26 editor picks in Kuala Lumpur.
26 restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, editor-picked for restaurants open monday. Open on monday, the day most kitchens go dark. All restaurants in Kuala Lumpur.
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.
Kim Lian Kee has fried Kuala Lumpur Hokkien mee at the Jalan Hang Lekir corner of Petaling Street since the 1930s, and is now in its fourth generation.
OrderDark, wok-charred Hokkien mee with pork lard and prawns.
TipOng Kim Lian's first stall was in Dang Wangi and was damaged in the war; this corner shop dates from the 1930s. Outdoor tables fill after 19:00.
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.
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.
Malai Thai Cuisine cooks pork-free Thai food at Menara Amplewest on Jalan P. Ramlee, and the Michelin Guide has listed this Kuala Lumpur room since 2024.
OrderTom yum goong and green curry with jasmine rice.
TipPrivate rooms take groups of up to 40; book ahead on weekend evenings for a table in the main dining room.
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.
Original Kayu Nasi Kandar's Bangsar branch banks curries over rice around the clock, one of Kuala Lumpur's busiest nasi kandar counters after midnight.
OrderMixed rice with fried chicken, squid sambal and mutton curry gravy.
TipAsk for a splash of two or three curries over the rice; the mutton curry is the strongest of the lot.
Old China Cafe has plated Nyonya laksa and mee siam inside a Chinatown shophouse in Kuala Lumpur since 1997, in a building that was once a trade guild hall.
OrderNyonya laksa, pie tee and the blue rice nasi lemak with Nyonya chicken rendang.
TipLook for the saloon doors at the entrance, which are more than 70 years old, and the twin mirrors set for feng shui.
Al-Amar Lebanese Cuisine plates hot and cold mezze and grilled kafta inside Pavilion Kuala Lumpur on Jalan Bukit Bintang, serving daily from 10am until 10pm.
OrderMixed mezze platter with hummus, mutabbal and grilled kafta.
TipOrder the mixed mezze platter to share; it covers most of the kitchen's best small dishes at once.
Foong Lian has cooked charcoal claypot chicken rice on Jalan Yew in Pudu, Kuala Lumpur, since 1986, and the Michelin Guide now lists it as Bib Gourmand.
OrderCharcoal claypot chicken rice with Chinese sausage.
TipGo before 13:00 on weekdays; the small dining room in Pudu turns tables quickly but fills fast at noon.
Oversea Restaurant has run its Cantonese seafood banquets on Jalan Imbi in Kuala Lumpur since the 1970s, and the group now runs several outlets.
OrderSteamed grouper in superior soy and braised goose webs with mushrooms.
TipBook a round table for four or more; the seafood and roast meats are portioned for sharing, not solo plates.
Anak Baba has served Southern Peranakan-style nasi lemak in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, since 2018, and the Michelin Guide now lists it as Bib Gourmand.
OrderNasi lemak with turmeric fried chicken and crisp anchovies.
TipThe turmeric fried chicken nasi lemak is the signature; ask for extra sambal if you like it hotter.
Ippudo's Pavilion counter serves the Hakata chain's tonkotsu ramen inside Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur's busiest shopping and dining strip, daily.
OrderAkamaru Modern tonkotsu ramen with a soft-boiled egg.
TipIppudo was the first ramen house to name its broths by colour: Shiromaru is the white bowl, Akamaru the red one.
Nam Heong Chicken Rice has boiled Hainanese chicken on Jalan Sultan in Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown since 1938, and the Michelin Guide still lists it today.
OrderHainanese chicken rice with roast pork belly on the side.
TipAdd the assam fish or the siu yuk from the side dishes; the village chicken comes with a thick chilli garlic dip.
Restoran Yusoof Dan Zakhir serves nasi kandar, roti and dosa beside Central Market on Jalan Hang Kasturi, Kuala Lumpur, an Indian Muslim counter open early.
OrderNasi kandar with squid sambal and a side of roti canai.
TipBreakfast works here too, with roti canai and dosa on the menu before the nasi kandar trays fill up for lunch.
Maria's SteakCafe grills beef dry-aged in its own ageing fridge at its Jalan Maarof branch in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, which has been open here since 2014.
OrderA dry-aged steak from the kitchen's own ageing fridge.
TipThe group is a registered Kobe beef store, so ask whether Kobe cuts are on at this branch before you order.
Marini's on 57 plates Italian dishes on the 57th floor of Petronas Tower 3 in Kuala Lumpur, with a glass-roofed terrace bar facing the KLCC skyline.
OrderItalian plates in the dining room, then a drink on the glass-roofed terrace.
TipSunset hour runs 17:00 to 21:00 with better bar prices; DJs play on Friday and Saturday nights.
Restoran Rebung runs Chef Ismail's heritage Malay buffet above a car park near Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur, with lunch and dinner daily and a weekend breakfast.
OrderBuffet-style rendang, ulam and grilled fish from the heritage spread.
TipCome for lunch on a weekday; the weekend dinner buffet draws large family groups and long waits for tables.
Madam Kwan's serves its nasi lemak royale from a dining room inside Pavilion Kuala Lumpur on Jalan Bukit Bintang, a steady lunch stop for shoppers.
OrderNasi lemak royale with rendang and fried chicken.
TipThe nasi lemak royale comes with rendang and fried chicken together; it easily feeds one hungry diner.
Sri Eurasian Cuisine cooks prawn bostador, debal curry chicken and other Kristang dishes of Malacca's Portuguese Settlement on Jalan Telawi 5 in Bangsar, KL.
OrderPrawn bostador with pineapple, then debal curry chicken with rice.
TipThe Pastel de Nata egg tarts sit quietly behind the counter; the high tea set adds sugee cake and putugal rice cakes.
Restoran Kudu Bin Abdul has served banked nasi kandar curries on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur, since 1960, still family run.
OrderAyam sambal bawang and ayam madu, with the kuah campur mixed gravy over the rice.
TipThe lunch rush peaks from 12:30 to 14:00; the family cooks fresh batches for the evening shift, so dinner works too.
Rumoh Mekda serves East Coast Malaysian cooking from Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang inside Bangsar Village 1 in Kuala Lumpur, built on catering recipes.
OrderOrder the nasi kerabu ayam percik, yellow rice with herbs, fish floss, sambal and budu.
TipThe daging tumbok takes nearly a day to prepare, so it is not always on hand; ask before counting on it.
Zuka Izakaya grills skewers and pours sake on Level 7 of St Giles Mid Valley in Kuala Lumpur, a room set under crimson blossoms and lantern light.
OrderGrilled skewers and a mixed sashimi plate.
TipIt is a fusion izakaya inside the St Giles hotel on Level 7, so take the hotel lifts rather than the mall entrances.
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