"Chef Carlos Barvo grills dry-aged steaks over wood in a lantern-lit Umalas garden — book the garden set dinner for a first date."
About Uma Garden
Allard Sjollema opened Uma Garden with Bali's Tavolo Group in 2022, on a quiet stretch of Jalan Umalas a short drive from Seminyak. The idea is simple and the kitchen sticks to it: cook over wood, and let the garden do the rest. The terrace is wrapped in greenery and lit with lanterns after dark, which makes it one of the more genuinely romantic rooms in Umalas rather than a wedding-photo backdrop. Wood is the seasoning here, used to add smoke and depth to good ingredients. See the rest of the Bali dining guide.
The Kitchen
Head chef Carlos Barvo, with sous chef Boy Putra, builds the menu around fire. The grill carries two steak sections — Prime and Dry-Aged — running from Australian Wagyu striploin to a 1kg Wagyu tomahawk and USDA 30-day dry-aged ribeyes and T-bones. Off the steaks, the grilled lobster, the slow-cooked lamb shank and the pork belly are the dishes the kitchen pushes, alongside a charcuterie board with Jamón Ibérico to open. À la carte mains start around IDR 150,000, while the large shared cuts climb past IDR 2,500,000, and there is a dedicated romantic set dinner for couples. The cooking is confident rather than fine-dining intricate — the point is the smoke and the char, not the plating. For the wider field, see the best steakhouses worldwide.
The Room
The room is a covered garden terrace: open sides, timber and rattan, planting on every edge, and lanterns and warm string lights that take over once the sun drops. Sound is soft — birds and conversation rather than a DJ — so it stays easy to talk across a table for two. Tables are spaced for privacy rather than packed in, dress is resort-smart with no hard rules, and the garden seats are the ones to ask for over anything closer to the kitchen. It is built to feel like dinner in someone's very good backyard.
Best for a First Date
Uma Garden is one of Umalas's stronger date-night rooms because it does the romance without trying too hard. Book it for a first date for three reasons: the lantern-lit garden flatters the evening, the sharing menu gives a couple something to do together, and the wood smoke adds a little theatre to break the ice. It reads warm rather than stiff, and the noise level lets you actually hear each other. Ask for a garden table, look at the set dinner, and let the grill carry the night. For more rooms built for the date, see our first-date guide.
Not for
Not for a quick, cheap bite or a rainy night — this is a garden room built for a slow dinner, and a couple splitting a tomahawk with wine will spend like it.
Frequently Asked
Is Uma Garden worth it?
Yes, for a romantic dinner with serious grilling behind it. Opened by Allard Sjollema with the Tavolo Group in 2022, Uma Garden cooks everything over wood, and the garden setting is among the prettiest in Umalas. Head chef Carlos Barvo runs a menu of dry-aged steaks and grilled seafood with a dedicated romantic set dinner. It is not cheap for Bali, but for a date night the room and the wood-fire cooking earn it.
What should I order at Uma Garden?
Order from the fire. The 1kg Australian Wagyu tomahawk is the sharing centrepiece, the USDA 30-day dry-aged ribeye is the steak for two, and the grilled lobster and slow-cooked lamb shank are the non-steak picks. Start with the charcuterie and Jamón Ibérico board. Couples should look at the romantic set dinner, which packages a multi-course meal in the garden. Chef Carlos Barvo's kitchen does its best work over flame.
How much does Uma Garden cost?
À la carte mains start around IDR 150,000, while the large shared cuts — the 1kg Wagyu tomahawk and USDA Prime T-bones — run upward of IDR 2,500,000 to share, so a couple's dinner with wine lands in the mid-to-upper range for Bali. The romantic set dinner is a fixed price worth checking when you book. Budget roughly $40 to $80 a head for a normal dinner, more if you split a tomahawk.
Where is Uma Garden in Bali?
On Jalan Umalas 1 in Kerobokan Kelod, on the quieter edge of Umalas, a short drive from the centre of Seminyak. The setting is a covered garden terrace wrapped in greenery, which is the whole appeal — you are away from the Seminyak crowds but still close to them. See our Bali dining guide for what else is nearby in Umalas and Seminyak.
Is Uma Garden good for a first date?
Yes, it is one of Umalas's better date-night rooms. The garden is lantern-lit and unhurried, the sharing menu gives a couple something to do together, and the wood smoke gives the evening a bit of theatre. It leans romantic without tipping into stiff. Book the garden rather than an indoor table, and consider the set dinner. See our first-date guide for more rooms built for the night.
Reserve a Table
Reserve at Uma Garden
Book online for dinner from 6pm. Request a garden table and ask about the set dinner.
Affiliate disclosure: Restaurants for Kings may earn a commission when you book through our reservation links, at no cost to you. Our scores are editorial and never paid for.
Practical Information
AddressJl. Umalas 1 No. 8, Kerobokan Kelod, Bali
NeighbourhoodUmalas
CuisineWood-fire grill / steakhouse
PriceMains from IDR 150k; sharing cuts to IDR 2.5m
Dress CodeResort-smart
SeatingCovered garden terrace
ReservationOnline / phone +62 821 4736 9323
DietaryVegetarian dishes; seafood; flag needs ahead
