First time visiting Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia? Here are my picks on delicious Malaysian foods to try, and where to hunt them down in town!

Itdidn’t take long living in Kuala Lumpur to learn that Malaysians are a proper, bonafide foodie nation. Never have I heard people talk so passionately about food, or seen overflowing crowds of people queuing for ages to sit at a restaurant that’s loved or highly recommended. And when I talk to Malaysians about Penang, they can’t wait to tell me all about the food!

Being the self proclaimed foodie that I am, I couldn’t wait to eat my way around KL when I arrived fresh off the boat two years ago. It is, my friends, the cause of some very happy love handles that I’m now trying to burn off here in Australia! But to be truthful, the love story was a slow burn.

Unlike in Thailand, where I would mop up Thai food for breakfast, lunch and dinner pretty much every day, I only ate Malaysian food a couple of times a week in KL.

One reason, comes in the form of ikan bilis (dried anchovy) and belecan (prawn paste)! Whilst normally it’s a small addition to a stock or on the side, it took a while to adapt my ‘western yet travelled’ palate to this fishy flavour. I was used to fish sauce from Thailand, but this was sometimes more intense.

Secondly, although incredibly tasty, I found some dishes to be quite heavy and oily. I worked with an Indian Malay who said that the ‘oil brings flavour’…what do you think? 🤔 I found that it just gave me a muffin top!

And then there’s a ton of awesome restaurants in KL from most worldwide cuisines. The temptations are aplenty.

But one thing you don’t really get anywhere else in Southeast Asia, is so much diversity. With influences from Indian, Chinese, Thai and Indonesian cuisines (to name a few), Malaysian food is enormously multifaceted.

This means that aside from those fishy serves of ikan bilis, heap of show-stopping flavours will win you over- from fragrant Southeast Asian staples like kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass and coconut, to aromatic Indian spices like cumin, cardamom and coriander.

Malaysian food isn’t really ‘hot’ and it’s far from the slap-me-in-the-face chilli comas you’d get in Thailand. But if you’re a chilli freak and eat the stuff up for breakfast like I do (seriously, chilli eggs should become a thing), then a side of chilli padi is never far away (chopped bird’s eye chilli).

My Top 10 Malaysian Dishes & Where To Find Them in Kuala Lumpur

As a Brit who’s lived in Southeast Asia for four years, I understand that sometimes as a foreigner, eating at a hawker stall can be a bit intimidating. It’s not the ‘western’ looking eatery you’re used to and you’re not always sure what food to expect. Plus, they sometimes work a bit differently.

But for a true Malaysian food experience, you’ve gotta go local. I’ll be easing you in though (just in case you’re a newbie) and will take you to some traditional eateries that are a little more western-friendly, but not touristy, as well as some slightly more upmarket restaurants to experience a range of pukka local food. Each one I’ve either eaten at personally, or it has been highly recommended by locals.

So are you ready to get your mouth around some pukka Malaysian food? Let’s go on a food tour lah! 🙌🏼

A Chef's Tour in KL

Shortly after I moved to Saigon, I did a food tour which was really worthwhile. I so wish I had done one here too! Not only will you get to sample local dishes you probably wouldn’t otherwise try, but you’ll visit haunts where few tourists go and learn about Malaysian culture along the way. The Sambal Streets food tour is highly rated and one I’d choose myself, with a focus on Malay food and groups of no more than 8. If you go, seriously eat light that day because you’ll be stuffed!

1. Roti Canai

If you’re in KL and only have time to try one thing, it should be indulging in Roti Canai! My heart sings for this stuff, and I give it my vote as Malaysia’s national dish 🙋🏻‍♀️.

This simple yet delicious, light yet filling, flaky flatbread was brought over by the Indian Malays, and it’s made from flour, egg and ghee. It always made the biggest appearance at my school’s staff meetings, being the cause of many love handles in the teaching department! But don’t worry, you’re on holiday. 😉

Roti Canai can be eaten at anytime of the day but it’s traditionally a breakfast staple, adapting to be a late night/hangover option for expats! Usually it’s served with a small portion of sauce for mopping up, such as a scrummy lentil dahl or chicken curry.

Here’s a video of a chef make it when I stayed in Pangkor Laut Resort. This 👇🏼 Roti Queen had the busiest section!

Where to get your mouth around it 🥢

If you’re lucky, your hotel might have it as a part of a brekkie buffet. Otherwise, pretty much every mamak (Indian-Muslim eatery) will serve it. I’ve personally eaten it at Pelita Nasi Kandar, which is a chain of mamaks you can find across KL.

You could also check out a highly rated Indian-Malay restaurant called TG’s Nasi Kandar in Bukit Bintang, which is said to have some really authentic Indian food. Or, if you want to go all out, head to Valentine Roti near Ampang, a roti specialist known for serving some of the best stuff in town.

2. Nasi Lemak

Funnily enough, I’ve had more of a taste for this dish since leaving KL! For me, its flavours are synonymous with Malaysia, and my palate has finally matured to enjoy ikan bilis, which comes on the side (oh, the joys that come with age).

Nasi Lemak is one of the oldest and most traditional Malaysian dish there is. On it’s own, it’s made up of white rice that’s been soaked in coconut cream to give it a fragrant aroma and creamy taste- naughty, but nice.

It’s usually served with a chilli paste called sambal, which I sometimes set aside when too much anchovy or prawn paste is added to it..but you may like it. It comes with a hard-boiled egg, cucumber slices and roasted peanuts.

When Nasi Lemak is pimped up it can be served with extras like a fried chicken leg, curry or beef rendang curry.

Where to get your mouth around it 🥢

Seriously, you can find this dish everywhere, and the best ones are usually humble roadside stalls (sorry, Michelin). But, for ease of access, I’m going to take you to a more modern eatery I visited and enjoyed- Ali, Muthu & Ah Hock.

This award-winning kopitiam opened in my burb of Mont Kiara, at Publica Mall (although now they’re all over KL). Unlike most other kopitiams, this one is unique in that it’s run by a Malay, a Chinese and an Indian guy, whom I call ‘The Three Musketeers’. Therefore, you’re presented with the best of Malaysia’s eclectic cuisine.

I really enjoyed the Nasi Lemak here because the chicken had an awesome crispy skin so there was bags of texture, and they weren’t stingy with the seasoning. Their Publika branch gets pretty busy at lunch, but just grab a seat, and there’s table service. You can ask your waiter for help if you’re not sure what anything is. I’d recommend having a traditional teh tarik with it too, a tasty Malaysian ‘pulled’ tea with condensed milk that originates from India.

3. Beef Rendang

This dish is the bees knees! It’s an aromatic Malay stew that’s normally served at special occasions, and one of my favourite Malaysian dishes. The rendang is slow-cooked, so it has oh-so-tender pieces of beef that fall apart like butter, which absorb the rich, curry-like sauce that’s totally moreish.

Where to get your mouth around it 🥢

As this dish is usually a home-cooked treat for special occasions, it’s actually not the easiest to find in KL. The place I initially recommended for this dish has sadly closed, but all the sauces say (excuse the pun) that Biju’s rendang is delicious. Conveniently located in Bukit Bintang, it’s also a slightly fancier restaurant where you can put a frock on and enjoy a glass of wine, so expect a decent amount of foreigners.

However, if you want to keep things more casual and local, Village Park Restaurant in Damansara Utama is a highly popular hangout. They specialise in Nasi Lemak (so you could easily kill two birds), and it can be paired with a side of rendang. 

4. Grilled Fish & Local Baby Vegetables

Ember, a Modern Bistro located in an awesome KL burb of TTDI (what a great excuse to venture here), is run by an inspiring Malaysian chef called Gary Anwar. Although essentially a Modern Asian eatery, this grilled fish and baby veg couldn’t be more Malaysian.

Gary, who is passionate about local, fresh produce, visits Pudu wet market every morning to hand-pick his ingredients, including the local fish for this dish. Each time I’ve tried this meal, I was served a lip-smacking snapper that’s cooked on a Malaysian charcoal grill. I ignorantly thought it was a hibachi grill, but Gary informed me that the Malaysian one is shallower.

To top it off, this succulent fish is served with local veg that grows abundantly in Malaysia- pucuk paku and pucuk labu. It has distinctive frond curls, although I’ve never eaten or seen before. It totally blew my mind.

So that’s why Ember’s grilled fish and veg, that’s created by a Malaysian chef, who uses local Malaysian ingredients and cooks them on a Malaysian charcoal grill, is a must try on this list. Apart from it being totally delicious!

Where to get your mouth around it 🥢

Ember is perched in the popular expat hangout of TTDI. Believe me, eating here is well worth the Grab ride if you’re not staying locally.

To accompany the fish and veg dish, the rest of the menu is divine, but another exceptional favourite of mine is the grilled lamb and noodles. I had no idea that noodles could taste so good and the lamb was enormously tender, sticky and succulent.

If you want to combine a fab night out at Ember with cocktails and comedy, then check out Crackhouse Comedy Club on a Friday or Saturday for some laughs, followed by a nightcap (or two!) at The Pawn Room secret bar.

5. Nyonya Chicken Curry

I first tried this mouth-watering curry at Kebaya, a Nyonya restaurant in Penang. It was utterly delicious and the crowd-pleasing flavours reminded me a lot of a Thai Massaman curry, filled with mild aromatics and coconut milk. It’s usually cooked with potatoes, chicken on the bone for added flavour and comes in a thick curry sauce.

This is one of the classic Malaysian dishes that Poh Ling Yeow, a Malaysian-born MasterChef Australia runner-up and judge, created for Malaysian Airlines flights. If you want to try cooking it at home or to see how it’s made, check out Poh’s recipe in this video.

Where to get your mouth around it 🥢

I’m kicking myself for not visiting Limapulo Baba Can Cook whilst I was in KL, but it’s definitely on the list for when I’m back. This place comes highly recommended, as well as being featured in cooking shows such as AirAsia (and 2026 edit, now every vlogger and Michelin 🙄), the reviews speak for themselves. In addition to their Nyonya curry, their Curry Laksa is meant to be top-notch 👌🏼.

6. Hokkien Mee

It may not look like much, but don’t let appearances fool you. This dish is simple yet really tasty and an utter umami bomb.

Traditionally, Hokkien Mee is made with thick yellow noodles, wok-fried in a thick dark soy sauce with a combination of pork, squid, fish cake, and cabbage, and finished with crispy fried pork lard as a garnish…an important feature for some naughtiness and crunch.

It was invented in 1927 on the streets of KL by a Chinese migrant called Wong Kim Lian. Hailing from Fujian, he brought over the art of noodle-making and invented a charcoal fire to fry them in, adding a dark soy sauce. As the legend has it, one day a customer asked him what his tasty dish was called. After a moment’s consideration, he said, ‘Since I am a Hokkien, I call it Hokkien Mee‘.

Many die-hard KL-ites will judge a good Hokkien Mee (as well as other noodle-based dishes) on the chef’s ability to wok hei. This classic feature of Cantonese cooking literally refers to the ‘wok’s breath’, meaning the ability to cook food over a really high heat without it burning. Therefore, the food should be tossed about non-stop to ensure even cooking and a good char that slightly caramelises it. To go a step further, dexterous cooks momentarily toss the cooking flames into their woks to create a banging flavour kick! 😋

Where to get your mouth around it 🥢

I ate a yummy version of this dish at Ali, Muthu & Ah Hock, which you can also try alongside their nasi goreng and assam laksa.

But if you’re hanging around Chinatown, I’d check out a hawker stand there called Petaling Street Charcoal Hokkien Mee. It’s made the traditional way, by a Chinese uncle who does a cook-up on coals, which adds extra caramelisation and smokier flavs. Open: 11 am – 9 pm, closes Tuesdays.

Hook mee up

When I returned to KL recently, my awesome hairdresser David offered to order me pan mee from his favourite joint. He said he loves the dish so much that sometimes he even eats two in a day! 

I realised on this trip that there are so many different kinds of ‘mee’, which simply translates to ‘noodles’. My favourite was actually a prawn mee from Liuli House near Chinatown [pictured above]. The umami-rich, prawn and pork broth was delicious. 😋 The Sailor doesn’t usually like fishy flavs, but it had the perfect level of funk.

7. Banana Leaf

You can’t really get much more Indian than this. Hailing from Chettinad in South India, this rice-based dish has become a much-loved Malaysian pastime and staple on any high street. And why? Because as an Indian colleague once said to me, eating off a banana leaf tastes so much better (although, I reckon the person who invented it hated washing up 😆).

On top of your ‘plate’, you’re served white rice alongside a variety of vegetables, condiments and pappadum. You can then choose to order curry or meat to accompany the dish and make it pop. People normally eat this one with their hands, so give it a go! When you’re done, you should fold your leaf inwards.

Where to get your mouth around it 🥢

We walked down Bangsar High Street without dinner plans, and stepped into Maya after smelling the delicious curry wafting out. Everything you can see on the leaf is already set, the only thing we had to choose was the curry. I love the way it’s served- the waiter comes around bit by bit to plate up the different components. It was absolutely delicious, and steel value for everything you get.

8. Assam Laksa vs Curry Laksa

Just like tom yum and tom kha are Thailand’s most loved and widespread soups, laksa is Malaysia’s treasured noodle soup. There are multiple variations of this bowl of goodness, but most fall under these two ‘umbrella’ categories- assam laksa and curry laksa.

Assam Laksa is probably the most popular, a hot and sour soup whose flavour profile makes it similar to Thailand’s tom yum (minus the fish addition and belecan). In fact, Penang is meant to do the best version of this dish, and due to its close proximity to southern Thailand, the tartness and heat are reflected in the food.

Assam Laksa’s broth is made from tamarind, mackerel and torched ginger flower, with added mint leaves and rempah (spice paste) consisting of red chillis, shallots, galangal, lemongrass, turmeric roots and belechan (shrimp paste). It comes with thick rice noodles and is served with mint leaves and batons of pineapple, red onion and cucumber.

The other well-known variation, curry laksa – also known as curry mee– is a Nyonya creation and uses coconut milk to make it more creamy. It too has a fragrant rempah spice paste and comes in a chicken or prawn broth. Curry Laksa is usually served with a combo of prawns, fish cake or tofu, Vietnamese mint and cucumber.

I couldn’t get enough of this soup in when I lived in Australia, but the love story was a slower burn in Malaysia because of the addition of belacan, giving it a fishier taste. But everywhere adds a different amount to their rempah, and after a while you begin to appreciate the depth of flavour it adds to the dish. Try and see!

Where to get your mouth around it 🥢

If you’re visiting Ali, Muthu & Ah Hock for some Hokkien Mee and Nasi Goreng, then you can try their Assam Laksa here too.

However, if you can make the special trip to Aik Asam Laksa, a hawker stall located just a bit further south than TTDI, then they’re meant to knock up the real deal. Owned by two Penangites, this is said to be the closest thing you’ll get to a Penang assam laksa. To get there, head to the Sea Park Market, and it’s on the corner of Jalan 21/11B and Jalan 21/17A. (Opens: 12 noon to 4 pm, closed Mondays). 

Or, for an authentic taste of curry/Nyonya laksa, it’s got to be the highly recommended and award-winning Limapulo for this one [pictured above], where you can also try their Nyonya chicken curry.

Fancy making Assam Laksa at home or seeing how it’s prepared? Check out Poh’s version and recipe.

9. Char Kuey Teow

Some Malaysians might argue that Char Kuey Teow rivals Nasi Lemak as the national dish of Malaysia. Concocted by the Chinese-Malays, it consists of super tasty, wide rice noodles that are traditionally wok-cooked over coals to get them slightly caramelised and smoky. It’s cooked in a flavoursome mix of garlic and shallots that’s tossed in some dark soy sauce. Additions vary, but can be a combo of prawns, Chinese sausage, egg, as well as bean sprouts and garlic chives for some fresh crunch. Lip smacking!

Tip: if you can get one with duck egg, it’s meant to be tastier than chook.

Where to get your mouth around it 🥢

You can find this dish at many hawker stalls and kopitiams across KL. I’ve only ever eaten it in Penang, which Penangites will argue has the best Char Kuey Teow anywhere (their version leans towards the drier, smokier side, and is well balanced with salt as they use more fish sauce… in KL, typically more dark soy is used, and it’s slightly sweeter). Nevertheless, locals are pretty obsessed with this dish, and each has their favourite hawker stall which they’re fiercely loyal to.

If I were you, I’d head to Robert’s Char Kuey Teow. He’s meant to knock up a wonderfully authentic, well-balanced version of this dish with bags of wok hei and generous prawnage🍤 (he also does a little wok dance with it, lol). Open: 7:30 am – 2:30 pm.

Otherwise, you can check out Jan Alor in the evening and head to Cu Cha. Don’t expect much from their service, but their signature Char Kuey Teow is meant to be pukka.

10. Curry Chee Cheong Fun

We tried curry chee cheong fun for the first time on our recent trip, and it was super delicious. It’s another dish modified from Chinese heritage, brought to Malaysia in the early 20th century from Guangdong immigrants.

Chee cheong fun basically means ‘steamed rice noodle rolls’. Traditionally it’s served with soy sauce and perhaps filled with shrimp or pork, but here it’s been beautifully modified for local taste buds. In Malaysia it’s often paired with curry sauce and chilli paste (like this one).

The standout in the dish was the thin noodles. They were the most silken noodz I’ve ever had the pleasure of slurping into my gob, which was a delight to eat (they’re similar to Vietnam’s banh cuon, but this dish isn’t slurped). Paired with the fragrant curry broth, it was all super tasty and moreish. Our meal also came with fish balls.. usually I’m not crazy about them, but these were yumballs.

Where to get your mouth around it 🥢

Perched on a main road near Chinatown, Liuli House looks quite unassuming from the outside (we almost walked past it), but the interiors are charming, with a Chinese vintage-retro style. The family running it are lovely too, and the male owner who served us helped with our selection.

We came for brekkie (before heading to The Dusun), and had one of the tastiest local meals here. This is also where we ate prawn mee, but they do curry mee too (aka curry laksa) if you want to kill 3 birds.

A bit extra… The Three Faces of Malaysian Food

Malaysian fare was born from the Malays, moulded by the Chinese and seasoned by the Indians, making it anything but one-dimensional. One thing you can expect, is bags of flavour and varied textures blended into a melting pot of cultural richness.

Just like Turkish cuisine is an eclectic blend of Greek, Jewish, Arabic, Armenian and Kurdish food, Malaysian food is equally as colourful, diverse and cannot be defined in a single national dish.

Traditionally, long-standing Malay dishes are typically rice, rendang, satay and sambal (which is also shared with Indonesia due to historic migration) 

Then added to the melting pot are countless regional influences from Southern Chinese settlers, establishing a range of noodle dishes, dumplings, soups, and favourites from Cantonese, Hakka, Fujian, and Teochew cuisines. I’ve honestly eaten some of the best Chinese-inspired food in Malaysia.

Popular eateries such as Kopitiams, which you can also find all over Kuala Lumpur, were created by the Chinese community. The word kopi is Malay for ‘coffee’ and tiam is Hokkien for ‘shop’. They traditionally serve a range of breakfast and lunch dishes, as well as some classic Malaysian fare. You definitely have to visit one when you’re in town!

To further add to the pot, there’s Nyonya cuisine. It was the early Chinese settlers who intermarried with Malays in Penang, Melaka and Singapore and created this unique blend of cookery. Although arguably the best Nyonya food is from these regions, there’s plenty of well-rated restaurants in KL.

Then to top it off, South Indians brought a combination of fragrant spices, biryani, curries, chapatis, roti and dosa. Growing up in London, where Chicken Tikka Masala was equally as important on my childhood dinner table as fish & chips and roast dinners, some of my favourite Malaysian food is Indian inspired.

It was also the Indian Malays who introduced banana leaf dining and a Mamak culture, which are typically 24/7 Indian-Muslim eateries that you can see all over KL. Specialist Mamak restaurants serve the Tamil-inspired dish Nasi Kandar, a buffet-style selection of white rice or briyani, served with rich curries, meat, veggies and papadum.

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There you have it, guys. I hope my round-up gives you some happy bellies while you’re in KL. 😋

If you’re staying a while and want to check out other food here that’s not Malaysian, check out my other article, which covers my favourite restaurants in town. 

It’s perched in Bentong, which is a gorgeous and peaceful area about a 45-minute drive north of KL. They’re a farm-to-table concept, and a little pricey side (RM 200 per person / $70 AUD/ £37), but I think it’s worth it for a special occasion. The food looks delicious, and they also have an organic farm where you can buy produce. If you go, please tell me about it! Check out their website for more deets and to book, or see my pick on where to stay in Bentong here.