Urban Cafe

Top choice in Sandakan


A favourite with young, laptop-toting locals and coffee fiends, this cafe is well worth the detour to Bandar Utama. There are cosy couches to lounge around on, an impressive array of hot and cold coffee beverages and even a single-origin ice drip – all the rage in Japan, we hear. Occasional hip foodie events held here.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Sandakan attractions

1. Sandakan Memorial Park

1.67 MILES

A beautiful rainforest garden marks the site of a Japanese POW camp and the starting point for the infamous WWII 'death marches' to Ranau. Of the 1793…

2. Puu Jih Syh Temple

3.28 MILES

Wrapped in the usual firework display of reds, golds and twining dragons, festooned with lanterns illuminating the grounds like a swarm of fireflies, this…

3. St Michael's & All Angels Church

4.4 MILES

One of the very few surviving pre-WWII buildings, this pretty stone church (1893) sits as a relic of colonial times and a monument to Christian worship on…

4. Sam Sing Kung

4.49 MILES

The Sam Sing Kung temple (also pronounced 'Sam Sing Gong') dates from 1887, making it the oldest building in Sandakan. The temple itself is a smallish, if…

5. Agnes Keith House

4.59 MILES

This atmospheric two-storey colonial villa, Newlands, tells the story of American writer Agnes Keith and her British husband Harry, the Conservator of…

6. Sandakan Heritage Museum

4.62 MILES

This small museum near the beginning of the Heritage Walk is a bit neglected but worth a look for the old photos and memorabilia of Sandakan's tumultuous…

7. Malaysia Fountain

4.63 MILES

The fountain commemorates the independence of Sabah on 16 September 1963 with the departure of the last Governor of British North Borneo.

8. Chinese Cemetery

4.93 MILES

Sandakan's Chinese Cemetery is huge. As you wander along the cemetery, you'll notice the graves become older and more decrepit – many have been claimed by…