Sababa — Restaurant in Bali

⭐️⭐️⭐️½ – Stylish Intentions, But the Atmosphere Drowns the Experience

I recently visited Sababa in Bali and walked away feeling like the restaurant is full of ambition, but still hasn’t quite found its balance.

The first thing that stood out was the space itself—the venue is noticeably smaller than it appears in the promotional photos. Tables are quite close together, and on a busy night, that creates a cramped, almost congested feel. There’s separation between diners but not enough to allow for private conversations, which makes conversation difficult.

The biggest issue for me, however, was the volume and overall noise level. Sababa seems to be going for a lively, bustling Mediterranean-meets-Bali vibe, but the result is overwhelmingly loud. Between the background music, the chatter from tightly packed tables, and the hard surfaces that bounce sound around, it became genuinely difficult to hear the person across from me. It felt more like a bar trying to be a restaurant, or vice versa, without quite deciding which experience to prioritize.

My partner did get very cold and the staff were very helpful turning off many fans to help her warm up.

As for the food—it was solid, but not particularly memorable. Nothing was poorly prepared, but nothing truly wowed me either. The flavors were pleasant, yet a bit safe, lacking the boldness you might expect from a restaurant clearly trying to project a trendy, upscale edge.

No almond milk for a coffee is an unmistakable oversight in 2025, I have no idea if they had other milk alternatives as nothing was offered I was just told no almond milk.

Sababa gives the impression that it’s trying to deliver a high-energy, sensory-driven dining experience, but in its current form, the execution feels muddled. The ambition is there, but the atmosphere needs serious refining if they want guests to enjoy not just the food, but the full dining experience.

3.5 stars from me—a decent spot, but I’d only recommend it if you’re okay with noise and a bit of style-over-substance.

P.s. I was approached by the Presumed manager who read my review before I even left the restaurant, she seemed to interested to see if I would tell her to her face what I thought, which I did, she then told me she read my review after I told her I felt it’s just too loud there, her suggestion was perhaps we should sit on the far side of the restaurant lol, how about you just turn the music down in your venue, then people wont need to talk so loud to get over the music and the whole venue will be notably quieter resulting in a more pleasant atmosphere. Unless your goal Is to sound like a...

We found the reviews and high rating to be somewhat misleading.

The interior is well-designed, reflecting a Middle Eastern aesthetic. However, the open layout means there is no air conditioning. Since we dined on a particularly hot and humid evening, it was uncomfortably hot. Unfortunately, the fans didn’t help much — while they blasted directly at our backs and faces, blowing everything off the table, they provided little relief from the heat.

The food was overall okay, but given the price, we expected more. One of the mains we ordered included prawns, which were served fully in their shells. They were difficult to peel as the shells were stuck, making it frustrating to eat, with small shell pieces mixing into the rice. The dessert was also disappointing. It bore little (more like no) resemblance to traditional knafeh — the dough was still slightly raw inside, and the flavor was lacking.

On a positive note, the service was good, and the staff was very attentive. However, when asked for feedback, we doubt it was passed on to the kitchen or management.

Overall, it was fine, but not worth the price. There are plenty of better options in Canggu for the...

Been here on a few occasions over my months in Bali. The service here is 5 star, the atmosphere/dining area is also great, my problem however lies with the food. The name is Sababa implying Israeli cuisine but it’s “middle eastern” fusion which I understand. The food is very fresh and well plated. The flavors are just not there and nothing really middle eastern about it. I grew up in an Israeli household and have spent time all over the world so I know good middle eastern food. It’s not authentic nor are the flavors very good regardless of what they’re going for. I was excited to see Harissa on the menu but it’s literally their version of a spicy aioli. Give me real harissa from a jar and I’d be happier. Chicken shawarma wrap looked promising but it had an overwhelming charred flavor and barely any chicken, I stopped by for lunch and had schnitzel and even that was underwhelming. Ordered lamb roast one time, it was tender and cooked great but again flavor not good. The dips and sides are so off of what real middle eastern flavor is. This place has SO much potential but needs someone to come in and completely overhaul the menu offerings...