What to eat in Kuching? — 10 best food in Kuching & must eat food in Kuching

Named a culinary capital in the East of Malaysia, Kuching is an attractive destination for gourmets and foodies. Kuching cuisine is a harmonious combination of traditional Malaysian food with European cuisine. So, what to eat in Kuching? Let’s check out our suggested top 10 best food in Kuching, famous food in Kuching including worth a try Kuching local food, must eat in Kuching, must eat food in Kuching to find out the answer! Let’s explore the 10 best dishes in Kuching today.

Must eat food in Kuching: Kolo Mee

Kolo Mee is a traditional food in Kuching in particular and Sarawak in general. This is also considered the most famous dish in Kuching. Wherever from roadside stalls to luxury restaurants you can find out Kolo Mee. This is truly the name of a dry noodle food which is set up in a very unique way to retain the moisture of the noodles and absorb the fat from the lard. The noodles are neatly arranged in a bowl, served with char siu, minced pork, wonton, vegetables and a little green onion.

In addition, Kolo Mee has another variant that is Ta Wan Kung Kolo Mee. Ta Wan Kung Kolo Mee is different from the regular Kolo Mee due to not minced pork. This makes the whole unique flavor of the noodles attached with the fatty aroma of the char siu, which you enjoy.

One of the must-try places in Kuching is Min Joo Café, which has been known as named Noodle Descendants. Here, Kolo Mee is served with organ soup (including seaweed, fish cakes, and some offal of pigs). An average price of Kolo Mee is around RM4 to RM10  /0.90-2.25 USD

What to eat in Kuching: Sarawak Laska

If you are a fan of vermicelli food, please try Laksa in Kuching right now. In Malaysia, Laska has many variations, however, Sarawak Laska is always highly appreciated and loved by many diners. Laska is made from vermicelli with tropical ingredients such as chicken, fried egg, shrimp, galangal, lemongrass and coconut milk. A special feature is that the chef can accompany bean sprouts or add some other spices according to your request. Shrimp and coconut, are two unrelated ingredients into consideration, but they combine to make a bowl of vermicelli with an incredibly sweet and fragrant broth.

If you would like to try Sarawak Laska, don’t miss out Chong Choon Coffee. You may have to wait for a quite long time, otherwise, you will disappoint the taste of Laska.

Opening hour: 6:30 am to 12:00 pm
Price: about RM6 to RM10/1.35-2.25 USD per a bowl
Address: 331, Jalan Abell, 93100 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

Must eat in Kuching: Sarawak Kueh Chap

Along with Sarawak Laska and Kolo Moe, Sarawak Kueh Chap is loved much by locals and visitors as well. If you don’t know what Kueh Chap is, it is a long-standing Malaysian traditional food, including noodles with a broth made from stewed pork (pork is used for different parts). The parts in the broth are treated and processed separately before being cooked together, therefore the color and flavor of Kueh Chap are always rich.

According to Justfly’s experience, to enjoy a delicious bowl of Kueh Chap at an affordable price, you can visit Woon Lam Cafe 1999. The distinct Kueh Chap at Woon Lam Cafe from other shops in comparison is that the owner himself chooses the freshest pork part every morning.

Opening hour: 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, closed on Thursdays.
Price: about RM6/1.35 USD per small bowl.
Address: 187-189, Jalan Song Thian Cheok, 93100 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

Must eat food in Kuching: Pork Satay

Next on the list is roasted pork tenderloin with peanut sauce, which is very popular in the cities of Malaysia. This dish has anciently originated from India, introduced to Malaysia by immigrants. Pork Satay has merely adjusted the recipe and sauce, making the food varying from the original, as well as suitable for the taste of Malaysians.

The authentic Pork Satay must have the aroma of galangal and lemongrass deeply marinated around the grilled meat and the fatty, fleshy taste of peanut sauce. In addition, some restaurants where visitors can choose beef, chicken, or lamb instead of pork. Pork Satay served with coconut rice is also very delicious.

The price of Pork Satay is around RM5 to RM7 (1.12–1.57 USD), depending on the meals or selling places.

Best food in Kuching: Sarawak Coffee

Coffee in Kuching is made from Liberica beans (some places in Vietnam call Jackfruit coffee). This is one of the popular coffee beans popularly grown in the Bidayuh lowlands and Chinese villages in Southern Sarawak.

Coffee in Kuching is always stranger than other places in flavor because they often blend Liberica beans with other coffee beans such as Robusta or Arabica in a certain ratio to make a little sour or some other types of coffee beans to create their flavor. Let’s order yourself a morning cup of coffee at the local cafes on the Kuching riversides. Their flavors surely impressed you.

Famous food in Kuching: Gula Apong Ice Cream

The soft, fragrant and cold Gula Apong ice cream will be extremely suitable food for a stroll along the Kuching River. The ingredients for Gula Apong ice cream are similar to other popular ice creams. The unique variation is in the sugar, which makes this ice cream called “Gula Apong”. Therefore, it is not deep-sweet like the other cane sugar ice creams, but instead of being gently tasty. As a result, the persons who do have not a sweet tooth also love this ice cream.

The price of Gula Apong ice cream is around RM2 to RM5 (0.45-1.12 USD). You can also visit Jalan Chan Chin Ann, Kuching 93100 to enjoy, the restaurant is open from 4 pm to 10 pm daily.

Kuching local food: Sarawak Umai

As a city located on the island, it is not surprising that The dishes are made from raw fish in Kuching. Umai is a traditional Sarawak food with ingredients of thinly sliced raw fish, mixed with onion, a little chili and lime juice. The ingredients are simple, otherwise, they make a fresh and sweet taste of the initially cooked raw fish spread in the mouth.

If you visit Kuching in the hot summer, this is an effective cooling dish. Since this is a dish similar to Vietnamese fish salad, please consider whether you can eat raw food or not before cooking. Umai is usually sold at outdoor food courts in Kuching, therefore it is relatively easy to find out.

Best food in Kuching: Midin

Midin, the Midin fern, also known as Bilin, is a Fiddlehead fern that only grows in the humid areas of Sarawak. This is a dish that you can look out for in Kuching and a few other localities in Sarawak, Malaysia.

Fiddlehead ferns are harvested when they are still young leaves and cooked as a vegetable type. Until cooked, they have a viscosity similar to spinach, but are tougher and are good for health as they help nourish cells, contain high iron and fiber, many vitamins and minerals, as well as Omega-3 and Omega- 6. The food is proper to eat with white rice.

Kueh Lapis

This is a renowned cake in Kuching. The cake includes different layers with distinct colors and flavors in the same loaf, creating both taste and visual delight. The cake is baked in separate layers to keep the flavor intact before putting it back together into a complete cake.

This is also a cake for many tourists’ to purchase as gifts for relatives and family on their occasion to Kuching. The most famous bakery for Kueh Lapis in Kuching is Mira Cake House. You can get there by car or boat, almost tourist guides or drivers know this shop.

What to eat in Kuching: Kong Pia

Known as Foochow Bagels, Kong Pia is a traditional pastry with sweet meat inside. The cake is small in size and has a flat and chewy shape. The main ingredients for making this food are very basic including flour, salt, water and sesame seeds. Initially, the cake is quite soft, but the cake becomes chewier through a relatively different baking process. The cake will be the best at the freshly baking time. You should not buy the cooled cake or request the cooks to warm up the cakes before eating to ensure the taste.

Above are the top 10 best dishes in Kuching, Malaysia that you cannot miss. Besides these dishes, if you have the opportunity to travel to Kuching around July and August every year, you can also visit the food fair held yearly. At this place, you can enjoy almost all of the best dishes of Kuching in particular and Malaysia in general. Sometimes, you shall explore the cuisine of Korea, Taiwan and some other Asian countries at this place.

Meanwhile, this is not only a culinary fair but also a festival, where special cultural activities are performed, imbued with the Malaysian cultural identity. Wish you have a great experience in Kuching, Malaysia.

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in, from and to Kuching you can refer to

• Private Kuching International Airport Transfers (KCH) for Kuching City
• Semenggoh Wildlife Centre Half Day Trip from Kuching
• Sarawak Cultural Village Half Day Tour from Kuching
• Bako National Park with Sea Stack Formation Day Tour in Kuching
• Kuching City and Sarawak River Half Day Tour
• Kidzooona Ticket in Sarawak
• Sarawak Santubong Wetland Wildlife Cruise with Fireflies Watching
• Cycling Tour in Kuching
• Kuching Chinese Heritage Trail Day Tour
• Gunung Gading National Park Day Tour in Sarawak
• Signature Sunset Cruise Experience in Kuching
• [SALE] 4G Prepaid SIM Card (MY Airports Pick Up) for Malaysia
• 4G WiFi (MY Airport Pick Up) for Malaysia

Read more Malaysia guide here.