.jpg)
From diverting 98 per cent of waste from landfill in its first year to enhancing the local community, the owners of this stunning spot have a borderline obsession with sustainability.
Words like ‘sustainable’ and ‘seasonal’ get flung around fairly loosely by restaurants these days, but Dutch-Indonesian duo Eelke Plasmeijer and Ray Adriansyah are real pioneers. Their restaurant, Locavore NXT, found amid the swathes of rice fields that fringe Ubud in Bali, is creating waves around the world – and with good reason.
Aside from the impressive food, the hyper-local restaurant hub inspired by nature is showing the restaurant world you need to do more than simply source local produce to make a significant difference. The two chefs, and great friends, describe Locavore NXT as “more than a restaurant. It is a localised rebellion.”
Locavore NXT opened in 2024 as an evolution from the Dutch-Indonesian duo's previous restaurant, Locavore
The original Locavore opened in the hubbub of Bali’s cultural capital in 2013 and it was popular from the start, with no beef or dairy, white sugar or wheat on the plant-heavy menu. However, the new, aptly named iteration – Locavore NXT – opened in 2024 and meant Plasmeijer and Adriansyah were able to create a haven of sustainability, literally from the ground up. They designed every square inch of the new space, inside and out, to maximise the benefits of sustainable living, not only for themselves, but for their entire community.
Here are seven reasons why Locavore NXT is the winner of the Sustainable Restaurant Award, sponsored by Hibiki, as part of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025.
1. Ethical, plant-focused cuisine
Taking environmental gastronomy to a new level, Plasmeijer and Adriansyah admit “cooking is still the best part of everything”, but an innovative approach and pioneering mentality led them to push boundaries with locally sourced ingredients, zero-waste practices and a deep commitment to ethical, plant-forward cuisine.
An underground mushroom vault and fermentation lab are just two of the innovative aspects of Locavore NXT
The restaurant’s tasting menus, unsurprisingly, use strictly local produce and that which they grow or ferment themselves on their rooftop garden, in the koji fermentation lab or in the subterranean mushroom vault. The resulting dishes include delights that echo ancient cooking practices of Indonesia, such as rice koji (a starter culture for fermentation) porridge with soyabeans, white kimchi and rosella (hibiscus).
2. A deep passion for sustainability
The two chefs didn’t set out to embark on such an all-encompassing environmental campaign but, as the original Locavore grew (it is now home to plant-based restaurant, Herbivore), the realisation that they could do so much to better their immediate community outside the four walls of the restaurant dawned.
Plasmeijer explains: “When we first opened Locavore, we just wanted to have our own place to cook the food and play the music we liked. We were cooking Western dishes with Indonesian recipes, but we then decided to dig deeper and do some research and start using ingredients and recipes both native to Indonesia. We wanted to grow as much produce as we could on our roof, which is an edible jungle, and we also go foraging for ingredients in the local area.
With 172 solar panels and an "edible jungle" on the roof, Locavore NXT has impressive green credentials
“We wanted to show our local team how far we could take this with quotas for hiring local staff, using local ceramics and adopting ancient permaculture methods. Ray and I realised that actually, we could really make a difference to the local area. It might sound odd, but we didn’t do it for the guests. We did it for the team and everyone around us.”
3. Reducing landfill waste to zero
As well as looking to achieve a zero-to-landfill goal – in its first year alone, the restaurant diverted an astonishing 98.4 per cent of waste from landfill – Locavore NXT also aims to reduce non-organic waste produced by 5 per cent in 2025 through improved sorting, supplier engagement and sustainable procurement.
The restaurant is located among the rice fields of Ubud in Bali
“There’s something about doing it here in Bali that makes it feel like it matters a little bit more with an impact that’s just a little bigger,” Adriansyah says. Both chefs also recognise such a production would be financially impossible elsewhere. “Forget about doing this in Europe,” Plasmeijer insists. “A building with all these facilities and a team this size? There’s no way. It’s not cheap here, but it would be absolutely unaffordable if we were anywhere else.”
4. Closed loop water system
When Plasmeijer and Adriansyah designed the building, they installed 172 solar panels, but enormous consideration was given to water, too. “It’s hard to believe that, because Bali is a tropical island and it rains a lot, water is a problem,” Plasmeijer says. “But the amount of water that gets taken out of the ground for irrigation for five-star hotels is shocking. We decided to try to keep it all on site and be part of the solution rather than the problem.
“Of course, we are part of the problem because we built a restaurant, but we use a lot of water to clean vegetables, wash our hands and use the bathrooms, so, we thought, why don’t we sort a closed loop system?” 
The plant-led cuisine served at Locavore NXT features Indonesian ingredients and recipes
Today, this integrates rainwater collection, black and grey water filtration and worm toilet systems with filtered water stored and used for landscape irrigation. The food forest provides natural insulation, which also helps reduce the need for air conditioning.
5. Using it all
The water system at Locavore NXT is reflective of the larger closed loop ethos, whereby the restaurant uses as much as it can. “We’re not just using the pretty part of a flower for example,” says Plasmeijer. “We think about how we can make the most use of the entire plant." In addition, some of the kitchen waste is collected by a chicken farmer who uses it for the chickens. “That results in delicious eggs,” he adds.
6. Sustainable receipts for guests
One unique touch is that guests at Locavore NXT are given a printed receipt that explains in detail how their meal (and their stay, if they have booked into one of the adjacent cabins for the night) is bettering the environment.
Dishes like rice koji porridge with soyabeans, white kimchi and rosella pay homage to ancient Indonesian cooking pratices
Adriansyah says, “Sustainability does seem to be everywhere and, the last thing you want is for people to get bored with it. But we planned this as a sort of show-and-tell so people who come here can see exactly what we are doing.” However, this isn’t obligatory. “If people want to just have a quiet meal on a beautiful evening, then that’s fine as well,” he adds.
7. Continuing to put the work in
The two men, who describe themselves as “partners in crime”, now have eight food and drink outlets, a butchers’ shop and Agency X, described as a multidisciplinary creative agency specialising in food and drink experiences.
Since founding the original Locavore in 2013, Plasmeijer and Adriansyah have launched a number of businesses together
For two young chefs who decided that if they failed, they could always go back and work for other people, there are no signs of slowing down. Though it isn’t just the elegant and immensely innovative plant-led food at Locavore NXT that is garnering such a shining international reputation.
The immensely careful and considered element of every aspect of their work, and the way in which it is benefiting the local community, is astounding. When asked if they have any future plans, Plasmeijer says, “We have a lot on our plates already, but receiving this Sustainable Restaurant Award and being recognised in this way is just incredible.”
Locavore NXT is the winner of the Sustainable Restaurant Award, sponsored by Hibiki, as part of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025. Discover the full list of winners.
