Best Halal Food Kuala Lumpur: KLCC Restaurants, Cafe Espresso, Little Penang Cafe and De Wan
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Kuala Lumpur halal food guide part 5 maps KLCC and airport-area halal restaurants, including Cafe Espresso, Taste of India, Chicken Chop Station, Little Penang Cafe, PADI HOUSE, BAPE CAFE, Burger & Lobster, YUZU, Kenny Hills, De Wan, and more places the author tried during a 20-day Malaysia trip.
I spent the 2025 New Year in Malaysia for 20 days. I mostly stayed around KLCC. After my previous posts on halal food in Kuala Lumpur, I finally feel like I understand the food scene around the Petronas Twin Towers. The restaurant scene in Malaysia is very competitive. I have only recommended five lists so far, and some restaurants from the earlier ones have already closed. Still, the turnover is slower than in Beijing. When it comes to how competitive the restaurant industry is, if China claims second place, no other country would dare claim first.
1. CAFE ESPRESSO
2. TASTE OF INDIA
3. CHICKEN CHOP STATION
4. Mengda Mini Bowl
5. Little Penang Cafe (Xiao Bingcheng Meishiguan)
6. PADI HOUSE
7. Dotty’s
8. BAPE CAFE
9. BURGER & LOBSTER
10. BUNGKUS KAWKAW
11. YUZU
12. Old Oil Ghost (Lao You Gui Gui)
13. Chateraise
14. XVI
15. KENNY HILLS
16. De Wan
1. CAFE ESPRESSO
This cafe is near the boarding gates after security for international departures at Kuala Lumpur Airport. The airport has two security checks. There is a simple check when you enter, and a stricter one near the boarding gates. You cannot bring drinks through the second check, even if you bought them at the airport. I once had to throw away a coffee I just bought because I was told I could not bring it through.
Luckily, the coffee at this cafe after the final security check tastes great and is cheap. If you want coffee at Kuala Lumpur Airport, it is best to buy it at the boarding gate. If you buy it before security, remember to leave at least half an hour to reach the gate because the security line can be long.
2. TASTE OF INDIA
This shop is in the dining area after the first security check for international departures at Kuala Lumpur Airport. It is an Indian-style fast food restaurant that is very popular with passengers. You often have to wait in line during meal times. A biryani rice set costs about 40 RMB. It tastes very good, though the portion is small.
3. CHICKEN CHOP STATION
On the G floor of Wisma Central—the G floor is what we call the first floor in China; if you press 1 in a Kuala Lumpur elevator, you actually go to the second floor—there is an Italian fast food restaurant. It is packed every noon because the food is delicious and cheap. A meal costs no more than 10 Malaysian Ringgit.
My son loves pasta and french fries, especially pasta in different shapes. This shop is very close to me, so I buy them for him. The shop has no menu. You just grab a plate, pick what you want to eat, and then walk to the cashier to pay. They also have free drinks.
This big combo plate only costs 10 yuan. If you just buy pasta for your child, it only costs 5 yuan.
4. Mengda Mini Bowl
Right next to the pasta shop, there is a newly opened Chinese halal small-bowl dish (xiaowancai) restaurant called Mengda. Mengda refers to Mengda Mountain in Xunhua Salar Autonomous County, Qinghai Province, which is a Salar community. This shop is run by Salar people from Qinghai and is owned by the same people as the Lanzhou hand-pulled noodle (lamian) shop next door.
Small-bowl dishes are various Chinese stir-fries served in small bowls for you to choose from. This lets you try several dishes in one meal without wasting food. Mengda small-bowl dishes are mostly salty, fresh, and spicy Sichuan-style, which is a flavor Southeast Asians enjoy.
In the small-bowl dish shop, you can also order from the noodle shop menu next door because the two shops are connected. Besides Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles, the noodle shop has various stir-fried noodles, mixed noodles, big plate chicken (dapanji), dumplings, and kebabs. The food is very good and the business is busy. Friends who are not used to Southeast Asian food can come here to eat.
The small-bowl dish shop also has a drink bar with various lemon teas, fruit teas, and other drinks. People in tropical regions love drinking beverages and pair them with every meal. The restaurant is easy to find. It is right next to the KLCC Twin Towers, in the street-level shops of the Central Building.
5. Little Penang Cafe (Xiao Bingcheng Meishiguan)
Since I spend all my time near the KLCC Twin Towers, my daily life revolves around this area. I have almost eaten at every restaurant inside the Twin Towers. The food inside the Twin Towers is generally fine. I have never seen any restaurant here sell pork. I only saw one area in the Isetan supermarket on the B1 floor marked for non-halal food, and the only non-halal meat there is pork.
This shop is on the 4th floor of the Twin Towers. You can guess from the name that it is a Nyonya restaurant. It is very busy at lunchtime and you have to wait in line.
Their food is really delicious. This combo meal only costs a little over 20 Malaysian ringgit, which is a better deal than what we ate in Penang. Nyonya food is mostly salty and spicy, which is very suitable for friends from the south to try.
6. PADI HOUSE
I posted on social media that I was visiting a lot of cafes for this food map. Because of my job, I can work from anywhere in the world as long as I have internet. These cafes have air conditioning, WiFi, and the drinks are very cheap—about half the price of those in Beijing. I love that I can eat and drink there.
This is my favorite shop. It is right at the entrance of the Isetan mall and connects to the Petronas Twin Towers. I really like their healthy breakfast. It starts at 7:30 a.m., which is very early for Kuala Lumpur, where most shops do not open until after 10:00 a.m.
Breakfast is served all day until 10:00 p.m. This soft-boiled hot spring egg (onsen tamago) is one of the things I eat for breakfast. The set costs 10 ringgit and includes a cup of coffee.
If it is not mealtime, I like to order two drinks: a coffee and a juice. The juice is 10 ringgit and the coffee is 5 to 7 ringgit, totaling about 20 yuan. In Beijing, this combination of fresh juice and coffee would cost at least 50 yuan.
I can stay here all afternoon. If I get hungry from drinking, I order a snack. My son loves these crispy shrimp crackers (xiapian).
7. Dotty’s
Dotty’s is right across from Padi. I don't think the drinks at Dotty’s are as good as Padi’s, and it is too noisy inside. Locals seem to prefer Dotty’s. Neither shop sells alcohol; they are Western-style cafes that also serve simple Malaysian-style meals.
The drink prices here are a little higher than at Padi. A small can of mixed fruit juice costs over 20 ringgit, and the coffee tastes very average. I only came here once and go to Padi every other time.
8. BAPE CAFE
Bape is a trendy Japanese clothing brand, which stands for a bathing ape. Bape is considered the high-end line of Aape. I was surprised to find they opened a cafe in Kuala Lumpur.
This cafe doesn't look fancy at all, the prices are very affordable, and I found the taste of the drinks quite ordinary.
They serve light meals, coffee, and desserts, so I ordered a piece of chocolate that features their brand logo.
To be honest, it wasn't very good, so I only ate half. This piece of chocolate cost about 40 RMB.
The coffee was also very average, and I don't like using these disposable cups. The shop is on the G floor of the Petronas Twin Towers, near the entrance to the KLCC Park fountain.
9. BURGER & LOBSTER
Next to Bape is this American burger and lobster restaurant, both located at the G floor entrance of the Twin Towers. I have only tried their burgers, which are truly delicious and high quality, but they are expensive. This burger costs about 100 RMB.
10. BUNGKUS KAWKAW
There is a very popular pulled tea (teh tarik) shop on the B1 floor of the Twin Towers. Pulled tea is Malaysian milk tea. I have had it a few times and it is really tasty and cheap, costing only 5 MYR per cup with many flavors to choose from.
The shop is always busy and full of customers, so I usually get it to go and grab one of their signature snacks to go with it.
11. YUZU
This is a Japanese restaurant on the 4th floor of the Twin Towers. There are at least four Japanese restaurants in the Twin Towers, and each one has a slightly different style.
I think this place offers good value for money with many set meal options. This combo set includes various classic Japanese dishes and even wagyu beef, where you can choose how you want it cooked. It costs about 130 RMB in total, but the portion is a bit small; someone with a big appetite could probably eat two sets.
12. Old Oil Ghost (Lao You Gui Gui)
Every morning after I drop my son off at kindergarten, I go to this nearby Old Oil Ghost (Lao You Gui Gui) for breakfast. This is a chain brand that sells Chinese-style soy milk, fried dough sticks (youtiao), tofu pudding (doufuhua), and porridge.
They make the dried scallop porridge in the Cantonese dim sum style. The tofu pudding is sweet, and with a fried dough stick, the whole breakfast costs about 10 Malaysian Ringgit.
Old Oil Ghost is a chain, so you can find many locations by searching on a map.
13. Chateraise
This is a cake shop that uses imported Japanese ingredients. I ordered my son's third birthday cake here. The school allows birthday celebrations and small gifts for the children, but they don't allow candy, chocolate, or nuts. Cake and fruit are fine.
Japanese dairy products are very high quality. I once ate local dairy in Hokkaido, and I still remember how good it tasted.
You can order a cake and pick it up the same day. A 21cm fruit cake costs only 170 RMB, which is much cheaper than in Beijing.
This was Fahim's first birthday in Malaysia and the most formal one he has ever had.
14. XVI
There is a cafe near Asy-Syakirin Mosque, and the back of the shop faces the mosque at KLCC.
Sometimes I sit here in the morning, order a coffee, and watch the people walking by on their way to work at the Petronas Twin Towers. Their coffee and bread taste good, and a breakfast set costs 10 yuan.
15. KENNY HILLS
This shop seems to be a famous local dessert chain in Kuala Lumpur. There are two near where I live, and this one is close to Ampang Kindergarten. It is where I go for breakfast after dropping off my child.
The shop is very busy during breakfast hours. The prices are not cheap, but the portions are large.
For two people to have two healthy breakfasts, each with a coffee, it costs about 150 yuan.
16. De Wan
There is a very famous Michelin-rated restaurant in Ampang Shopping Centre that specializes in Malaysian cuisine. Malaysian cuisine here refers to a fusion of Malay, Indian, and Chinese Nyonya dishes.
This restaurant is near my apartment complex. I used to pass by it often but never realized how big it was inside.
The founder, Chef Wan, seems to be quite famous in Malaysia.
The restaurant has a great atmosphere and excellent service. The prices are on the expensive side for the area, with an average cost of about 100 Malaysian ringgit per person.
I can tell their food is authentic, but I don't really like dishes with such heavy seasoning.
Fahim likes the complimentary crispy peanut crackers (huasheng cuibing) they serve.
The fish curry and beef rendang (rendang niurou) are both great with rice. They are fresh, fragrant, and spicy, but the heavy seasoning hides the natural taste of the ingredients. As a tourist, it is a fun experience to try once in a while.
Summary: This Kuala Lumpur halal food guide part 5 maps KLCC and airport-area halal restaurants, including Cafe Espresso, Taste of India, Chicken Chop Station, Little Penang Cafe, PADI HOUSE, BAPE CAFE, Burger & Lobster, YUZU, Kenny Hills, De Wan, and more places the author tried during a 20-day Malaysia trip.
I spent the 2025 New Year in Malaysia for 20 days. I mostly stayed around KLCC. After my previous posts on halal food in Kuala Lumpur, I finally feel like I understand the food scene around the Petronas Twin Towers. The restaurant scene in Malaysia is very competitive. I have only recommended five lists so far, and some restaurants from the earlier ones have already closed. Still, the turnover is slower than in Beijing. When it comes to how competitive the restaurant industry is, if China claims second place, no other country would dare claim first.
1. CAFE ESPRESSO
2. TASTE OF INDIA
3. CHICKEN CHOP STATION
4. Mengda Mini Bowl
5. Little Penang Cafe (Xiao Bingcheng Meishiguan)
6. PADI HOUSE
7. Dotty’s
8. BAPE CAFE
9. BURGER & LOBSTER
10. BUNGKUS KAWKAW
11. YUZU
12. Old Oil Ghost (Lao You Gui Gui)
13. Chateraise
14. XVI
15. KENNY HILLS
16. De Wan
1. CAFE ESPRESSO
This cafe is near the boarding gates after security for international departures at Kuala Lumpur Airport. The airport has two security checks. There is a simple check when you enter, and a stricter one near the boarding gates. You cannot bring drinks through the second check, even if you bought them at the airport. I once had to throw away a coffee I just bought because I was told I could not bring it through.
Luckily, the coffee at this cafe after the final security check tastes great and is cheap. If you want coffee at Kuala Lumpur Airport, it is best to buy it at the boarding gate. If you buy it before security, remember to leave at least half an hour to reach the gate because the security line can be long.
2. TASTE OF INDIA
This shop is in the dining area after the first security check for international departures at Kuala Lumpur Airport. It is an Indian-style fast food restaurant that is very popular with passengers. You often have to wait in line during meal times. A biryani rice set costs about 40 RMB. It tastes very good, though the portion is small.
3. CHICKEN CHOP STATION
On the G floor of Wisma Central—the G floor is what we call the first floor in China; if you press 1 in a Kuala Lumpur elevator, you actually go to the second floor—there is an Italian fast food restaurant. It is packed every noon because the food is delicious and cheap. A meal costs no more than 10 Malaysian Ringgit.
My son loves pasta and french fries, especially pasta in different shapes. This shop is very close to me, so I buy them for him. The shop has no menu. You just grab a plate, pick what you want to eat, and then walk to the cashier to pay. They also have free drinks.
This big combo plate only costs 10 yuan. If you just buy pasta for your child, it only costs 5 yuan.
4. Mengda Mini Bowl
Right next to the pasta shop, there is a newly opened Chinese halal small-bowl dish (xiaowancai) restaurant called Mengda. Mengda refers to Mengda Mountain in Xunhua Salar Autonomous County, Qinghai Province, which is a Salar community. This shop is run by Salar people from Qinghai and is owned by the same people as the Lanzhou hand-pulled noodle (lamian) shop next door.
Small-bowl dishes are various Chinese stir-fries served in small bowls for you to choose from. This lets you try several dishes in one meal without wasting food. Mengda small-bowl dishes are mostly salty, fresh, and spicy Sichuan-style, which is a flavor Southeast Asians enjoy.
In the small-bowl dish shop, you can also order from the noodle shop menu next door because the two shops are connected. Besides Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles, the noodle shop has various stir-fried noodles, mixed noodles, big plate chicken (dapanji), dumplings, and kebabs. The food is very good and the business is busy. Friends who are not used to Southeast Asian food can come here to eat.
The small-bowl dish shop also has a drink bar with various lemon teas, fruit teas, and other drinks. People in tropical regions love drinking beverages and pair them with every meal. The restaurant is easy to find. It is right next to the KLCC Twin Towers, in the street-level shops of the Central Building.
5. Little Penang Cafe (Xiao Bingcheng Meishiguan)
Since I spend all my time near the KLCC Twin Towers, my daily life revolves around this area. I have almost eaten at every restaurant inside the Twin Towers. The food inside the Twin Towers is generally fine. I have never seen any restaurant here sell pork. I only saw one area in the Isetan supermarket on the B1 floor marked for non-halal food, and the only non-halal meat there is pork.
This shop is on the 4th floor of the Twin Towers. You can guess from the name that it is a Nyonya restaurant. It is very busy at lunchtime and you have to wait in line.
Their food is really delicious. This combo meal only costs a little over 20 Malaysian ringgit, which is a better deal than what we ate in Penang. Nyonya food is mostly salty and spicy, which is very suitable for friends from the south to try.
6. PADI HOUSE
I posted on social media that I was visiting a lot of cafes for this food map. Because of my job, I can work from anywhere in the world as long as I have internet. These cafes have air conditioning, WiFi, and the drinks are very cheap—about half the price of those in Beijing. I love that I can eat and drink there.
This is my favorite shop. It is right at the entrance of the Isetan mall and connects to the Petronas Twin Towers. I really like their healthy breakfast. It starts at 7:30 a.m., which is very early for Kuala Lumpur, where most shops do not open until after 10:00 a.m.
Breakfast is served all day until 10:00 p.m. This soft-boiled hot spring egg (onsen tamago) is one of the things I eat for breakfast. The set costs 10 ringgit and includes a cup of coffee.
If it is not mealtime, I like to order two drinks: a coffee and a juice. The juice is 10 ringgit and the coffee is 5 to 7 ringgit, totaling about 20 yuan. In Beijing, this combination of fresh juice and coffee would cost at least 50 yuan.
I can stay here all afternoon. If I get hungry from drinking, I order a snack. My son loves these crispy shrimp crackers (xiapian).
7. Dotty’s
Dotty’s is right across from Padi. I don't think the drinks at Dotty’s are as good as Padi’s, and it is too noisy inside. Locals seem to prefer Dotty’s. Neither shop sells alcohol; they are Western-style cafes that also serve simple Malaysian-style meals.
The drink prices here are a little higher than at Padi. A small can of mixed fruit juice costs over 20 ringgit, and the coffee tastes very average. I only came here once and go to Padi every other time.
8. BAPE CAFE
Bape is a trendy Japanese clothing brand, which stands for a bathing ape. Bape is considered the high-end line of Aape. I was surprised to find they opened a cafe in Kuala Lumpur.
This cafe doesn't look fancy at all, the prices are very affordable, and I found the taste of the drinks quite ordinary.
They serve light meals, coffee, and desserts, so I ordered a piece of chocolate that features their brand logo.
To be honest, it wasn't very good, so I only ate half. This piece of chocolate cost about 40 RMB.
The coffee was also very average, and I don't like using these disposable cups. The shop is on the G floor of the Petronas Twin Towers, near the entrance to the KLCC Park fountain.
9. BURGER & LOBSTER
Next to Bape is this American burger and lobster restaurant, both located at the G floor entrance of the Twin Towers. I have only tried their burgers, which are truly delicious and high quality, but they are expensive. This burger costs about 100 RMB.
10. BUNGKUS KAWKAW
There is a very popular pulled tea (teh tarik) shop on the B1 floor of the Twin Towers. Pulled tea is Malaysian milk tea. I have had it a few times and it is really tasty and cheap, costing only 5 MYR per cup with many flavors to choose from.
The shop is always busy and full of customers, so I usually get it to go and grab one of their signature snacks to go with it.
11. YUZU
This is a Japanese restaurant on the 4th floor of the Twin Towers. There are at least four Japanese restaurants in the Twin Towers, and each one has a slightly different style.
I think this place offers good value for money with many set meal options. This combo set includes various classic Japanese dishes and even wagyu beef, where you can choose how you want it cooked. It costs about 130 RMB in total, but the portion is a bit small; someone with a big appetite could probably eat two sets.
12. Old Oil Ghost (Lao You Gui Gui)
Every morning after I drop my son off at kindergarten, I go to this nearby Old Oil Ghost (Lao You Gui Gui) for breakfast. This is a chain brand that sells Chinese-style soy milk, fried dough sticks (youtiao), tofu pudding (doufuhua), and porridge.
They make the dried scallop porridge in the Cantonese dim sum style. The tofu pudding is sweet, and with a fried dough stick, the whole breakfast costs about 10 Malaysian Ringgit.
Old Oil Ghost is a chain, so you can find many locations by searching on a map.
13. Chateraise
This is a cake shop that uses imported Japanese ingredients. I ordered my son's third birthday cake here. The school allows birthday celebrations and small gifts for the children, but they don't allow candy, chocolate, or nuts. Cake and fruit are fine.
Japanese dairy products are very high quality. I once ate local dairy in Hokkaido, and I still remember how good it tasted.
You can order a cake and pick it up the same day. A 21cm fruit cake costs only 170 RMB, which is much cheaper than in Beijing.
This was Fahim's first birthday in Malaysia and the most formal one he has ever had.
14. XVI
There is a cafe near Asy-Syakirin Mosque, and the back of the shop faces the mosque at KLCC.
Sometimes I sit here in the morning, order a coffee, and watch the people walking by on their way to work at the Petronas Twin Towers. Their coffee and bread taste good, and a breakfast set costs 10 yuan.
15. KENNY HILLS
This shop seems to be a famous local dessert chain in Kuala Lumpur. There are two near where I live, and this one is close to Ampang Kindergarten. It is where I go for breakfast after dropping off my child.
The shop is very busy during breakfast hours. The prices are not cheap, but the portions are large.
For two people to have two healthy breakfasts, each with a coffee, it costs about 150 yuan.
16. De Wan
There is a very famous Michelin-rated restaurant in Ampang Shopping Centre that specializes in Malaysian cuisine. Malaysian cuisine here refers to a fusion of Malay, Indian, and Chinese Nyonya dishes.
This restaurant is near my apartment complex. I used to pass by it often but never realized how big it was inside.
The founder, Chef Wan, seems to be quite famous in Malaysia.
The restaurant has a great atmosphere and excellent service. The prices are on the expensive side for the area, with an average cost of about 100 Malaysian ringgit per person.
I can tell their food is authentic, but I don't really like dishes with such heavy seasoning.
Fahim likes the complimentary crispy peanut crackers (huasheng cuibing) they serve.
The fish curry and beef rendang (rendang niurou) are both great with rice. They are fresh, fragrant, and spicy, but the heavy seasoning hides the natural taste of the ingredients. As a tourist, it is a fun experience to try once in a while.
