WAHAHA Pork Ribs, Seminyak, Bali

The F&B scene in Bali has never failed to impress me in many ways, but I am also glad that despite all the international influences, Bali still has a lot to offer when it comes to serving their local dishes. One of the best things to have while in Bali is of course, their pork-related dishes, and this time I am gonna write about this particular place known popularly for its scrumptious, delicious pork ribs.

During my stay in Bali few years ago, I experienced a lot of things that I didn’t do previously when I only visited Bali as a tourist. Back then, whenever I think about pork ribs in Bali, I only had one name in my mind, yes, the infamous Naughty Nuri’s. I usually go to their outlet in Batu Belig area, and I really love their smooth, delicious ribs. It was until 2013 when I finally tried WAHAHA pork ribs that got me hooked instantly.

Location-wise, WAHAHA is located on the main street of Sunset Road, it’s easy to find, easy to reach, and the restaurant itself is big and can accommodate lots of people. I remember I used to see the signage whenever I passed by Sunset Road but I always hesitated to stop by, don’t ask me why. One evening, I and Mr. K decided to take a look and it was the best decision we have had in a while (in the sense of, we had practically tried all the restaurants in the neighborhood and we were rarely impressed that time!).

Our first visit was awesome and memorable, so when we came back to Bali again for a short trip with my sister’s family last June, we felt it was just wrong not to bring them here and introduce our favorite pork ribs in Bali! 😉 WAHAHA doesn’t change much since our last visit in 2013, only the menus have changed and improved a lot, and they have bigger parking space now located just beside the restaurant.

WAHAHA has 2 dining areas: indoor and outdoor. Honestly, I fell in love to the place since my first visit, thanks to all the pig-related accessories all over the place. XD The indoor dining area is very spacious, filled with tables for bigger groups; while the outdoor area is more beautiful and suitable for dining experience in Bali with all the back to nature theme. We personally think that the outdoor dining area is very romantic especially when it gets dark! ;D

Although known popularly for its pork ribs, WAHAHA also serves many other Balinese cuisine and also other international dishes with pork, chicken, beef, even fish. What I like about this place is that whenever I bring large groups, there is always something for everyone, even for those who can’t eat pork can actually enjoy the other food here. And their non-pork dishes are also very good, IMHO. Prices are very affordable too and not over-the-top although many tourists also come here.

Crunchy Pork Belly Salad IDR 45,000

My perception about “salad” usually refers to something healthy, but here, I think it’s different. Not that I am complaining, though! The mixed green vegetables are topped with crunchy pork belly, which are deep-fried until crunchy (duh!) yet still maintain its softness inside. I had never thought that pork belly is great combined with salad, but clearly, this idea is actually quite clever!

Onion Rings IDR 35,000

Quite disappointed seeing how it looks, I think the frying batter was messed up, it almost felt like we ate frying flour instead of onions.

Crispy Ribs IDR 35,000

One of the most recommended appetizers or snacks before we start moving on to the mains. These crispy ribs surely made our day! There wasn’t much meat left on the bones but big applause for the extra crisp and super delicious brown sauce. It was sweet, sour, and salty, simply finger-licking good.

WAHAHA Nojito (Orange) IDR 38,000

WAHAHA also offers selection of drinks and the WAHAHA Nojito (non-alcoholic mojito) is one of the must try drinks when you happen to visit. It’s available in 3 flavors: Orange, Lychee, Lime; tried them all and my favorite is still the Orange one. Lime one is okay but I have found many of it somewhere else. Lychee flavor is very distinctive but I find it a bit too sweet for my liking. The orange one is perfect and definitely a major thirst-quencher instantly.

Ginger Mint

A part of WAHAHA healthy creations drink, that consists of ginger, mint, bok choy. This drink along with some others are new menu and we were lucky we got to try one during this visit. I think the idea of adding healthy drinks into the menu is very good because many people are concerned about indulging in meat dishes, but they can feel better by having something “healthy” altogether. The Ginger Mint has a strong taste of ginger, I am afraid it’s almost impossible for people who can’t take ginger to drink this. Although they use lots of mint leaves to balance the taste, I think the mint flavor was kind of overpowered, let alone the bok choy. I love it, what about you? 😉

Pork Satay IDR 48,000

Balinese-style pork skewers served with vegetables and rice. The pork satay looked so great, don’t you think? Although I was expecting something bigger, meatier (is there even such a word?), and blacker/darker in color just like typical Chinese pork satay, the taste didn’t fail me. The meat was very tender and smooth, and 6 skewers were definitely not enough! The mixed vegetables were alright, but I somehow wished they put raw sambal to accompany it.

BBQ Chicken IDR 88,000

This half chicken was definitely one of the highlights during our visit this time because I didn’t expect their BBQ chicken would be THAT good. The chicken was very well-seasoned, and the seasonings were fully absorbed until the inner meat. The meat was soft and juicy despite looking a bit overdone on the outside. Additional sauce was also served in case we needed it, but personally, I think the chicken was already good the way it was.

Bali Burger IDR 78,000

For the burgers, they have many variants for the fillings but I chose Bali Burger just for the sake of curiosity. For the meat, they use premium Australian beef and I couldn’t be happier to see how thick my beef patty was! Despite its thickness, I was surprised how they managed to keep the patty soft, tender, and juicy to the point of melting in the mouth. I do totally recommend this to any burger lovers out there!

WAHAHA Pork Ribs IDR 160,000

Here comes the Signature Pork Ribs, sweet and juicy, marinated with Balinese seasonings, glazed in WAHAHA original BBQ sauce, fire-grilled to perfection.

For a big rack of ribs like this, I am more than willing to pay the price. What I love about WAHAHA pork ribs are that they don’t only look great, but also give full satisfaction after eating. The taste, the portion, and everything is just worth it. Look at the beautiful, glistening view of the ribs, and can you imagine that pulling the meat from the bones are so effortlessly done?

Balinese Crispy Duck IDR 88,000

A visit to Bali is never complete without one (or two) plates of crispy duck. XD So I was excited to hear that another new menu was Balinese Crispy Duck! I must say that this duck was probably the best I have had for a while. The duck is quite big, had a lot of meat, crispy outside and very soft inside. The best thing was that the meat was easily taken out from the bones, unlike some other crispy ducks I found in Bali restaurants. The side vegetables and condiments also supported the whole dish to another level. Thumbs up!

*The Food Escape team are not paid whatsoever for writing this post.

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WAHAHA PORK RIBS
Jl. Sunset Road Barat No. 1689
Seminyak
Bali
Ph.: +62 361 847 5655, +62 818 0545 6883

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sun 11AM – 10.30PM