Sampling Ipoh food is one of the things to do in Ipoh that you must never skip! Many restaurants and food stalls in Ipoh have been around for generations!
There’s more to Ipoh’s food scene than just the popular Ipoh white coffee! In 2016, Lonely Planet even listed Ipoh as one of the top destinations in Asia!
Time to put those diet plans aside and go for a food trip in Ipoh!
Best Ipoh Food
There’s usually more than one place that you can get a certain dish. We’ve listed them in order of the most popular, with alternatives below!
1. Gai Se Hor Fun
A comforting bowl of shredded chicken and silky flat-rice noodles! The fragrance is a result of the chicken broth boiled with prawn heads and shells!
At Moon De Moon, you can have add-ons like fish balls, beancurd, and meat too! Do expect a little bit of wait during peak hours and on weekends!
Moon De Moon
Address: 148, Hala Wah Keong, Taman Mirindi, 31400 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 7am to 1pm
Closed on: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
Contact: +6012-516 0485
Restoran Thean Chun
Address: 73, Jalan Bandar Timah, 31650 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday: 8am to 4:30pm
Closed on: Thursday
Cowan Street Ayam Tauge & Koitiau Restaurant
Address: 44, Jalan Raja Ekram, Kampung Jawa, 31350 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours:
Thursday to Sunday: 6pm to 10pm
Closed On: Monday to Wednesday
Contact: +6012-520 3322
2. Tauge Chicken Rice
Tauge Chicken Rice is also known as nga choi kai in the local Cantonese dialect!
The tender, juicy chicken, comes with a plate of crunchy bean sprouts in soy sauce. Choose either rice or hor fun to go with it!
Cowan Street has a stellar reputation among Ipoh-rians for its tauge chicken rice. Note that they only serve hor fun here! And they have a tendency to open whenever they fancy!
Cowan Street Ayam Tauge & Koitiau Restaurant
Address: 44, Jalan Raja Ekram, Kampung Jawa, 31350 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours:
Thursday to Sunday: 6pm to 10pm
Closed On: Monday to Wednesday
Contact: +6012-520 3322
Ong Kee Bean Sprouts Chicken Restaurant
Address: 48, Jalan Yau Tet Shin Taman Jubilee 30000, Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 10am to 9pm
Contact: +6012-530 0888
Lou Wong
Address: 49, Jalan Yau Tet Shin, Taman Jubilee, 30000 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 11am to 9pm
Closed On: Wednesday
3. Salted Chicken
Never leave Ipoh without a bag of salted chicken in your hands! The chicken is wrapped with Chinese herbs and baked in salt!
Aun Kheng Lim specializes in selling salted chicken in Ipoh with takeaway as the only option. You can buy frozen ones to keep and steam when needed too!
Aun Kheng Lim
Address: 24, Jalan Theatre, Taman Jubilee, 30300 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 9am to 6pm
Closed On: Monday
Contact: +605-254 2998
4. Chee Cheong Fun
This humble plate of rice noodle rolls with pork or prawn meat usually comes with options of mushroom, sweet, or chili sauce!
You can also request for fried onions, green chilies, and onion oils. Or go all-in!
After the original owner’s passing, Canning Garden Chee Cheong Fun has made a comeback. The stall is now run by the late owner’s son without compromising taste and quality!
Canning Garden Chee Cheong Fun
Address: 5, Lorong Cecil Rae, Taman Canning, 31400 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 7am to 11:30am
Closed On: Tuesday and Wednesday
Pasir Pinji Chee Cheong Fun
Address: 1456, Jalan Pasir Pinji 5, Taman Hoover, 31650 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 10am to 3pm
Closed on: Wednesdays, Saturdays & Sundays
Contact: +605-255 6951
5. Ipoh White Coffee
Brewed from a concoction of condensed milk and palm-oil margarine roasted coffee beans:
This 19th-century recipe results in a charred aroma and a thick consistency.
Lonely Planet has featured Sin Yoon Loong as the founder of this iconic drink! Breakfast-goers are drawn to their toasts and caramel custards too!
Sin Yoon Loong
Address: 15a, Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday: 6:30am to 2:30pm
Contact: +605-241 4601
Chang Jiang White Coffee
Address: 7 Jalan Windsor, 30250 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 8am to 6pm
Contact: +605-253 8896
6. Tau Fu Fah
Tau fu fah is Cantonese for this soft and warm soya beancurd dessert. It typically comes with a sugary ginger syrup. But there are other flavors like chrysanthemum, jasmine, and rose too!
Add toppings like red bean, glutinous rice balls, and grass jelly as you wish!
Although Funny Mountain is most renowned for tau fu fah, there are other good alternatives a short walk away!
Places to eat Tau Fu Fah:
Funny Mountain Soya Beancurd
Ding Feng Tau Fu Fa
Woong Kee Bean Curd
Big Mom Beancurd
Tai Soo Ipoh Famous No.1 Dessert
7. Hakka Mee
Paris Restaurant has a long history of serving the best chewy Hakka noodles in Ipoh! The dish consists of flat wheat noodles with flavorful minced pork.
Together with a bowl of soup with fish balls and meatballs! Extra fish balls or other yong tau foo are normally available upon request.
Note: Be there early as they will close once everything is sold out!
Paris Restaurant
Address: 190, Jalan Sultan Iskandar, Taman Jubilee, 31650 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 7am to 11:30am
Restoran Cathay
Address: A17, Jalan Dato Tahwil Azar, Taman Jubilee, 30300 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours:
Sunday to Friday: 7:30am to 4pm
Closed on: Friday & Saturday
Contact: +605-241 9414
8. Cendol
What better way to beat the heat than to eat a bowl of shaved ice? Cendol Wawasan does not stinge on its creamy coconut milk, gula melaka and fresh soft red beans!
Order the glutinous rice option Cendol Pulut for the extra kick! There are other flavors like sweet corn, Nata De Coco too!
Note: Bring an umbrella as you might need to queue under the hot sun!
Cendol Wawasan At Bercham
Address: Near Petron, Jalan Bercham, Taman Tasek Indra, 31400 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 12:30pm to 4pm
Closed on: Monday
Deen CT Corner Cendol
Address: 21 B, Jalan Musthara Al Bakri, Taman Jubilee, 30300 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours:
Saturday to Thursday: 11:30pm to 6:30pm
Closed on: Fridays
Contact: +6016-535 0351
Cendol Mari Gunung Rapat
Address: 51-33, Jalan Gunung Rapat, Taman Cemerlang Rapat, 31350 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 1pm to 4pm
Closed on: Tuesday & Wednesday
9. Dimsum
Chooi Yue Dim Sum is a bustling restaurant that is notable for its fresh dim sum. 2 must-try dim sums are their salted egg custard steamed bun and prawn dumplings!
Other than that, there is a huge assortment of dim sum to choose from!
Note: Be prepared to stand and wait for a table or share one with others as it is almost always crowded!
Restoran Chooi Yue Dim Sum
Canning Dim Sum (Pork-Free)
10. Wantan Mee
Min Chee Wan Tan Mee is the place to go for Ipoh’s most authentic dry wan tan mee. Indulge in the springy noodles topped with slices of char siew and a bowl of soup with tasty pork dumplings!
Note: The portion runs small. And it’s common that the char siew is sold out by lunch time!
Min Chee Wan Tan Mee (明珠雲吞麵) (No.36) @ Medan Selera Stadium
Address: Ipoh Town Lot 36, Medan Selera Stadium, Jalan Ghazali Jawi, Ipoh Garden
Opening hours:
Wednesday to Monday: 6:30am to 4pm
Closed on: Tuesday & Wednesday
Cheong Kee Wan Tan Mee
Address: 542, Jalan Sekolah, Buntong, Ipoh, 30100, Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday: 4:30pm to 10:30pm
Closed on: Sunday
Contact: +6012-595 3938
11. Caramel Egg Custard
Satisfy your sweet tooth with this smooth, sweet, and creamy goodness that melts instantly in your mouth! This dessert can be found in many kopitiams in Ipoh!
Pair the caramel egg custard with a cup of white coffee and a plate of chee cheong fun at Restaurant Thean Chun! As usual, long wait times are inevitable at this busy restaurant!
Restoran Thean Chun
Sin Yoon Loong
12. Snow Beer
Snow beer is beer served in a frozen glass. When the beer touches the glass, the foam takes on a shaved ice texture!
Drop by roadside Kafe Yoon Wah to get a sip! Order some deep-fried snacks or Chinese-style dishes to go with your beer!
Kafe Yoon Wah
Address: 7, Jalan Bijeh Timah, 31650 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 1pm to 12am
Contact: +6012-512 9980
Fei Bo Snow Beer
Address: 8, Jalan Medan Ipoh 3, Taman Ipoh Timur, 31400 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 4:30pm to 12am
Contact: +6010-545 6288
13. Curry Mee
Yee Fatt’s Dry Curry Noodles attracts customers to their restaurant with their thick and sapid curry noodles. The noodles are flooded and well-coated by the gravy!
Other than their much sought-after dry curry noodles, they also serve a soup version, glutinous rice, and hard-boiled eggs!
Yee Fatt Dry Curry Noodles
Address: 39, Jalan Kampar, 31650 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 7am to 2pm
Closed on: Monday
Contact: +605-242 1043
Chuan Fatt Curry Mee Shop
Address: 294, Jalan Pasir Puteh, Taman Hoover, 31650 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 7:30am to 2pm
Restoran Xin Quan Fang
Address: 174, Jalan Sultan Iskandar, Taman Jubilee, 30000 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 7:30am to 12pm
Contact: +6010-657 8374
14. Assam Laksa
Assam laksa at Dai Shu Geok is most certainly a crowd-pleaser! Customers get a good run for their money as it is just as good as eating laksa in Penang!
The minty broth of the laksa comes with a hint of spiciness. That goes especially well with the yong tau foo by another famed stall in the same shop!
Dai Shu Geok “Big Tree Foot”
Address: Jalan King, Off Jalan Pasir Pinji, 31650, Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 8:30am to 5:30pm
Contact: +6012-524 5408
15. Popiah
Popiah is a quintessential Malaysian street food that comes either steamed or fried! They can be sweet and savory depending on the ingredients.
Garnish of fried shallots, crushed peanuts, and fried shrimps with omelet strips completes popiah!
Restoran Ipoh Kong Heng 怡保光興茶室
Address: 75, Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 7am to 5pm (Closed on Thursdays)
Restoran Kam Wan Aneka Selera
Address: Taman Canning, 31400 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 4pm to 10:30pm
16. Nasi Ganja
Nasi Ganja (Indian name for marijuana) is as addictive as it sounds! It comes with different choices of spiced meat and salted egg drenched in mild curry.
Their fried chicken and ayam masak merah are the bomb! Don’t miss out on their caramel egg custard too while you wait!
Note: There is usually a never-ending queue for takeaway customers! Dine-in customers won’t have to wait too long, though!
Nasi Ganja Kedai Kopi Yong Suan
Address: 2, Jalan Yang Kalsom, Taman Jubilee, 30300 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 9am to 5pm
Contact: +6016-595 9673
17. Yong Tau Foo
Yong tau foo is not just a single dish. Rather, it is a variety of meat and fish paste stuffed into an array of different vegetables (like eggplant and bittergourd) and tofu.
These deep-fried or steamed dumplings go nicely with dry noodles or with soup.
Many locals swear by the yong tau foo at Dai Shu Geok’s anchor stall. Their specialty, yam bean fritters, sar kok liew, is not to be missed!
Dai Shu Geok “Big Tree Foot”
Address: Jalan King, Off Jalan Pasir Pinji, 31650, Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 8:30am to 5:30pm
Contact: +6012-524 5408
18. Fish Head Noodles
Fai Kee has media appearances for the quality food they have been serving for years.
Their fish head noodles in particular, with its delicious tomato and salted vegetables soup base and fresh fried fish!
While you’re there, give their hot porridge a try! And get a cup of the acclaimed soya bean milk from the neighboring stall too!
Fai Kee Noodles (No.43) @ Medan Selera Stadium
Address: Ipoh Town Lot 36, Medan Selera Stadium, Jalan Ghazali Jawi, Ipoh Garden
Opening hours:
Friday to Wednesday: 7:30am to 4pm
Contact: +6012-457 9645
Restoran Hui Ji (fish head noodle) 輝記小食館(鱼头米)
Address: 26, Jalan Seenivasagam, 30450 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: 7am to 5pm
Contact: +6012-519 8083
19. Tambun Pomelo
Ipoh’s pomelos are especially juicy thanks to the mineral deposits of the limestone hills! You can tell a pomelo is ripe by how heavy it is. Some yellowing is good but the skin must not look dry!
Buy pomelos near the plantations in Tambun and Ampang! These are usually bigger and cheaper than those closer to town!
A few places where you can buy them:
Shops: Ah Sai Fruits Trading
Orchards:
Tambun Pomelo GoChin Agro Farm (打扪高晶柚子园)
Tambun Pomelo Orchard (打扪柚子园)
How To Get Around Ipoh
By Bus
Taking myBas in Ipoh is the cheapest way of getting around Ipoh. The Medan Kidd Bus Station is walking distance away from Ipoh Railway Station!
MyBus fare starts approximately at RM1.40 and goes up based on how far you travel. The service starts at 6am and finishes at 8pm with a myBas making a stop every 20-30mins.
However, if you are taking an inter-city bus to Ipoh, it will likely stop at the Aman Jaya Bus Station further away from town! (20 minutes’ drive)
By Hop On Hop Off Shuttle
Hop On Hop Off shuttle bus offers unlimited rides for tourists to 13 Ipoh attractions. It operates on weekends only and runs from 8:30am to 9pm.
By Taxi Or Grab
Taxis are usually found along the road at most Ipoh attractions. Or at the shopping malls.
Grab is gaining popularity in Ipoh but you might still find yourself waiting for the app to find you a driver.
By Tour Service
If you need transportation to go on an Ipoh food trip, let private tour service RayTheTour
bring you around!
Reasons To Choose RayTheTour:
We’ll pick you up and drop you off at your accommodation before and after the tour!
Enjoy the ride in our air-conditioned MPVs and vans
You can customize the itinerary to suit your needs!
Our friendly local guides are fluent in Chinese or English
Conclusion
There is much to discover when it comes to gastronomy in Ipoh. Other than the iconic white coffee, there’s also the tau fu fah and various noodles! The possibilities are endless!
Most of the Ipoh food listed above are dishes you can eat for breakfast! Which we recommend you to do since there’s almost always a queue and long wait times during lunch!
Read more: How to get from Singapore to Ipoh