Bintan tourism
Seafood Restaurants in Bintan: The 5 Best Kelongs and Places to Eat
Eating seafood in Bintan almost always means eating on a kelong — a timber platform built out over the sea, where the fish and crab are chosen live and cooked in front of you. Here are the five most reviewed, along with the drive time from Lagoi.
Why seafood in Bintan is eaten over the water
A kelong is a timber platform that Riau fishermen build out over the water — once used for net fishing, and now some of them have become restaurants. You notice the difference at the table: crab, gong-gong and fish are lifted live from the pens beneath the floor, you choose and they are weighed, and only then do they go to the kitchen. What you are shown is not a picture menu but a set of scales.
That is why prices follow the weight and the day's catch rather than a printed price list. Asking the price per kilo before the fish goes to the kitchen is perfectly normal here, and you should do it — lobster and large crab are what most often push the bill beyond what you expected. One of the five below is inside a resort and charges resort prices; the other four are local kelongs.
The best time to arrive is late afternoon, around 5 to 6.30pm: the kelong deck is no longer baking in the sun, the sun is sinking towards the sea and the kitchen is not yet busy. All of the places below are well away from public transport — they are between ten minutes and an hour from Lagoi, some along unlit village roads, and one can only be reached by speedboat. That is why almost every guest comes in a rental car with a driver.
The five best seafood restaurants on Bintan Island
Ranked from the highest rating. All five open every day, and all five are best booked in advance if you are a group of more than six, or coming on a Saturday or a public holiday.
Rank 1: Teluk Bakau Bay View
Grilled fish in huts on the edge of Trikora Beach
Rating: 4.4595 reviews
- District: Gunung Kijang
- Opening hours: 08:00–21:00
- From Lagoi: 60 min drive
Not a kelong over the sea but a row of timber huts right on the sand of Bintan's east coast. Local groups come here for long lunches: you choose your fish from the chiller at the front, have it steamed, grilled, cooked in black pepper sauce or with chilli, and it is brought out to your hut. It is also the only one of the five that opens in the morning, so it pairs best with snorkelling or a swim at Trikora.
Signature dishes
- Grilled and steamed fish
- Black pepper crab
- Boiled gong-gong
- Fried squid
- Prawns
Getting there
About an hour from Lagoi via the east coast road, or 45 minutes from Tanjung Pinang. There is no public transport out here, and the coast road is dark after sunset.
Jl. Wisata Bahari, Teluk Bakau, Gunung Kijang, Kabupaten Bintan, Kepulauan Riau 29151
Open in Google MapsRank 2: Kelong Bintan Brother Seafood
The closest kelong to Lagoi, big portions, local prices
Rating: 4.3375 reviews
- District: Teluk Sebong
- Opening hours: 10:00–22:00
- From Lagoi: 20 min drive
The top pick for resort guests who want to eat out without spending half the day on the road. A stilt building over the water at Sebong Pereh: long tables, fans, a quick kitchen, and prices that are still local for generous portions. Its crab and gong-gong get the most praise. One thing to note — it has a second outlet at Simpang Lagoi that is not over the sea, so make sure you head for the kelong.
Signature dishes
- Black pepper crab
- Gong-gong
- Prawns
- Steamed fish
Getting there
About 20 minutes from the Lagoi resort area. The sign is small and sits at a village road junction, so save the Google Maps pin before you set off.
Jl. Panca Marga, Sebong Pereh, Teluk Sebong, Kabupaten Bintan, Kepulauan Riau 29154
Open in Google MapsRank 3: Kelong Ciu Yong Seafood
A quiet kelong on the Bintan Strait, on the way to the sand dunes
Rating: 4.2545 reviews
- District: Teluk Bintan
- Opening hours: 10:00–22:00
- From Lagoi: 30–45 min drive
An old kelong in Pengujan village, facing across the strait towards Penghujan Island, serving Chinese-style cooking. Quieter than the kelongs around Lagoi and kinder on the wallet, with clams and steamed fish as its specialities. It lies in the same direction as the Bintan Sand Dunes and the Blue Lake, so it makes most sense as lunch or an early dinner on the same day out.
Signature dishes
- Boiled clams
- Steamed fish
- Steamed prawns
- Gong-gong
Getting there
30 to 45 minutes from Lagoi via Busung, or about 40 minutes from Tanjung Pinang. The last stretch is a village road that is best not driven on your own after dark.
Jl. Selat Bintan II, Pengujan, Teluk Bintan, Kabupaten Bintan, Kepulauan Riau 29135
Open in Google MapsRank 4: Kampoeng Kelong Seafood Restaurant
Ten minutes by speedboat through the mangroves
Rating: 4.2117 reviews
- District: Teluk Sebong
- Opening hours: 10:00–21:00
- From Lagoi: 15 min drive
The most memorable of the five, because the journey is part of the dinner: a three-minute walk along a mangrove path, a speedboat from the jetty, then ten minutes along the Sebung River before the kelong appears over the water. The seafood is chosen live from the pens and the portions are known for being generous. Many guests combine it with a mangrove tour or a firefly tour on the same river.
Signature dishes
- Prawns in salted egg sauce
- Black pepper crayfish
- Fried seafood kway teow
- Grilled fish
Getting there
About a 15-minute drive from Lagoi to the mangrove jetty, then a 10-minute speedboat ride provided by the restaurant. The last boat leaves earlier than closing time, so confirm it when you book your table.
Sebong Lagoi, Teluk Sebong, Kabupaten Bintan, Kepulauan Riau 29152
Open in Google MapsRank 5: The Kelong Seafood Restaurant
A resort-style kelong facing the South China Sea
Rating: 4.1800 reviews
- District: Teluk Sebong
- Opening hours: 11:00–22:30
- From Lagoi: 10 min drive
Nirwana Gardens' own stilt restaurant, named after the fishermen's kelongs that inspired it, but with a neat timber deck, table service and sunsets over the South China Sea. The cooking is a mix of Chinese and Indonesian; its salted egg lobster and black pepper crab are what it is best known for. Prices are resort prices — this is the safe choice for guests who would rather not travel along village roads at night.
Signature dishes
- Salted egg lobster
- Black pepper crab
- Butter prawns
- Gong-gong
Getting there
About 10 minutes from most Lagoi hotels, within the Nirwana Gardens grounds. Booking is recommended, especially for a table on the edge of the deck.
Jl. Panglima Pantar, Nirwana Gardens, Sebong Lagoi, Teluk Sebong, Kabupaten Bintan, Kepulauan Riau 29155
Open in Google Maps
Ratings and review counts were compiled in September 2026 from TripAdvisor's list of seafood restaurants on Bintan Island and each restaurant's Google Maps entry. The order follows the rating, with the number of reviews deciding any tie. Opening hours and drive times are estimates and may change — it is best to reconfirm them before you set off.
What to prepare before you go
Book a table for the late afternoon
The good kelongs are full between 6 and 8pm, especially on Saturdays and public holidays. Tables along the edge of the deck — the ones facing the sea — are always the first to be requested, so mention it when you book.
Ask the price per kilo
Fish, crab and lobster are weighed live and priced per kilogram. Ask for them to be weighed in front of you and confirm the total before anything goes to the kitchen. This is normal practice on a kelong and is not considered rude.
Bring cash
Some local kelongs do not yet accept cards, and the mobile signal needed for QRIS often drops out over the water. From the spots at Trikora and Pengujan, the nearest ATM can be half an hour's drive away.
Factor in the drive back
Some of the village roads to the kelongs have no street lighting or road markings, and you will be driving them in the dark. If you are renting a car for this trip, book a driver too — they already know the way back.
We drive you to the kelong and wait until you have finished
Tell us which restaurant you have chosen and how many of you there are. We will arrange the car, a driver who knows the village roads and the pickup time — including for the kelong that can only be reached by speedboat.