30 editor picks across Malaysia.
30 malaysian restaurants worth the trip across Malaysia, editor-ranked. All cuisines in Malaysia.
Dewakan holds two Michelin stars and a Green Star in Kuala Lumpur for chef Darren Teoh's single tasting menu, built on indigenous Malaysian ingredients.
OrderThe evolving foraged tasting menu, the restaurant's only option each night.
TipThe room is on Level 48 of Naza Tower. Cancel more than 24 hours ahead; the kitchen charges RM870 per guest for late cancellations and no-shows.
Auntie Gaik Lean's Old School Eatery holds a Michelin star in the 2026 guide, cooking heirloom Nyonya recipes behind a Bishop Street shopfront in Penang.
OrderKari kapitan, Jiu hu char
TipReservations for larger tables carry an RM200 deposit; parties of three or fewer join the walk-in queue instead.
Akar earned a Michelin star in the 2026 guide for chef Aidan Low's Kuala Lumpur tasting menu, which pairs endemic Malaysian ingredients with Japanese methods.
OrderThe ten-course Mekar tasting menu, built around endemic Malaysian ingredients.
TipThe current Mekar menu runs ten courses, from abalone with mung bean noodles to a crab claypot served family style.
Beta holds a Michelin star in Kuala Lumpur for chef Raymond Tham's Tour of Malaysia tasting menu, which moves course by course through the country's regions.
OrderThe Tour of Malaysia tasting menu, showcasing regional specialties course by course.
TipThe Tour of Malaysia menu is RM630++ a head; the cocktail, wine and champagne pairing adds RM330++ on top.
Terra Dining earned a Michelin star in the 2026 guide for self-taught chef Yu Cheng Chong's French-leaning, eleven-course Malaysian menu in Kuala Lumpur.
OrderThe eleven-course menu, whose beurre blanc carries a turmeric and coconut curry.
TipAdd the curated tea pairing, built to bridge flavours course by course, and ask the chef for the tasting notes.
Ivy's Nyonya Cuisine in Penang is a husband-and-wife Peranakan room with a 2026 Bib Gourmand; Ivy cooks while her husband runs the small floor.
OrderNyonya set for two, Perut ikan
TipBook ahead by phone; the set menus for two or four are the easiest way through the long home-style menu.
Deens Maju is the nasi kandar Penang locals queue for, a midday-opening Jalan Gurdwara canteen where the ayam goreng line often wraps the block.
OrderAyam goreng nasi kandar, Bendi curry
TipThe queue moves faster than it looks; go earlier in the service for the full spread of curries before favourites sell out.
Kin Kin Chili Pan Mee in Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur, is the shophouse credited with inventing the dry chili pan mee that copies across the city chase.
OrderOrder the dry chili pan mee with a poached egg, then mix in the sambal at the table.
TipThe soup version exists but almost everyone here orders the dry chili pan mee with a poached egg.
Sifu Nyonya Cuisine on Rope Walk earned a 2026 Bib Gourmand for Penang Peranakan cooking, its septuagenarian chef running forty-odd a la carte dishes.
OrderTu ka chor, Inchi kabin
TipOrder the pomelo kerabu and inchi kabin early; the kitchen works to a fixed daily batch and stops when it runs out.
Hameediyah has served nasi kandar on Campbell Street since 1907 and holds the Malaysia Book of Records listing as the country's oldest, a Penang icon.
OrderMurtabak, Kari ayam nasi kandar
TipOrder the murtabak from the front griddle plus one curry over rice; the air-conditioned annexe a few doors down has seats.
Kebaya Dining Room sets Peranakan set menus under chandeliers at the Seven Terraces hotel, Penang's dressiest take on Straits Chinese cooking.
TipTwo seatings nightly at 18:00 and 20:00; the later one lets you linger, and the set menu format keeps prices sane.
Jalan Ipoh Claypot Chicken Rice cooks its dish to order over charcoal in the Jalan Ipoh area of Kuala Lumpur, one pot at a time, and holds a Bib Gourmand.
OrderOrder the claypot chicken rice with extra lap cheong, cooked to order over charcoal.
TipThe claypots are cooked one at a time, so expect a short wait even on a quiet afternoon.
Bibik's Kitchen serves heirloom Nyonya recipes under classic Peranakan motifs on Jalan Sri Bahari, a Penang Bib Gourmand pick in the 2026 guide.
OrderCincalok pork, Ayam rendang
TipThe cincalok pork divides first-timers; pair it with ayam rendang and plain rice rather than ordering it alone.
Winn's Cafe fills a two-storey Pulau Tikus house with local art and Bib Gourmand Nyonya plates, a husband-and-wife act on Penang's Jalan Cantonment.
OrderNyonya laksa, Kari kapitan
TipAsk for the upstairs room hung with local artists' work; it is quieter and seats small groups without a wait.
Line Clear Nasi Kandar has ladled curry down its famous alley off Jalan Penang since the 1940s, Penang's round-the-clock nasi kandar rite of passage.
OrderNasi kandar with ayam ros, Sotong curry
TipPoint at three curries and let them flood the rice; the mixed gravy, called banjir, is the whole point here.
Hot Bowl has served Penang white curry mee since 1992, the coconut broth arriving mild with a side bowl of chilli paste you stir in yourself.
OrderWhite curry mee, Bottled curry paste
TipStir in the chilli paste a half-spoon at a time; the same paste is bottled for sale if you want to take it home.
Bee Hwa Cafe cooks halal versions of Penang's Chinese hawker canon on Lebuh Dickens, a Bib Gourmand family shop begun as a 1992 street stall.
OrderHalal char kway teow, White curry mee
TipThis is where Muslim travellers get proper char kway teow; the chicken-and-seafood version sells out before 14:00.
Nasi Lemak Wanjo has sold coconut rice, fried chicken and sambal from a Kampung Baru cafeteria counter in Kuala Lumpur since 1963, open until midnight.
OrderNasi lemak with fried chicken, sambal and boiled egg.
TipAdd the ayam rendang to the base plate; the house sambal leans sweet, with a chilli heat that builds slowly.
Ah Hei Bak Kut Teh starts its sixteen-herb pork rib broth at 05:00, before opening on Medan Imbi in Pudu, Kuala Lumpur, and holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
OrderClaypot bak kut teh with pork ribs and a 16-herb broth.
TipAsk for extra beancurd skin in the claypot; it soaks up the herbal broth better than the mushrooms.
Anak Baba serves southern Peranakan cooking on Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, since 2018, and it now holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
OrderOrder the nasi lemak with ayam goreng kunyit, the turmeric fried chicken.
TipIt is the sister of Baba Low's in Bangsar, both run by a Malaccan family, and the nasi lemak is the dish to order.
Ah Hei Bak Kut Teh brews pork rib soup from 16 herbs fresh each morning it opens, on Medan Imbi in Pudu, Kuala Lumpur, and holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
OrderOrder the fei kuat cut of pork belly, a specialty few other bak kut teh shops offer.
TipCome before 11:00, the pot is boiled fresh each morning and can sell out by early afternoon.
Bijan Bar & Restaurant has served refined Malay cooking on Jalan Ceylon in Kuala Lumpur since around 2003, in a room built on traditional Malay decor.
OrderRendang udang Nogori, prawns in a creamy coconut curry.
TipBookings can require a deposit; order the rendang udang and staff will shell the prawns for you if you ask.
Hide serves a fixed tasting menu led by fish and shellfish at the Ritz-Carlton Residences in Kuala Lumpur, where chef Shaun Ng cooks modern Malaysian food.
OrderThe fixed chef's tasting menu, mostly fish and shellfish with a few meat courses.
TipPlan at least two hours; dinner is RM698++ and a shorter Friday and Saturday lunch menu runs RM398++.
Rasa Rasa keeps daytime hours on Chulia Street Ghaut, pairing pandan nasi lemak sets with Bib Gourmand prices rare even by Penang standards.
OrderPandan nasi lemak combo, Nyonya kuih
TipIt is a lunch room, not a dinner one; come before 14:30 and add the day's kuih to whatever combo you order.
Jawi House on Armenian Street is Penang's standard-bearer for Jawi Peranakan cooking, blending Malay and Indian spice work in a cafe-gallery.
OrderNasi lemuni, Beef berempah
TipTry the nasi lemuni with butterfly-pea rice, then browse the gallery upstairs; the building tells the family story.
Fashion designer Richard Rivalee cooks his grandmother's pork-free Nyonya recipes in an antique-filled Macalister Lane shophouse in central Penang.
OrderKari kapitan, Gulai tumis
TipThe kitchen is pork-free, which makes this the rare heritage Nyonya menu Muslim friends can share; book for dinner.
Du-An plates traditional Malaysian cooking with cafe polish on Beach Street in Penang; the skin-on mutton curry is the 2026 Michelin guide's pick.
OrderSkin-on mutton curry, Nasi lemak
TipEverything is halal certified, so this is the Beach Street stop that works for every group; order the mutton curry.
Duck Blood Curry Mee simmers its coconut white curry fresh daily inside a Burma Road cafe, the Bib Gourmand bowl Penang regulars top with cubes of duck blood.
OrderWhite curry mee with duck blood, Roast pork add-on
TipThe duck blood is optional; ask for it on the side the first time and add the roast pork either way.
Kheng Pin Cafe is the morning kopitiam on Jalan Penang whose loh bak stall, five-spice pork rolls fried in beancurd skin, draws half of George Town.
OrderLoh bak, Wanton mee
TipClaim a table with drinks first, then order loh bak from one stall and wanton mee from another; come in the morning, it winds down by 13:30.
Rasa Rasa keeps daytime hours on Chulia Street Ghaut, pairing pandan nasi lemak sets with Bib Gourmand prices rare even by Penang standards.
OrderPandan nasi lemak combo, Nyonya kuih
TipIt is a lunch room, not a dinner one; come before 14:30 and add the day's kuih to whatever combo you order.
Guided tour · 4 hours
Discover the favorite local brunch foods on a guided tour of the George Town district.
Guided tour · 4 hours
Take a deep dive into Penang's rich food culture and history. Meet the people behind the food, salivate over 15+ tastings, and discover what makes up this island's vib...
4 hours
Explore a tropical spice garden and learn to cook South East Asian dishes in a fully hands-on cooking class. Enjoy a personalized experience with individual stations a...
