Food guide
Best Food in Sandakan
Dim sum mornings, bay seafood and the old-town coffee shops worth a detour on Sabah's east coast.
Updated
Sandakan rewards an early start. The town's dim sum and coffee-shop breakfasts are its strongest food, and its seafood restaurants over the bay are the place for dinner.
Quick recommendations
- Breakfast
- Dim sum, shared, before 9am
- Dinner
- Bayside seafood at sunset
Mornings are the best meal
Sandakan eats its best food before lunch: dim sum, coffee-shop noodles and fish noodles made from fish paste.
Go early. Popular shops sell out and some close before noon.
Seafood from the bay
Sandakan's seafood restaurants, including stilted ones in the Sim-Sim water village, cook the bay's catch Cantonese-style: steamed fish, butter prawns and squid.
As everywhere in Sabah, confirm prices by weight.
Map
Schematic map, not to scale. Select a town to see where to eat.
Frequently asked questions
What is Sandakan known for food-wise?
Sandakan is known for dim sum breakfasts, Cantonese-style seafood and long-running coffee shops in the old town.
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