Restaurants Never, Street Hawkers Forever!
Ipoh is surrounded by mountains. It is said that no matter where you stand and which direction you look, you’ll always be able to see the mountains in Ipoh. It is also said that Ipoh is full of beautiful girls with amazing skin thanks to the limestone-infused drinking water there.
Apart from that, Ipoh is also famous for its street food. From bean sprouts chicken to char kway teow, satay to Hakka mee, you’ll never run out of makan places here! We’ve compiled a list of 20 street food that you have to try when in the sleepy little town of Ipoh.
The name ‘Bean Sprout Chicken’ often confuses, leading people to think that those two ingredients are jointly used in a dish. In fact, the chicken and bean sprout are cooked separately in two equally mouth-watering dishes.
The steamed chicken skin is smooth and chewy, while the flesh is tender yet firm; whereas the bean sprouts are fat and crunchy. You can choose to have them with rice, or sweet and fresh kuey teow soup.
Address: 49, Jalan Yau Tet Shin, 30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: Daily for lunch and dinner
Supreme Prawn Dumpling Source
Prosperity Balls Source
Frequented by tourists and locals alike, Foh San Dim Sum is said to be one of the best dim sum shops in Ipoh. The fried food (especially the Stuffed Eggplants) are crunchy and irresistible.One of their most popular dishes is their Har Mai with succulent prawns wrapped in translucent dumpling skin.
Address: 51, Jalan Leong Sin Nam, 30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: Dim sum sold from 6:30am to 2pm
Contact: +605-2540308
Tau fu fah (soybean pudding) is a type of Chinese snack made of very soft tofu. Possibly one of the best Tau Fu Fah can be found in Funny Mountain, deemed the best in the world by 8TV. Bathed in a sugary concoction, the tau fu fah is warm and so smooth that it will slide down your throat.
Price: RM2.50/bowl
Address: Jalan Theatre, 30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: Daily from 10:30am to 7:30pm (subject to availability)
Start your day with a savoury bowl of hakka mee. The texture of the noodle is marvellous, as silky-smooth as bean curd skin.Garnished with minced pork that clings onto each stringy strand, this tantalising bowl of noodles has captured the hearts of Ipohans and tourists alike. You won’t be able to stop at one bowl!
Price: RM6/bowl
Address: 264, Jalan Sultan Iskandar, Hugh Low Street, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: Daily from 7am to 12pm
Most Ipoh locals would have heard about the grumpy uncle who serves Chee Cheong Fun in Caning Garden. His steamed rice noodle rolls are soft, and goes well with the condiments that ranges from mushroom and minced pork gravy to chilli sauce and sweet bean sauce. Yum.
Price: Regular serving RM2.50, large portion RM3.
Address: 27, Lorong Cecil Rae, Caning Garden, 31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: From morning until sold out, usually before noon.
Due to its location, it is also known as the Police Station Curry Mee. You can choose between mee, kuey teow and bihun. The curry broth is extremely spicy, tasting strongly of cardamom and Sichuan pepper. Their homemade char siew is heavenly, and when dipped in their special chilli sauce, it feels like fireworks in your mouth.
Price: From RM7/bowl
Address: 174, Jalan Sultan Iskandar, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Opening Hours: Daily from 7.30am to 12nn
Contact: +6016-531419
A delightful blend of sweet, fragrant prawn broth and shredded chicken, this Ipoh spin of the traditional kuey tiaw soup leaves an amazing aftertaste in your mouth. Before you know it, you’d have emptied the whole bowl of noodles.
Price: RM6/bowl
Address: 73, Jalan, Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Opening Hours: Fri to Wed 9.30am until late lunch | Closed on Thursday
Apart from their Kai Si Hor Fun, Thean Chun is also famous for their Caramel Egg Custard, and rightfully so. The caramel syrup is sugary without being cloying and the custard is extremely smooth. Sweet to the mouth and cooling to the throat, it definitely works to soothe your soul after exploring the Ipoh town under the hot sun.
Price: RM2.50
Address: 73, Jalan, Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: Fri to Wed 9.30am until late lunch | Closed on Thursday.
Step into either of the two coffee shops and you can pop over to the alley and order yourself a plate of sumptuous satay that’ll have you drooling. They serve pork satay, coagulated pork blood satay and pork innards; which is rare in Ipoh. Grilled with charcoal flames, the satay is extremely juicy.
Address: Between Kong Heng and Thean Chun Coffee Shop, Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
This salted chicken has a following of its own. Succulent and infused with the fragrance of Chinese herbs and angelica, this bird is not overwhelmingly salty and is best eaten with plain rice or on its own. This place even sells the chicken in a vaccuum pack which also makes this the perfect souvenir for tourists or people from other states!
Price: RM19 for one whole chicken
Address: 24, Jalan Theatre, 30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Contact: +605-2542998
They have a wide selection of yong tau fu, priced around RM0.80 each. The fish paste used is amazing, allowing the yong tau fu to be packed with flavours without having any fishy taste. You can choose to devour the yong tau fu with asam laksa, curry or clear broth noodles.
Address: 652, Jalan King, Pasir Pinji, 31650 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: Thurs to Tues 8.30am to 5.30 pm | Closed on Wednesdays.
Though their menu features a wide selection of noodle dishes, Tuck Kee is most known for its Wan Tan Hor. The egg sauce showered on the golden brown fried kuey tiaw is just the right consistency. A mouthful will leave you yearning for more! An egg is also slipped in at the last moment so that you would be able to taste a whole molten yolk.
Price: RM5/serving
Address: No 61, Jalan Yau Tet Shin, 30100 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: Opens from 5pm onwards until late night. Off days not fixed. Call to confirm.
Contact: +605-2537513
Apart from the aforementioned Wat Tan Hor, Tuck Kee is also known for its side dishes. The Blanched Baby Octopus is extremely chewy, a perfect fit for those looking to exercise their jaws. The blanched octopus is topped with fried garlic and served with crushed peanuts and tangy chilli sauce.
Price: RM10/serving
Address: No 61, Jalan Yau Tet Shin, 30100 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: Opens from 5pm onwards until late night. Off days not fixed. Call to confirm.
Contact: +605-2537513
Though many lament about the small serving, this artful combination of yellow mee and kuey tiaw is a favourite of many locals. The slightly charred noodles, together with bean sprouts and two prawns are topped with their signature golden egg omelette pataya-style.
Price: RM3.50/plate
Address: Restoran Sin Lean Lee, Corner of Jalan Bandar Timah and Jalan Panglima, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Opening Hours: Wed to Mon from morning until late afternoon | Closed on Tuesdays.
Pak Kong Chicken Rice is one of the lesser-known chicken rice and bean sprouts stalls in Ipoh. Prepare yourself for their snaking queues, but endure the wait and be rewarded with juicy, tender steamed chicken and soft rice tinted with chicken fat from the chicken cooking process.
They also offer other roasted meats like char siew (BBQ Pork Belly), siew yoke (roast pork), roast duck and more.
Address: Restoran Nasi Ayam Pak Kong, 27, Jalan Theatre, 30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 2.30pm
Upon arriving at Tong Sui Kai, walk past the less crowded areas and head toward Stall 41 for their to-die-for Mixed Fruit Shaved Ice with Ice Cream. The shaved ice is covered with fruits such as dragon fruit, longan, mango watermelon, honeydew; and also nuts, sago and ice-cream. An ideal frozen treat to beat the sweltering Malaysian heat.
Price: RM6/bowl
Address: Jalan Sultan Ekram Taman Jubilee, 30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Opening Hours: Daily from 6pm to 2am
Although it’s called Claypot Chicken Rice, you have the option of having your soy-infused rice with chicken, pork or salted fish, in any combination. Every mouthful of this savoury goodness will have you craving for more.
Address: 576, Lorong Bercham 4, Kampung Bercham, 31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: Fri to Wed from 5:30pm to 11pm | Closed on Thursdays
Contact: +60125171116
Their rojak contains cucumber, pineapples, unripe mangoes, dried cuttlefish and prawn crackers. Their homemade dipping sauce, served with finely-blended peanuts, is sweet with a hint of spiciness. To top it all off, their signature crunchy prawn crackers perfectly complement the fruity flavour of the rojak.
Address: 310, Jalan Simpang, 30020 Jelapang, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: Fri to Wed 11am to 6pm
Contact: 016-5001769
Sin Yong Loong is one of the earliest traditional Hainanese coffee shops, and the original white coffee outlet in Ipoh! You can’t visit Ipoh without having a taste of Ipoh’s famed drink. The white coffee here is fragrant, rich and frothy, with a slightly bitter aftertaste that is uniquely Nanyang.
Price: From RM2
Address: 15A, Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: Daily from 6.30am to 5.30pm
What better way to start your morning than good ol’ toast topped with melty egg yolks that ooze out when you sink your teeth through these egg toasts? Served with soy sauce and pepper, this is the epitome of tradidional breakfast foods. Eggs benedict, you’ve met your match.
Order this alongside a cuppa their Ipoh white coffee for a breakfast your stomach will certainly thank you for.
Price: From RM2
Address: 15A, Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: Daily from 6.30am to 5.30pm
Ask anyone, Ipoh’s street food is unmatched! Some of these dishes can only be found in here, so if you’re looking to embark on a makan trail in Malaysia, Ipoh’s a great place to start. If you’re dying to share some of your favourite hawker fare, do share with us down in the comments below!
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