KL's food scene,
curated for you
Discover where KL is eating, drinking, and exploring - updated from top local blogs and publications.
Petit Munch, Chow Kit
Charming bistro bites and curated lifestyle finds tucked into Chow Kit's vibrant creative heart.
The Thiiird, Wisma New Asia
Discover elevated dining and curated lifestyle experiences tucked within Wisma New Asia's hidden gem.
E.T.A. Cafe, Cybersouth
E.T.A. is a cafe in Cybersouth built around its outlook — greenery, open sky, and aircraft passing overhead often enough to be part of the experience rather than an interruption. Hours are unusual and worth checking before you go: Tuesday to Friday, 4pm to 11pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 8.30am to 11pm. There is no weekday morning service. What to Order at E.T.A. On a hot afternoon the Pine Dream is the drink — pineapple and strawberry, sweet-sour and lively enough to cut through the heat. The banana bread is baked in house: moist, with a proper chew and the ripe sweetness of fruit that was left alone long enough. For a cafe in Cybersouth or somewhere to sit outdoors in Dengkil late into the evening, E.T.A. keeps hours almost nobody else does.
Bread & Bakar, KaMi Residences
Artisanal breads and sweet treats await at this charming KaMi Residences bakery destination.
Fleur Bakehouse, Petaling Jaya
Fleur Bakehouse is a viennoiserie in Section 19, Petaling Jaya, inside Menara Access World, and its whole idea is European pastry technique pointed at Peranakan and Asian flavours. Chef-founder Andy Choy is from Penang, which explains where the instincts come from. What to Order at Fleur Bakehouse The kopitiam soft dough is the signature move — blanketed in butter, kaya and coconut flakes, which is breakfast in this country rendered as a bake. The shio pan is stuffed with otak-otak from Muar, carrying a tomyam edge. The croissants use a blend of European and Asian flour, which gives a crackly-flaky exterior over a chewier, more tender interior than an all-European laminate would. The sausage rolls go for childhood nostalgia, savoury and juicy under an ajitama-style egg. Fleur comes from the Cendul F&B group, who also run THB Bistronome in the same building, plus N.I.C.E. Bistronome, Doux Doux and La Lune in Section 17. For pastries in Petaling Jaya or kaya and otak-otak baked into viennoiserie, Fleur is the most Malaysian bakery in PJ.
Ce Chad, Damansara Kim
Ce Chad is a family-run sourdough bakery in Damansara Kim, tucked inside the Sunda Shelves independent bookstore. Founder Chad mills his own flour and raises everything on a 35-year-old starter, which is the sort of detail that separates a bakery from a cafe that sells bread. What to Order at Ce Chad The country loaves are the base of it — wholesome and nutrient-dense from the freshly milled flour — with banana bread alongside. The dish to sit down for is the sourdough waffle sandwich, made hot to order and stuffed with truffled scrambled eggs, balsamic and mustard. Drink the home-brewed lychee kombucha or the kitchen-brined lemonade with it. Then take home the sourdough banana kok: crackly, closer to biscotti in texture, and concentrated with the natural sweetness of Pahang-grown bananas. For sourdough in Damansara Kim or a bakery inside a bookshop in Petaling Jaya, Ce Chad is a one-man operation worth the detour.
La Chacjo, Setia Alam
La Chacjo is a wood-fired pizzeria and coffee counter in Setia Alam, and it is more playful than most kitchens working a Neapolitan oven. What to Order at La Chacjo Start with the Pizza Flight — a box of two six-inch wood-fired pizzas, which solves the problem of wanting to try more than one. The pizzas themselves are where the invention is. Yumbonara takes carbonara as its brief, crowned with creamy egg yolk, cream cheese, chicken ham, mozzarella, mushrooms and basil. Ayam Gepuk goes fully local, loaded with crispy fried chicken, burnt cabbage and spicy sambal. To drink, the Matcha Cold Foam is layered over coconut water rather than milk, which makes it far more refreshing than it sounds. For pizza in Setia Alam or a sambal pizza in Selangor, La Chacjo is the one taking risks with the topping list.
Point Break Coffee, Subang Jaya
Point Break Coffee is a compact coffee bar in SS14, Subang Jaya that opens at 6am — genuinely early, and rare enough in the Klang Valley to be the main reason to know about it. The name nods to co-founder David's surfing, in Bali and further afield. What to Order at Point Break Coffee The Beluga blend is the house pour and the one to take as a dirty latte: a Brazilian-Guatemalan mix tasting of toasted hazelnut, brown sugar and dark chocolate. The baking is done in house — cheese-centred bagels and cinnamon-crumbed banana loaves, both out early enough to catch the 6am crowd. For coffee in SS14 or an early-morning cafe in Subang Jaya, Point Break opens before almost anyone else.
Preview: Shiobee, Petaling Jaya
Shiobee turns a six-decade-old bungalow in Section 12, Petaling Jaya into a Malaysian reading of the Korean hanok — its founders travelled to South Korea to study the architecture first-hand before building it. The principles carry over directly: harmony with the landscape, indoors flowing into outdoors, low-slung tiled roofs, and a palette held to stone, earth and timber, framed by gravel and gabion. What to Order at Shiobee The kitchen is built around house-baked salt bread, with creative brunch fare taking contemporary Korean cues. This was written while Shiobee was still being finished, so check it has opened before making the trip. For brunch in Section 12 or Korean-inspired baking in Petaling Jaya, Shiobee is the most interesting building any cafe in PJ has opened in.
Changkat Putrajaya
Changkat Putrajaya is a dessert and drinks stop on the stretch by the landmark Putra Bridge in Putrajaya — a cool corner in a part of the city short on them. What to Order at Changkat Putrajaya The signature Apple Pudding is the order: green apple pieces layered with cookie crumbs, cream and cinnamon, so each spoonful moves between tart fruit, biscuit and smoky spice rather than settling into one note. For desserts in Putrajaya or somewhere to stop near Putra Bridge, Changkat is the sweet end of the walk.
Between Sips, Kuchai Entrepreneurs Park
Between Sips is a cafe in Kuchai Maju pairing classic Chinese pastries with contemporary Chinese tea coolers — a narrower brief than most cafes, and better for it. Its founders travelled to China to learn the craft of peach blossom pastries, which is not something you can pick up from a video. What to Order at Between Sips The peach blossom pastries are the reason to come: floral and fruity, filled with jujube and hawthorn paste. To drink, Spring In Bloom is the one to order — delicate with Dongting Biluochun tea, rose and lychee, and closer to a tea service than a sugary cooler. For Chinese pastries in Kuchai Lama or proper tea drinks in KL south, Between Sips learned this the long way round.
Nasi Lemak Burung Hantu
The definitive late-night staple in Uptown. Known for its 'Burung Hantu' (owl) branding and Ayam Goreng Berempah that stays crispy even at 2 AM. The sambal is on the sweeter side but packs a creeping heat. It has become a cultural hub for youth and night owls; expect a lively, high-decibel atmosphere even on weeknights.