The Ultimate Kelantan Food Hunt

After going on a few trips to Kota Bharu and posting quite a number of food photos on Instagram and Facebook, I decided to compile a list of ultimate food hunt in Kelantan.  The best and only way to hunt for these authentic meals is with a local. They know all the hidden and everyday spots with the best food. These are also places that I have personally tried and tested, to share with all of you who plans on visiting this charming state.

It is quite easy to see why Kelantan has such good taste in their food as the cooking is still as authentic as how their mothers or grandmothers used to cook them. Most of these places have been around for quite some time while there are one or two new restaurants that is included in the list. Hope you enjoy it and do try out the street food and local delights if you’re ever in Kota Bharu.

Page Contents

• Kedai Kopi Pok Loh Milo Tonggeng
• Kedai Kopi White House
• Kopitiam Kita
• Ayang Cafe
• Nasi Sup Perut Air Asam Daging Bakar
• Nasi Berlauk Pokok Kekuk @ Cherry
• Kak Na Mee Celup
• Restoran Hover
• Nasi Sup Tepi Bomba
• Warung Pak Mat Pulau Pisang
• Restoran Selera Cik Siti
• Warung Nasi Air & Air Kelapa Cherang
• Restoran Nasi Ulam Cikgu
• Burger Mat Salleh
• Acu Tera Sotong Celup Tepung

Kedai Kopi Pok Loh Milo Tonggeng

This humble stall pulls in a big breakfast crowd, serving local favourites such as Nasi Dagang Ikan, Himpit Satay, Nasi Ayam Gulai, Nasi Kerabu Ayam Bakar at prices as low as RM 1.00 a packet. There weren’t that many seats, therefore the easy way to do this is to choose the food, order drinks and sit at the island area which faces the counter activity. Food served in packets are normal here in Kota Bharu and it makes for convenient eating experience for both customers and sellers. Once you’re done, you can chuck the paper wrap into the dustbin, pass the used utensils and glasses to the stall owners, and be on your way.

But before you do that, don’t forget to order the main attraction from this stall which is the Milo Tonggeng drink. Watch them prepare this special drink as the Milo is knocked directly from the tin, giving it a powdery chocolate top. I love that it’s ‘kau’ (thick) and crunchy in taste. This is definitely the OG of Milo Dinosaurs everywhere.

Address: 110, Jalan Dusun 2, Kampung Dusun, 15200 Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Opening Hours: 6:30 am – 4:00 pm, closes on Friday

This humble stall serves powdery Milo Tonggeng for the crowd.

Eating a pack of Nasi Gulai Ayam and Milo Tonggeng (in the background)

Kedai Kopi White House

I often confuse the name of White House Coffee with White Castle, for no reason. It made my friends sigh in exasperation whenever I tell them that we should try to visit this popular coffee spot in Kota Bharu. The one thing you need to know about White House is that their opening hours is hard to predict. We’ve personally been to Kota Bharu a few times and only managed to visit the coffee house twice.

If you happen to drive back during the day or night and see that it’s opened, my advice is to get in and order without having second thoughts. Their popular item on the menu is the oven baked roti bakar (toasted bread) with butter and jam, coupled with perfect half cooked eggs. Their signature coffee with milk is dark but not bitter in taste. It’s probably one of my favourites to drink in Kota Bharu, Kelantan.

Address: 1329-L, Jalan Sultanah Zainab, 15050, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, 15050
Opening Hours: 8:00 am – 1:00 pm, 9:00 pm – 1:00 am; closes on Thursdays)

White House breakfast of roti bakar, eggs and kopi susu.

Kopitiam Kita

The restaurant name is so friendly that you feel as though the place does belong to you and everyone else. This place is well known to the locals for its’ roti titab, which is toasted bread that comes with a dollop of kaya and an egg. Personally I’ve never tasted anything like it but I loved it nevertheless. Besides that, it is the only restaurant which houses all the popular dishes available Kelantan.

The concept is indeed clever because it makes it easier for them to maintain the restaurant as they only needed to prepare drinks and roti menu for breakfast while the rest can be taken for the shelf and eaten right away. From the wall of fame, you can see that many celebrities and politicians have also made their way to Kopitiam Kita for their food menu.

Address: 4357- A, Taman Desa Jaya, Jalan Pengkalan Chepa, Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Opening Hours: 7:30 am – 1:00 pm daily

It can get crowded on a weekend here at Kopitiam Kita, therefore plan your time wisely!

From left to right: Roti titab, Nasi Tumpang and Nasi Berlauk Gulai Ikan.

Ayang Cafe

Another popular breakfast spot is Ayang Cafe, located near Masjid Langgar area. With a bright pink signage and seats lined up outside of the cafe, you won’t be able to miss it. Ayang cafe opens as early as 6:30 am, stacked with plenty of Kelantanese nasi berlauk, roti and kuih muih. I usually have difficulty choosing from the basket of food and in the end will opt for something familiar like nasi gulai ayam (which is just so darn good here in Kelantan) or laksam.

In the end, I chose both since the portion is just nice for a small eater.  Since we came in a big group, everyone chose something different like nasi tumpang, roti titab, nasi dingin and others. The staff was able to calculate our food based on the paper packets on the table and she was really quick with those numbers.

Address: 4652, Jalan Masjid Langgar, Kampung Langgar, 15200 Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Opening Hours: 6:00 am – 4:00 pm (daily)

There’s so many things to eat here at Ayang Cafe, making it difficult for one to choose.

From left to right – Nasi Laksam, Roti Titab, Gulai Ayam, Nasi Tumpang (in the background),for breakfast in Kelantan.

Nasi Sup Perut Air Asam Daging Bakar

This is a mouthful to pronounce but I can assure you that the taste of this meal is good for any rainy night. It was past 9:00 pm when we were driving around town in search of place for coffee. We settled with a restaurant serving Nasi Sup Perut, Air Asam and Daging Bakar to hungry customers. This was their main menu and house specialty. We ordered Daging Bakar which was just right in texture, not too hard (liat) or too soft like pulled beef. It came with sweet-sourish air asam (lime juice) which went well with the meat. This is the important ingredient of the daging bakar dish as it provides a nice zing to it. The sup perut (intestines) were soft and the beef stock was just delicious.

Address: Near Pasar MPKB, Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Opening Hours: Opens til late at night

Daigng bakar with air asam is the way to go for dinner in Kota Bharu, Kelantan.

Nasi Berlauk Pokok Kekuk @ Cherry

If you happen to drive around Kota Bharu you may not realize this Kedai Makan as it is shaded by a sturdy Cherry tree or Pokok Kekuk as known by the locals. I had a slight culture shock when Bart told me that we’re having rice for breakfast at 8 am. How could anyone be eating heavy rice with different dishes in the morning I had asked. The locals are accustomed to this as having breakfast in the morning gives them more energy to do laborious work just like their ancestors did before them. With a menu that includes gulai ayam, gulai daging, ikan kembung, ikan selar masak masam, fried chicken and others, it’s understandable why locals flock here before their they go off for their daily routine.

Address: Kedai Makan Pokok Ceri @ Kekuk,  Jalan Yaakobiah, Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Opening Hours: 8:00 am – 4:30 pm daily

Come early to try the Nasi Berlauk here.

The gulai ayam at Kedai Makan Pokok Kekuk is so tasty.

Address: Kedai Makan Pokok Ceri @ Kekuk,  Jalan Yaakobiah, Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Business Hours: 8:00 am – 4:30 pm daily

Kak Na Mee Celup

We came upon this place by chance, after buying souvenirs in Rantau Panjang area which was located close to the Malaysia-Thailand border. Just opposite the Khay Boon primary school sits this Kedai Makan (Restaurant) serving mee celup which is meehoon drenched with hot chicken or beef soup, lime, bean sprouts and side condiments of your liking such as sugar, chilies or soy sauce. It’s a simple and cheap (RM2.50 a bowl) dish that could fill you in between meals. However in this case it was our lunch because we had taken such a heavy breakfast earlier. Order that with a cold teh ais (iced milk tea) and you would feel content until you’ve covered the next activity of the day.

Address: Kak Na Mee Celup, Jalan SRJK Khay Boon, Rantau Panjang, Kelantan
Opening Hours: 8:00 am – 4:30 pm daily 

After shopping at Rantau Panjang, stop by Kak Na Mee Celup for lunch.

Mee Celup and good old teh tarik for the day.

Restoran Hover

I didn’t think that ‘Nasi Padang’ can be found in Kota Bharu but here we were in Restoran Hover which was famous for its’ dishes which were plenty for us to choose from. As soon as we sat down, a waiter comes over with stacked dishes on his arm, putting them down one by one in front of us. Our table was full with dishes such as ayam kampung, gulai ayam, hati & limpa goreng, beef curry, beansprouts, sambal brinjal as well as the delicious green chilies. We only touched the ones that we wanted and the rest we left it untouched as the bill will cover only for the ones we ate.

It was hard to resist most of them but given the fact that the bill might end up being expensive (if we were to eat everything), we would rather choose. In the end, the bill came close to RM50 for two people for 7 dishes. If you’re hungry and bringing along a family, this could be one of the places to try out when in Kota Bharu.

Address: Restoran Hover, 1963-A, Jalan Dato Pati, Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Opening Hours: 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm daily

If you’re feeling really hungry, head to Restoran Hover for some Nasi Padang.

So many dishes laid out and many to choose from.

Nasi Sup Tepi Bomba

The weather in Kota Bharu can get really hot in the afternoon and one of the ways to cool down our temperature is by eating the iced cold Air Batu Campur, also known as ABC for short. What is ABC to the locals, is colourful shaved ice to the tourists. Actually this restaurant is known for its’ Nasi Sup (rice in soup) and other menus such as rojak mee, rojak jawa and laksa Penang. The ABC was the dessert and we chose the ABC with green cendol as this was my favourite.

The surprise ingredient in this ABC was the biji sagu (the pinkish round jelly balls) which made the dessert taste naturally sweet. Pair this with cold coconut drink and you would definitely simmer down by the time you finish. The ABC and iced coconut costs only RM2 each, which is a really reasonable price compared to the city.

Address: Nasi Sup Tepi Bomba, Jalan Pekeliling, Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Opening Hours: NA (but it’s open in the morning til afternoon.)

A small cozy restaurant which serves nice cold ABC (shaved ice).

The ABC (shaved ice) is best eaten with cold coconut drink.

Warung Pak Mat Pulau Pisang

If you mention teh tarik madu, the locals will quickly direct you to Warung Pak Mat Pulau Pisang which is located at the Medan Ikan Bakar spot near Pantai Cahaya Bulan (PCB).  What is teh tarik madu you ask? The name is as interesting as the drink because instead of using condensed or evaporated milk with the teh tarik drink, Pak Mat uses madu (honey) for natural sweetness to the drink. This results in the drink being so bubbly that it overflows over the glass, aiming its way down to the table (but not quite). It can get very busy during the weekends and we had to wait for 30 minutes for our drinks to arrive.

Luckily we ordered the food first from the counter and decided on the soup gearbox campur, ikan senangin masak kuning, and daging masak kunyit with white rice. The soup was a bit spicy but overall all the lauk (dishes) for the nasi berlauk was really good. All in all, the brunch costs us RM 44.00 for 3 people which is reasonable for a mid range restaurant.

Address: Warung Pak Mat Pulau Pisang, Medan Ikan Bakar Kedai Buloh, Jalan Kuala Besar, Kota Bharu, Kelantan (near to Pantai Cahaya Bulan or PCB).
Opening Hours: Opens morning til lunch time, closes on Tuesdays.

Warung Pak Mat Pulau Pisang can get crowded on weekend mornings.

Teh madu is the reason why people flock to Warung Pat Mat Pulau Pisang.

Restoran Selera Cik Siti

We wanted to try out one of the local chain restaurants when we saw this restaurant while heading back home. Restoran Selera Cik Siti reminded me of Old Town Cafe or Pak Li Kopitiam chain except that this restaurant served Malaysian as well as Western food to its’ customers. The menu was pretty extensive and I had trouble deciding on what to eat. There was laksam, different types of fried rice and chicken chop. In the end, I went with  Nasi Goreng Kelate while Bart decided on Nasi Goreng Cik Siti which costs RM15 each.

Despite the cost, the food portion for Nasi Goreng Kelate was quite big as it came with keropok, fried egg, chicken and sambal belacan. The Nasi Goreng Cik Siti on the other hand came with tempura chicken, spicy beef, soup and fried egg which was equally delicious. Perhaps the next round, we’ll try the chicken chop and add that in the review too.

Address: Restoran Selera Cik Siti, Taman Kenangan (Jalan Abdul Kadir Adabi), Kota Bharu, Kelantan 
Opening Hours: 5:00 pm – 1:00 am  (daily)

Restoran Cik Siti serves big portion of tasty food here. Be hungry when you walk in.

Warung Nasi Air & Air Kelapa Cherang

In front of the Restoran Selera Cik Siti sits a stall under a shady tree, a popular spot for the locals to have nasi air for lunch. I know at another local hot spot called Nasi Air Mak Su Nab is well known here but according to the locals, this is also a good option to consider when spotting food in Kota Bharu.

Opened for lunch on-wards, it is easy to spot the stall from the main road as there’s a tall pile of used coconut shells beside it. Now the nasi air consists of rice (instead of noodles) in clear chicken broth, ikan bilis, bawang goreng, peanuts and a squash of limau for the zesty flavour. This dish is reminiscent of the one we ate in Bangkok, which I truly miss. A bowl of nasi air goes for RM2.50 while the iced coconut drink costs RM1 each. If your tummy is still not full, you could always order another bowl to go. 

Address: Warung Nasi Air & Air Kelapa Cherang, Taman Kenangan (Jalan Abdul Kadir Adabi), Kota Bharu, Kelantan 
Opening Hours: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm (opens daily)

Outdoor restaurant under a shady tree is always a good option.

Delicious Nasi Air with loads of anchovies and chicken.

Restoran Nasi Ulam Cikgu

I rarely eat ulam whenever I have rice for lunch but recently it has become a new habit as vegetables are known to be good for the body and skin. This restaurant serves a spread of ulam or vegetables which you can eat with your rice and other dishes available, at an affordable price. I went nuts with the four angled bean vegetables and together with that we ordered the ikan singgang, ikan bakar and budu (a fermented fish sauce) that is popular among the Kelantanese.  It can get crowded during lunch hours but there’s still plenty of seats as the restaurant is well prepared with the visitors coming into the Crafts Village area.

When we got our bill we were surprised to see the amount which was RM 16.00 for the three of us because what we ordered was quite a lot. So if you happen to go sightseeing in the town area, do drop by this restaurant for lunch with the locals.

Address: Restoran Nasi Ulam Cikgu, Jalan Hilir Kota, Kota Bharu, Kelantan 
Opening Hours: Opens daily (except Fridays); 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

Choose from the trays of dishes at Nasi Ulam Cikgu before you dig in.

Burger Mat Salleh

Although the name Mat Salleh means ‘foreigner (man)’, this cozy burger shop is owned by a Kelantanese lady, who serves homemade beef patties burgers. A local friend informed us that this shop operates 365 days a year, even during festival celebrations. We ordered the beef burger with cheese, lettuce and meatball pasta to share. The portion is enough for 2-3 people like us who just had dinner and wanted a munch. Burger Mat Salleh also has desserts such ice cream, waffles for those who intend to stay longer until wee hours of the morning.

Address: Bandar Kota Bharu, 15050 Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Opening Hours: 7:00 pm – 3:00 am; daily

Burger Mat Salleh is one place where you can hang out at night with your friends, over a good burger.

Besides burgers, this Warung also serves pasta with meatballs and desserts.

Acu Tera Sotong Celup Tepung

Pantai Sabak is a historical landmark during the Japanese occupation days. It’s where the Japanese army first entered Malaya, building a fort which is not washed away by the ocean. Locals can be seen watching the beautiful sunset from this beach, followed by dinner at the Acu Tera restaurant. Acu Tera means ‘cuba try’ in Malay or ‘try it’ in English. They serve seafood deep fried in flour, and keropok lekor which are best eaten hot. We ordered the various seafood such as calamari, prawn fish and cockles, without any rice. The flour was fried crispy and it did not make us feel muak at all. That was the best part of the dish as we ate the crumbs until it was gone.

Address: Jln Pantai Sabak, 16100 Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Opening Hours: 3:00 pm – 10:00 pm; closed on Wednesday

Deep fried fish, calamari, prawns and cockles for beach side dinner at Pantai Sabak.