The most popular tourist district in Bali is Canggu, a thumping beachtown on the island’s lower west coast.

But the Bukit Peninsula, also known as Uluwuta, on the island’s southernmost peninsula, comes in a close second place.

Edged by towering sea cliffs, crystal white beaches, turquoise waters and world-class waves, Uluwatu, traditionally a surfer’s retreat, has gone mainstream since the end of the pandemic.

Visitor numbers are on the up and investors have taken note, opening a maelstrom of new places to stay, places to eat and drink, gyms, recovery centres, paddle courts, surf shops, retail shops, medical centres and everything else tourists want and need. But there is only one brewery-style beer hall in Uluwatu: The Bench, a massive open-concept bar with an industrial design, capacity for up to 2000 people and its own line of craft beers. “We collaborate with Island Brewing, which, to me, is the only heavy-hitting brewery in Bali; the go-to beer for tourists once they get bored of Bintang,” says The Bench’s co-owner Mitch Doumanis, a former immigration lawyer from Perth who flew the coop to Bali nearly a decade ago.

“They make three beers just for us. The Bench Easy Blonde, our bestselling beer on tap; Be Hazy, a cloudier, slightly fruitier beer, and our own India Pale Ale.” The moment my group of four sat down at our table, everyone was served a beer flight board with three tasting glasses. Were they any good? I couldn’t say, because I don’t drink beer. I never have. It tastes rather unpleasant to me. Which begs the question: Why did I choose to review a brewery? Because a job’s a job; an experienced reporter can report on anything — not just the things they like. Nevertheless, I liked it a lot. The Bench may be a beer hall, but it offers much more, catering to all kinds: tourists and locals, beer lovers, teetotallers, young and old. There was even a woman on the lawn around the back breast-feeding her baby, and a family who’d brought a dog. How did they pull it off? Well, to start, the food is top-notch. Hot dogs with jalapenos, crispy onions and relish served in a soft brioche bun. Butter-soft wood-fired chicken with chimichurri and gravy. Wagyu steaks topped with beer-battered onion rings. A white bean dip with a pool of olive oil. Pasta alla vodka. Smashed cheeseburgers, and the best ice-cream sandwich in Bali: vanilla choc-chip with salty chocolate cookies. “We wanted to elevate the food from standard pub fare to gastro but without losing what people love about the standard stuff,” says Mitch. “So our chef focused on classics, pizzas, steaks and hot dogs but layered them with culinary and international influences to make them more interesting.” There’s a pool hall, one of countless in Bali, but classier and cleaner than the average.

The Bench is also a sports bar with big screens. The day before I visited the State of Origin was on the TV and the place, I was told, was packed to the rafters.

And every year in August, it hosts the after-party for the Rip Curl Cup, Bali’s most prestigious surfing event, held five minutes down the road at Padang Padang Beach. Live music is also big at the Bench. Every weekend, they put on local bands and DJs, and they host concerts for all of the biggest Aussie bands that make it to Bali. Perth’s Dear Sunday played at the Bench in the past year, along with Skeggs from Byron Bay and Dune Rats from Brisbane, among others. “Beach clubs have their share of the market and so do sports bars but we wanted to carve something entirely different,” Mitch says. “A place where you can come for a beer in the arvo or have a nice glass of wine with a steak, watch the footy or see an international band. “There are so many reasons to come here.”

+ Dave Smith was a guest of The Bench. They have not influenced this story, or read it before publication.