IJO Restaurant — Restaurant in West Nusa Tenggara

We walked past this restaurant on our first evening in Gili and were immediately impressed by the beautiful setting, so we decided to book it for our last night as a special farewell dinner. The atmosphere is definitely one of the highlights – very elegant and inviting.

Service was excellent. We were looked after by Sahrul, who did an outstanding job. He was friendly, professional, and his fluent English (with a charming British accent!) really added to the experience. Honestly, the service couldn’t have been better.

The food, however, didn’t quite live up to the expectations or the prices. We tried three starters: one was unfortunately quite bland with an odd jelly-like texture, another was a lobster soup where the ravioli didn’t capture the lobster’s texture and the soup itself was a bit too salty, and the chicken liver pâté was served in such a thick layer that it was too overpowered.

For mains, we had the steak with two side dishes. The steak was cooked perfectly, but the quality wasn’t quite what you’d expect for the price. One side had such a strong smoked coconut flavor that it overpowered everything, and the other vegetable side was also too salty.

Overall, the ambiance and service set the bar high, but the food just didn’t match. It feels like the restaurant wants to be more than it currently is. Still, thanks to the great service and setting, it was a pleasant evening, even if a bit...

We got sick from eating here on the 20th of September, 2025.

I hate to be writing this but I feel the need to help other tourists. We ordered here and liked the food, apart from the fish, it tasted/ smelled very fishy - not fresh. We only ate about half as it didn’t taste right. The other food tasted good.

We went here last night, as it was highly rated. We missed the numerous food sickness/ poisoning reviews. The same happened to me last night and now my partner today.

I was vomiting all night. I put it down to the fish not being fresh or sitting out with not enough ice both sides. All I had was 2 beers that day, so no one can blame alcohol, partying etc.

We complained about the fish and the team were very sorry and took the complaint very seriously. They gave us complimentary dessert, beer and 50% off the fish.

However, last night food illness was so bad not to leave a honest review. I would not eat here again. It has ruined at least day of our holiday.

Something is fundamentally wrong with your hygiene standards if a number of people have reported being ill all night after eating here. This needs to be reviewed by an independent person as the food safety issues have...

Devastated we ate here, it looked beautiful but has turned our last moments in Gili t to a nightmare. Both myself and my friend who shared five starters are now sick! ( the only meal we have shared due to diet restrictions so definitely from this restaurant) The service was terrible, they forgot about us for 30mins we just sat with a menu, then once we ordered we were looked at and told we ordered to much - her behaviour was strange and not warm or welcoming at all - the food looked beautiful but lacked any texture, most was mush including the crab which we couldn’t find anything firm to eat but the cucumber which was the best part. Slimy eggplant dish Dishes with small hard “bits” that had to keep spitting out across a few dishes - that hurt my teeth when biting in to them unexpectedly.

$160 au for the worst meal I have eaten for years, truly want my money back and my day in Gili t back We have to take a boat today to our next destination and am terrified we won’t be able to like...