The Ipoh Food Guide – Where to Eat the Best Street Food in Ipoh?

Updated: 11 February 2020

Bean sprouts chicken, white coffee, hakka mee, assam laksa, chicken rice, satay, rojak, beancurd, cuttlefish, char kway teow, caramel custard, chendol… Ipoh is best known for its hawker fare — some of which are hard to find anywhere else. People here usually drive around for makan, walking is really impossible. Here is a guide on where to eat in Ipoh, featuring some of my personal favourites.

Restoran Cathay (国泰茶餐室)

Finding this place was quite a challenge using Google maps as it was marked in a different location and the Grab driver nearly took us to the wrong location. So it is better to type the full address instead of the coffeeshop name. I haven’t had enough Hakka mee to compare but I like the friendliness of the stall owner. Hakka Mee is a favourite breakfast among many Ipoh-reans. You just have to order single portion, one and a half portion or double portion, then they will pick the different yong tau foo items for you. The eggy noodles are topped with a scoop of minced meat seasoned with soy sauce and fish sauce. The chicken chop at the coffeeshop is also very popular. The tender chicken thigh is coated in crisp batter and drowned in tasty tomato-based sauce with some onions, peas and fried potatoes. Don’t forget to get a coffee and french toast too!

Kedai Kopi Keng Nam

There are really unlimited breakfast options in Ipoh. After a disappointing dim sum experience at Ming Court, we head to Kedai Kopi Keng Nam for round two. This typical Hainanese coffee shop has got many good food run by different stall owners. Besides ordering the popular curry noodles and chee cheong fun, you should also grab a cup of white coffee and kaya glutinous rice. Similar to Kuih Pulut Tekan except that they don’t use blue pea flowers, the soft and slightly chewy glutinous rice is topped with fragrant homemade kaya. We also had the classic half boiled egg on toast, which locals call it “Dan Zhi”. Nothing extraordinary to be honest, we were just intrigued by the name. For coffee, I still prefer Sin Yoon Loong’s version.

Kedai Makanan Chuan Fatt

Ipoh’s curry noodles are unique, not only for its thick Indian-style curry soup, but also for its silky-smooth hor fun with roasted pork and char siew. Chuan Fatt is the curry mee legend in Pasir Puteh. The noodles are coated with a creamy aromatic curry sauce. It’s so rich that I don’t think I can eat it for breakfast, but not a bad idea for lunch! You can pair your curry noodles with a plate of crispy roast pork and fried chicken by the side. They are fried to perfection — crisp exterior, thin layer of greasy fat and juicy, flavourful meat. The sio bak is juicy and tender, with crispy skin crackling that is hard to resist. They serve this with some curry dipping sauce to coat the chicken.

Sin Yoon Loong

Sin Yoon Loong is started by Mr Wong Poh Chew, a Hainanese who emigrated from China to Malaysia in his early twenties in search of greener pastures. He was employed as a chef by a British man in a restaurant where they served local and Western food. After years of hard work and with some savings, he decided to venture out into starting his own food business. In 1937, Wong together with his brother Wong Poh Ting opened ‘Kedai Kopi Sin Yoon Loong’, one of the oldest traditional Hainanese coffee shops in Ipoh old town. They served quality hot and cold beverages, toasts with kaya, Chinese sponge cakes and other local delights.

The brothers are very passionate about serving superior coffee and every morning, this coffee shop is packed by patrons coming for their famous coffee. It’s velvety smooth and very aromatic. It’s recommended that you opt for a side of kaya toast to go with your order of coffee to complete the experience. Because it is a very old coffeeshop, you will have a chance to meet some old folks while having breakfast.

Big Tree Foot (Dai Shu Geok)

How many times have you dine under a tree? I probably have done it once when I was having Da Jia Fa Duck Rice in JB. Now I have done it again at Ipoh. This yong tau foo stall (忠记兵如港口大树头炸料粉) is the most memorable meal I had in Ipoh when I visited in 2014. And when I am back the second time (2020), nothing much has changed and the assam laksa is still great. So you pick your yong tau foo pieces (RM0.50 each) and choose your noodles – kway teow soup or assam laksa. The yong tau foo items are mostly deep-fried with fresh fish paste. One of the must try is the turnip fritter which is similar to hash brown. I love the assam laksa combination, the tangy fish broth teases and tantalizes the taste buds. Seriously, why didn’t any hawkers in Singapore sell assam laksa with yong tau foo?

Nasi Kandar Ayam Merah

Operating in a Chinese-owned coffee shop named Kedai Kopi Yong Suan, it is inarguably one of the most popular nasi kandar in Ipoh. The stall was started by Mr. Mohamed Nihmatullah Syed Mustaffa’s grandfather in 1957. Today, people start flocking to the coffee shop as early as 11am for Nasi Ganja. Don’t get confused by the two names, Nasi Ganja is just another name for Nasi Kandar and somehow the locals adopted it as the nickname for the stall here.

You must definitely order the ayam merah, which they take 8 hours to prepare. The breast meat is pretty hard, to just go for the tender drumstick. I had the ayam merah, sambal kelapa & salted egg topped with some achar. The curry goes really well with the fried chicken and the salted egg is an good addition to the nasi kandar. The mint chutney is their secret weapon and it works magic with every dish. The curry combination is another winning factor. I don’t really like to have too much gravy in the rice but this time, my whole plate is literally drenched and I am not complaining. Parking may be a problem here though, so clear your plates quick and leave.

Lou Wong Bean Sprout Chicken

Ipoh is a hotspot for bean sprouts chicken “Ngah Choy Kai” (芽菜雞). At Taman Jubilee, there are two popular shops that sell bean sprout chicken. One of them is Lou Wang (老黃芽菜雞). Honestly speaking, I think it tastes not bad from a tourist’s point of view.

Using free-range chicken, Lou Wong’s steamed chicken’s skin had this slippery smooth texture and tender yet firm flesh. But if you don’t like kampong chicken, you will not like it here (perhaps Onn Kee works better for you). Ipoh’s hard water from the limestone hills surrounding the Kinta Valley has allowed its bean sprouts that grow here to be crunchy and succulent. Slurping on the smooth hor fun and crunchy bean sprouts, together with the tangy chilli and tender chicken, makes it a perfect lunch. The chicken rice here is milder and less oily, which works perfectly for me. Oh, this is also a good supper venue as they close at 12am.

Funny Mountain Soya Bean & Tau Fu Fah

I don’t know why Funny Mountain Soya Bean & Tau Fu Fah has such a funny name. But heck, their beancurd is really good! You may not agree with me and you may think it is a tourist trap. Well, during my most recent trip back to Ipoh, I had the chance to try at least 4 other beancurd stalls and I honestly still prefer Funny mountain. It’s so good that I want to have a bowl every single day I am in Ipoh. They do traditional beancurd which is so soft, so smooth and so cheap. Of course, portion is small so I had to eat 2 or 3 bowls at one go.

The Tan brothers have been running this place since the 50s. Something unique here is, you can either stop your vehicle in front of the stall, signal a little and the workers will deliver your orders. Or if you are not that lazy, walk to the stall and get your drinks after a short wait. The beancurd literally melts in my mouth. Can’t wait to go back to it again!

Restoran Thean Chun

This is one of the coffeeshops worth going because they have a variety of good food there. We had quite a feast here, from chee cheong fun to the famous kai see hor fun, pork satay, wantan mee and caramel egg custard pudding. Everything was delicious.

One of the must-try here is their Kai See Hor Fun, which means Chicken Kway Teow Soup. The clear broth has a layer of oil that stems from the prawn heads that were boiled into making it. The comforting bowl of noodles comes with shredded poached chicken, fresh shrimps and chopped spring onions, you could down a serving in one go.

This satay stall operates from the side alley between Kong Heng & Thean Chun. They are probably one of the rare stalls in Ipoh that sells pork satay. The pork skewers are grilled with charcoal flames, with minimal burnt bits and a small proportion of fats. The satay is so succulent and served with spicy-sweet peanut sauce. If you still have some tummy space, go for their chee cheong fun, popiah and caramel custard. So much good food here!

Paris Restaurant (Yin Yau Kui)

Hakka Mee is one of the must-try noodle dishes of Ipoh. There is a well-known stall at the Paris Restaurant run by three brothers. The business was started by their grandfather more than 50 years ago and they used to be known as Yin Yau Kui Hakka Mee. The brothers make their own egg noodles, which are cooked to the right degree of springiness.

Choked with lardy goodness, the bowl of noodles are silky smooth with minced meat, chilli oil, beansprouts and a bowl of yong tau foo. Unlike Restoran Cathay, you don’t have to go and pick your yong tau foo from the pots. Just order single portion, one and a half portion or double portion and sit back. They will mix and match the sides for you. I enjoyed the assorted yong tau foo items more than the hakka mee. Some people may find it too bland. But for me, after eating so much in Ipoh, a bowl of mild-tasting yong tau foo soup is welcoming and comforting. Pimp your bowl of noodles with the condiments provided at the table. The chili-ginger-garlic sauce goes well with the noodles, giving a spicy kick!

Note that my opening hours may not be accurate. We went on a Saturday and they were opened. But when we walked past the following day, it was closed. So good luck (just come early for breakfast lah)!

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Chee Wah

This is an unassuming family-run stall serving home-cooked food that just comforts your stomach. The menu is simple and straightforward as there are just two dishes – chicken wings and claypot mee tai mak. There noodles are cooked over charcoal fire with minced pork and two eggs were added right when it was brought to the table. Don’t expect their claypot mee tai mak to be dark-coloured and tossed with dark soy sauce. Their rendition is more pale looking but packed with umami taste. Just add in some red chilli for the right kick. Pair your claypot mee tai mak with cuimin-infused fried chicken wings that are only deep-fried a la minute. The crispy skin and tender juicy meat is the perfect supper snack!

Restoran Ayam Nasi Pak Kong

Restoran Ayam Nasi Pak Kong (白宮雞飯) is always crowded no matter what time you are there. There is always a queue for takeaways but never get intimated by it because they are pretty efficient. The lady boss will come and take your order, she is friendly. I see this as a totally different category from the bean sprouts chicken. The steamed chicken is very juicy and tender. The fluffy rice is slightly tinted with chicken oil, not for the faint hearted. We paired it with their achar and kai choy.

The spicy and sour kai choy is surprisingly very tasty. I have only seen it during CNY but apparently, it is quite common at chicken rice stalls. The stock is flavoursome and paired with mustard greens, dried chillies and tamarind. If you come here for lunch, you can walk to Funny Mountain Soya Bean, grab a Aun Kheng Lim Salted Chicken across the road or go for second round at Lou Wong and Onn Kee Bean Sprouts Chicken.

Restoran Xin Quan Fang

Ipoh has so much good food that it is really impossible for me to just have kaya and roti for breakfast everyday. I started our day eating the famous curry noodles at Restaurant Xin Quan Fang (or the locals call it Ma Ta Liu curry mee). Our bowl of noodles arrived with a side of roasted pork, char siew, prawns and chicken seated on top of a bed of blanched bean sprouts. Dip it into the curry sauce, oh man, it is sooooo shiok. I don’t think they have any coconut milk added, the curry was very delicious with lard and garlic. The braised roast pork is from their own recipe and cannot find anywhere else. If you are coming by, got to be patient cuz the wait can be quite long.

Kedai Makanan Different Taste

A friend recommended us to try Kedai Makanan Different Taste, so we booked a table on our last day in Ipoh. We had to travel about 20 mins by car as it’s not exactly near our hotel. This non-airconditioned zichar eatery is famous for their claypot crab vermicelli. Don’t expect it to be similar to our claypot crab bee hoon as it is not milky at all. Instead, the soup is very subtle with an underlying sweetness from the crabs. For a table of 10, we had two crabs in the Crab Bee Hoon and this costs RM166! Some of the other recommended dishes include Salted Egg Squid and Steamed Lala. Apparently, there were quite a few features on their Handmade Fishballs but it’s not for me.

And, that’s a wrap! Gather your troops and head to Ipoh to satisfy your cravings!

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visits and paid its own meals at the stalls featured here.