Food guide
Best Cafes in Kota Kinabalu
Cafes for Sabah-grown coffee, kuih, brunch and a cool place to sit out the afternoon heat.
Updated
KK's cafe scene runs from traditional kuih counters to specialty coffee bars brewing beans from Tenom. Here's how to choose.
Quick recommendations
- Coffee first
- A specialty cafe brewing Sabah beans
- Sweet tooth
- A halal kuih counter for hinompuka and pinjaram
Specialty coffee
KK's specialty cafes roast and brew carefully chosen beans. Sabah also grows its own coffee, mainly around Tenom, so ask whether local beans are on the menu.
Try a pour-over black first, then decide on milk.
Bakery-kopitiam breakfasts
For a local-style coffee stop, an old-style bakery-kopitiam with roti kahwin and kopi is cheaper and more Sabahan than a brunch cafe.
For traditional kuih, go to the Sunday market on Gaya Street early in the morning.
Map
Schematic map, not to scale. Select a town to see where to eat.
Frequently asked questions
Does Sabah grow coffee?
Yes. Tenom, in Sabah's interior, is the best-known coffee-growing area, and Sabah coffee is widely sold in KK.
Dishes to know
Kadazan-Dusun
Hinompuka
Hinompuka is a Kadazan-Dusun steamed rice cake made from glutinous rice flour and palm or brown sugar, wrapped in banana leaf. It is sweet, chewy and fragrant, and especially associated with the Kadazan of Penampang.
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