Lake Gardens, Brickfields & Bangsar
Consistently good food is delivered at this Bangsar stalwart where Asian favourites such as Sarawak laksa (the owner is originally from this Malaysian…
Must-see restaurants in Malaysia
Gunung Mulu National Park
The Good Luck 'Cave'fe' Mulu (geddit?) is located right outside the park gates and stays open later than the park cafe, making it a good dinner option if…
Kuching
This laid-back restaurant serving delicious Sarawak food is decorated with photos of Bario, the highland 'capital'. Although it no longer specialises in…
Pulau Tioman
This restaurant (part of ABC Chalets) at the north end of the beach is packed most nights with travellers who flock to enjoy ABCD’s BBQ special (RM20), a…
Kuala Lumpur
If you're hankering for onion soup topped with gruyere cheese, lobster bisque or beef tartare, this authentically styled bistro is a good choice. A pot of…
Kuching
This old-school kopitiam (coffee shop) makes the most delicious laksa in town. There's also a stall here selling excellent popia (a kind of spring roll…
Kuala Lumpur
The national theatre's cafe offers an appealing serve-yourself buffet of Malay and mamak (Indian Muslim) favourites such as fish-head curry, as well as…
Kuala Lumpur
Specialising in east coast Peninsular Malaysian dishes such as nasi kerabu (blue rice), this is a good place to dine inexpensively on the main Kampung…
Semporna
This unassuming place is always a good bet for such Indian-Malaysian standards as roti kosong (crispy, flaky roti with curry to dip it in), murtabak …
Pahang & Tioman Island
Run by the Gan family for over a century, this friendly old-timer is a classic old Chinese chashi (茶室) – tearoom – which can supply a cup of tea or coffee…
Lake Gardens, Brickfields & Bangsar
This swish oyster and seafood bar sells high-quality imported shellfish, salmon, trout and haddock. Come for oyster happy hour from 3pm to 6pm when it's…
Sarawak
An atmospheric Chinese seafood specialist with seating in a semicovered outdoor courtyard, selling fresh fish and seafood (per kilogram RM40 to RM80),…
George Town
Crowd-pleasing dishes such as stir-fried noodles, ginger stewed duck and sweet-and-sour pork are very competently done here, but it's primarily the…
Malaysia
With an open-sided, Balinese-style wooden dining room, backed by jungle and overlooking a golf course, Tamarind Springs makes for a romantic setting for a…
Sarawak
A casual eatery on the waterfront with breezy outdoor seating, Escobar offers plenty of fresh seafood options accompanied by rice or noodles, as well as…
Kuala Terengganu
Divided into Chinese and Malay sections, Chinatown’s outdoor hawker centre is a prime pick for grazing on soy-sauce chicken, fried noodles, spicy soups…
Sandakan
Bedecked with vintage posters, this bright cafe serves upmarket takes on kopitiam (coffee shop) food: slipper lobster nasi lemak, a kick-ass tom yum with…
Kota Bharu
As popular with locals as it is with tourists, this mint-green, fan-cooled place serves authentic curries on a banana leaf and a delicious, lurid-yellow…
Kota Kinabalu
Delightful Italian cuisine in a stylish restaurant with deep-red walls and an alfresco terrace with sea views. Dishes span homemade ravioli stuffed with…
Kuantan
Located in an old shophouse along Jln Besar, friendly Pickers is a decent cafe and spot for Vietnamese coffee and buns in the morning or roti or nasi…
Penang
Everyone falls in love with the Ferringhi Garden's outdoor setting, with its terracotta tiles and hardwood surrounded by bamboo – not to mention the…
Sarawak
Fairy lights and brightly coloured walls lift Musbee above Limbang's dining pack. The menu, introducing a few Thai flavours, is also a little different…
George Town
Follow the crowds to this lively night market, which fills the street from Gat Lebuh Macallum to Gat Lebuh Cecil. There's the usual selection of bargain…
Pulau Pangkor
Meals at ferry terminals aren't usually memorable, but this jetty cafe whips up decent Thai and Western-style fast food (chicken chop, squid fried rice,…
Kedah
This efficient, family-run canteen is a good choice for filling nasi lemak meals. At the counter, select rice and accompaniments from the wide array of…
Ipoh
You'd better come early (seriously, 7am) for the chance to sample Hainanese curry noodles and pork and bean sprouts. These two dishes are pretty much all…
Lake Gardens, Brickfields & Bangsar
Sit at one of the tables and allow the army of servers to dollop out the great-tasting food on to a banana leaf for you. If you're hungry, supplement the…
Chinatown, Merdeka Square & Bukit Nanas
The stall that lends its name to this building of old-school hawker stands has been dishing up beef ball noodle soup since 1956; ask for its special …
Lake Gardens, Brickfields & Bangsar
A contemporary take on a kopitiam (coffee shop) offering megastrength coffees from all of the country’s states to wash down dishes such as beef rendang…
Lake Gardens, Brickfields & Bangsar
On the roof of a bicycle repair shop, and using old bicycle wheels as a design feature, this under-the-radar and hip cafe serves up Malaysian comfort food…
Tawau
Open around the clock, this curry joint serves night owls, or anyone else who likes their roti canai flaky and not greasy. There's alfresco seating with a…
Cameron Highlands
The busiest of the Indian restaurants on Tanah Rata's main road, this popular place heaps vegetable curries, pappadams and rice onto banana leaves for its…
Kuala Lumpur
Takashi Kimura is often lauded as one of KL’s most accomplished chefs. The eclectic range of Japanese–French-inspired dishes might include the likes of…
Melaka City
Amy Heritage Cuisine dishes up delectable food in a no-frills restaurant, 1km southeast of Dutch Sq. Melt-in-the-mouth candlenut chicken, spicy asam fish…
Ipoh
Arrive early for a sit-down dim sum experience in the dining salon of Ming Court. Point at what you fancy from the trays circulated by staff, and don't…
Melaka City
This cute cafe is a Melaka nook to get away from it all and always a pleasure to visit, serving breakfasts, chocolate muffins, croissants, cheese cake and…
Sarawak
Above the fruit-and-vegetable market is a hawker centre with 26 Chinese and Malay food stalls. The Malay buffet at stalls 4 and 5 includes delicious fresh…
Lake Gardens, Brickfields & Bangsar
A relaxed mood prevails at this perennially packed Indian food court on a corner of Bangsar Baru. The thali sets are excellent, with plenty of fish,…
Chinatown, Merdeka Square & Bukit Nanas
Just off Jln Petaling on Jln Hang Lekir, in the heart of the pedestrian area, this stall has been soothing early morning appetites for decades with melt…
Sarawak
Freshly baked Chinese and Western-style pastries, cakes, mini pizzas and other easy-to-pack day-trip picnic fare or on-the-river snacks for the boat trip…
