Restaurants in Kuala Lumpur

Sample traditional Malay cooking at this elegant eatery, set just north of Jalan Bukit Bintang. With tables spilling out into a picturesque courtyard, Bijan’s refined dining room serves exquisitely prepared local delicacies like ikan bakar (grilled fish in banana leaves) and rendang kambing (a rich, coconut-creamy lamb), prepared with market-fresh ingredients. 

Bringing a touch of South America to the city’s culinary scene, tapas bar Fuego is one of three new addresses located on the 24th floor of the Troika skyscraper. The restaurant’s selling point is its expansive outdoor terrace, where diners enjoy enviable views of the Petronas Towers while tucking into small plates such as spiced guacamole, coconut ceviche and habanero chilli. 

For a unique dining experience, it’s worth the taxi ride to Tamarind Springs, located in an impressive tiered pavilion that spills into the rainforest. The Indochinese food here is exquisite, as is the setting. Surrounded by statuary, monkey-rustled branches and birdsong, you will feel far removed from the busy metropolis. 

Sleek and sexy, this eatery represents trendy Bangsar at its best. The eclectic menu jumps from wood-fired pizzas to Pan-Asian treats without skipping a beat. Diners are young and well groomed and the upstairs bar – appropriately called the Bar Upstairs - is an equally inviting place to hang out with a cocktail. 

On the Feast Floor of the Starhill Gallery, Enak KL plays down its mall setting with hanging fabrics and tea lights, but the most impressive thing is what happens in the kitchen. Delicacies plucked from across Malaysia are cooked the way they would be in a Malay home, so ingredients are fresh and flavours are blisteringly authentic. 

Residing in a two-story townhouse that was once the guildhall of a Laundry Association, Old China Café offers a glimpse of the bygone character of KL’s Chinatown. Black-and-white photos cram the walls and diners feast on Malay-Chinese fusion dishes including crispy lobak (pork rolls) and sago gula melaka, a favourite local dessert.  

By day, Jalan Alor is an anonymous backstreet, tucked away behind Jalan Bukit Bintang, but stalls set up from mid-afternoon. By nightfall, this famed food street becomes a hotbed of culinary excitement crammed with locals and visitors tucking into all sorts of barbecued fish, satay chicken and delicious noodle and rice dishes.

Traditionally prepared by Tamil hawkers, mamak cuisine is cheap, tasty and available at any hour. Four branches of Nasi Kandar Pelita dot around the city and serve Indian treats like tandoori chicken and roti canai (fried flatbread with a dipping sauce). The flagship branch, near KLCC, is open 24-hours and has fans to keep diners cool.

Be prepared to get your hands dirty at this no-frills curry house, where frenetic waiters present diners with green banana leaves that are used as plates and piled high with endless ladles of sticky rice, spicy curry and stewed vegetables, along with lip-puckering pickles, crispy poppadums and bitter gourd.