Arena Pub & Restaurant
Arena Pub & Restaurant is a long-running expat anchor on Jalan Danau Tamblingan in Sanur, functioning as a social hub for the area's long-stay foreign community. The venue runs an open-front layout with two pool tables, wall-mounted screens for live sport across Australian rules football, rugby, football, and regional cricket, and a long bar that serves domestic beer on tap alongside imported spirits. A small kitchen handles pub food into the late hours, one of the few Sanur venues that can feed guests past 23:00. Regulars fill the venue most weeknights, and Friday and Saturday pull a wider crowd including short-stay tourists staying in the surrounding beachfront hotels. The pace is slower than Seminyak or Kuta, and the social atmosphere leans heavily on long-stay residents who treat the bar as a second living room.
Where to stay near Arena Pub & Restaurant
Hotels and rentals within walking distance.
What to Expect
A genuine expat pub with regulars who know each other by name, sport on every screen, and a slow-paced Sanur tempo. Expect a friendly rather than rowdy atmosphere, with the crowd skewing forty-plus on weeknights.
Expat living room. Low-key, social, and one of Sanur's most consistent late-night spots.
Classic rock, pub-friendly pop, and occasional live acoustic sets on weekend evenings
Casual. Shorts, t-shirts, and sandals are the norm.
Solo travelers, long-stay visitors who want community, sports fans chasing a specific game in local time
Cash preferred, cards accepted for larger bar tabs
Price Range
Beer Bintang draft 45000 IDR, spirits 80000-120000 IDR, pub meals 80000-150000 IDR, pool hire 50000 IDR per hour
Beer ~$2.80, spirits ~$5-7.50, pub meals ~$5-10, pool ~$3 per hour
Hours
12:00-02:00 daily, kitchen closes 01:00
Insider Tip
Come on a Friday evening for the mixed crowd, midweek skews heavily toward regulars. Pool tables are first-come but regulars have loose claims on the back table after 21:00. Cash is faster than card and sometimes preferred by the older bar staff.
Full Review
Arena Pub has held the same plot on Jalan Danau Tamblingan for over a decade, and the venue reflects that longevity. The open front lets breeze through the length of the room, the two pool tables in the centre see constant use, and the wall-mounted screens cycle through whatever live sport is most relevant to the regulars on any given night. Australian rules football dominates on weekends, with rugby, football, and cricket filling out the programming. The bar itself is unpretentious: draft Bintang, a full range of imported spirits, and a kitchen that runs reliably into the early hours.
The crowd defines the venue. Sanur hosts one of the largest expat populations in Bali, skewing older than Seminyak or Canggu, and Arena functions as a meeting point for long-stay residents from Australia, Europe, and North America. Regulars know the bar staff by name, which creates a friendly rather than exclusionary atmosphere for first-time visitors. Conversations open easily around the pool tables, and solo travelers find it easy to plug in. Friday and Saturday nights pull in short-stay tourists from the beachfront hotels, widening the demographic.
The kitchen punches above its weight. Standard pub food executed correctly, with portions that match the prices, and service that stays consistent late into the night when most Sanur kitchens have closed. Drinks are fairly priced by Sanur standards, a significant gap below what Seminyak charges. The sound system handles live acoustic sets on weekend evenings, typically a single performer working classic rock and pop covers.
Compared to The Shed further down the same street, Arena is the more social of the two, with the pool tables and sport focus pulling a slightly younger and more active crowd. Compared to Sanur Beer Garden, it skews older and more traditional. For a first visit, a Friday around 20:00 offers the best mix of regulars and visitors without the venue feeling too insular.
The Neighborhood
Arena sits on Jalan Danau Tamblingan, Sanur's main restaurant and bar strip. The street runs parallel to the beach and holds most of the area's nightlife, with the beachfront promenade a two-minute walk to the east.
Getting There
GoJek or Bluebird taxi from central Sanur hotels runs 15000-25000 IDR. From Seminyak count on 30-45 minutes depending on traffic. Scooter parking is available along the street out front.
Other Venues in Sanur
Jazz Bar & Grille
Sanur's longest-running live music spot with nightly jazz and blues performances. Relaxed atmosphere popular with expats and older tourists.
Fire Station Bar
Casual open-air bar on the main strip with pool tables and big screens. One of the few places in Sanur still serving drinks past midnight.
Cat & Fiddle
British-style pub with live bands on weekends and a loyal crowd of long-term Sanur residents. Pub quiz nights are a regular draw.
Casablanca Bar
Beachside bar with a laid-back tropical setting and occasional live acoustic acts. Stays open later than most Sanur venues.
Luhtu's Coffee & Bar
Spot on Jl. Danau Tamblingan that transitions from coffee shop to cocktail bar after dark. Known for craft cocktails at reasonable Sanur prices.
Sanur Beer Garden
Microbrewery and beer garden with house-brewed craft ales starting at IDR 30,000. Younger crowd than the typical Sanur bar, with outdoor seating under string lights.