Looking for restaurants and places to eat in Ipoh, Malaysia? Ipoh is a rising foodie destination with a mix of Chinese, Hakka, Malaysian, and Indian influences.
After exploring Ipoh for 3 days, we did our best to try a variety of famous Ipoh foods, such as tau fu fa (tofu pudding) and bean sprouts, at local restaurants and shops.
In this post, we put together 9 recommended places to eat in Ipoh. While this isn’t a comprehensive list, we ate as much as we could.
This list does not have any sponsored posts as we paid for our meals. Therefore, you’re getting our feedback on these places. Also, many of the restaurants that we ate at are within the budget-friendly price range ($30 USD for 2 people).
*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase, we receive a small commission. There is no additional cost to you. Appreciate the support.
Map of Where to Eat in Ipoh
Click on the map to see a larger view of restaurants and cafes in Ipoh to try. Credit: Map data: Google
1. Greentown Dim Sum Cafe
Looking for a reasonably priced halal (no pork, no lard) dim sum spot? Check out Greentown Dim Sum Cafe, located in the Greentown strip mall area of Ipoh.
It’s a popular dim sum spot with staple dim sum dishes such as steamed dumplings, steamed breads, fried dumplings, and other foods such as fried noodles and fried rice. All of the pork items are replaced with chicken.
There are weekend-only specials, subject to availability, such as egg tarts, prawn cheong fun, chicken and century egg porridge, seafood porridge, and more.
You have a choice of indoor or outdoor seating. Outdoor seating has fans blowing so the air continuously flows.
Once we arrived in Ipoh, we went straight here to get our dim sum fix. We saw the high reviews on Google and decided this was a good starter meal for our Ipoh adventures. We arrived at 12:15pm and waited 15 minutes for a table inside the restaurant.
We’ve had halal dim sum in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, Malaysia, and this place was decent. Some dishes were better than others though.
The most delicious items were steamed black sesame and red bean buns (oozing black sesame!), prawn siu mai, fried radish cake, and the prawn dumpling with salted egg yolk. The fried radish cake had a unique Malaysian twist to it as it was spicy and so delicious.
We didn’t care for the shrimp dumplings (ha gow) as the skin was too thick, pyramid dumplings with spicy sauce (the filling was too thick), and wonton noodle soup (the noodles were too soggy for us).
Unfortunately, the egg tarts were sold out so we couldn’t try any.
We ordered 7+ dishes and tea and it was a total of $16.00 USD. It was a budget-friendly place to eat in Ipoh and we were stuffed!
Try the halal dim sum at Greentown Dim Sum Cafe
Address: 10, Persiaran Greentown 4, Greentown Avenue, 30450 Ipoh
Payment: Cash only
2. Old Town White Coffee
You may have seen Old Town instant coffee or tea bags sold at your Asian supermarket. Yet, did you know that the company originated and is manufactured in Ipoh?
Old Town’s signature coffee drink is white coffee. Three beans (arabica, robusta, and liberica beans) are roasted with margarine to get the caramelized flavor and mixed with condensed milk to create the coveted white coffee.
Tea is also available as the company has its own blend of black tea.
The company has expanded to having cafes across the country where you sit down, enjoy an iced or hot beverage, and eat food.
In Ipoh’s Old Town area, there is an Old Town cafe across from Padang Ipoh (park). You can order drinks and food here. There is also free wifi here!
Drinks are reasonably priced – around $2-$2.50 per cup.
Some drinks offer an upside to make it a large. For example, an iced drink is normally 12 to 16 ounces and upsized to 22 ounces for an additional fee.
Since the Old Town White Coffee is the signature drink, we had to try it. We ordered the large size (22 ounces) and with less sugar. It was a huge cup. We’re not coffee drinks yet we enjoyed the smooth coffee flavor.
We also tried the roasted oolong pandan iced milk tea with no sugar. It had soy milk mixed with the milk tea and a hint of pandan. For those who don’t want coffee, this is a recommended drink to try.
The iced coffee at Old Town White Coffee is a must try
We didn’t try the food, so that will be saved for another time.
Once you’re done, walk around the corner of the building and see the “Old Uncle with White Coffee Coffee” street art on the side of the building.
Address: There are other locations in Ipoh and throughout Malaysia, so click here for a full list.
For the Old Town location: 3, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, 30000 Ipoh
More Information: Website
Payment: Cash and credit cards accepted
3. Kedai Manakan Nam Heong
Looking for hawker centers in Ipoh? Unfortunately, there aren’t large hawker centers compared to Singapore. But, there are small coffee shops that have a handful of hawker stalls selling food.
Kedai Manakan Nam Heong is a popular place to eat in Ipoh, especially for breakfast. Vendors sell dim sum, char kway teow (fried noodles), noodle soups such as curry mee, and coffee/iced drinks.
It gets super crowded here so the environment is chaotic. We arrived at 10:00am on a weekday and it was packed!
We were confused about what to do, so here are instructions on what to do:
- Step 1: Grab a table ASAP or designate someone to sit down. Otherwise, you may need to share a table.
- Step 2: Have a second person place an order at the desired hawker stall(s). Dim sum items are sold per piece.
- Step 3: Go back to your table and wait for your food and drinks.
- Step 4: Pay for your food and drinks when they arrive.
We tried the egg tarts, 1 large-size char kway teow, an iced white coffee, and hot tea.
The egg tarts were yummy with the extra flaky crust and the eggy filling.
Char kway teow is one of our favorite Malaysian foods and this one had a lot of wok hei (high fire wok power) flavor. It came with cockles, prawns, and eggs. The large size is not that big as it’s only 10 MYR ($2.15), so you can order another one to be fuller.
Note: Ipoh is known for the short squatty bean sprouts and there are tons of cute bean sprouts in this char kway teow.
The iced white coffee is also yummy and not too sweet (as we didn’t request “no sugar”).
Kedai Manakan Nam Heong has a variety of food options to choose from
The food is affordable for a few dollars and you can try a variety of food here. We recommend that you stop by here for a quick meal before exploring Ipoh.
TIP: If this place is too busy, visit another coffee shop similar to this one on the same street.
Address: 2, Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh
Payment: Cash only
4. Plan B Restaurant
Located in the Instagrammable brick building of Kong Heng Square, Plan B restaurant is a chic place to grab a bite to eat in Ipoh’s Old Town area.
They offer a variety of Western, Asian, and Malaysian dishes. There are also vegan and vegetarian options too!
So, you can get your beef burgers or opt to eat laksa or Vietnamese rice bowls.
For those who want breakfast food for lunch, you can get your fix here until 6:00pm.
Prices are on the higher end, around 24 to 38 MYR ($5.15 to $8.15) per dish and 12 to 15 MYR ($2.60 to $3.20) for iced/hot coffee.
But the food portions are larger (more like Western-sized portions), so the extra cost is reasonable.
Ordering is done on the smartphone by scanning a QR code. You do not need to create an account to submit your order but can submit as a “Guest” for the order.
TIP: Don’t have a phone data plan? Ask one of the servers for the wifi password. Or, you can get a SIM card at the KL Airport or set up an e-SIM card before your Malaysia trip.
We ordered the Nasi Le Mak Cik, Seafood Quinoa Kerabu, and shared a teh terik drink. The food and drink was delicious!
The Nasi Le Mak Cik is a huge platter perfect for visitors who want a hearty meal. The meal has a variety of side items such as coconut rice topped with a runny omelet on top (like Japanese omurice), fried anchovies, fried tempeh, belinjau crackers (gnetum nuts), potato stew, peanuts, and fried chicken. Everything was flavorful, except for the fried tempeh which was stale.
The Seafood Quinoa Kerabu is a healthy and lighter dish with quinoa, fresh spinach, fresh herbs, grilled squid, and two prawns. It was a refreshing salad with the veggies. One opportunity for improvement is to lessen the salt in the dressing and food.
Stop by Plan B Restaurant for yummy meals or desserts
We saw reviews raving about the desserts and baked goods, such as the carrot cake. Unfortunately, we didn’t try any as we were full from our lunch.
Address: In Kong Heng Square, 75, Jalan Panglima, 30000 Ipoh
More Information: Menu
Payment: Cash and credit cards accepted
5. Purple Cane Tea House
Purple Cane Tea House is a tea shop that sells loose-leaf tea and compressed tea cakes.
But, it also has a restaurant where you can enjoy tea, traditional tea brewing, and eat healthy Chinese and Malaysian foods infused with tea. There are plenty of vegetarian items on the menu.
All the food on the menu looked delicious so we tried a mix of Hakka Chinese food and vegetarian items.
We ordered lei cha rice (擂茶), vegetarian bak kut teh noodle soup, abalone mushroom with a side of rice, and cold brew oolong.
It was our first time trying lei cha rice (thunder tea rice) and it had a lot of flavors from the chopped veggies and the tea soup.
The vegetarian bak kut teh was also another winner. Justin has eaten bak kut teh in Penang and Singapore and I wanted to try the vegetarian version. The spices are the same as the meat-based version and the flavors are delicious.
The seating area is cozy and nice to hang out with family and friends for drinks and snacks.
Purple Cane Tea House has many tea-infused foods to try
Address: 2, Jalan Dato Tahwil Azar, Taman Jubilee, 30300 Ipoh
6. Fujiwara Tofa Shop
Are you a fan of Initial D anime or manga and want to see the AE86 car that Takumi drives? You’ll want to visit Fujiwara Tofa Shop ASAP.
The front of the shop is a main highlight as there is the famous AE86 (Hachi-Roku in Japanese) car.
There is a barrier around the car to prevent scratches and other damages. So, you can snap a photo of the car and then continue your day.
Here is the famous hachi-roku car from Initial D anime and manga. Photo credit: Life Of Doing
You can also eat tau fu fa (tofu fa, dou hua, 豆腐花), ramen, curry chicken rice, nasi lemak, kaya puffs, and more snack foods.
We tried tau fu fa since we wanted to see the Initial D decor inside the shop. We had one with ginger sugar and another with pandan sugar. The ginger one tasted better as pandan didn’t have any flavor.
The soft tofu was average, and not as smooth as other places we’ve eaten in Ipoh. Yet, it is still reasonable at 4.40 MYR ($1.00) per bowl.
Here is the tau fu fa from Fujiwara Tofa Shop
Address: In Palo 101 Ipoh Shopping Center, 189-E, Jalan Sultan Iskandar, Taman Jubilee, 30000 Ipoh
More Information: Facebook
Payment: Cash only
7. Big Mom Beancurd
After eating at Fujiwara Tofa Shop, we went straight to Big Mom Beancurd for more tau fu fa.
This unassuming shop has the best tau fu fa in Ipoh! The tofu pudding is super soft and velvety and has the perfect amount of sweetness.
You can choose the type of sugar (white, ginger, or brown sugar) and topping (red bean, peanut and sesame, grass jelly, barley and ginkgo, and peach).
Each bowl will cost between 3 to 4.20 MYR ($.60 to $1) which is so affordable!
We tried a tau fu fa with ginger sugar and grass jelly and a tau fu fa with brown sugar. Both had a distinct flavor and were delicious. We will order this combo again in the future.
Big Mom Beancurd is a fantastic place to eat tau fu fa, a famous food item to eat in Ipoh
You can also buy fresh soy milk with toppings in a glass, small bottle (500mL), or large bottle (1.5L).
TIP: You can request no added sugar to your soymilk drinks which is what we did.
Try the fresh soymilk from Big Mom Beancurd
Address: 22 & 24, Jalan Yang Kalsom, Taman Jubilee, 30250 Ipoh
More Information: Facebook
Payment: Cash only
8. Funny Mountain Soya Beancurd
Funny Mountain Soya Beancurd is another popular place to eat tau fu fa.
Located in the Gerbang Malang Market area where all the biscuits and food souvenirs are, it’s in a prime location with tourists.
We ordered the simple tau fu fa with sweet ginger syrup. The tau fu fa is smooth and has the right amount of sweetness. Unfortunately, there aren’t any toppings available, unlike Big Mom Beancurd.
Each bowl cost 3 MYR ($.60).
Enjoy the tau fu fa at Funny Mountain Soya Beancurd
You’re given a plastic container and plastic spoon for the tau fu fa. Since this place doesn’t have an indoor seating area, there are plastic stools along the wall for you to enjoy your snack.
You can also buy fresh soymilk here.
Address: 50, Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakri, Taman Jubilee, 30300 Ipoh
More Information: Facebook
Payment: Cash only
9. Hakka Restaurant Ipoh Town
Interested in trying Hakka Chinese food? Visit Hakka Restaurant (客家菜馆 – 街场分行), located across from the Mural Art Lane in the Taman Jubilee area.
When you enter the restaurant, it looks like you’ve been invited to a wedding banquet. The red ribbons and decor make the restaurant festive.
The menu is extensive with local Hakkanese food and traditional Chinese food. There are two sizes – small and large, depending on the number of people eating. Also, some of the dishes can be made vegetarian, and it’s indicated on the menu.
We appreciate the staff giving us recommendations on dishes to try and which ones could be made vegetarian.
We tried the following:
- Yam abacus (vegetarian style) – Normally, this dish comes with pork, but we chose a vegetarian version. You can also choose either yam or pumpkin but we chose yam. The vegetarian came with fake meat and fried tofu pieces. The yam balls were delicious
- Green beans with salted egg – If you love the strong flavor of salted egg, then this dish is for you. Every bean was coated with salted egg which gave an umami flavor.
- Grouper fish pieces with black bean sauce – We ordered a small size of grouper fish and it was also yummy. Black bean sauce is a traditional sauce used in Chinese cooking and has a strong flavor, so you may want to avoid it if you don’t like it.
- Bowl of rice – Normally we expect white rice, but this rice had a mix of brown and white. Yum!
It’s one of the higher-cost meals that we’ve eaten, but still reasonable. We enjoyed all of these dishes and drinks for $28.00.
Head to Hakka Restaurant Ipoh Town to try the delicious Hakka food.
Address: 18, Jalan Yau Tet Shin, Taman Jubilee, 30300 Ipoh
More Information: Facebook
Payment: Cash and credit card accepted
Final Thoughts
We had a few days in Ipoh and did our best to try a variety of local Ipoh food. We loved eating the tau fu fa and the Hakka food.
While we couldn’t eat everything, we will be back to try more food. Trying the popular salted chicken will be on the list.
So, we’ll be back and will update this post when we try other restaurants.
If you have any questions about the restaurants in Ipoh that we ate at, please ask in the comment section below.
Check out our other Ipoh posts:
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