Must-see restaurants in Sarawak

  • Dyak

    Kuching

    This elegant restaurant, 2km southeast of Old Chinatown, was the first to treat Dayak home cooking as true cuisine. Classically trained in a Western style…

  • Payung Cafe

    Sarawak

    At this delightful cafe diners feast on healthy local food such as mushroom rolls, spicy otak otak barbecued fish, deliciously fresh herb salad and…

  • Top Spot Food Court

    Kuching

    This neon-lit courtyard and its half-dozen humming seafood stalls sits, rather improbably, on the roof of a concrete parking garage. Don't be pressured…

  • Summit Café

    Miri

    If you’ve never tried Kelabit cuisine, this place will open up whole new worlds for your taste buds. Queue up and choose from the colourful array of …

  • Madli's Restaurant

    Miri

    A long-running family business that started off as a satay stall in the 1970s; read the history on the wall above the kitchen. Madli's is open on two…

  • Lepau

    Kuching

    Lepau translates as 'farm hut', and organic and free-range ingredients feature at this atmospheric restaurant showcasing the cuisine of Sarawak's…

  • Ming Cafe

    Miri

    This very popular cafe-bar serves inexpensive drinks and excellent food in a casual, open-sided restaurant. There's an indoor air-conditioned section, but…

  • King Hua Cafe

    Sarawak

    For fresh fish, squid, crabs and prawns either fried or steamed with the garnish of your choice, head to this bright cafe, one of several boisterous…

  • lima.tujoh

    Kuching

    Friendly cats Ginger and Serai (aka 'Lemon Grass') are feline hosts at this cool cafe, while their human underlings serve up excellent nasi lemak (rice…

  • Café Café

    Sarawak

    Café Café serves decent Southeast Asian fare, including Nonya-style chicken, Thai curries and Chinese noodles. There are daily specials and inventive…

  • Night Market

    Sarawak

    Chinese stalls (selling pork and rice, steamed buns etc) are at the southwest end of the lot, while Malay stalls (with superb satay and barbecue chicken)…

  • Ark

    Sarawak

    Nudging the Rejang Esplanade, the Ark has an air-con interior plus outdoor seating upstairs, and is the perfect place to watch the river drift by with a…

  • Granary

    Kuching

    Housed in an old granary that has been renovated with minimalist flair, this breezy restaurant serves up burgers, pizzas and pasta, plus some pricier meat…

  • Junk

    Kuching

    Filled to the brim with antiques, this is the middle of a complex of restaurants and bars – each with different names – housed in three 1920s shophouses…

  • Siniawan Night Market

    Kuching

    Held along the heritage main street of Siniawan – a former mining town established in 1840 – this market is an excellent evening detour from Kuching…

  • Maria Kek Lapis

    Kuching

    Sells over 40 varieties of kek lapis – a colourful layered cake made with wheat flour, egg, prodigious quantities of butter or margarine, and flavourings…

  • James Brooke Bistro & Cafe

    Kuching

    This place gets consistently good reviews for cuisine, service and lovely river views. Local dishes such as Sarawak laksa (RM12) and its own invention,…

  • Lok Lok

    Kuching

    This popular nocturnal eatery specialises in lok lok (skewers, eg of fish, prawn, cuttlefish or bean curd; RM2.50 to RM3) that are boiled or deep-fried…

  • Commons

    Kuching

    A popular all-day haunt for both locals and visitors, Commons features mains including excellent pasta, burgers and Asian dishes, and a very tempting…

  • Café Mulu

    Gunung Mulu National Park

    This cafe-restaurant serves excellent breakfasts (eggs, pancakes, muesli), and lunch and dinner with a few Western items, Indian curries and local dishes…

  • Tandoori

    Sarawak

    This restaurant below the Sibu Heritage Centre dishes up authentic North Indian curries and tandoori-cooked breads and meats. This is a different cuisine…

  • Indah House

    Kuching

    A one-stop blend of cool neighbourhood cafe, cooking-class venue and hip art space, Indah is one of Kuching's best cafes. Menu highlights include tasty…

  • Nok & Net

    Miri

    Authentic Thai flavours shine at this place, opened in 2018. Once the staff have dragged themselves away from watching Thai soap operas on their…

  • Fig Tree Cafe

    Kuching

    This innovative vegetarian cafe features Malay-Chinese dishes served with flair and enthusiasm. The adventurous should try the lui cha (rice and…

  • Meng Chai Seafood

    Miri

    Discerning locals crowd this first-rate eatery, housed in two unassuming adjacent buildings. There's no menu – make your selection from the fishy…

  • Bla Bla Bla

    Kuching

    Innovative and stylish, Bla Bla Bla serves excellent Chinese-inspired fusion dishes that – like the decor, the koi ponds and the Balinese buddha – range…

  • Zinc

    Kuching

    Zinc features a selection of imported ingredients: Spanish Iberico ham, French cheeses and Canadian lobster, plus imported wines that aren't all that…

  • Sau Pau Cafe

    Miri

    Steamed bao buns and delicious egg tarts are perfect reasons to hunt out this neighbourhood bakery. A recommended combo is an iced coffee with a couple of…

  • Lim Hock Ann Seafood

    Sarawak

    A sprawling, open-air shed on stilts with a wide-plank floor and a tin roof, this classic Chinese-style seafood restaurant is in Kampung Buntal, a fishing…

  • Syarikat Kim Guan Huat Trading

    Sarawak

    Sharing signage with an electronics shop next door, this friendly Chinese-owned kopitiam (coffee shop) is Belaga's best place for breakfast before a…

  • Cha Bo

    Kuching

    Run by the same folks who operate the Barber and the Junk, this stylish, bright restaurant produces light and spicy Thai fish cakes, tom yum goong (hot…

  • Yang Choon Tai Hawker Centre

    Kuching

    Six food stalls, run by members of the Teochew Chinese community, serve up an eclectic assortment of native bites, including rice porridge with pork (3am…

  • Persiaran Kabor

    Miri

    Come midmorning this atmospheric covered courtyard, known locally as Old Folks' St, is full of men of a certain vintage, who congregate to drink coffee,…

  • Good Luck Cave'fe Mulu

    Gunung Mulu National Park

    The Good Luck 'Cave'fe' Mulu (geddit?) is located right outside the park gates and stays open later than the park cafe, making it a good dinner option if…

  • Tribal Stove

    Kuching

    This laid-back restaurant serving delicious Sarawak food is decorated with photos of Bario, the highland 'capital'. Although it no longer specialises in…

  • Choon Hui Cafe

    Kuching

    This old-school kopitiam (coffee shop) makes the most delicious laksa in town. There's also a stall here selling excellent popia (a kind of spring roll…

  • Ban Kee Café

    Sarawak

    An atmospheric Chinese seafood specialist with seating in a semicovered outdoor courtyard, selling fresh fish and seafood (per kilogram RM40 to RM80),…

  • Escobar Bar & Grill

    Sarawak

    A casual eatery on the waterfront with breezy outdoor seating, Escobar offers plenty of fresh seafood options accompanied by rice or noodles, as well as…

  • Musbee Cafe

    Sarawak

    Fairy lights and brightly coloured walls lift Musbee above Limbang's dining pack. The menu, introducing a few Thai flavours, is also a little different…

  • Pusat Penjaja Gading Lundu

    Sarawak

    Above the fruit-and-vegetable market is a hawker centre with 26 Chinese and Malay food stalls. The Malay buffet at stalls 4 and 5 includes delicious fresh…

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