Buzo Bali: The Seminyak Restaurant Where Japan Meets Italy
Some restaurant concepts make perfect sense the moment you hear them.
Others need to be tasted first.
Buzo Bali belongs to the second category.
Seminyak has no shortage of restaurants, and most of them pick a lane. Buzo is the rare Seminyak restaurant that does not.
Set along Jalan Kayu Aya in Seminyak, Buzo describes itself as Izakaya e Birra — a lively meeting point between Japanese drinking culture and Italian comfort food.
That means sushi and sourdough pizza.
Sashimi followed by pasta.
Robata skewers beside burrata, cacio e pepe and tiramisu.
On paper, the combination could easily feel confused. At Buzo, it feels deliberate.
The restaurant is the work of chef-restaurateur Will Meyrick, the name behind some of Bali’s best-known dining rooms, including Mama San, Billy Ho and Hujan Locale. Here, the starting point is itameshi: a style of cooking born in Japan that combines Japanese ingredients and techniques with Italian dishes.
Buzo places that idea inside a polished but relaxed Seminyak dining room, complete with leather banquettes, tropical greenery, a long glowing bar and an open kitchen at the back.
It is glamorous enough for dinner, relaxed enough for drinks and playful enough to make sushi and pizza sharing the same table feel entirely reasonable.
The Buzo Bali menu: what to order
Buzo’s menu is built around Japanese precision, Italian comfort and izakaya-style sharing.
The result is not a traditional progression of entrée, main and dessert.
Instead, the menu moves through sushi, nigiri, skewers and small plates before opening into pizza, pasta and larger grilled dishes.
The best approach is to order across those categories.
Start with something raw, add a few smaller plates, choose either pizza or pasta, then finish with one substantial dish if the table still needs it.
It is a large menu, and trying to cover everything in one visit will only leave you overwhelmed.
The point is not to choose between Japanese and Italian.
It is to let the two sides of Buzo meet in the middle.
Sushi and nigiri at Buzo Seminyak
The sushi section is one of the easiest ways into the Buzo concept.
A sushi board, currently Rp185,000++, brings together salmon, tuna, snapper, tamagoyaki, beef and mango temari, and tempura-prawn maki.
For something richer, the beef nigiri, currently Rp165,000++, layers unagi glaze, umeboshi, yuzu pesto and bone marrow into a bite that moves from sweet and acidic to deeply savoury.
The Not So Japanese roll combines crab, mango, avocado and cucumber with Sichuan furikake, while the beef and caviar roll adds avocado, cucumber and spicy tempura crumbs.
There are also more familiar combinations — including salmon maki and a Philadelphia roll — for anyone who wants to ease into the menu before things become more experimental.
If you are sharing, the sushi board makes the most sense.
Add the beef nigiri if you want to understand exactly what Buzo is trying to do.
Buzo small plates and starters
The smaller dishes are where the restaurant’s Japanese-Italian identity becomes clearest.
The furikake beef tartare, currently Rp190,000++, is served with Parmesan-truffle cream, matchstick fries, potato chips and smoked chilli oil.
It is not conventionally Japanese or classically Italian.
It is simply rich, salty, textural and made for the first drink of the night.
The katsu cacio e pepe macaroni, currently Rp155,000++, pushes the idea further, bringing together pasta, Parmesan, mortadella and the crunch of a Japanese-style crumb.
There is also whipped ricotta with lemon zest, salsa verde and garlic bruschetta, tempura zucchini flowers filled with mozzarella and ricotta, and a burrata salad sharpened with crunchy chilli oil, yuzu kosho and candied kombu.
These are the dishes that make Buzo interesting.
The combinations are unexpected, but the ingredients themselves remain familiar enough that the experience never feels difficult.
Robata skewers and izakaya plates at Buzo
If you want the Japanese half of Buzo to lead the meal, order several skewers and small plates rather than rushing towards the pizza and pasta.
Current robata options include Japanese mushroom skewers with whipped tofu, asparagus wrapped in bacon, tsukune chicken mince with salt-cured egg and pork with cucumber kimchi.
The salmon rice cake, currently Rp170,000++, pairs crispy rice with avocado, chilli mayonnaise, kabayaki sauce and furikake.
It delivers the combination of crisp rice, creamy avocado, rich salmon and gentle heat that rarely disappoints.
Other current small plates include snapper tartare with pomelo, pear and yuzu-sesame dressing, pork-and-cabbage gyoza with hot sesame oil and individual scallops served with ajo blanco, caviar, umeboshi and truffle oil.
For a table of two, choose one raw dish, one skewer and two small plates before ordering anything larger.
For a group, this is where you can be more ambitious.
Buzo Bali sourdough pizza
Pizza is not a side note at Buzo.
It is one of the restaurant’s central ideas.
The sourdough selection begins with recognisable options such as Margherita and salami diavolo, then moves into combinations that could only belong to a Japanese-Italian restaurant.
The teriyaki pizza brings together chicken-fennel sausage, bocconcini, mozzarella and kewpie mayonnaise.
The tantan pizza uses gochujang pork, corn butter, nori, miso béchamel and house-smoked bacon.
Then there is the Japanese prawn Margherita, finished with shiso, rayu chilli oil, Parmesan, pomodoro and stracciatella.
For the most distinctly Buzo order, choose the grilled bone-marrow pizza, currently Rp255,000++.
It layers Japanese mushrooms with miso-and-horseradish cream, spring onion and katsuobushi pesto.
It is rich, unapologetic and unlikely to resemble any pizza you ordered before arriving in Bali.
Buzo Bali pasta menu
The same logic carries into the pasta selection.
Some dishes remain relatively traditional, including baked gnocchi with pomodoro, stracciatella and Parmesan and lamb pappardelle with lemon and Grana Padano.
Others lean fully into itameshi.
The miso-ricotta potato agnolotti, currently Rp185,000++, arrives in lemon-butter sauce. It is probably the clearest bridge between the two cuisines: soft filled pasta, rich dairy and the savoury depth of miso.
The house-made spinach fettuccine combines Japanese mushrooms, tare egg and chicken velouté, while the squid-ink pasta brings together calamari, tomato, capers, miso butter, pickled jalapeño and salted kombu.
There is also lobster spaghetti with prawns, shiso and cherry tomatoes for Rp295,000++.
Our advice: do not order several pizzas and several pastas unless you are dining with a group.
Choose one of each and let the smaller dishes provide the rest of the variety.
Larger plates and mains at Buzo
Eventually, the menu moves into larger plates.
Current options include grilled fish with lemon-butter sauce and crispy capers, heritage black-pig pork katsu, seafood claypot rice and a porcini ash-crusted striploin with black garlic and Bordelaise, currently Rp495,000++.
The striploin makes sense as the centre of a larger shared dinner.
Order it after the sushi and small plates, then add nori-dusted fries and the mixed green Japanese salad with wafu dressing.
The seafood claypot, currently Rp275,000++, offers a more distinctly Asian conclusion, combining prawn-and-squid-ink rice with clams, calamari and lap cheong.
If you have already ordered pasta or a generous pizza, you may not need either.
Buzo rewards enthusiasm, but the menu is richer than it initially appears.
Buzo Bali cocktails, wine and craft beer
The bar is not incidental to the restaurant.
Buzo is designed for drinking as much as dining, with cocktails, spritzes, wine and locally brewed craft beer supporting the menu.
Signature cocktails currently include a Shiso Margarita, a Sake-tini with gin, nigori sake and yuzu, and a Salak Fizz made with vodka, fermented salak and elderflower.
The Yuzu Chuhai is a natural fit for sushi and fried dishes, while the Lemon Basil Smash makes more sense once pizza or pasta arrives.
Buzo also serves its own craft beers, including Kome, a light rice lager inspired by Bali’s Jatiluwih terraces.
It is crisp, uncomplicated and probably the easiest drink to carry across the entire menu.
If you cannot decide between beer and wine, start with Kome alongside the sushi and move into wine once the pasta or larger plates arrive.
Lunch at Buzo Seminyak
Although Buzo comes into its own at night, lunch offers a more casual and affordable way to try it.
The restaurant currently runs a selection of sushi plates from Rp50,000++, alongside spritzes and a broader menu of skewers, sushi, pasta and pizza.
This makes lunch particularly useful if you are curious about Buzo but do not want to commit to an elaborate dinner.
It is also well placed for a break between shopping and exploring Seminyak.
Dinner is moodier and more atmospheric.
Lunch is easier, brighter and better suited to dropping in for sushi, pizza and one drink before continuing the day.
Dessert at Buzo Bali
Dessert continues the Japanese-Italian conversation without overcomplicating it.
The current menu includes chocolate and orange sorbet, siphon panna-cotta mousse with strawberry and elderflower, and a white-chocolate and yuzu cheesecake finished with passionfruit curd and matcha crumb.
There is also an elaborate s’more-inspired chocolate crémeux with mascarpone ice cream, salted caramel and a binchotan-torched marshmallow.
Then there is Buzo’s playful take on tiramisu: a tiramisu Magnum-style ice cream with mascarpone ice cream and popcorn caramel.
After pizza and pasta, the yuzu cheesecake offers the fresher finish.
If you want Buzo’s personality carried all the way through dessert, order the tiramisu.
How much does Buzo Bali cost?
Buzo sits in Bali’s mid-to-upper-range dining category, although the wide menu means you can approach it in several ways.
Smaller dishes generally begin around Rp75,000–Rp200,000++, while pizzas and pasta sit mainly between approximately Rp155,000 and Rp295,000++.
Larger plates currently reach Rp495,000++.
For two people sharing sushi, several smaller dishes, pizza or pasta, dessert and drinks, we would allow roughly Rp600,000–Rp1,000,000++ per person, depending on how generously you order.
The “++” matters.
Prices are subject to a 10% government tax and 7.5% service charge, so the final bill will be 17.5% higher than the listed menu prices.
Lunch can be considerably less expensive, particularly if you order from the Rp50,000++ sushi selection.
Do you need a reservation at Buzo Bali?
For lunch, you may be able to walk in.
For dinner, we would book.
Buzo is suited to date nights, celebrations and group dinners, and the restaurant becomes livelier later in the evening.
Friday and Saturday nights currently bring additional energy with live DJs and cocktail promotions, so reservations are especially sensible if you want a particular time or table.
Bookings can be made through the official Buzo Bali website.
If you prefer a quieter meal focused on the food, book earlier.
If you want drinks, music and a more social atmosphere, choose a later table on the weekend.
Buzo Bali opening hours and the best time to go
Buzo currently opens daily from midday until midnight.
Lunch runs from 12pm to 5pm, dinner begins from 5.30pm, and the bar remains open until late.
For the complete experience, we would choose dinner.
The glowing central bar, warm lighting and polished dining room make more sense after dark, and the menu’s izakaya-style rhythm lends itself to a longer evening.
For a more affordable introduction, go at lunch and build a meal around the sushi specials.
Is Buzo worth it? The Boarding for Dinner verdict
BOOK IT — PARTICULARLY IF YOU LIKE A RESTAURANT THAT BREAKS THE RULES.
Buzo is not the place to visit for strict culinary tradition.
It is the place to visit when you want sushi and pizza, miso and Parmesan, robata skewers and handmade pasta — preferably arriving across the same table.
The concept should feel chaotic.
Instead, it feels playful, generous and entirely at home in Seminyak.
Order the beef nigiri, add something crisp, commit to either the bone-marrow pizza or miso-ricotta agnolotti and let the evening unfold from there.
Buzo Bali: address, prices and bookings
Where: Jl. Kayu Aya No. 105, Seminyak, Badung, Bali.
Best for: Date night · Group dinners · Japanese-Italian fusion · Sushi and cocktails · Lively weekend dining
Price: $$–$$$ · Most dishes approximately Rp75,000–Rp295,000++; larger plates up to Rp495,000++. Add 10% tax and 7.5% service.
Reservations: Recommended for dinner and weekends. Online bookings are available through Buzo’s website.
BFD order: Beef nigiri → furikake beef tartare → salmon rice cake → miso-ricotta potato agnolotti or grilled bone-marrow pizza → white-chocolate and yuzu cheesecake.
Allow: Around two hours for dinner — longer if you are staying for cocktails.
Boarding for Dinner rating: Worth trying once — and worth returning with a group.
Read next: hôntô, the Fortitude Valley Japanese restaurant hidden behind a black door.
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