Discovering the Hidden Bar Scene of Canggu, Bali
Today, I present to you a new guest attendee to our Canggu Speakeasy experience, my husband, Pat (yes, we are Pat and Patti). I am on my yearly trek to Bali, and he accompanied me this time to celebrate the Balinese New Year, Nyepi. Peggy said, “Hell no, I won’t go”, to a return trip to Bali, plus her ticket prices from Colorado were out of control.
Sister Side Note (ssn ) – I would never say that!! But those ticket prices…ugh!
I shall call this segment “Mrs-behaving” – and it will be a rarity. Not that I am not very much in love with this man, but (sorry, honey) he’s not as fun or funny as my sister. I was a little concerned if he was up for the task. And could he rally through a one-and-done, and could he be flexible in his plans? Also, if there were one too many whiskey drinks, I knew Captain No-Fun would be making his appearance. But the man is a trooper, and always up for a cocktail, so we were in for a night of exploration.
As it turns out, with the growth of Canggu (Chang-oo) since the time of Covid, they have had hidden bars/speakeasies begin popping up. I was shocked at how many there were. Now, Canggu, plus the adjoining Seminyak and Kuta, are heavily Australian touristy. What used to be a laid-back surfer paradise has now been filled with beach clubs and overwhelming nightlife. It’s a bit of a nightmare in my world, but I am here for our supporters who need to know “how legit is the speakeasy scene in an Australian tourist heavy thumping club hot spot.”
I had my doubts. I assumed they would club it up and make it obnoxious. Would they miss the vibe of the speakeasy concept?
They proved me wrong in a big, big way.
(PS, I hate being wrong almost as much as I hate bridges, but I am so happy to be wrong in this case.)
Night one was canceled due to major storms and a busted hotel window, so we had to do a little shuffling and then narrow it down to the “Most Likely to Succeed” in an effort to streamline our experience.
Stop One – Fail
Our first stop was The Backroom. Now, we were a little confused. Maybe a little lost in translation on their website. We couldn’t find details to clarify. Nowhere to make a reservation. It says Sunday Only on their website and then talks about Afro Roots, but not many other details. We did see from the drink list that it was a Bruce Lee themed, so we knew we had to figure this out and it needed to be done.
We show up at 6:00, when Google says they open. A hostess at the front restaurant says no, they open at 7:00 on Sundays (so, they apparently are open other days) – Sundays are a private party from 6-7 – which is apparently the Afro Roots section, and you need to have requested to be put on the guest list.
We got extremely lucky however that one of our missed choices from night number 1 was just a couple of doors down, and so Segno was back on the list!
We waited at the restaurant right next door called Luma, and it was this gorgeous space, light and elegant. The espresso martini was made with Frangelico and graham crackers, it brightened our mood from The Backroom failure (omg, does that sound dirty to anyone else).
Segno
This was listed online as a Japanese theme, and looked very elegant, so it originally didn’t make the cut for night number two, but with the convenience of location and availability of reservation we decided to go for it.
And we are so glad we did.
The Entrance
It is well hidden on one of the main streets in Canggu. On the street sign above the Luma sign is just the S-logo, nothing else. There is a metal sliding door, with just the same S-logo next to it. You slide the door open and inside are carpeted stairs, and gorgeous hand carved decorative statue at the top and a turn to the left for more stairs leads you to just the same simple S-logo at the top.
The Experience
Then a man comes around the corner, as they were just opening, he gets our name, goes to check our reservation. And then this other man comes around the corner, the best way to describe him was “perky”, Hi, how are you? Welcome Welcome Welcome!! Down a short hallway and through another door and we are in this amazingly beautiful, super elegant looking room. Minimalistic, sightly Asian, without being a Peggy back-alley vibe Asian (I’m looking at you Here Kitty Kitty). And I am honestly in love.
Perky man in front of us says “Welcome, guests” and the entire bar staff say “Welcome, Welcome!!” – and I’m falling head over heels for this place. Big long bar and these cushy leather (or pleather?) comfy chairs at the bar, beautiful, elegant lighting, lots of dark wood. Gorgeous space.
The drinks were intriguing, with a lot of infused spirits with things like blue cheese infused cognac and jamu infused vodka. Strong lean towards Balinese flavors with yuzu, jackfruit, and a long list of different bitters.
In a nod to my missing sister, I ordered a Canggu Pornstar martini in her absence. The twist was in the jackfruit butter-washed rum and egg white. It was creamy and delicious. I would say the second best Pornstar martini I have had (next to the amazing Cartagena experience). Pat had the “Cloudy Sour”, which was an earl grey infused vodka, with amaretto and Grand Marnier. A strong choice and impressive way to officially kick start the night.
But the service was the highlight. Everyone was amazingly friendly and engaging. They have been open for 3 years, and pride themselves on impeccable service and expertly crafted cocktails. We were absolutely blown away and hated to leave.
We are sad not to give this a full 5 shaker rating. But they only qualify for 4.5 since there really is no challenge to enter, just a need for a reservation. However, we have got to give them a 4.5+ because the service was THAT good.
More disappointment
We dashed back to The Backroom since they would be open. The hostess escorted us back. It is a little hidden, but not well, wooden slider door, but there was a security guard standing outside. There was not a soul inside, but it was still Afro Roots with heavy bass thumping, Afro Roots posters on the wall, but pretty stark otherwise. We were only in for a quick one and done, and the bartender was not helpful, but the fireball shots were cold and on special. One shot and out we go for our very much anticipated third stop.
I really think if we can find time to go back, we should. We should give them a fair review based on their Bruce Lee theme before we count them out entirely.
Cloak and Dagger
Right up the road, and the stop I was most excited about, was Cloak and Dagger. The theme: Serial Killers from Around the World. A little dark, but come on, let’s go explore the creepiness factor of this concept.
The Entrance
Fully hidden inside Mad Ronin Ramen bar, there is not a single sign to be found. But we asked the Ramen man, and he seemed genuinely happy we were there for the speakeasy.
Down a tiny hallway, through some freezer food locker-looking plastic hangy-things to some steep curved metal steps up we go. Open the heavy metal door at the top and step into the room at the top.
The Experience
Cloak and Dagger is a serial killer themed speakeasy. And this was an absolute NAILED it for theme. Lining the back mirrored wall are books about serial killers. The little tables are lined with pictures and news clippings of serial killers. The back wall has shadow boxes with butterflies and bugs (ala Silence of the Lambs). On one side of the wall are large apothecary jars filled with floating body parts. Behind the bar is a huge wall of serial killer photos and police scenes (without being too graphic), with red yarn connecting the different items like a TV police murder board.
The drinks are all named after famous serial killers from around the world. I mean, who knew? Serial killers aren’t just a United States thing. The menu book tells you about the cocktail and then a little rap sheet from the killer – known number of victims, death date, death mode, location, etc. Completely on point!
The cocktails themselves were creative. Andreas Mendoz was a Mexican serial killer, so tequila based with banana shrub and salted caramel. They make a lot of their own “shrubs” for their cocktails and were definitely enthusiastic about the process. Pat had a Japanese killer drink named Takahiro Shiraishi: Gin, Ginger shrub and umami bitters. Definitely on-theme, and definitely great flavors.
Service was great. One bartender was quiet and reserved, definitely a brains-behind-the-outfit kind of person, very knowledgeable and interesting. The second one was a happy talker, ready to share the story and concept, and a little behind the scenes about the drinks.
By now we are starting to realize that Canggu is definitely taking this speakeasy concept to a new level, and we are definitely impressed.
The Mail Room
This was the one most talked about, inventive entrances always make for huge social media exposure. I had made the reservation on WhatsApp; they kindly moved it from Saturday night to Sunday night when we had the smashed window incident. I get an email upon confirmation of the change that gives me a mailbox number.
The Entrance
Much like Segno, there is nothing but a sign on the street with a picture of a key. Turning in, there is just a simple outdoor counter, but next to that there is a long hallway with a door with the same key picture.
We check in with the woman behind the counter with our reservation name, she says “do you have your mailbox number” – why yes, yes, we do! (with a little squeeeee of excitement). Down the hall, she opens the key door and lets us into this little room, maybe 6’x10′, with a wall of old-fashioned mailboxes. We locate our box number, open it, and inside is a key that matches the logo key. We use that key to open the second door and walk into this tiny space the really gives off the roaring 20’s art deco feel.
The Experience
It’s beautiful, and small, maybe seating for 20 people, but only about 8 in there when we arrive. Blue velvet seats and small tables, a bar at the back that takes up about half the room lengthwise, with mirrors and brass details.
The cocktails books have pictures of the presentation and details in hand sketched drawings. Ok, this reminds me of on Great British Bake-Off when they describe what the bakers are making and show you the artist rendition of the details. It looked like that.
Inventive, Instagram worthy presentations, dry ice smoking, Aladdin’s lamp, floral gardens, and a mini popcorn machine looking one. Pat orders first, his comes out in a brass stag shaped holder with a beautiful elliptical glass. She sets it down, pulls out the lighter and sets the entire bottom of the drink on fire and it sparks like moss (picture the fire in Bambi).
Mine is next and it was “The Curious George”. While the picture shows a distillery type set-up, our cute little waitress informs me that they cannot actually bring that to the table. It is used to distill the coffee and parmesan cheese extract into the vodka, and the process takes hours to make this little beaker of flavor. But wait, yes, I did say coffee and parmesan cheese, it also has Amaro and Bols White cacao liquor. The presentation itself was uneventful except for the sprinkle of parmesan on top.
Then Arta orders his drink. Arta is the best driver in Bali and our Balinese family. He gets the “Aladdin’s Iced Tea” lamp drink which comes out smoking in dry ice. Little by little you pour the contents into a little shot glass and drink, then refill. It was very cool! The menu just lists it as “five fine spirits”, with lemon root beer, and orange Jell-o(?!).
Since we were short on locations in Canggu for the night and the drinks were so experimental, we decided round two was in order. Where I stumbled upon “Into the Wild”: vodka, mangosteen cheese infused foam, mangosteen juice, and it comes with the best cookie on the planet, the macaron. Served in an old-fashioned ice cream dish on a bed of flowers and grass. It was gorgeous, and I kept saying it was very Alice in Wonderland-y.
I have no idea what Pat’s second drink was, because I just didn’t care – I had Mangosteen and a cookie!! Oh, wait! No! He had the “Bona Fide”, gin in an earl grey tea infusion with pandan, lime, and clarified soy milk. All served in this super cool smoking teacup suspended like a gyroscope inside this cool porcelain holder.
And this is when the conversation turns to an earlier dispute Pat and I were having. Pat tries to disparage the #1 drink of the year, the PST Pho back Jameson shot Peggy and I had in Seattle. I showed him the video, I explained it’s amazingness, and he keeps saying I’m wrong, it sounds gross. I know, dear reader, you will side with me when I say he was just being dumb. But he tries to sway Arta to his side, swearing Pho Fat washed Jameson sounds disgusting and how could a warm Pho broth be a good chaser, but he is drunk and stupid, so I have to prove my point, obviously.
And that’s when it is found, the drink to prove him officially wrong! The Mail Room presents the drink I didn’t take a picture of the menu for. However, it is a Rendang washed Jameson – rendang, as in the SE Asian dish Beef Rendang. It is a beautiful cocktail, served in a box, with a giant round ice cube floating in a whiskey glass. And it is beef rendang in a glass!!
It is actually almost too spicy for me, but a definite curry-based drink. And it tastes like beef rendang (throw back to my liquid ham, Japanese breakfast, obsession)! And HA! I HAVE PROVEN HIM WRONG! Jameson has been infused with beef, and I am happy! It is served with a piece of beef jerky to add to the experience, and He was WRONG, these kinds of drinks exist and must be experienced.
And overall, this gets one of our rare 5-Shaker winners. The service was amazing, our server was knowledgeable and made sure you knew what you were ordering and the flavors and feel of the drink you were interested in, everything came with a presentation, there was the mail key challenge to get in, it was hidden, and we are so very impressed!
Wrap Up
So, our night ends with slightly tipsy Pat, and happy Patti, and a driver taking us back to our hotel. This night was a success, and we are so blown away by Canggu speakeasies. We need to find time to go back later for more stops, there were definitely some we had missed and now we have a mission for our next visit.
Other Bali Posts
- Bali – A Beginner’s Guide
- Three Incredible Days on Nusa Penida
