Bali James

Restaurant · Breda, Netherlands

About Bali James

Bali James serves Balinese Indonesian cuisine from Markendaalseweg in Breda, a short walk from the city's train station. The restaurant is led by chef and CEO Jimmy "Ryu" Lo, who was born in the Netherlands to Chinese-Indonesian parents who had moved there in the 1970s. His interest in specifically Balinese cooking traces to his wife Wayan, who is Balinese and who contributed pieces to the restaurant's decor, including Barong statues, wooden carvings, and the dance headdresses she once wore performing traditional Balinese dance.

The dining room reflects that Balinese identity throughout, mixing carved wood and performance costume with the usual fittings of a European restaurant. The kitchen's best known offering is its rijsttafel, the Dutch Indonesian rice table tradition of many small dishes served together, which head chef Lo renewed in 2026. The restaurant describes the dishes as traditionally Balinese and ranging from mild to spicy, letting diners build a meal across several courses rather than a single plate.

Among the individually ordered dishes, ayam betutu is a whole chicken slow cooked while wrapped in banana leaf, a preparation associated with Balinese ceremonial cooking, priced at 22 euros. Lawar combines chopped meat, vegetables, and coconut with Balinese spicing for 20.50 euros. Ayam bakar sere lemo is grilled chicken marinated in lemongrass and lime at 21 euros, while sate lilit ikan, fish satay molded onto lemongrass skewers rather than the more familiar wooden ones, costs 13.50 euros.

Bali James is open Tuesday through Sunday from 3 to 10pm and closed Mondays, except on public holidays when it opens as usual. The restaurant's own website lists its full menu and prices, and an independent food travel review published in 2016 and last updated in 2018 separately confirmed the chef's history and signature rijsttafel, though some details in that older review may no longer be current. The listing adds a second Dutch city, Breda, to the directory alongside its existing Amsterdam, Den Haag, Rotterdam, and other Netherlands entries.

Address

Markendaalseweg 68, Breda, Netherlands

Opening hours

Tuesday To Sunday
3:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Monday
Closed (open on public holidays)

Contact

Category

Indonesian Restaurant in Netherlands

More Indonesian Restaurant in Netherlands