40 editor picks in Kuala Lumpur.
40 cheap eats places in Kuala Lumpur, editor-picked. the best low-budget spots in Kuala Lumpur: the places editors actually return to. All Kuala Lumpur food.
Yut Kee is a Hainanese kopitiam founded in 1928 on Jalan Dang Wangi, now one street over on Jalan Kamunting in Kuala Lumpur, known for its chicken chop.
OrderOrder the Hainanese chicken chop, fried in an egg coat and dressed in brown sauce.
TipLeave your name and party size at the front counter rather than waiting at the red chairs; staff call names in turn.
Yut Kee, founded in 1928 on Jalan Dang Wangi and now on nearby Jalan Kamunting, cooks Hainanese chicken chop and roast pork roll in Kuala Lumpur.
OrderHainanese chicken chop and the roast pork roll with apple sauce.
TipThere is no queue line: give your name and party size at the front counter and wait to be called; weekend mornings fill fast.
MTR 1924 serves the same Bangalore-style dosas and filter coffee in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, that earned its Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition.
OrderMasala dosa and filter coffee at the walk-in counter.
TipSpice mixes, coffee beans and ghee come from the Bangalore central kitchen, so order the filter coffee with a dosa.
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.
Nam Heong Chicken Rice has served Hainanese chicken rice on Jalan Sultan in Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur, since 1938 and now holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
OrderOrder the Hainanese chicken rice, sliced village chicken over rice cooked in its stock.
TipThe chicken is village chicken, served with a thick chilli and garlic dip; add the assam fish as a side dish.
Yut Kee Restaurant, founded in 1928 on Jalan Dang Wangi and now on Jalan Kamunting in Kuala Lumpur, pours kopitiam coffee beside Hainanese chicken chop.
TipArrive before 10:30 on weekends; after that the crowd builds outside and you leave your name at the counter to wait.
Sri Nirwana Maju's banana leaf rice, ladled with fish curry and rasam, draws lunchtime queues on Jalan Telawi in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, most weekdays.
OrderBanana leaf rice with fish curry, rasam and fried chicken.
TipCome hungry and ask for extra rasam; the queue outside moves fastest right at the 11:30 opening.
Ho Kow Hainam Kopitiam, open since 1956 and now run by a fourth generation, serves Hainanese breakfast on Jalan Balai Polis in Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur.
OrderOrder the kaya butter toast with soft boiled eggs and a cup of cham.
TipTake a ticket and scan the QR code for the virtual queue, then walk Petaling Street until your number is called.
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.
Bunn Choon, a family business that began as a teahouse in 1893, bakes egg tarts on Jalan Balai Polis in Kuala Lumpur under its fourth-generation owner.
TipEgg tarts only come out of the oven from 8am; dine-in service stops an hour before closing.
Ho Kow Hainam Kopitiam has poured cham and served kaya toast in Kuala Lumpur since 1956, now with a fourth-generation owner on Jalan Balai Polis in Chinatown.
TipOrder the dried chicken curry with mee, mee hoon or kuey teow alongside the cham; it comes in generous chunks.
Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee off Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Kuala Lumpur is credited with inventing dry chilli pan mee in this Chow Kit shoplot.
OrderDry chilli pan mee with minced pork and anchovies
TipAsk for the dry version with the poached egg, then add the fried chilli from the tub on each table to taste.
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.
Wong Mei Kee roasts siew yok over charcoal on Jalan Nyonya in Pudu, Kuala Lumpur, and its Michelin Bib Gourmand pork sells out most days by 15:00.
OrderCharcoal siew yok, crackling roast pork belly, while it lasts.
TipArrive by noon when the day's roast pork comes out of the oven; it is often gone within three hours.
Soong Kee Beef Noodle has sold dry minced beef noodles and hand-rolled beef balls on Jalan Tun H S Lee in Kuala Lumpur since 1945, now second generation.
OrderOrder the dry beef noodles with beef balls, made to the same recipe since 1945.
TipA small bowl runs about RM13. Go before 12:00 or after 14:00, since the Chinatown lunch crowd takes every table.
Sri Nirwana Maju serves banana leaf rice for long hours on Jalan Telawi in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, a long standing fixture of the neighbourhood.
OrderOrder the banana leaf rice with fried squid, the combination regulars keep coming back for.
TipIt serves from 11:30 until 23:00 every day, a reliable late option after an evening out in Bangsar.
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.
Sin Kiew Yee Shin Kee Beef Noodles has sold beef noodles in Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur, since 1949 and now carries a Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition.
OrderOrder the dry beef noodles with tripe, tossed in a savory minced beef sauce.
TipIt closes on Wednesdays, so plan a Chinatown noodle stop for another weekday.
Wong Mei Kee roasts pork over charcoal off Jalan Pudu in Kuala Lumpur, open only for a three hour lunch window, and holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
OrderOrder the crispy pork belly, roasted over charcoal for a crackling skin.
TipIt sells out most days by 15:00, so arrive at opening if the pork belly is the point of the trip.
Lai Foong Beef Noodles on Jalan Tun H.S. Lee, across from Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown, has simmered its beef noodle soup and lala clams since 1956.
OrderBeef noodle soup and lala clam meehoon
TipGo before 10am on weekends, the beef tendon usually sells out by early afternoon.
Madras Lane Yong Tau Foo, off Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur, is a self-service stall said to have run for more than 60 years, frying stuffed pieces fresh.
OrderStuffed yong tau foo, fried and in broth
TipThe stuffed items can sell out by early afternoon on busy weekdays.
Nasi Lemak Tanglin at Kompleks Makan Tanglin in Kuala Lumpur has cooked its coconut rice and sambal since 1948 and is now run by its third generation.
OrderNasi lemak with fried chicken and sambal
TipIt opens at 07:00 and the food is cooked in the morning, so come early while the rice and chicken are still hot.
Pudu Wai Sek Kai on Jalan Sayur in Kuala Lumpur, known locally as Glutton Street, fills its lane and side alleys with hawker stalls from late afternoon.
OrderHakka noodles, fried chicken and char kway teow from the whole lane
TipThe lane is busiest after 18:00, come a little earlier to avoid the dinner crush.
Chun Kei Tai Bu Mee at the mouth of Jalan Sayur in Kuala Lumpur's Pudu tosses Hakka tai bu noodles with minced pork, a shop run by its fourth generation.
OrderKolo-style Hakka tai bu noodles
TipThe kolo-style dry noodles come with minced pork; add the wonton soup on the side.
Nasi Lemak Wanjo has sold coconut rice and fried chicken from a Kampung Baru counter in Kuala Lumpur since 1963, and it stays 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.
Hor Poh Cuisine is Segambut's lone Hakka restaurant, ladling lui cha rice soup in Kuala Lumpur since 1999, and it carries a Michelin Bib Gourmand today.
OrderLui cha green tea rice soup with ground peanuts and mint.
TipOrder the dried tofu dumplings alongside the lui cha; the soup alone can taste thin without them.
Jalan Ipoh Claypot Chicken Rice, an unnamed stall on Jalan Batu Ambar in Taman Kok Lian, Kuala Lumpur, cooks each claypot to order over charcoal.
OrderCharcoal claypot chicken rice with Chinese sausage and salted fish.
TipAsk for salted fish mixed into the rice; it adds an aroma the plain chicken version lacks entirely.
Sin Kiew Yee Shin Kee Beef Noodles has boiled beef noodles on Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock in Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown since starting as a stall in 1949.
OrderDry beef noodles with springy beef balls and tripe.
TipOrder the dry version over soup; the minced beef sauce coats the noodles better than the broth does.
Sri Paandi serves banana leaf rice in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, from 09:00 until 23:30 most days, with a dry mutton curry that regulars order by name.
OrderOrder the banana leaf rice with dry mutton curry, the dish regulars come back for.
TipThe dry curries are the strength here, ask for extra on the rice rather than the wetter gravies.
MTR 1924 brings a nearly century old South Indian vegetarian menu to Jalan Thambipillay in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, rooted in a 1924 Bangalore kitchen.
OrderOrder the rava idli, a steamed semolina cake from the Bangalore original's menu.
TipWeekend mornings draw a crowd for the dosa counter, so arrive early for a table.
Foong Lian Claypot Foods Cafe has cooked charcoal claypot chicken rice on Jalan Yew in Pudu, Kuala Lumpur, since 1986, prized for its smoky rice crust.
OrderOrder the claypot chicken rice, cooked over charcoal for a smoky crust on the rice.
TipQueues form at peak hours, so arrive near the 11:30 opening; the owners run a list of dining rules to seat people fast.
Yi Feng Restaurant runs a bright, modern kopitiam in Taman OUG, Kuala Lumpur, pouring curry laksa and salted cham ping topped with cheese foam.
TipThe curry laksa comes with a choice of char siew, siew yoke or poached chicken from RM11.50.
Madras Lane Curry Mee off Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur has ladled curry noodles loaded with yong tau foo over the same corner for decades.
OrderCurry noodles with yong tau foo
TipThe bowl sells out most mornings, so aim to arrive well before 10am.
Nasi Lemak Wanjo in Kuala Lumpur's Kampung Baru has served coconut rice with rendang and fried chicken since the 1960s under its cafeteria system.
OrderNasi lemak with rendang and fried chicken
TipPick a tray at the counter first, the self-service line moves fast once you know the drill.
Anuar's Fish Head Curry, also called Bangsar Fish Head Corner, has cooked its curry in Lucky Garden in Kuala Lumpur's Bangsar for about 30 years.
OrderFish head curry with fried chicken
TipLunchtime queues run long between 11:30 and 13:00, come earlier if you can.
Ah Weng Koh Hainan Tea & Coffee inside ICC Pudu in Kuala Lumpur has poured Hainanese coffee and kaya toast since 1964, moved from the old market.
OrderHainanese coffee with kaya butter toast
TipCome early, the kaya butter toast sells fastest in the first two hours after opening.
Hing Kee Bakuteh in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur, simmers a Bib Gourmand bak kut teh from mid afternoon into the small hours, dry version and soup both on the table.
OrderDry bak kut teh with bird's eye chilli and dried cuttlefish
TipOrder the dry version if the soup at other bak kut teh shops tastes too mild for you.
Yulek Wan Tan Mee has served char siew wan tan mee from a Taman Cheras shopfront in Kuala Lumpur since 1982, run by the same family throughout.
OrderChar siew wan tan mee with sui kow and roast pork ribs.
TipOrder the fried sui kow as a side; the char siew supply can run short by mid-morning on weekends.
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