We recently went on a week-long vacation to Kuching, the capital of Sarawak. While most people tend to stay in Kuching for just a few days, we extended our trip to explore some national parks and look for the best places to eat in Kuching.
This article will focus on the places to eat in Kuching during our stay. These include some of the most popular restaurants in Kuching, some basic coffee shops recommended by friends, and a few other restaurants with unique menus and presentations.
Our list is not necessarily based on the best food available but rather on a mix of factors like the uniqueness of the food, presentation, and combinations. We hope this list will give you a different perspective when you plan where to eat in Kuching during your holiday.
1. Kek Lapis Warisan
This cake shop is special because they sell cakes and have an open kitchen with a few ovens where staff actively bake the cakes on the spot. They welcome visitors to watch the baking process and are willing to explain it.
The cake batter is first poured into an 8×8-inch cake pan and immediately transferred to the oven, which sets quickly due to its relatively thin consistency. The process continues until all fourteen layers have been added.
Kek Lapis Sarawak, also known as Sarawak Layer Cake, is a must-try delicacy for anyone visiting Kuching Sarawak. This cake is renowned for its intricate layers and vibrant colors and is often served during special occasions such as Eid ul-Fitr, Christmas, Deepavali, Gawai, birthdays, and weddings. It has become so popular that it can now be enjoyed at any time of the year.
Originally from Indonesia, the cake was introduced to Sarawak in the 1970s and 1980s by the Betawis from Jakarta. Since the cake-making process can be meticulous and time-consuming, most people prefer to purchase it from specialty cake houses, such as Kek Lapis Warisan, which exclusively makes Kek Lapis.
While the Indonesian version of the cake differs from the Sarawak version in terms of ingredients and flavors, the Sarawak version incorporates new ingredients and flavors, including some native plants that can only be found in Sarawak. As a result, Kek Lapis in Sarawak has become an iconic item in Sarawak’s culinary heritage. As such, savor the cake lapis of Sarawak is a must-do itinerary for anyone who visits Kuching.
Kek Lapis Warisan
Address: No 24, Lot 149, Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce , Kuching, Malaysia
Opening hours: 8 am–9 pm
2. Tastynity Fastfood
Our guide, Julian, took us to one of the most interesting places to eat in Kuching. What we saw was indeed extraordinary.
It is a medium size outlet with an air-conditioned and open-air sitting area. The most unique part is that all the food is served in dim sum baskets or ceramic bowls of the same size. All these baskets of food are neatly arranged in the glass cabinet. If you are watching from far away, you might think they are all Chinese Dim Sums.
All the dishes served here are Chinese, and the counter is regularly replenished with new items.
To order, we have to pick what we want and tell the staff, who will bring it to our table.
Each is priced between RM3 and RM7, depending on your chosen item.
Frankly, I haven’t seen such a store elsewhere, and you should visit it when you go to Kuching.
Tastynity Fastfood
Address: Ground Floor, C183, Block C, Icom Square, 93450 Kuching, Sarawak
Opening hours: 10.30 am – 2.30 pm, 4.30 pm – 8.30 pm, close on Sunday.
3. Sunny Hill Ice Cream
If you’re looking for a taste of traditional ice cream, try Sunny Hill Ice Cream. This classic ice cream shop has been around for many decades, and its ice cream is smooth and not too sweet. We tried it on sandwich bread, an old-school way of serving ice cream that reminded me of the tuckshop at my old school.
The taste wasn’t particularly amazing, but it’s a decent place to take a break from traveling in the scorching heat. It’s also a great place to try traditional local ice cream flavors without the fancy decorations and variations in modern ice cream and dessert shops.
Sunny Hill Ice-Cream
Address: Jln Bukit Cahaya, Sunny Hill Garden, 93250 Kuching, Sarawak
Opening hours: 8 am–9 pm (close on Saturday, Friday until 3.30 pm)
4. 大食代 Premier Food Republic
After visiting the Sarawak Cultural Village, we stopped at the Premier Food Republic, a huge and well-organized food court. There are a variety of food stores selling street food like Kolok Mee, Kueh Chap, and chicken rice.
If you want to try local street food without being picky about a specific outlet, this is one of the places to eat in Kuching you should consider. You can get all you want at this one-stop food center.
The food court is clean, making the dining experience even better. We ordered the famous Kolok Mee, which has many variations. We have tried it at other outlets, and they all have subtle differences. Most notably, some versions have added vinegar for an extra kick.
Premier Food Republic
Address: 123, 900B, Green Heights, 93250 Kuching, Sarawak
Open 24 hours
5. Have lunch with the locals at a Bidayuh longhouse
During our weeklong stay in Kuching, we couldn’t miss visiting the longhouse, an essential part of the trip to Kuching. We drove to Anna Rais Longhouse to understand the lifestyle of the Bidayuh people and to taste home-cooked meals with the locals.
When we arrived, Uncle Louis of Karum Bidayuh Homestay was already waiting at the entrance. The highlight of the visit was having lunch with Uncle Louis and his family at their homestay. His wife Joanne is an accomplished cook who prepared several typical Bidayuh home-cooked dishes for us, including bamboo chicken, stir-fried paku, pumpkin with dried shrimp, ginger chicken, and fried tilapia.
Indulging in these dishes at a restaurant would surely satisfy our appetite. Still, the experience of savoring them with the locals in their traditional longhouse was entirely unique and immersive. The rustic ambiance and warm hospitality of Uncle Louis and his wife added an extra layer of richness to the flavor of the dishes, making it an exceptional experience to remember. I strongly recommend adding this visit to your itinerary when visiting Kuching.
Karum Bidayuh Homestay
67, Annah Rais, jalan Puncak Borneo, Padawan.
Tel: 016-8981675
6. Meng Kui Cafe 茗貴茶餐室
My friend has been to Kuching several times and recommended this old-school cafe. The cafe’s setting is quite old and a bit run down, but my friend’s suggestion convinced us to go there for breakfast.
We try three famous noodle dishes, the Sarawak laksa, Sarawak kolok mee, three-layered tea with gula apong, and their signature Heng Hua noodles. We have had similar noodles in Kuching, but this one is the best.
If you want to taste all these noodle dishes in one place, I strongly recommend Meng Kui Cafe.
Meng Kui Cafe
Lorong 2, 93100 Kuching, Sarawak
Business hours: 7.00 am to 2.00 am, close on Sunday
7. Lepau Restaurant
I decided to try out Lepau Restaurant after reading numerous positive reviews about it in some Kuching food and restaurant guides. The restaurant is conveniently located just a minute’s walk from our Abell Hotel.
The restaurant’s entrance and interior are beautifully decorated, with a mix of open-air and indoor seating. It was quite crowded, and we had to wait about twenty minutes to get a table as it was full. Although there was no air-conditioning, the weather was pleasant enough for us to dine comfortably.
While on our way to the restaurant, we ran into a group of West Malaysia tourists heading to Lepau. We ended up dining together and sharing our travel stories. It was a pleasant surprise to make new friends so easily!
We ordered classic local dishes, including terung asam fish, cangkuk manis fried rice, Fiona (Tepus) chicken, manok pansoh (bamboo chicken), and stir-fried midin. The food was tasty, but I still preferred the home-cooked meal we had the day before in Bidayu Kampung. Nevertheless, Lepau Restaurant is an excellent choice for trying all the local specialties in one place. It should be on the list of places to eat in Kuching, especially if you are not planning to dine with the indigenous people at the longhouse.
Lepau Restaurant
99, Jalan Ban Hock, 93100 Kuching, Sarawak
Opening hours: 11 am–2 pm, 6–10 pm, close on Sunday
8. Noodle descendants 面家汤
We were drawn to this noodle house due to its excellent reviews on Google and the signboard, which proudly stated that it has been in business since 1957. The restaurant’s quality must be good since it has stood the test for many years.
We want to go to Little Hainan, famous for the Hainanese chicken rice, which is the opposite of the road. However, it was closed today, so we are looking for an alternative. It didn’t disappoint us, Although it was not super excellent. One thing that attracted us was that the store only sells noodles. And the couple who cook and take the orders are already 60 or older.
Many customers were waiting patiently outside the shop during peak hours. We ordered the classic Sarawak street food, Kolok Mee and Kueh Chap, among the best quality.
Noodle Descendants
No. 188, Jalan Padungan, 93100 Kuching, Sarawak
Opening hours: 8.00 am to 1.00 pm daily
9. Ling Loong Seafood
Our last recommendation is Ling Loong Seafood, located at Top Spot Food Court. The food court is on the sixth floor of a building adjacent to Sheraton Kuching. What sets this food court apart is that all the vendors sell seafood exclusively. The Ling Loong Seafood store has two locations, numbered 6 and 33. When we visited, there were no available seats at number 6, so we opted for number 33 instead. We made this choice based on high recommendations from our friends.
We ordered stir-fried midin, sweet and sour chicken, grilled tiger prawns, and their signature fried oyster. The prawns were fresh, and the signature fried oyster is a unique and tasty dish you might not find in many other places. If you happen to visit Kuching, it’s one of the places to eat in Kuching worth trying.
Ling Loong Seafood
No.6 & 33 Ling Loong Seafood, 6th Floor, Topspot Food Court, off, Jln Padungan, 93100 Kuching, Sarawak
Opening hours: 4.30 pm to 9.30 pm
10, Chicago 7
Chicago 7 is not a gourmet restaurant and doesn’t offer any unique food that is only available in Sarawak. So, why should we include fast food chains in our list of food outlets to visit?
It’s all because of their unique menu combination. We have traveled to many different places, and we have never seen any fast food-style restaurant that offers things like fried chicken and burgers but also has a whole list of traditional Chinese cuisine that can usually only be found in Chinese restaurants.
We never even thought that we could order sweet and sour chicken and stir-fried Chinese broccoli in a McDonald’s look-alike fast food chain. So, we have all this Chinese food on top of our fried chicken and burgers for our late lunch.
What a unique menu combination! I wish they could open an outlet where I live, and I think they would flourish in a much bigger city like Kuala Lumpur.
Chicago 7
Jalan Song Thian Cheok, 93100 Kuching, Sarawak (There are many outlets besides this as it is a chain outlet)
11. Siniawan Night Market
During our trip to Wind Cave and Fairy Cave, we quickly stopped at the Siniawan Night Market before heading back to Kuching.
Located in the district of Bau, Siniawan is a small town with a distinct attraction to both locals and tourists, the night market, which takes place every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The market features many stores, but most are food stalls. The tables for diners are usually set up in the middle of the street, which creates a bustling atmosphere. However, since we arrived early and it was drizzling, the tables were not yet displayed in the photos we took.
The locals in the area are mostly Bidayuh and Chinese, which is reflected in the types of food and the design of the buildings. The Chinese influence is particularly evident in the wooden architecture, which gives the market the feel of an old Chinese village. It is one of the places to eat in Kuching that you must experience.
We tried a local pitcher plant rice (Lemang Periuk Kera) made using pitcher plants. The flavor is similar to Chinese Zongzi, but the aroma of the pitcher plant infuses the rice and other ingredients as it cooks. It sold out quickly, and the storekeeper told us that they would not be able to restock it anytime soon due to the limited supply of the plant and the time-consuming preparation process. This unique dish is a must-try when visiting Sarawak.
12. Other places to eat in Kuching that we missed
We tried most of the food we wanted during our trip to Kuching and its surroundings. However, due to our tight schedule and store closures, we missed some places we had planned to eat in Kuching.
Our friends highly recommended Little Hainan, a chicken rice restaurant, but unfortunately, it was closed during our visit. We were curious to try their Hainanese chicken rice and compare it to another similar chicken store we had tried.
We did try some pork satay at Bao, but it could have been better, as we randomly stopped by a store and had to rush to the Wind Cave before it closed.
Another dish we missed was the Belacan bee hoon, which consists of rice vermicelli drenched in Belacan gravy.
If you have found this article useful, you are likely planning a trip to Sarawak. We have visited many places in Sarawak before, and you may be interested in reading about our experiences in this region. You can read other articles we wrote about the places we have visited in Sarawak here.