the rich dynamic flavor of Mexican Mole.

The Pescado Birria was ok. The barramundi was perfectly cooked, however, again lacking in the flavor and seasoning department on the maybe 150g fillet. And at +/-250k rp came with no sides other than a few tortillas.

The cherry on top... upon asking for hot sauce (which generally is set on your table at the majority of Mexican restaurants) our lovely waitress didn't quite comprehend at first... asking if I wanted more salsa, and ultimately understood I wanted "spicy sauce" returned with a ramekin of ABC Sambal 🤣

Cute date spot if you're not picky about your Mexican Food, or have eaten Mexican food in Mexico.

Otherwise I'll be sticking to Lacalita for my Mexican fix.

Overall beautiful space and lovely service, yet the food...