While everyone heads to Bali I think it’s best to take the ferry onward to try food in Lombok away from the crowds.
It’s a rough but relatively quick ride east to Lombok. To be honest when I visited I didn’t know much about it, other than it was close to Bali but the food was all its own.
The Sasak people have been cooking here for centuries, and what they’ve built is one of Indonesia’s most exciting regional cuisines. Bold spices, smoky grilled meat and chilies that genuinely make you sweat. I was constantly asking if dishes were pedas because I couldn’t handle too much spice.
I spent a week traveling all over Lombok. It has amazing beaches and friendly people, just as you would expect anywhere in Indonesia.
While Kuta is well known as the place to be for surfers and travelers, my favorite day was eating my way through Mataram, the island’s capital. I was prepared with a list of traditional Lombok food and ate as much as I could.
Lombok’s Culinary Influences
The Sasak are Lombok’s Indigenous people and their cooking sets the tone for everything you eat on the island.
Sasak cuisine is built on a love of heat, smoke and fermented ingredients. The Lombok chili, a long thin red variety, is in almost every dish. So does terasi, the fermented shrimp paste that gives sauces their deep, salty backbone. Tamarind, ginger and garlic round out the flavors.
Much like in Padang Sumatra, Lombok is one of the better places in Indonesia for beef. Cattle graze freely across the island’s green hills and you can taste the difference. Coconut, both fresh and grated, also plays a big role in Sasak savory cooking, adding sweetness and texture to skewers and curries.
The Balinese ruled parts of Lombok for several hundred years and you can spot traces of that history in a few ceremonial dishes. Sasak identity in the kitchen has stayed strong though.
Must Try Lombok Food
Terong Beberuk | Eggplant Sambal
Terong beberuk is the side dish that comes alongside popular Lombok foods and earns every bit of space on the plate.
Small eggplants are sliced and tossed in a fresh sambal of fermented shrimp, tomato and garlic. The eggplant is served raw or barely cooked, keeping a little crunch in each bite.
The sambal is sharp, tangy and aggressively spicy. It cuts through the richness of the grilled chicken in a way that feels intentional and well paired.
I love this dish as an appetizer and you’ll find it at most traditional Sasak warungs across Lombok.
Where to Eat Terong Beberuk:
Taliwang Khas Pak Udin
Jl. Pejanggik No.78, Mataram
Bebalung | Sasak Rib Soup
Bebalung means “rib” or “bone” in the Sasak language Large beef ribs are slow cooked in a broth loaded with ginger, garlic and tamarind leaves, and the process takes two days. The ribs get boiled first, then cooked again with spices until the meat falls away from the bone with almost no effort.
This is a festival food traditionally, found at weddings and important ceremonies across Lombok. You can eat it year round at dedicated warungs, usually from early morning until early afternoon.
Alongside the soup you get a sambal made with fermented shrimp, tomato and Lombok chili, plus kecap manis (sweet soy sauce also common in Yogyakarta foods) for sweetness if you want it.
The correct approach, which I learned the hard way, is to scoop the ribs and a little broth over the rice. Alan taught me pouring the rice directly into the soup turns rice mushy.
A full bowl costs around 35,000 IDR. At the warung they’ll let you into the kitchen between 8:30 and 10am to watch the cooking. Come early.
Where to Eat Bebalung:
Bebalung Depot
Jl. Ade Irma Suryani, Mataram
Ares | Young Banana Stem Curry
Ares is a Sasak celebration dish that most visitors never encounter because it’s tied to weddings and ceremonies.
The main ingredient is the inner stem of young banana plants, sliced thin and slow cooked in a spiced broth with beef or chicken. The texture is somewhat between bamboo shoots and artichoke hearts, tender and slightly fibrous.
The spice blend includes galangal, lemongrass, K lime leaf and turmeric, giving the broth a warm golden color and a gentle aromatic heat.
It’s a milder dish compared to much of Lombok food, which makes it a welcome break. Some warungs in Mataram serve it daily outside ceremony season, particularly places that specialize in traditional Sasak cooking.
Where to Eat Ares:
Rumah Makan Sari Rasa
Jl. Saleh Sungkar, Cakranegara, Mataram
Ayam Taliwang | Grilled Spiced Chicken
If you eat one thing in Lombok, make it this.
Ayam Taliwang is the island’s signature dish. A whole small chicken i marinated in garlic, chilies and shrimp paste,. It is lightly fried first then finished over charcoal to build that smoky crust.
I’ve eaten a lot of chicken but this is one of the best. The chickens are small by design, which keeps everything juicy and gives you a great ratio of crust to meat.
The history here is genuinely interesting. Back in the 1600s, when the ruling clans of Bali and Lombok were at war, a peace agreement was reached in the village of Taliwang. This chicken was served at that meeting. A dish that brokered peace between kingdoms eventually became the most beloved Lombok food on the entire island.
Alan compared it to chicken rendang from West Sumatra, and that’s a great reference point. Same kind of deep, spiced, full flavored intensity. This is a hands only restaurant with no forks or spoons, so eat with your right hand and get into it.
Taliwang Khas Pak Udin opens at 4:30pm and fills up immediately, so arrive right at opening.
Where to Eat Ayam Taliwang:
Taliwang Khas Pak Udin
Jl. Pejanggik No.78, Mataram
Sate Rembiga | Royal Beef Skewers
Unofficially there are over 250 varieties of sate in Indonesia. If you can cook something on a stick, Indonesians have turned it into sate.
Sate Rembiga comes from Rembiga village in Lombok and was originally made exclusively for the royal family. The story is that the royal household eventually shared the recipe with the public, and a dish reserved for kings became food for everyone.
What makes it special is the marinade. Ground beef is mixed with fermented shrimp paste, brown sugar, sweet soy sauce and Lombok chili.
The sweetness hits first, then the heat starts building, and it really builds. The skewers go over charcoal to pick up that smokiness.
A basket of about ten skewers runs 25,000 IDR.
Where to Eat Sate Rembiga:
Warung Sate Rembiga Utama
Jl. Dr. Soedjono, Rembiga, Mataram
Rarit | Sasak Dried Spiced Beef
Rarit is Lombok’s answer to beef jerky, but with more complexity.
Beef is marinated in a blend of spices including galangal, coriander and turmeric, then sun dried before being fried or grilled.
It is chewy, intensely flavored and will change your mind about beef jerky. This is a preservation method that made sense before refrigeration, but it’s stayed popular because of how good it tastes.
You can find rarit packaged as a take home item at markets in Mataram and Cakranegara, and served alongside rice at traditional Sasak warungs.
If you’re at Pasar Cakranegara, look for the stalls selling dried meats and spices in the inner market section.
Where to Eat Rarit:
Pasar Cakranegara
Jl. Selaparang, Cakranegara, Mataram
Sate Pusut | Coconut Beef Skewers
Similar and yet different to sate Rembiga. The difference is grated coconut worked into the minced beef before grilling.
That coconut gives the skewer a subtle sweetness, a softer texture and a slightly tropical quality that makes it feel like a completely different experience. It’s somewhat similar to the popular Bali dish, sate lilit and it’s also on a fat bamboo skewer.
The flavor is milder than sate Rembiga but still carries that charcoal smokiness. I loved this one and found myself thinking about the recipe for days afterward, wishing I had asked for the recipe.
The ingredients seem simple, grated coconut, ground beef and a spice mixture, but whatever goes into that mixture is something I wish I could recreate.
Where to Eat Sate Pusut:
Warung Sate Rembiga Utama
Jl. Dr. Soedjono, Rembiga, Mataram
Plecing Kangkung | Water Spinach with Chili Sauce
I love places that welcome big vegetable dishes.
Plecing kangkung might be the most recognizable food in Lombok outside the island. Water spinach (kangkung) is blanched briefly then served cold with a sauce made from Lombok chilies, shrimp paste, tomato and lime.
Sometimes you get crushed peanuts or grated coconut over the top.
The sauce is punchy, salty, sour and very spicy. The spinach stays slightly crunchy against that intense dressing.
Locals eat this daily and it shows up at almost every traditional meal as a vegetable course.
The Lombok version is noticeably hotter than what you’ll find in Bali or Java, because the local chili variety has real kick. If you’re building heat tolerance through your trip, this is good training.
Where to Eat Plecing Kangkung:
Rumah Makan Taliwang Irama
Jl. AA Gede Ngurah No.50, Mataram
Poteng Jaje | Fermented Rice Cake
In Indonesia rice is life. There are so many interesting ways to prepare it.
Poteng is a fermented rice preparation made for Sasak celebrations and ceremonies. White rice is fermented with a starter called ragi until it becomes slightly tangy and produces a small amount of natural alcohol.
It’s served alongside jaje, which is the Sasak term for traditional cakes and sweet rice preparations. Steamed, fried and sticky varieties all appear depending on the region and the occasion.
The flavor is mildly sour and sweet, completely different from anything else on this list.
Some versions eat more like a snack, others are part of a ceremonial spread that might include a dozen different sweets.
You’ll find poteng jaje at traditional Sasak bakeries and markets, particularly in the weeks leading up to local festivals.
Where to Eat Poteng Jaje:
Pasar Kebon Roek (Ampenan Market)
Jl. Pasar Ampenan, Ampenan, Mataram
Nasi Balap Puyung | Puyung Village Rice
Nasi balap puyung comes from the village of Puyung in Central Lombok and has become one of the most popular everyday meals on the island.
A plate of rice arrives piled with shredded spiced chicken, fried soybeans, shredded coconut and a fierce sambal. Every component carries its own flavor and together they make a complete, satisfying meal in one bowl.
The name “balap” means race, a nod to how quickly this dish spread across the island once people tasted it. The chicken is cooked in a blend of spices until it’s dry and intensely flavored, almost like a shredded spiced rendang.
Inak Esem in Puyung village is the original spot and still widely considered the best version. I ate variations of this dish all over the island that riffed on the original ingredients depending on what was available that day.
Where to Eat Nasi Balap Puyung:
Nasi Balap Puyung Inak Esem
Jl. Puyung Praya, Puyung, Central Lombok
Pelecing Ayam | Chicken in Plecing Sauce
Take the same fiery plecing sauce from the kangkung dish and pour it over fried or grilled chicken and you get pelecing ayam.
The chicken is cooked until the skin crisps properly, then dressed in that bold sambal of Lombok chili, shrimp paste and tomato.
It’s a newer variation compared to the classic water spinach version but it has caught on quickly across Mataram.
The combination of crispy skin, juicy meat and punchy sauce works extremely well together. If you’ve already tried plecing kangkung and wanted more of that sauce on something heartier, this is your answer.
Where to Eat Pelecing Ayam:
Warung Pelecing Bu Mus
Jl. Langko, Mataram
Sate Bulayak | Skewers with Lontong
Sate bulayak is Lombok’s street food sate and it comes with a very specific accompaniment: lontong wrapped in leaves and wound into a spiral shape. The rice cake picks up a subtle earthy flavor from those leaves. You peel the leaves back in a slow spiral and eat the rice alongside your skewer.
The skewers are made from beef offal or ground meat in a spiced peanut based sauce similar to spicy Surabaya food, which also has a spicy peanut sauce to be careful with.
This combination is common around Mataram and Senaru, particularly near the base of Mount Rinjani.
It’s a humble street food dish sold from carts and small stalls from morning through early afternoon. Find it at Ampenan market where vendors set up daily.
Where to Eat Sate Bulayak:
Pasar Kebon Roek (Ampenan Market)
Jl. Pasar Ampenan, Ampenan, Mataram
Timbungan | Bamboo Smoked Meat
Timbungan is one of the more distinctive Sasak cooking methods and worth going out of your way to find. Meat, most often duck or chicken, is stuffed into a bamboo tube along with spices and slow cooked over fire.
The bamboo seals in the steam and imparts a subtle smoky, woody quality to the meat that you genuinely cannot replicate any other way.
This is ceremony food at its roots, the kind of dish that gets prepared for large family gatherings and harvests. Some restaurants in Mataram will prepare it for groups who order a day in advance.
The flavor is earthy, aromatic and unlike anything else in Lombok food. If you’re serious about eating your way through the island’s traditions, timbungan is the dish that most people miss and shouldn’t.
Where to Eat Timbungan:
Warung Sasak Melayu
Jl. Majapahit, Mataram
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