Locavore NXT

Locavore NXT is the next chapter from chefs Eelke Plasmeijer and Ray Adriansyah, the duo behind Locavore, the Ubud restaurant that put modern Indonesian gastronomy on the world map. Opened in December 2023 in Lodtunduh, just south of central Ubud, it describes itself as more than a restaurant – a campus where dining, research and sustainability are woven together.

The tropical-brutalist building spans more than 6,000 square metres and frames the surrounding rice fields through huge windows. It houses a fermentation lab, a mushroom-growing chamber, beehives, an edible rooftop jungle, a B.I.O. library that catalogues hundreds of local ingredients, a bar, and three overnight Wood Rooms. The restaurant was named Sustainable Restaurant at Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 and ranked No. 44 on the 2026 list.

The food

Dinner is a tasting menu, known as The Source, of more than 20 small courses that change with what farmers, fishers and foragers bring in. Everything is sourced within Indonesia, much of it from Bali itself, and techniques such as fermentation, curing and smoking are used to build depth without imported shortcuts. Past dishes have included mud crab with bonito garum, banana blossom in white curry, and cassava noodles with sea urchin and dashi. Plant-based and dietary-specific versions can be arranged when booking.

Signature experiences

• The Source tasting menu – 20-plus courses of hyper-local, seasonal cooking
• Lunch service (Thursday–Saturday) for a daylight view of the rice fields
• The bar – drinks built on ferments, foraged botanicals and local spirits
• Campus tour of the lab, mushroom chamber and rooftop food forest
• Wood Rooms – stay overnight after dinner

The space

Sustainability is built into the structure: solar panels, a worm-based wastewater system and black soldier fly larvae that turn food scraps into compost. The dining room overlooks paddies, and the bar is a moody spot for a nightcap after the final course.

Tips for your visit

• Reservations are essential and often fill weeks ahead – book online as soon as your dates are fixed.
• Share allergies and dietary preferences at booking; the kitchen needs notice.
• Allow three hours or more for the full dinner.
• Consider staying in a Wood Room to avoid the drive back after a long meal.
• The bar (Mon–Sat 20:00–23:00) is an option if the dining room is full.

Why it matters

The original Locavore, which operated in central Ubud from 2013, proved that fine dining in Indonesia could be built entirely on local ingredients at a time when most high-end kitchens imported their produce. NXT pushes that thinking further, turning a restaurant into a research platform: the library, lab and growing spaces document and develop ingredients, and the team shares that knowledge with farmers and producers across the region.

For guests, this means the meal is also an education. Staff explain where each element comes from and how it was prepared, and a walk around the campus before or after dinner makes the connection between the plate and the landscape outside very clear.

For anyone serious about food, Locavore NXT is one of the most important restaurants in Southeast Asia and a genuinely unique way to experience Indonesia’s biodiversity.