It’s been way too long since we last visited Johor Bahru (JB), and one thing that we’re sure many Singaporeans missed, other than the cheap shopping we can do there, is the food.
There’s just something about JB food that makes it worth travelling across the border every once in a while for.
Now that the borders have finally reopened, many of you are probably already planning your trip to JB.
If you’re still trying to figure out which JB food places to head to, we’ve got your back. Check out our list of JB food places near the checkpoint as well as those worth travelling for in order to get the best JB dining experience during your trip!
JB food places near the checkpoint
1. Restoran Woon Kiang
When it comes to travelling to JB, you can’t possibly miss out this legendary JB food place. In fact, this is quite possibly the place that everyone heads to right after crossing the border!
With more than 80 years of experience, Restoran Woon Kiang guarantees a hearty bowl of kway teow served in a herbal broth along with signature small dishes such as pig intestines, braised duck, pickled vegetables, and more. And the best part of this JB food place is that it opens till late, so you can still grab a bite even if you enter JB past midnight!
Address: Jalan Pandan 2, Taman Stulang, 80300 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 9.30am to 3.30am (Mon – Sun)
2. Restoran Sekee
Another JB food place you might want to head to if you arrive early on a weekday is Restoran Sekee.
Similar to Restoran Woon Kiang, Restoran Sekee also specialises in kway teow but with a clear broth instead.
Something special about the broth is that it is boiled over charcoal, so it is really flavourful. You can opt for either the soup or the dry version where the noodles are tossed with a special chilli sauce, and both are equally good.
The bowls of kway teow come with generous servings of fresh ingredients including kidney, liver, and abalone slices. There isn’t any gamey taste to the innards, so you’ll have a great time slurping the bowl down.
Do note that prices here are slightly steeper than the usual JB food places you visit, but it’s well worth it.
Address: 30 Jalan Segget, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 8am to 2.30pm (Mon – Thu) | 9am to 2.30pm (Sun)
3. IT Roo Cafe
Are you ready to have the best chicken chop in town? If you are, head on over to IT Roo Cafe!
This JB food place was awarded the title of having the best chicken chop back in 2003 by The Star newspaper, and once you’ve tried it, you’d know why!
It currently serves up both fried chicken chop and grilled chicken chop. The juicy chicken thigh is cooked to perfection, with its meat tender and moist. Choose to enjoy it with a generous dollop of the restaurant’s homemade sauce or enjoy it as it is.
Address: 17 Jalan Dhoby, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 11am to 8.15pm (Mon – Sun)
4. Restoran Hua Mui
Restoran Hua Mui is a two-storey coffee shop that mainly sells traditional Hainanese-style breakfast, so you can expect to enjoy some traditional kaya butter bread toasted over a charcoal fire along with runny soft-boiled eggs. Add on a cup of fragrant coffee and it’s the perfect way to kickstart your JB trip.
For lunch, this JB food place serves up its signature Hainanese chicken chop. You can choose to have it Western-style with potato wedges and a coleslaw salad, or choose to have it with some rice and a side of coleslaw.
Address: 131 Jalan Trus, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 8.30am to 5.30pm (Mon – Sun)
5. Restoran Ya Wang
If the type of JB food you’ve been craving for is duck meat, you’re in for a treat, because Restoran Ya Wang is one of the pioneers in selling herbal roast ducks. In fact, if you’re a fan of the herbal roast ducks sold at Dian Xiao Er, you would be happy to know that Restoran Ya Wang is the chain’s advisor!
Enjoy huge servings of duck meat along with roasted pork and char siew in the comfort of Restoran Ya Wang’s air-conditioned restaurant. Here, you can also order double-boiled soup in place of a beverage for a more hearty experience.
Address: 28 Jalan Segget, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Mon, Tue, Thu – Sun)
6. Restoran Reaz Corner
When you’re thinking about JB food, you can’t miss out on the Mamak stalls that offer roti canai, nasi lemak, maggi goreng, and more. One such JB food place you should check out is Restoran Reaz Corner.
The signature here is its nasi briyani Bombay, but many reviewers on Google have commented that its roti canai is to die for, especially when it is paired with tosai masala.
This is a great place to enjoy some breakfast before starting your shopping spree or exploring the city.
Address: 23 Jalan Dhoby, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 8am to 8pm (Mon – Sun)
7. Restoran Kin Wah
One of the best JB food places to head to for breakfast is Restoran Kin Wah, an old-school eatery that is famous for its soft-boiled eggs made from kampung chicken eggs. This means that the eggs are laid by free-range hens that have not been injected with any growth accelerating hormones.
The eggs are served already opened because the owner of Kin Wah believes in only serving perfect soft-boiled eggs to customers, and the only way to ensure this is to break the eggs open onto the saucer for checking before serving. Season the eggs with some soy sauce and pepper, and slurp the delicacy down.
When you’re here, you definitely have to also try its kaya toast, mee siam, nasi padang, and Hainanese coffee.
Address: 8 Jalan Trus, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 7am to 6pm (Mon, Wed – Sun)
8. Bukit Chagar Roti Canai
Another JB food place you can head to for breakfast is Bukit Chagar Roti Canai. As you have probably already guessed from its name, Bukit Chagar Roti Canai is famous for its roti canai, and it’s not a surprise to see why.
Once you’re in the vicinity, you’ll get a whiff of that aroma of freshly made roti canai here that will certainly make you salivate. The roti canai here is thick and more compact in size, as opposed to the ones that we’re used to eating.
The exterior is crispy, but the interior is soft, giving rise to a mouthwatering texture that will just make you want more. Pair this with dhal or curry and you’ll get perfection.
Address: 394 Jalan Tengku Azizah, Bukit Chagar, 80300 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 6.45am to 11.45am (Mon – Sun)
JB food places worth travelling for
9. Restoran Wah Cai 3 In 1 Chinese Cake
If you’re a huge fan of durians, you have to give this JB food place a try. Restoran Wah Cai 3 In 1 Chinese Cake is crowned the first JB food place to sell fried durians, and boy is it satisfying and delicious. If you thought that the fruit couldn’t get any better, the fried durians here will change your mind.
You can also give its cempedak fritters and banana fritters a try. These are just as good, especially when you’re not a fan of durians. Other offerings Restoran Wah Cai 3 In 1 Chinese Cake has includes deep fried sticky Chinese rice cakes, curry puffs, and three-in-one yam and sweet potato fritters.
Address: 86 Jalan Pahlawan 2, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, 81300 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 10am to 4pm (Mon, Thu – Sun)
10. Bak Kut Teh Hin Hock
One of the most well-known JB food items you need to have when you travel to JB is its bak kut teh, and one of the best JB food places to enjoy this is at Bak Kut Teh Hin Hock. Its signature claypot bak kut teh offers a herbal broth that is slightly on the sweet side due to the herbs used, along with pork ribs that are fall-off-the-bone tender.
Order this with popular side dishes such as pork trotter, stir fried vegetables, minced pork tofu, and steamed fish marinated with garlic, a crowd favourite.
Address: 72 Jalan Dato Mohammed Seth, Taman Tampoi Indah 2, 81200 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 9.30am to 4.30pm (Tue – Sun)
11. Restoran Tua Thow
There’s something very homely about JB food, and this is especially true for the food served at Restoran Tua Thow, which tastes just like grandma’s cooking.
The kway teow here is served both dry and with soup, and it comes topped with lots of ingredients such as pig innards, lean meat, prawn, pork lard, fish maw, and more. The soup looks clear, but it is very flavourful; so flavourful that you’ll be slurping up every last drop!
You can also order the duck or roast pork if you’re the kind who doesn’t get full just on kway teow.
Address: Jalan Tun Abdul Razak (Susur 4), Taman Bakti, 80100 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 8am to 2pm (Mon – Thur, Sat & Sun)
12. Din Kee Beef Noodles
Another JB food place worth travelling to is Din Kee Beef Noodles. As its name suggests, Din Kee Beef Noodles specialises in beef noodles topped with beef tendon, beef brisket, beef cubes, as well as other ingredients such as preserved vegetables and peanuts.
This bowl of beef noodles is the perfect one to have especially on a cold and rainy day. Just imagine slurping up noodles of your choice, followed by sinking your teeth into tender beef brisket, and taking a large sip of the beef broth that was boiled for hours; that’s pure paradise.
Address: 56, Jalan Indah 1, Taman Bukit Indah, 81200 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 8am to 3pm (Mon – Wed, Fri – Sun)
13. Hometown Seven Restaurant (TUTA 777)
With so many JB food options, it can be difficult to come to a decision of where to go to get the best JB dining experience. Not to worry, because instead of heading to specific places, you can consider heading to Hometown Seven Restaurant (TUTA 777), an open-air food court that has almost every type of JB food that you could possibly want.
Here, you can order dishes from various stalls and have them tzechar-style. Some of the dishes you can look forward to are sambal stingray, satay, oyster omelette, sambal lala, dim sum, grilled chicken wings, and even vegetarian food.
After you’re done filling your tummies with the yummy food, you can proceed to visit the night markets like Taman Ungku Tun Aminah Night Market within the vicinity for a fun night of shopping!
Address: 33 Jalan Perkasa 4, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, 81300 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 5.30pm to 11.15pm (Mon – Sun)
14. Restoran Sulam
Nyonya food is always comforting, and if that’s what you’re going for, the JB food place we would recommend is Restoran Sulam, a restaurant that serves up plates of authentic Nyonya cuisine.
Recommended dishes include the signature red snapper curry fish head, homemade otak otak, sambal petai with cuttlefish, fried chicken, sambal udang, and crispy fried squid. The dishes here are all reasonably priced, and are generally large servings that are great for sharing with your loved ones and friends.
End your meal on a sweet note with a refreshing bowl of chendol before leaving!
Address: 51 Jalan Sulam, Taman Sentosa, 80150 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 11am to 3.30pm and 4.30pm to 9pm (Mon – Sun)
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