Which one is your favorite coffee place? This article will guide you on the best places to get coffee in Kuala Lumpur,
*Price indicated – $ = RM10, $$ = RM20, $$$ = RM30
ANTIPODEAN
“The food’s good (the bacon is the best I had in KL so far), coffee’s great and the service is friendly too. This place deserves to do well. Support!!”
Antipodean café has always been well-known for its Australian-style big breakfast – served with delicious bacon, sautéed mushrooms, scrambled eggs, baked beans, and toasts. Having said that, the coffee itself wasn’t too bad either. It’s certainly worth mentioning on our list of the best coffee in Kuala Lumpur. In fact, the term “With great breakfast comes great coffee” can be applied here. The coffee served was aromatic, smooth but a little mild. Best of all, the pricing was relatively reasonable with a cup of hot latte going for RM9.
Tips: Try to go after the breakfast rush hours, probably around 11-12 when it’s nearing brunch to avoid long queues. And since we are talking about tips here, If you’re a coffeeholic with some knowledge of how to make a perfect cup at home, why not share it with others on Twitch? And keep in mind Streamoz will always help you find the right connections.
- Things to Expect: Noise due to high traffic and somewhat slow serving.
- Best with (recommended): Big Breakfast and espresso.
- Price: $$ or less
- Address: 20, Jalan Telawi 2, 59100 Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur
- Opening Day & Time: 8:00 AM–10:00 PM Daily
- Contact: 03-2282 0411
COFFEE SOCIETE
“One of the best places for coffee in publika… Coffee taste is just nice, not too robust .. Great place to hangout after Espressolab .. Good to start off with Piccolo Latte or mocha”
Popular for its RM10 – Free Flow Coffee, Coffee Societe has become a point of interest for coffee enthusiasts. Despite it being free-flowing, the quality, taste, and craftsmanship of latte art were indeed promising. Each cup of coffee was carefully hand brewed to the utmost perfection – making sure that their coffee was rich, aromatic, smooth, and of course, pleasant to look at.
Tips: Don’t just try their coffee, try out their food as well. Also, anytime between 8-10 pm will be slightly packed.
- Things to Expect: Noise, limited space and dim-lighting (bad for photos).
- Best with (recommended): Mocha, Piccolo latte and Shepherd’s pie.
- Price: $$ or less
- Address: Block D4, Level G3, Unit 3A, Jalan Dutamas 1, (Publika Solaris Dutamas)
- Opening Day & Time: Mon–Fri 8:30 AM–11:00 PM, Sat–Sun 10:30 AM–11:00 PM
- Contact: 03-6211 5523
THE RED BEANBAG
“Non food tip : Left my wallet accidentally there and the waiters are searching for the owner high and low! In the end I got it back!!! Little things that make me wanna visit them again :)”
Located just several hundred meters away from the infamous Coffee Societe, lies a humble and honey café on the upper floor called The Red Beanbag. Unfortunately, the coffee itself was not the best in Kuala Lumpur, despite reputation. It was merely on an average level – similar to what you’ll find in most undedicated coffee cafes. However, the food was indeed delicious.
Tips: Request free water, only then they will bring it. On usual days, they normally just ignore the fact.
Things to Expect: Slow customer service.
Best with (recommended): Skyscraper Pancakes.
Price: $$ or less
Address: Lot A4-1-8, Solaris Dutamas (Jalan Dutamas), 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur
Opening Day & Time: Tue–Fri 10:00 AM–10:00 PM, Sat–Sun 9:30 AM–10:00 PM
Contact: 03-6211 5116
SAN FRANCISCO COFFEE
“I must commend the efficiency of the staff and processes. Even though the queue is very long till I leave the shop, I get my coffee within 5-10 minutes.”
San Francisco Coffee was very popular for its Buy 1-Free-1 Coffee 4-5 years back. During that time, its only main competitors for the best coffee in Kuala Lumpur were Starbucks and The Coffee Bean. Although being grouped with its sugary competitors, San Francisco Coffee stands out in terms of its serving time and richness of beans. Unlike Starbucks, the coffee served at San Francisco coffee comes out twice as fast and half the sweetness. For those who wish to grab a quick and relatively cheap coffee, San Francisco Coffee is the place to go.
Tips: Avoid lunch periods in most shopping malls. They’re usually packed then.
- Things to Expect: Long queue but relatively speedy delivery.
- Best with (recommended): Mocha
- Price: $
- Address: Suria KLCC (Lot 134, Level 1) 50088 Kuala Lumpur
- Opening Day & Time: 8:00 AM–8:00 PM (Daily)
- Contact: 03-2382 7322
ACME BAR & COFFEE
“I love it. Good coffee, music and atmosphere. Everything’s just right.”
Applaud and admired for its amazing and eye-catching interior design, Acme Bar & Coffee do serve decent coffee as well. However, the price is relatively high compared to most dedicated coffee cafes around Klang Valley, ranging at RM9 for an Espresso and RM15 for a Flat White. On the other hand, the food here is pretty good – but slightly pricey as well.
Tips: Great place to have some photos taken. Bring your camera along!
- Things to Expect: Unpleasant customer service.
- Best with (recommended): Food and dessert.
- Price: $$ or less
- Address: The Troika (G1), 50450 Kuala Lumpur
- Opening Day & Time: Mon–Thu 11:00 AM–Midnight, Fri 11:00 AM–1:00 AM, Sat ,9:30 AM–1:00 AM, Sun 9:30 AM–Midnight
- Contact: 03-2162 2288
ARTISAN ROAST COFFEE
“This place still serves one of the best coffees in Klang Valley. The Flat White, Latte, Ice Latte, Espresso are all good. Try the selection of cakes too”
Located right in the middle of Bangsar Village 2, lies Artisan Coffee Bar – a café where its aromatic coffee beans spread through the entire complex. Even upon arrival at the ground floor, the rich and fragrant scent was noticeable 2 floors up, where Artisan Coffee Bar is located. Recommendations include the Affogato at RM12, Red Espresso at RM6, and Fresh Red at RM11.
Tips: A place where you can stay quite long, so do bring necessary power banks or laptop chargers.
- Things to Expect: Relatively limited seating area & no sugar coffees!
- Best with (recommended): Affogato, Red Espresso and Fresh Red.
- Price: $$ or less
- Address: Level UG (Bangsar Village II), 59100 Kuala Lumpur
- Opening Day & Time: 10:00 AM–10:00 PM (Daily)
- Contact: 03-2162 2288
CAFFEINEES
“Ice cappuccino here is good. Nice & refreshing. Must try for coffee lovers”
A white Victorian-styled building at the heart of Kuala Lumpur is where Caffeinees live. Operation hours start from 6 in the evening throughout the night; sometimes even until 4 in the morning. Not only was the food well worth the praise, but the coffee itself was also pretty good too. The Iced Cappuccino was memorable. The balance between its sweetness, milky-ness, and that tinge of coffee was indeed pleasant. However, the coffee art itself was some sort of an eye-sore.
Tips: Arrive before midnight strikes. Parking is usually full by then.
- Things to Expect: Shisha and smokers for those who sit outdoors.
- Best with (recommended): Food and dessert.
- Price: $$ or less
- Address: 16, Jalan Kampung Pandan, 55100 Kuala Lumpur
- Opening Day & Time: 8:00 PM–1:00 AM (Daily)
- Contact: 03-9284 6686
CHAWAN
“Kopi Cap Tupai! waa waa wee waa!”
Unlike most of the cafes mentioned here, Chawan takes on a different approach towards coffee and its customers. Instead of serving fancy, machine-brewed coffee, Chawan offers a more traditional-styled approach. Using greenish-patterned cups, most recognizable and influential during the 80s and 90s coffee shops as an alternative towards contemporary latte, espresso, or cappuccino cups; Chawan strives to bring diners through a nostalgic experience with its food and of course, coffee.
Tips: Not your typical café, food is recommended.
- Things to Expect: Long queue during lunch hours.
- Best with (recommended): Nasi Lemak and The Tarik.
- Price: $$ or less
- Address: 69G, Jalan Telawi 3, 59100 Bangsar
- Opening Day & Time: 10:00 AM–12:00 AM (Daily)
- Contact: 03-2287 5507
COFFEE AMO
“Cozy coffee place in KL to sit down & relax with a good novel or laptop. The barista here can draw really nice 3D coffee art,drop by and have a cup of good coffee with beautiful 3D coffee art!”
3D coffee art has been quite a hit over the months as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are loaded with it. Coffee Amo is one of those cafes that offer extensive 3D coffee art with some foam, chocolate dust, and chocolate syrup. Cute animals such as bears, cats, and various other designs can be achieved here at Coffee Amo. The coffee itself was brewed pretty neatly as well as it was acceptably mild and sweet.
Tips: As you’ll expect from a cute coffee shop, bring along those cameras/phones and be ready for some social media uploads.
- Things to Expect: 3D coffee art!
- Best with (recommended): Instagram. (Those cute designs)
- Price: $$ or less
- Address: No. 54, 1st Floor (Jalan Sultan), 50000 Kuala Lumpur
- Opening Day & Time: 11:00 AM–10:00 PM (Daily)
- Contact: 017-621 4610
ESPRESSAMENTE ILLY
“Try the half and half coffee. It’ll wake you up and make you happy at the same time. Half coffee – half chocolate. Awesome!”
ILLY has been the choice of coffee beans for many Malaysians including restaurateurs and enthusiasts. There is no doubt that the beans from ILLY are perfumed and full of flavor. If brewed accurately, it will indeed be placed as few of the best espresso in town. On a side note, their Half and Half coffee is the best in Kuala Lumpur. The balance of both coffee and chocolate, similar to mocha, was brilliant.
Tips: Expensive parking in the Pavilion and relatively expensive food.
- Things to Expect: Illy’s Coffee!
- Best with (recommended): Espresso, Half and Half Coffee and Tiramisu.
- Price: $$ or less
- Address: Pavilion Kuala Lumpur (Lot C3.10.00, Level 3), 55100 Kuala Lumpur
- Opening Day & Time: 9:00 AM–12:00 AM (Daily)
- Contact: 03-2141 0028
