12 Unique Foods To Try In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Malaysia is a melting pot of flavors, and Kuala Lumpur is the perfect city to introduce you to one of the best countries in the world for food. Sure, there’s not too much to do while you’re in KL, but one thing’s for sure — there is A LOT to eat.

From street stalls to bustling food courts, KL serves up a mix of local and regional specialties you won’t want to miss. Here’s a quick list of 10 must-try dishes to help you navigate the food culture in Malaysia.

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Table of Contents

Nasi Lemak

This is Malaysia’s national dish—fragrant coconut rice served with sambal, fried anchovies, peanuts, cucumber, and a hard-boiled egg. You can also add fried chicken or rendang for a hearty meal.

The toppings and the sambal can differ from restaurant to restaurant, so try it from a few different spots before making up your mind about it! You’ll find this beloved dish at almost any Malaysian restaurant you stumble upon.

OTHER RICE DISHES TO TRY

If you love Nasi Lemak already and want to explore other Malaysian “nasi” dishes, here are a few to try:

Nasi Briyani: A flavorful Indian-style rice dish cooked with aromatic spices, served with curries or tandoori chicken. Sides for Nasi Briyani tend to be cooling vegetables, like cucumber raita or acars. Popular in KL’s Little India.
Nasi Dagang: Fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk, served with fish curry, hard-boiled eggs, and pickled vegetables. A specialty from the Northeastern states, particularly Terengganu and Kelantan.
Nasi Kandar: Steamed rice topped with a variety of curries and side dishes. Common curries as accompaniments include chicken curry, beef curry, fish curry, and squid curry. Originating from Penang, it’s now widely available in KL.

Roti Bakar Kaya

Roti Bakar Kaya is a classic Malaysian breakfast made from thick slices of toasted bread slathered with kaya (a sweet coconut and pandan jam) and butter or margarine. It’s the perfect mix of creamy, sweet, and slightly salty flavors, with a soft interior and crispy edges!

Traditionally, Roti Bakar Kaya is served with soft-boiled eggs on the side. Crack the eggs into a small bowl, add a dash of soy sauce and white pepper, and mix. Dip your kaya toast into the egg mixture for a savory twist, or enjoy it on its own with a hot cup of kopi (Malaysian-style coffee) or teh tarik (pulled tea).

👉 Pro Tip: For an authentic experience, head to a kopitiam (traditional coffee shop), where this dish is often served fresh and piping hot! Our personal favorite is Capitol Cafe!

Roti Canai

Ask any Malaysian what the best Mamak breakfast staple is, and chances are they’ll tell you it’s roti canai. This Indian flatbread is typically served with dhal (lentil curry), chicken curry, or sambal.

Expect a blend of textures that light up in your mouth–roti canai has a flaky, crispy exterior and soft, chewy interior and is typically served hot and fresh off the griddle.

While it may have Indian-Muslim roots, you’ll find it nearly everywhere in Malaysia.

Char Kway Teow

What it is: Flat rice noodles stir-fried with prawns, cockles, eggs, bean sprouts, and soy sauce, giving it a smoky wok hei flavor.

Unlike the Chinese version, which sees flat rice noodles fried until slightly charred, Malaysian Char Kway Teow is richer and more umami-packed, thanks to its flavorful sauce and pickled green chilies and/or fermented shrimp paste.

Satay

This one’s pretty simple. If you’ve ever gone to a Thai, Malaysian, or Cambodian restaurant you’ve probably already had it.

Satay is essentially grilled meat skewers (usually chicken, lamb, or beef) served with peanut sauce. This is yet another one of Malaysia’s staple dishes.

Wait, why no pork? Since Malaysia is a Muslim country, pork-based dishes are harder to find. Pork satay does exist in Malaysia, but it’s not as common as the other types of proteins.

Curry Laksa

Curry Laksa, or Curry Mee, is a popular noodle soup dish that is widely enjoyed throughout Malaysia. The star of Curry Laksa is its fragrant coconut curry broth–and depending on the type of curry laksa you get, the soup will taste different.

There’s the Indian-Malay version, which is richer and creamier with bold spices and a coconut milk base, and the Chinese-Malay version, known as curry mee, which is lighter, with a more delicate broth often flavored with curry paste. Both are equally flavorful but cater to different taste profiles.

The soup is typically served with noodles and proteins (chicken, shrimp, tofu).

Hokkien Mee

Hokkien Mee is a Malaysian noodle dish with roots in Chinese cuisine, specifically the Hokkien community.

This beloved noodle dish typically consists of thick yellow noodles stir-fried in dark soy sauce with pork lard, prawns, and squid, topped with crispy bits of fried pork. This gives the noodles a deep brown color and an umami-packed flavor that’s nothing short of indulgent.

Kim Lian Kee in Chinatown is one of the most iconic spots to try this dish.

Mee Goreng

Mee Goreng is a quintessential Malaysian fried noodle dish, typically made with yellow noodles stir-fried in a savory, slightly spicy sauce. The noodles are cooked with ingredients like tofu, eggs, bean sprouts, and your choice of protein (chicken, prawns, or even squid).

The magic of Mee Goreng lies in its balance of sweet, spicy, and umami flavors. A squeeze of lime or a dollop of sambal on the side elevates the dish, adding a tangy or extra fiery kick.

Prior to visiting KL, I’d only ever had the instant ramen version. Don’t get me wrong, the instant version is great as it is, but having it fresh in Malaysia? Incredibly comforting and satisfying.

👉 Pro Tip: Don’t stop at one! Every culture in Malaysia—Malay, Chinese, and Indian—has its own unique spin. Try different styles from street vendors, hawker centers, or even mamak stalls (Indian-Muslim eateries) to experience the full spectrum of this dish.

Ikan Bakar

Grilled makerel -Sambal Streets Food Tour Review - Kuala Lumpur

We’ve focused a lot on Malaysia’s top carby dishes, haven’t we? Next up is Ikan Bakar, or grilled fish. This Malaysian dish takes fresh fish marinated in a flavorful spice blend, wrapped in banana leaves, and grilled over a charcoal fire.

The marinade often includes ingredients like turmeric, lemongrass, chili paste, and tamarind, giving the dish a smoky, spicy, and tangy flavor. It’s served with a zesty sambal on the side for an extra kick, making it a protein-packed dish that’s lighter than some of the carb-heavy meals you’ll find on this list.

Otak-Otak

Otak-Otak is one of the more unique street foods you will come across in local bazaars. This dish is made from a blend of fish paste, coconut milk, spices like turmeric and chili, and aromatic herbs. This mixture is wrapped in banana leaves and grilled until slightly charred, giving it a smoky flavor and a soft, pudding-like texture.

The name itself means “brain” in Malay, inspired by the soft, squishy texture of the dish—but don’t let that deter you! It’s often served as a side dish or snack, but you can also find it paired with rice or noodles.

Apam Balik

Kuala Lumur Malaysia - Laksa Lanes Food Tour Review

A sweet, crispy pancake filled with crushed peanuts, sugar, and sometimes creamed corn or chocolate.

While we were tasting our way through Kuala Lumpur, we tried a pandan coconut version which was absolutely delightful, especially when piping hot and fresh.

Cendol

Cendol is a refreshing drink made with shaved ice, coconut milk, green jelly noodles, palm sugar, and other toppings like corn, sticky rice, or red beans. Cendol describes the green jelly noodles, so while the rest of the ingredients are variable and can change depending on where you’re ordering it from, the green noodles are a staple to the recipe.

You’ll find cendol stalls everywhere in KL. You can easily grab one from a roadside stall in KL on a hot day.

Take A Food Tour To Try These Malaysian Staples

Durian Sampling - Sambal Sweets food tour in Kuala Lumpur — Our awesome tour guide, Stephen, helped us learn SO much about Malaysian food.

Lala noodles - Laksa Lanes Food Tour Kuala Lumpur — Our awesome tour guide, Stephen, helped us learn SO much about Malaysian food.

With so many incredible dishes to try and food markets to navigate, a guided food tour is a fantastic way to explore KL’s culinary scene. You’ll get insider access to local favorites, learn more about Malaysian food culture, and save time figuring out where to go.

There aren’t many cultures where I go in blind, not knowing what to expect with the food, but Malaysia was definitely one of those places for me. Between the bold spices, the mix of Malay, Chinese, and Indian influences, and dishes I’d never even heard of before, it was all a bit overwhelming at first.

After taking two food tours in Kuala Lumpur for myself, though, I’m officially sold on how enriching and informational they are! Not only do you get to sample an incredible variety of dishes, but you also learn the history, cooking techniques, and cultural stories behind them.

If you’re curious but unsure where to start, a food tour is the way to go!

We took both of our tours with A Chef’s Tour; we did the Sambal Streets food tour on our first night in town and the Laksa Lanes food tour the following morning.

Surprisingly, both tours were completely different! Of the 15+ tastings on each tour, only two dishes overlapped (though they were were totally different restaurants). Highly recommend!

You can book the food tours here:

DEAL ALERT: For a limited time, use the promo code CHEFSFRIEND5 for an additional 5% off your food tour when booking on their official site. This code is valid for all food tours in any of their destinations!