Review: our dinner at Vagabondo restaurant in Seminyak

We’ve driven past Vagabondo Restaurant in Seminyak’s Petitenget Street a few times, and were always intrigued by its slogan: “Not a Greek Restaurant”. When we also noticed the place has many raving reviews on Google Maps, we figured it was time to give it a try.

Interior

Our visit to Vagabondo did not disapoint. As it is not possible to see the interior of Vagabondo from the outside, we were pleasantly surprised when we noticed how thoughtfully the restaurant is designed. Exposed walls and a tasteful combination of plants, art and lighting give Vagabondo an intimate and mediterranean vibe, great for a date or couples dinner.

Drinks

Vagabondo employs a dedicated mixologist crafting cocktails, but they also have an extensive wine list cutely hand-written in a booklet. We went for two creative house cocktails, the Flamenco and the Guava Gimlet. They took a bit of time to arrive but were worth the wait. All the known classic cocktails are available on the menu too.

Vagabondo has a mixologist who introduced us to his drinks and asked for our preferences before recommending a cocktail.

Starters

Let’s talk about the most important thing in a restaurant: the food. Vagabondo features a modern Greek- and Italian-inspired cuisine, headed by the Italian chef Daniele Taddeo. He came to say hi to us, explained a bit about the idea behind Vagabondo and recommended his favorite dishes. As starters, we loved the Tuna Bresaola, which was not on the main menu but featured as a “special”, so we’re not sure if it is permanently available. The Lamb Skewers with apple and cucumber toppings are a great starter too, as well as Vagabondo’s unique take on a Greek salad: it includes a feta mousse and strawberries, but it was fresh and delicious.

Main

As main, we had the Lobster Linguini and Smoked Seabass. To our surprise, the lobster linguini came with a whole lobster and was a very tasty and filling main. We enjoyed the smoked seabass too, but if both of you want to eat grilled fish we might have another recommendation: We noticed our neighbouring table ordering a massive salt-crusted red snapper that was spectacularly prepared by the head-chef using flames right in front of their table. A great experience if you and your partner are willing to share a main dish.

While we went for fish, Vagabondo serves a great steak as well.

Dessert

As we were quite full after the whole experience, we decided to share a rizogalo, also known as greek rice pudding. It had a top layer of caramalized sugar, reminding us of Crème Brûlée and despite being full we still enjoyed it a lot.

Here we are enjoying our main dishes: lobster linguini and smoked seabass.

Conclusion

We really had a great experience here. If you are staying in the Petitenget or Batu Belig area of Seminyak and are looking for a romantic place serving great mediterranean food with a unique twist, this is a great option. As the restaurant is roughly 1.5km from the beach, it is not impossible to walk from most of the beachfront Seminyak hotels, but you may want to opt for a taxi instead.

Vagabondo Restaurant, Petitenget Street 17D, Seminyak, Bali.
Instagram, Google Maps.