Cumi Bali

Cumi Bali is a casual Indonesian restaurant at 50 Tras Street in Tanjong Pagar. It takes its name from its best-known dish, a whole squid grilled over charcoal. The cooking is built on bumbu, the spice blends that give Indonesian dishes their deep, lasting flavours.

The restaurant first opened on Duxton Hill and later moved a short way to Tras Street. It holds a Bib Gourmand in the MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2026, the guide's award for good cooking at fair prices.

What to order

Start with the namesake Cumi Bali. The squid is grilled over charcoal and comes with a house-made sauce of many spices. Other dishes from the grill and the sea include:

• Ikan bakar: fish coated in a paste of 18 spices, then grilled
• Sate Madura: Javanese-style chicken satay
• Udang serai: Balinese-style prawns with lemongrass
• Rendang, made with beef, chicken or mutton
• Sop buntut, a warming oxtail soup

Order nasi kunyit on the side. Turmeric, cinnamon and pandan leaves are among the 11 spices that flavour this rice. For vegetables, try sayur lodeh, a mixed vegetable curry, or terung belado, aubergine in sambal. The tauhu telur is a tofu omelette that the restaurant is proud of.

Portions are made for sharing, so order a few dishes for the table. For dessert, the restaurant rates its own cendol very highly. The house lime juice is a cooling match for the spice.

The setting

The dining room is simple and relaxed. Indonesian artefacts decorate the room, and the furniture has a bamboo look. The room is air-conditioned, and the restaurant describes itself as family-friendly. It can also host group events and offers catering for meals elsewhere.

Good to know before you go

• Book through the form on the official website. The restaurant suggests booking with it directly rather than through other sites.
• For questions, you can call or send a WhatsApp message.
• Mention any dietary needs when you book, as the team welcomes requests.
• Many dishes are spicy. The sambal cumi is marked as very spicy, while the bayam (baby spinach) is not spicy.
• Every dish on the menu is also available for takeaway.

Getting there

Tanjong Pagar MRT station is the closest, about two minutes away on foot.

Nearby

If you are staying in the area, Oasia Hotel Downtown and Mondrian Singapore Duxton are both close by. For another meal in the neighbourhood, The Feather Blade is a steakhouse on Tanjong Pagar Road.

Browse more Thai, Korean and Asian restaurants, or see all restaurants in Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar. Our Tanjong Pagar neighbourhood guide has more ideas for the area.