Many cafes have sprouted within the past few years, adding vibrancy of Ipoh. And some retain the colonial style of old buildings but with a modern chic touch.
They’re not only very aesthetically pleasing but are a comfortable place to have coffee or dessert when trying to escape the midday heat.
Here are some top contenders if you are exploring Ipoh Old Town and Ipoh New Town.
1. Jln Theater Coffee
If you’re staying at Octagon apartments, this café is within walking distance.
The bright and spacious café is a minimalistic dream featuring a large mature fig tree in the middle of the cafe. WiFi is available for customers too.
It smells heavenly in here as well. Make your order at the counter in front – they have wonderful specialty coffee, and non-caffeinated beverages like their smooth hojicha latte.
We do enjoy their pastries like Kouign-amann and quiche.
Address: 76, Jalan Theatre, Taman Jubilee, 30300 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 10am to 6pm
2. August Healing
You’ll need to climb up some stairs to reach this hidden café with a vintage inspired pastel yellow interior.
It’s around the corner from the main branch of Aun Kheng Lim Salted Chicken too.
Behind lacey curtains, the window seats overlook the shops below.
The highlight of this charming café are their freshly baked artisan cakes although they do have some pastries and offer savory bakes too.
We suggest trying their cakes if you’re here because they usually have interesting flavors to try. It would be nice if they had matcha latte or similar here, but there is tea if you’re not looking for coffee.
Address: First Floor, 18, Jalan Theatre, Taman Jubilee, 30300 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 11am to 5pm (weekdays), 11am to 6pm (weekends), Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
3. Cold Blue Specialty Coffee
This is another upstairs café of minimalist styling but with a view of Ipoh Padang. It’s popular with the working crowd around. Thus, it can be quite noisy in here on weekdays.
As dabbling coffee hobbyists ourselves, we think they make exceptional coffee.
On the other hand, they don’t have much on the menu if you want to eat. Only light bites like bagels, sandwiches and croffles with ice cream.
Address: Level 2, No23, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, 30000 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 8am to 7pm (Weekdays), 10am to 7pm (Weekends)
4. La Patisserie Gourmande
La Patisserie Gourmande is a new name in Ipoh, but their first branch is over at Gopeng. As a proper bakery, they have exquisitely made pastries and attractive desserts.
Drinks are average, but there’s a good selection of both caffeinated and non-caffeinated drinks – they have coconut latte here and it’s not bad.
And this new branch takes up a whole shop lot so there is plenty of seating inside. We like their mix of different styles – there’s an atrium with live trees. While upstairs has a cosy feel with warm vintage lights and original wood flooring.
It’s a very nice place to spend an hour or two, chatting away with friends.
Address: 10, Jalan Lau Ek Ching, Kampung Jawa, 30300 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 10am to 6pm (Closed on Wednesdays)
5. Chakori
Chakori has the most visible location out of all these cafes. We wouldn’t come here for lunch but it’s a beautiful spot for gelato, waffles, and maybe a slice of cake.
Out of their gelato selection, they have a lot of flavors to choose from. We appreciate that the gelato is not so sweet.
There is a lot of seating inside and about every corner of the café (including the outdoor seating) is picture-worthy.
Drinks are not memorable but decent. And they do have a good variety to choose from if you’re not just looking for coffee.
Address: 35, Jalan Market, 30000 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 10:30am to 10:30pm (Weekdays), 11am to 11:30pm (Weekends), Closed on Tuesdays
Conclusion
We could easily name 2 or 3 more cafes that you’ll come across if you’re exploring Ipoh Old Town and Ipoh New Town.
But these 5 cafes should be enough to get you started. Do expect to spend close to or more than RM30 per person at each of these places for something to eat and drink.
Have you seen our list of famous food in Ipoh yet?
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