10 New Must-Try Restaurants in Malaysia For Crave-Worthy Food and Fun Vibes
As a certified foodie, I love checking out restaurants and bars in Malaysia that have just opened, so I’d get first dibs on the best new eats in town. I’d usually drag my friends or my team to try them out with me. This list is the result of that.
So if you’re a fellow foodie looking for your next local favorite, or a tourist on the lookout for buzz-worthy restos to try, you’ve come to the right place. Here are our top picks for the newly opened restaurants in Malaysia for 2025.
Bidou
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Website
Menu: *Subject to change
Pricing: $$$$
Address: 9, Jalan Setiakasih 5, Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Contact: +60 12-278 6720
Bidou is one of the newest French restaurants in Kuala Lumpur that’s worth trying! They had a soft opening in March this year and are currently getting a lot of buzz for their excellent food and friendly staff.
The restaurant’s ambience is warm with classically elegant furniture and art on the walls. It’s a fine dining restaurant that’s great for anniversary dinners and celebrations.
While the food here is not exactly cheap, given the quality and the fact that you get a four-course meal, you definitely get more than what you pay for. It’s also relatively cheaper compared to other French fine dining restaurants.
The food? Classic fresh cuisine that’s impeccably well-done. The olive oil bread is crusty, warm, and comforting. Our favorite is definitely the pâté en croûte, which is chicken and duck forcemeat with foie gras, green pistachios, and pastry crust.
Their steak is also to die for, served with a creamy anchovy butter sauce that just takes everything to a whole new level.
Pro Tip:
Curious about the specials for the week? You can inquire about them via WhatsApp. Oh, and they’re a cashless restaurant. So remember to bring your debit or credit card with you!
The Industry
Media Credit: theindustry.kl
Website
Menu
Pricing: $$
Address: Lot GF-01, Ground Floor, Block D, The Five @ KPD, Kompleks Pejabat Damansara, 49, Jalan Dungun, Township, 50890 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Contact: +60 10-971 9728
The Industry is one of the newest gastrobars by the Brickhouse group that has great comfort food and a modern ambience. Some crowd favorites we’d recommend are smoked duck carbonara, tandoori skewers with housemade pita, and salmon benedict.
They also have good burgers, such as the wagyu beef burger and fried chicken burger. It’s the perfect place for chill brunches and lunch meetings with friends or colleagues. A bonus is that they serve mad drinks!
Some of our group’s top drinks are Paloma, a tequila-based drink with grapefruit and lime, The Chameleon, a gin-based drink that changes colors, and Tommy’s Margarita. If you don’t drink, you’d be glad to know that they have plenty of non-alcoholic options as well.
Their peach passion is fruity and refreshing. If you want something sweet, they have an artisanal chocolate drink that’s rich and delicious. They don’t have fancy frappes and complicated coffee orders, but their classics, like flat white and mocha, are good.
Pro Tip:
Don’t sleep on their craft beer! Their IPA and Copper Ale are amazing.
Sakuragawa by Yappari Samurai
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Website
Pricing: $$
Address: 19-2, Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Business Hours:
- Tuesday-Thursday; Sunday (6 PM – 11 PM)
- Friday-Saturday (6 PM – 12 AM)
- Closed on Mondays
Contact: +60 17-518 0255
If you’re a fan of Japanese food, Sakuragawa is a good option. It’s a charming Shizuoka-style izakaya that serves authentic, pork-free Japanese cuisine.
Sakuragawa is gaining popularity because of its delicious food that tastes homemade and its warm staff.
Some must-try dishes include their wagyu hamburger steak set, crispy chicken nanban with miso sauce, gyoza, and tomato beef. To wash it all down, they have a refreshing lemon sour that pairs well with their food.
They have loads of options, with different set meals complete with side dishes, miso soup, and rice. Their food is very filling, and the flavors are well-balanced.
Pro Tip:
The Kansai-style dashimaki tamago is a really good side dish. Try it with your order!
Ministry of Crab
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Website
Menu
Pricing: $$$$
Address: GF-03 M-02, TUAH 1895, 2, Jln Hang Tuah, Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Contact: +60 17-773 3680
The Ministry of Crab serves fresh seafood from Sri Lanka that tastes amazing. They have mud crabs and freshwater prawns with different sauces to choose from. They have black pepper dashi, garlic chilli, original recipe, and curry, among others.
The crabs drenched in sauce are flavor bombs and definitely worth a try. But our team’s favorite is their pure crab. These crabs have a strong sweetness, and having it steamed with limited flavorings really helps bring that out.
Pure crab is served with just warm butter, chilli padi, soy sauce, and vinegar. Deceptively simple, but amazingly good. You can also opt for baked crab, a dish that reminds others of risotto. It’s creamy, rich, and savory.
Pro Tip:
Try their crab liver pâté with toast! They consider it their “caviar” because of how rich and earthy it tastes. The servings per day are limited, but if available, don’t miss your chance. You can check in with the waiter if this is available when you go.
BarTailor
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Website
Menu
Pricing: $$
Address: 42A, Jalan SS 20/10, Damansara Kim, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Business Hours:
- Monday-Saturday (4 PM – 1 AM)
- Closed on Sundays
Contact: +60 11-1639 5006
BarTailor stands out for so many reasons. It’s a speakeasy bar that offers tailoring services all in one place. Yes, you read that right – it offers bespoke fashion with your food and drinks! It’s the first of its kind worldwide, earning it many accolades for novelty and creativity.
It serves bar chow and meals for sharing from all around the world. Their Asian options are delicious must-try dishes like crispy cereal prawn, deep-fried oyster mushroom, Laksa rice bowl, and scallion-infused oil udon.
They also serve Western mains such as pizza, chicken chops, lamb cutlets with black pepper sauce, etc. Aside from that, their themed drinks are witty and tasty.
Intimacy Threads, for example, is a gin-based drink that’s floral and bittersweet. Unbutton Me is another cocktail with gin, elderflower liquor, sea salt water, stevia, and Earl Grey. The flavors are deep and floral.
If you want something earthy, Velvet Pin Cushion is a good option. It has tequila and Jäger with Irish whisky and asam boi. It’s deep, tangy, and quite savory.
Pro Tip:
Planning an event and want something different and refreshing? Check out their event packages and menus here.
Nōto
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Website
Pricing: $$
Address: 4, Jln SS19/6, Ss 19, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor
Business Hours: Daily (8 AM – 6 PM)
Contact: +60 11-5424 3526
If you’re looking for something light and tasty with a cup of good coffee, Nōto is a new discovery that will suit you! It has mouth-watering bread and pastries that look almost too pretty to eat. The pastries are crisp, buttery, and bursting with flavor.
Our personal favorites are the tiramisu that’s light, creamy, and with just the right amount of sweetness. They also have amazing coffee and drinks. For us, the matcha latte is the star of the show.
What’s interesting is that this charming Japanese cafe is tucked away inside a car shop. I guess this way, you and your car can both get a pick-me-up at the same time.
It’s the perfect cafe for laid-back dates and is ideal even for those who just want a quiet breather to read and do their own thing. The cafe is very chill with beautiful aesthetics – overall, a great gem of a spot in Subang Jaya.
Pro Tip:
The cafe is pet-friendly! Just make sure your pet is socialized, trained well, and leashed properly.
Zaataru
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Website
Pricing: $$
Address: 21-1, Lorong Rahim Kajai 13, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur
Business Hours: Daily (12 PM–3 PM, 6 PM–10:30 PM)
Contact: +60 11-6224 5723
Zaataru is unique in a way that it fuses two very different cuisines together and somehow makes it work amazingly well. They bring together izakaya-style Japanese eats and bold Levantine flavors.
You’re encouraged to eat with your hands, get messy, and share a lot of food and laughter with your favorite people.
There are a lot of playful combos, such as the kotsobu natto in hummus and grilled squid with miso garlic butter. We recommend trying the Levantine bread with the hummus and their grilled wings. The flavors are adventurous and refreshing.
Their dishes are perfect with glasses of cold beer. It’s a great place to bring coworkers after a grueling day or your friend group who can’t decide on what to eat for dinner.
Pro Tip:
We love their pomegranate mint fizz because it’s so refreshing!
Sandoicchi
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Website
Pricing: $
Address: Lot No.56, Level G2 Publika Shopping Gallery, Solaris Dutamas, 1, Jln Dutamas 1, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Contact: +60 17-776 3603
Sandoicchi specializes in Japanese-style sandwiches, popularly known as “sandos”. Their steak sandwich is the bomb; the meat is perfectly juicy and tender, seasoned well, and the bread is soft with crispy edges. It’s now our team’s go-to weekend lunch place.
The servings are satisfying because they’re very hearty. It’s the kind of food that you’ll crave for, because of its unique flavors, reasonable prices, and convenience. You can literally just pick up a sandwich that you can eat on the go.
If anything, we wish that there would be more freshness in between bites of their meat sandwiches. The rich flavors can get a bit overwhelming for some. The seating is also limited, so that’s something to consider.
Pro Tip:
Try to go here earlier; it gets quite busy during peak hours.
Merdeka Grill
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Website
Menu
Pricing: $$$$
Address: Warisan Merdeka Tower, Level 75, Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, Presint Merdeka 118, 50118 Kuala Lumpur
Business Hours: Daily (12 PM–3 PM, 6 PM –10:30 PM)
Contact: +60 3-2303 2721
If you’re looking for a modern grill with premium cuts of meat, sustainably-sourced seafood, and farm-to-table produce, Merdeka Grill is the place to be. They have plenty of vegan options and an extensive menu that would please the pickiest of eaters.
Some of the best dishes we’ve tasted from their menu are their Wagyu tenderloin MBS 5, Wagyu rib eye MBS 5, and 7 days dry-aged chateaubriand that is served with freshly-grated wasabi and sherry vinegar.
Merdeka Grill is connected to the Hyatt Hotel, so it’s understandable that the prices can be on the higher end. But with the quality and presentation of the food, you’ll get your money’s worth. Plus, the view here is amazing – you’ll get to see KL’s beautiful skyline.
They also serve great cocktails and have a wide selection of wines to choose from. It’s a good place for special celebrations.
Pro Tip:
Their Kelantan dark chocolate sphere is a must-try!
Lucky Kong
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Website
Menu
Pricing: $
Address: 16A, Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 1, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur
Business Hours:
- Tuesday-Friday (12 PM–3 PM, 5 PM–10 PM)
- Saturday-Sunday (12 PM – 10 PM)
- Closed on Mondays
Contact: +60123895664
Lucky Kong is a halal izakaya-style restaurant. They serve amazing yakitori here! They have chicken yakitori with wasabi salt, lamb teriyaki, beef teriyaki, smoked duck yaki, mushroom truffle, squid teriyaki, and tori with different kinds of sauces and tobiko.
If you’re looking for rice meals, they have different kinds of rice bowls, such as mini unagi butter cheese don, beef don, and fried chicken curry rice. Their special salmon truffle bomb is one of our favorites.
The ambience of the place is busy, warm, and a bit noisy. It’s a great place to bring family and friends for a chill meal out that won’t burn a hole in your pocket.
Pro Tip:
They have a prayer room that customers can use.