Best Breakfasts in Kuala Lumpur

Just. Start. 

I’ve been itching to start a food blog for years. 

Kuala Lumpur’s beautiful, eclectic, vibrant, food scene tipped me over the edge to grab my pen and just start. 

We decided to go to KL on a whim, really. The travel bug bit and I picked KL because I have such great memories of visiting it with my Mum when I was younger. Back then, we often went to Singapore for shopping but we popped to KL once during one of those trips. This sounds more lavish than it was. My Mom would work really hard and every two-three years or so, she would treat us both to a trip abroad. 

I actually didn’t remember much about KL at all when I chose to book, but I remembered how it made me feel and I felt a burning desire to recreate some of these memories with my own family. Travel with my husband and my kids to the other side of the world so they could experience new things, create new memories of their own, so we could create new memories as a family. Travel has really augmented our bond and shared perspective of the world in so many ways over the years.  There's nothing like experiencing new cultures, new tastes and new places together.

The Most Important Meal Of the Day

For this trip, we booked an apartment through Airbnb. This was actually a last minute change of plan, we had originally booked a hotel (Berjaya Times Square) but then explored Airbnb options which turned out to be so much more budget friendly, convenient and spacious for a family of 4! Plus, it was one of the only buildings in the area that was fully serviced, including an infinity pool, jacuzzi, gym, sauna, climbing wall etc. Shout out to our host Jess and leave me a comment if you want a recommendation for the apartment. 

We stayed at the Opus Tower right opposite the imposing and spectacular Merdeka 118 tower and a stone’s throw away from Chinatown. I’ll admit it - it’s only after a quick Google search upon arrival that we realised that we were looking at the second tallest building in the world. A majestic 678.9m tall, roughly 149m lower than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. We also found out that there’s an even bigger tower being built in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, estimated to reach 1000m. I like to imagine that these decisions to build very tall buildings are being made in some board meeting full of testosterone- fuelled men who are infinitely trying to ‘one up’ each other on who can build the biggest tower.

Anyway, I digress. So, the main thing about staying at an Airbnb is that you can’t casually stroll downstairs to a breakfast buffet when you wake up. You have to venture out and find something yummy to start the day. I quite like this aspect of a holiday, especially if you’re in a capital of good food such as KL. If you’re in the middle of the countryside, in Wales, that’s slightly riskier and you might be better off having popped to Lidl the night before to pick up some eggs and bacon.

I love spontaneity but I also love the certainty that my hunger will be satisfied, so we did a mix of planning ahead (looking up reviews and TikTok videos) to decide where we would find mighty sustenance for the morning as well as randomly walking up to spots that tickled our fancy on the day. Admittedly, we did more of the former (my fault) but generally speaking, our Type A and B personality combo as a couple worked out pretty well!

Importantly, we never went hungry.

The Best Breakfast Spots in KL

After days of exploring, we found some breakfast spots that really stood out—places that made us pause mid-bite and say, ‘Okay, this is pretty special.’ If you’re in KL and love a good breakfast, these should be on your list. 

#1 Breakfast Spot

A modern café that's certainly winning at the SEO game. But marketing aside, it serves an excellent menu that fuses Western and Malaysian cuisine in the most seamless and appetising way.

Where: Breakfast Spot, Chinatown, 142, Jalan Petaling, Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur

Must-have: Hokkien Mee with Chicken Curry, Nutella Croissant, Matcha Latte

Vibe: Casual, relaxed, quiet - you wouldn’t tell you’re just off one of KL’s busiest street, aka Petaling Street

Price: $$$

First, let’s talk about Breakfast Spot. It’s Instagram worthy and it knows it. Even before you step into the café, you are wowed by the artsy mural on the outside of the building, which runs all the way down a side street with the Merdeka 118 standing tall and proud in the background.

You’ll often see groups of people stopping by to pose for photos. If you’re sitting inside, next to the window, it’s quite amusing watching everyone have fun with their selfie sessions. Even cuter, since Breakfast Spot, is only a few minutes walk from the Chan She Shu Yuen temple, an ancient Clan Ancestral Hall which is also an official wedding venue, you might see a newly wedded couple snapping some pictures in front of the wall. 

Now, onto the food. We ordered quite a few different dishes for the table to suit every one’s heart’s desires. Our son ordered the Junior Breakfast. Our daughter ordered the Baby Pancakes. My husband ordered two different kinds of croissants (sounds un-exciting but wait for it!). I ordered the Hokkien Mee with Chicken Curry.

The Junior Breakfast was such a beautifully assembled tray of hearty breakfast food. Way too much food for a 10 year old, for sure, but we gladly gobbled up his leftovers. There was sausages, eggs, beans, avocado, yoghurt, dragonfruit, toast and butter.

The Baby Pancakes were the most adorable little pancakes I’ve ever seen, layered with fresh fruit, fresh cream and edible flowers too. It came with the daintiest and cutest little pouring pot of syrup too.

My husband’s croissants, which felt like a plain choice at first in comparison and nagged him with second thoughts, turned out to be, I quote, “The best croissants [he’d] ever eaten!”. He ordered the cheese croissant and a Nutella croissant. I only tried the Nutella one and it was indeed exceptional - the perfect combination of crisp, flakey, light and airy pastry with a Nutella inspired vanilla filling and topped with crunchy almonds.

My breakfast was probably the most adventurous pick from the menu. When it arrived, I heavily questionned my decision as I wasn’t sure whether noodles, sambal sauce and chicken curry had been the right choice this early in the morning. But let me tell you, one bite into the meal and I knew I’d chosen right. The noodles and chicken combo was so full of flavour and the sambal dipping sauce really brought the dish together, delivering what felt like a true Malaysian cuisine experience. Not to mention that it was all plated on a banana leaf as well which just added to the vibrancy and authenticity of the food. 

Our drinks looked and tasted incredible too. I do have a soft spot for impeccable aesthetics on a drink. Special shoutout to the barista for some next-level latte art—the kind that makes you hesitate before taking the first sip just so you can admire it a little longer.

I had my first hot matcha latte there (I’ve only had cold ones before) and I’ve got to say, it was pretty tasty! Rich and velvety. Highly recommend. I feel like matcha is an acquired taste though and I’ll likely stick to my espressos for the near future but I could just tell it was a really, really good matcha. 

Honestly, 5 out of 5 for food! (Minor caveat, we went back there a couple of days after and sadly the wait was quite long on one of the dishes we ordered, meaning my son waited a long time - 30 mins - for his food whilst we were all eating but he didn’t really complain. It was primarily me who went all Mama Bear in that moment. He was totally fine and happily wolfed down his beef tacos when they arrived). Their lunch menu looked really appetising too and, had we stayed longer in KL, we would have loved to try it out. Maybe next time! 

#2 Bubble Bee Café

An understated gem in Chinatown where you'll find wholesome platters of food plus the best Coconut Latte in KL.

Where: Bubble Bee Café,139, Jalan Petaling, City Centre, Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur 

Must-have: Balance Brekkie, Bubble Waffle Cone, Coconut Latte

Vibe: Cozy, artistic, and thoughtfully designed. Think café culture + handcrafted beauty + wholesome produce.

Price: $$

I had my eye on this café from Day One of our trip. It’s located on the street leading up to Petaling Street, the part where you catch a respite from the crowds before the hustle and bustle of the market street picks up. We first went to the café for breakfast and it was love at first sight - I picked the ‘Balance Brekkie’ from the All Day Brunch menu and was mesmerised with the stunning platter of breakfast food I received, complete with vibrant purple dragonfruit, freshly pressed orange juice, a small salad, some scrambled egg, artisanal bread, yoghurt and berries. Each element of the breakfast was presented in a small bowl, some made out of bamboo and others made out of colourful ceramic, assembled on an artisanal rattan-style round platter. I genuinely loved the presentation so much that I spent the next few days scouting Central Market for my own rattan platter and bamboo bowls. 

I did find a beautiful woven platter and two bamboo bowls later on (pretty overpriced too, we were warned we’d better sharpen our haggling skills if we wanted to buy anything from Central Market, but to bring back the spirit of this artistic breakfast back home, I was happy to splash out). I got chatting to the owner of the café on a later visit (one of many, I became addicted to their Coconut Latte!) and she told me that they source their cute (and hard wearing) bamboo bowls from the craft markets in Thailand - otherwise they are quite pricey to buy locally! I joked that I’d make sure to arrange another trip to Thailand next time, just for one of those bowls. 

Another dish that we sampled at Bubble Bee Café that really stuck with me was their bubble waffle. Made to order and presented in a cone with scrumptious fresh cream, strawberries, ice cream, oreos and a selection of other toppings too. As you’ll see if you stay tuned to my expeditions, when I see something that I like, I find a way to recreate it for myself and you bet that when I got back home, I bought a Star-Blue and got deep into the craft of making Gan Daan Jai, aka Bubble Waffle - but more on that in another article, it deserves its own piece. 

My favourite iced coffee on this trip was their Coconut Latte - the perfect drink on a hot day. So cold and refreshing - a truly delectable concoction of pure delight, not too sweet either and the perfect level of coconut flavour. I wish I’d asked for the recipe for that one too - I could give a go at recreating this in my kitchen but I doubt it would be anywhere near as good without the local ingredients. Importantly, the coffee in Malaysia has been unreal. So, even if I figured out the right balance for the other ingredients, I’m just not sure I’d have the right calibre of coffee beans to do justice to the drink! 

Bonus tip: If you walk out of the back door, you step onto the Kwai Chai Hong Alley, aka the hidden alley. The worst kept secret in KL, admittedly, as it’s usually ram-packed on a weekend but if you go during the week, you’ll be able to really take in the sights and admire the charming murals painted along the alley walls.

The paintings depict the life of the locals in the 1960s and next to each mural, there’s a QR code that you can scan to watch a video about each character.

This is KL’s storytelling at its finest. It turns back time for a moment. I love this about KL - there’s such a deep respect for history, tradition and culture and the future seems to be built with those as solid foundations. Instead of the usual stark juxtaposition between old and new, it feels to me that KL builds a future that’s truly enmeshed with its rich history.

#3 Liuli House Restaurant

A warm and welcoming spot where traditional flavors meet heartfelt hospitality, perfect if you're in a bit of a rush but still want something tasty.

Where: Liuli House Restaurant, 9-G, Jln Maharajalela, Kampung Attap, Kuala Lumpur

Must-have: Kaya Butter Croissant, Mocha

Vibe: Vintage charm meets local history—a nostalgic café filled with memorabilia from 1950s KL (the time period is a total guesstimate, I might be totally wrong!).

Price: $

I’m including Liuli on this list because of how charming the restaurant is and how friendly the front of house staff are. We spontaneously decided to pop into Liuli’s because it was very close to our apartment and we needed to fill up on a good breakfast before heading out of the city centre to visit one of KL’s most popular attractions - the Batu Caves. 

We were greeted by a warm smile and seated at a large round table, near the open kitchen in the restaurant. The pictures on the wall felt like a mini lesson in history with snapshots of old buses, cars, hand carts, old market stalls - all depicting the city in its pre-modern days. This place too had some dated memorabilia - a very old traditional sewing machine, an ancient looking chinese teapot set, a random gong, a super cool old radio. For someone who doesn’t like clutter, I have a deep appreciation of old things being displayed as ornaments, especially when it’s not in my own house!

Foodwise, we had some croissants stuffed with ham, cheese and salad, which, I know sounds pretty unspectacular. We had some mixed feelings about that one. My husband loved it but I was less impressed. That said, the winner for me was the croissant with Kaya butter. That was the showstopper. The real MVP. It swept me off my feet my surprise so I completely forgot to snap a picture.

Now, Kaya is a staple in Malaysian cuisine and appears on various breakfast dishes, including the famous Roti Canai. I had never tasted it until that morning and I was blown away. The waiter described Kaya as ‘sugarcane gems’ which are used as a spread, alongside New Zealand butter. You then end up with a sweet, rich, buttery spread that just melts over your pastry or your incredibly thick and cake-like slice of toast. 

I was so intrigued by this concoction (perhaps because I come from an island whose economy was primarily built on sugarcane trading for centuries yet I’d never heard of Kaya! But read on, there might be a good reason for that) that I got up and asked if I could have a peek at the spread in the kitchen. 

The staff happily obliged and showed me the big tub of freshly prepared Kaya, which is of a green colour, not the most appetising at first glance, but honestly delicious! Now, I don’t know if something was lost in translation or whether there are different variations of Kaya but, I later did a Google search and learned that Kaya is actually a coconut based jam, made with coconut milk, eggs, sugar. 

‘Kaya’ means rich, the name being fitting for the richness and creaminess of the jam. There are different varieties, too—Nyonya Kaya is light green, while Hainanese Kaya is dark brown. Interestingly, there are competing theories on Kaya’s origins—some say it’s an adaptation of Portuguese egg jam, while others believe it was created by Hainanese and Chinese immigrants working on British ships in the 1800s.

We left Liuli’s with happy bellies and hoped we might come back for lunch at some point but we sadly never got around to it. 

What else should be on the list?

This was just a small selection of KL’s incredible breakfast spots. I’m sure there are plenty more hidden gems out there! If you’ve been to KL, I’d love to hear about your own favourites. Let me know in the comments and until next time—happy eating!

About me...I'm Lorna Rose and, by day, I work in the tech industry, but in my heart of hearts, I've always been fascinated by the story that food tells. The magic of a well-cooked meal, the way a simple dish can bring people together, spark conversation, and create lasting memories. On Happy Bellies, I set out to explore and find hidden gems, so that I can indulge in telling stories around food that will make you want to go out and create your own foodie adventures.