Bebek Bengil — the "Dirty Duck Diner" — has been the most famous restaurant in Ubud for more than 30 years, and for good reason. The speciality is crispy deep-fried duck (bebek goreng): a whole duck marinated for 36 hours in a complex spice paste of ginger, turmeric, galangal, candlenut, and shallots, then deep-fried until the skin shatters. It arrives at the table on a banana leaf, with steamed rice, sambal, and a small salad. It is messy, it is delicious, and it is exactly what it has always been.
The setting is a series of open-air pavilions looking out over rice paddies on Jalan Padang Tegal. Book in advance for lunch; the walk-in queue for dinner can be long. Order the duck; everything else is secondary.