Enjoying the best array of worldwide food in Southeast Asia, Kuala Lumpur provides the experience of traveling across the world through your taste buds. It does not mean that for eating good food you must pay more. Find out cheap eats in abundance as street food is the specialty of Malaysia. Malaysia’s capital city, Kuala Lumpur, is a wonderful place where you can find every type of delicacy at affordable prices. Here is a list of the best cheap restaurants in Malaysia.
Known as one of the world’s greatest food cities, Kuala Lumpur is a lively city with quaint warungs, hawkers, and Mamak stalls. Cheap eats are common in Kuala Lumpur. Ranging from cheap restaurants for a group where you can enjoy a feast without spending too much money, to quick bites and choices for the solo dining experience, this guide to delicious and affordable food in KL is for all foodies.
Best Cheap Restaurants in Malaysia
Charlie’s Café & Bakery
One of the cheap restaurants known for cheap and nice food in Kuala Lumpur is Charlie’s Café & Bakery. Just two words, Chicken chop. If you are a true Malaysian, this dish would have been a part of your childhood days. Every Western food cart has chicken chop on the menu, and every kid loves slipping into the plate of crunchy battered chicken, choked with a thick black pepper and mushroom sauce. This is a place that brings nostalgia back in full form with its patent boneless chicken chop. They are golden fried till perfection and served with mash potatoes, coleslaw, or French fries.
Here, you will get two old school sauces which are difficult to resist. You will be confused between Shitake mushroom and Sarawak Black Pepper. If you prefer wholesome and hearty meals, then Charlie’s Safe has plenty of things to offer. This cheap café in kl also focuses on some popular East Malaysian favorites, like Sarawak laksa with a thick broth packed with plenty of strong seafood flavors. You can finish your meal with some home-based items, like Charlie’s signature UFO tart, inspired by the popular Sandakan dessert with a similar name.
Capital Nasi Dagang
Situated in Damansara Uptown in Petaling Jaya, Capital Nasi Dagang is one of the best cheap restaurants in Malaysia. It is about 15 minutes drive from the Kuala Lumpur City Centre, but the food is well worth the visit. The star of this show is the dish of steamed rice, soaked with plenty of curries, and complemented by your choice of meats and vegetables.
The rice is slightly flavored with ginger, onions, and coconut oil with different side dishes considered as the right spicy side dishes to offset the balance of savory sensations. Topping all, a piling plate of rice, with two different vegetable curry, three meat dishes, and a drink. The best thing about this place is you get all these in less than RM15.
Nasi Lemak Famous
Looking for the best food in KL which is cheap? If yes, then Nasi Lemak Famous is the right place for you. This is a family-run restaurant loved by locals. Most of the people visit this place for the Nasi Lemak- a bowl of coconut-flavored rice, with anchovy and onion chili paste, fried anchovies, sliced pieces of cucumber, and a hard-boiled egg. When you plan an order of the juicy fried turmeric and chicken seasoned with lemongrass along with Nasi Lemak, you will be convinced to join the throng of regulars who insist that the place is magical.
Here, an average meal cost less than RM10. Another special thing about Nasi Lemak Famous is its location. It is just a few steps away from the bar and clubbing area of Bangsar. This is one of the reasons why it is so popular among tourists.
Boat Noodle
If you want to enjoy cheap food in Bukit Bintang, then you must visit Boat Noodle. This place went viral several years ago, but we cannot deny the fact that it is one of the cheap noodle treats. For just RM2.20 per bowl, Boat Noodle serves 5 distinct flavors of noodles. These are Dry Tom Yum, Ayutthaya 2.0, Sweet Kuey Chap, Pathumthani, and Suki Nam. They have side dishes like beef and chicken meatballs.
Nagasari Curry House
Visited Jalan Nagasari, but confused about where to eat? Visit Nagasari Curry House. This food joint serves cheap “namak” style food in Bukit Bintang. As the name indicates, this eatery specializes in curries. Their tandoori chicken seems to be a crowd-puller. Though they are halal, Nagasari serves beer.
Dharma Realm Guan Yin Monastery Canteen
Have you eaten in a monastery? If no, do not feel guilty taking benefit of the affordable eats from a Buddhist monastery. Instead, you must see it as an opportunity to enjoy life’s simple pleasures. This charming open kitchen serves a huge variety of vegetarian dishes to please the Chinese palate. Here, you will get fresh and humble food at the best prices, so take a plate and line up for a delicious lunch.
Liang Sandwich Bar
Shopping malls play an important role in the lives of people living in Kuala Lumpur. It is no surprise that Malaysians have welcomed a mall culture with simplicity. Shopping malls are the perfect place where one can both shop and eat all under one roof. With restricted cheap eats in a food court inside the mall, Liang Sandwich Bar, and its Jay Chou- endorsed Taiwanese style spring onion pancake has been quite popular.
Away from the scallion wrap- which is crumbling, and at once crispy and soft- there is a wide range of fillings tailored to the Malaysian palate, including sambal prawn and satay chicken. But nothing can beat the simple cheese and egg sandwich, browned with a delicious omelet, cheese, and Liang sauce with each bite. You must have it with a cup of organic soy milk which is served hot in Taiwanese style. This becomes a wholesome nourishing meal.
Yap Hup Kee
It is one of the must-try restaurants in kl. An eatery which specializes in chee Cheong fun ( rice noodle roll) along with Yong Tau Foo ( Tofu stuffed with fish paste), Yap Hup Kee is set along Jalan Pudu in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, making it easy for travelers to access this eatery. There is an indoor ( air-conditioned) and outdoor seating arrangement, but whichever you choose, you will be jam-packed with other diners, especially during lunchtime.
The chee Cheong fun is served in two different types- with creamy curry gravy, chicken and potato slices, and the traditional sweet sauce. Tourists are a huge fan of the creamy gravy as it adds a unique flavor to the rice noodle rolls. On the contrary with the Yong Tau Foo, you must pursue the wide selections available. Customers love the fish paste as it is fresh, giving each piece a springy and flavorful texture. Also, the restaurant has some unique selections like fried wontons with pieces of salted egg yolk. The décor is not something great. You will find customers setting on simple plastic stools, but it is crowded during lunch and dinner time. Having a filling meal here will cost you around RM8.
Sarang Cookery
This is another popular place in the list of the best cheap restaurants in Malaysia. There are fewer chances that you may notice Sarang Cookery at a first glance but if you have ever gone to VCR Galloway, this place is nearby. This eatery serves Baba and Nyonya cuisines, so this is a must-try if you want to be adventurous by trying something new instead of those regular cafes and Kopitiam meals. Their Nasi Ulam is liked by many but if you would like to choose for something much cheaper, then go for Nasi Goreng Kerabu.