---
title: "Cuca"
description: "Cuca is Jimbaran's most exciting restaurant and one of the most original dining concepts on the island. Chef Kevin Cherkas, who trained under Ferran Adrià at elBulli, brings a distinctly creative sensibility to a menu built around small, tapas-style plates designed for sharing. The setting is deliberately casual, an open-air pavilion surrounded by gardens, which belies the technical sophistication of the cooking."
canonical_url: "https://atsiolevart.com/asia/bali/venues/cuca"
last_updated: "2026-06-25T05:29:52.876Z"
---

Cuca is Jimbaran's most exciting restaurant and one of the most original dining concepts on the island. Chef Kevin Cherkas, who trained under Ferran Adrià at elBulli, brings a distinctly creative sensibility to a menu built around small, tapas-style plates designed for sharing. The setting is deliberately casual, an open-air pavilion surrounded by gardens, which belies the technical sophistication of the cooking.

The menu changes with the seasons, but the approach is consistent: Indonesian and Asian ingredients treated with modernist technique and presented with playful precision. Recent dishes have included smoked duck with black garlic and young jackfruit, prawn crackers reimagined as a delicate tuile with crab and avocado, and a pandan crème brûlée with coconut sorbet that was quietly extraordinary.

Four to five plates per person is about right, which brings dinner to around USD 40 to USD 60 with drinks, exceptional value for this level of cooking. The cocktail list is inventive, built around Indonesian spirits and local ingredients. Book ahead for dinner, particularly at weekends; the restaurant is small and word has spread.