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Le Bouchon
The dining room at this tasteful French-owned place could have been plucked straight from a Burgundy chateau. The wine list is extensive and the house bouillabaisse (seafood soup with saffron) is highly recommended.
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Little Penang Kafé
Probably the most enticing of the midrange restaurants on the 4th floor of Suria KLCC, this airy café serves authentic food from old Penang, including specialities like curry mee (spicy soup noodles with prawns) and spicy Siamese lemak laksa .
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Lotus Hotel in Chow Kit
Just north of Little India, Lotus is Chow Kit's favourite nasi kandar (Penang-style steamed rice) canteen. Expect huge trays of fish curry and lots of spicy fried meat and vegetables.
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Lotus Hotel in KLCC
A second branch off Jln Ampang of this nasi kandar (Penang-style steamed rice) canteen. Expect huge trays of fish curry and lots of spicy fried meat and vegetables. The first branch is in Chow Kit.
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Madam Tang's Stall
A recommendation for something out of the ordinary is Madam Tang's Stall, run by an elderly lady who makes her own tasty mochi (Japanese-style fruit jellies with rice starch).
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Mangrove Food Court
Various Asian cuisines are showcased at this upmarket food court, upstairs at the souvenir market.
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Masjid India Hawker Court
A bustling covered hawker court serving all the usual Malay, Indian and Chinese favourites. Good to visit if you can't make it to the Saturday pasar malam .
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Matsuba Japanese Restaurant
An unpretentious Japanese place that attracts a younger crowd with good value bento box sets (including sushi, sashimi and teriyaki).
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Medan Hang Tuah
A Pudu-based re-creation of an old city street, complete with mock shophouses. The food stalls here serve excellent and cheap Malay, Chinese and Indian food.
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Medan Selera Food Court
Extensive Asian food court on the lower level of Lot 10.
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Mythai Jim Thompson
Silk cushions and drapes abound at this posh Thai place that aims to create the colonial mood of Jim Thompson's villa in Bangkok. Refreshingly, style does not triumph over substance - the Thai food is excellent, with numerous regional dishes from around Thailand.
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Nasi Kandar Bestari
The most popular mamak house in Desa Sri Hartamas, serving tasty snack meals and rehydrating tea and coffee to people staggering home from pubs and bars.
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Nasi Kandar Pelita in Bangsar Baru
Serves exquisite Indian Muslim food, including magnificent roti canai and hariyali tikka (spiced chicken with mint, cooked in the tandoor)
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Nasi Kandar Pelita in KLCC
This swish, fan-cooled pavilion near the KLCC is probably the flashiest of all the mamak canteens in KL.
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Nerovivo
Italian food all round at this refined, partly open-air restaurant uphill from Changkat Bukit Bintang. Pizza and pastas are sublime and there's a good value antipasti buffet lunch.
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Old China Café
The old guild hall of the Selangor & Federal Territory Laundry Association is the atmospheric home for this fine cafe, which specialises in Nonya dishes from Malacca and Penang - their speciality is the laksa , with its spicy coconut milk soup.
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Old Siam
Part of a large Thai restaurant group, Old Siam still manages to feel cosy and inviting, partly because of the old-fashioned shophouse setting. The Thai food is competently prepared and there are happy-hour specials on drinks before .
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One Bangsar
Jln Ara in Bangsar Baru has recently been redeveloped as 'One Bangsar' - an upmarket food street with a diverse collection of restaurants catering to Bangsar foodies. There are some great places to eat here - just stroll up and down the strip and pick a restaurant to match your mood.
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Palate Palette
Picasso and Mondrian colours set the mood at this upbeat bar and restaurant just off Jln Nagansari. Arty locals come here for the broad fusion menu that features dishes as diverse as shepherds' pie and teriyaki salmon.
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Pesona Food Court
This is a decent shopping-centre food court near the Tune Hotel.
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Precious
The owners of Old China Café also run this upmarket place in the Central Market, which manages to recreate the mood of mining-era KL despite the mall setting. The food is good and the art and antiques on display are mostly for sale.
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Prego
Arguably KL's finest Italian restaurant, Prego offers delectable Italian pizzas and pasta in chic but family-friendly surroundings. Come on Sundays for the free-flowing champagne brunch, with a balloon-twisting clown to entertain the kids.
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Puduraya Hawker Court
The cheapest place for hawker food is this bustling food centre inside the Puduraya Bus Stand. A bowl of spicy tom yam soup will set you back just RM5 .
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Purple Cane Tea Restaurant
Tucked behind the Chinese Assembly Hall, this laid-back place uses tea as an ingredient in most of its dishes. Intriguing specials include chicken soup with tea and ginseng, and beef simmered in lychee tea.
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Pusat Makanan Peng Hwa
KL has dozens of intriguing, off-the-beaten-track places to eat - our favourite is the permanent hawker court at Pudu Market, known locally as Pusat Makanan Peng Hwa. This congregation of cooks sprawls beneath a gigantic tin roof behind the wet and dry market. The pavilion is as big as an aircraft hangar - fans on the ceiling whir ineffectually, failing almost completely to drive away the tropical fug. Nevertheless, as the sun sets, this is the place to be.
