Gili Air
Street food, cafes, bars, you name it
Street food, cafes, bars, you name it
Gili Air is ringed by restaurants from basic beach shacks to some pleasant midrange restaurants. Food can be variable but the prices are reasonable.
Mirage Sunset is an open-air beach bar-style place with bamboo loungers shaded by white canvas umbrellas scattered out front. The sunset views across to Gili Meno, Trawangan and Bali are tremendous. While no food is available the drinks are good and there are a few eating options nearby. A word of warning: there is a period of about an hour from around 16:00 onwards when the sun is low enough... Read our full review of Mirage Sunset Bar.
Before we even sat down we'd been told that the fish was line caught (though that wasn't enough for the travellers behind me who wanted to know if the fishery was sustainable) and it was barbecued perfectly. Prices were very reasonable and the menu goes beyond straight up seafood to a full range of traveller... Read our full review of Wiwin.
It's popular and, like the Trawangan establishment, the food is can be very good — and Scallywags does make for a great place for an afternoon drink to escape the heat. It's also a prime people-watching spot and the beachside setting is pleasant with great views across to Lombok. On the not-so-great side of things, the service is slipshod and on each of our three visits the advertised WiFi... Read our full review of Scallywags.
They're mostly located just before you reach the Gili Air Hotel and the focus is on traveller food, with enough cheese on the pizza to kill a horse (though there is also seafood on display). They're all lit up with fairy lights and with magic mushrooms on most of the menus, some choose to bed down for a long session in the comfortable lazy chairs and... Read our full review of Ali Baba and Co.
The som tam didn't pass muster, but the green curry, while not authentic (the restaurant seems to think that authenticity comes in a heavy dose of fish sauce) it was still pretty good. Not worth riding across the island for (as we did), but if you're staying on the east coast and want something different, this is a reasonable option with a pleasing beachside... Read our full review of Gili Santay.
There's little to differentiate one from another, with the focus simply being on cheap drinks with beachside seating — even though you're on the wrong side of the island for sunset. Scallywags is popular and has a good drinks list, so if you're looking for a bit more of an upmarket drink, head there. Generally speaking, the party scene isn't nearly as bustling on Gili Air as on Gili... Read our full review of Bars.