Over 260 km from Kuala Lumpur and around 104 km if you are coming from Johor Bahru, Kluang boasts plenty of famous local foods worth hunting down. This includes everything from the good old-fashioned coffee & toast to beef noodles, Ramly burgers and Shanghai mooncakes. Well, enough said, we’ll let these 10 Local Kluang Foods You Should Try take over instead!
1) Coffee & Toast @ The Original Kluang Rail Coffee
No doubt an obligatory visit for anyone who stops by at Kluang, this legendary coffee shop serves local comfort-food staples like coffee, roti bakar (toast), mee siam and nasi lemak. Open daily from 7 am onwards, it’s a good (though usually crowded) old-school place to enjoy a cup of aromatic coffee and charcoal-grilled kaya & butter toast. For the latter, you can opt for the usual white bread or bun varieties.
Address: KTM, Jalan Station, 86000 Kluang, Johor
2) Curry Noodles @ Gerai Makan Botak
Can’t live a day without spices when it comes to your daily diet? Located at Jalan Panggung in Kampung Masjid Lama, here’s a place where you can enjoy a bowl of good old curry noodles. Combining ground spices and coconut milk, Botak’s curry noodles comes loaded with all the usual suspects — cockles, fried tofu, homemade char siew and noodles of your choice (yellow mee, bee hoon or mee kia). It has a subtle combination of savoury and sweet notes with a mild spiciness that isn’t overpowering. Remember to pair your curry noodles with some homemade sambal for an added spicy kick.
Address: Jalan Panggung, Kampung Masjid Lama, 86000 Kluang, Johor
3) Satay @ Ah Fu Satay
Amidst the varieties of Kluang food stalls in Restoran Tan Ching Hing lies a popular Ah Fu Satay. They serve juicy and plump satay varieties such as chicken, mutton and pork — all grilled to smoky perfection with enough spices and some charred fats on the edges. And in case you have room for more, there are delicious foods you can try around here, namely the fried chicken wings, fried oyster omelette and ikan bakar (grilled fish in folded banana leaves).
Address: 18, Jalan Raja Omar, Kampung Masjid Lama, 86000 Kluang, Johor
4) Burger @ Fendy’s Burger Stall
Today’s burgers may have evolved to all kinds of gourmet-style delights, sometimes accompanied by a higher price tag as well. But sometimes, simplicity still rules such as this one from Fendy’s Burger Stall. Operating since 1985, it has become one of the Kluang food institutions among many locals and tourists.
Burgers are all prepared fresh upon order, so you don’t have to worry about settling with cold and sad-looking comfort food in your hand. Be it beef or chicken patties, each burger is generously seasoned and filled with sauces (e.g. chilli, BBQ) as well as fresh lettuce and cucumbers. All sandwiched together in a lightly-buttered, soft and fluffy bun! The good thing is, you can have your burger(s) customised too. And just so you know, the owner Fendy happens to speak good Mandarin as well. Fendy’s Burger Stall opens daily from 6 pm until 12 midnight.
Address: Persiaran Dato Haji Ismail Hassan, Kampung Masjid Lama, 86000 Kluang, Johor
5) Roast Pork Belly @ Hai Kee
If you are a fan of siu yuk a.k.a. roast pork belly, do make a trip to Hai Kee. This famous Kluang’s meat merchant, which opens only at night until early morning, is famed for its freshly-roasted pork. That’s right — everything from the butchering to the preparation and roasting are all done from the shop itself. Expect crispy and crackling skin on the top with a nice meat-to-fat ratio bursting with savoury flavour upon every bite. You can request them to cut the siu yuk into the usual smaller pieces or purchase in bigger chunks.
Address: Jalan Haji Manap Nordin, Kluang Baru, 86000 Kluang, Johor
6) Soybean Milk & Tau Fu Fah @ Air Tahu Ah Wah
Fancy some nice, milky beverages at Kluang? Here’s one for you: Air Tahu Ah Wah, the family-run little shop serving homemade soybean milk and tau fu fah (soybean curd). Made fresh on a daily basis, they do not add preservatives and colourings whatsoever — just good old, pure soybean delight sweetened with sugar syrup. Their classic tau fu fah is silky smooth and you can request for add-ons like longan and cendol.
Address: Jalan Haji Manan, Kampung Masjid Lama, 86000 Kluang, Johor
7) Beef Noodles @ Yean Kee
From its humble beginnings selling Hainanese beef noodles on a push cart stall in Old Kluang Market during the 1930s, Yean Kee has since evolved into an air-conditioned restaurant that we know today. They use homemade rice noodles for both broth and dry versions — all silky-smooth and nice texture that goes well with beef chunks and other assorted ingredients like toasted peanuts, chopped salted vegetables and spring onions. The broth version packs a beefy flavour with a distinctly herbal taste while the dried varieties are tossed in a sticky, sweet-and-savoury beef sauce. Keep in mind they only serve from 10 am until 3 pm every Tuesday to Sunday.
Address: 4, Jln Murni 1, Taman Murni, 86000 Kluang, Johor
8) Shanghai Mooncakes @ Yuen Fatt Biscuit Sdn Bhd
Why wait for the Mid-Autumn Festival when you can enjoy mooncakes any time of the day? Thanks to Yuen Fatt Biscuit Sdn Bhd, this famous Kluang bakery shop allows customers to enjoy their signature Shanghai mooncakes all year long. But unlike the usual round varieties, Yuen Fatt typically makes their mooncakes in a unique, oblong, rugby-like shape. Baked fresh daily in a traditional way with no added preservatives, Yuen Fatt’s mooncakes are available in three flavours including lotus paste, pandan and black sesame. Expect generous fillings with buttery yet fragrant crust on the outside.
Address: No. 39, Jalan Haji Manap Nordin, Kluang Baru, 86000 Kluang, Johor
9) Tau Sar Pneah @ Tong Huat Traditional Confectionery Sdn Bhd
Can’t get enough of baked goods in Kluang? Here’s another one: Tong Huat Traditional Confectionery Sdn Bhd, famous for its signature tau sar pneah (grounded mung bean biscuits). Baked fresh every day, each morsel of this tau sar pneah packs a nice, crispy skin on the outside and sweet mung bean paste filling on the inside. They have a salty version too — both of which are packed in a food-grade wrapper to preserve freshness, lasting for 2 weeks tops.
Address: No. 28 & 30, Jalan Cantik, 86000 Kluang, Johor
10) Asam Pedas @ Restoran Ikan Asam Pedas
Wrapping up our recommended Kluang food destination would be the famous asam pedas (spicy tamarind fish) at Restoran Ikan Asam Pedas. Expect the seafood sweetness of fresh fish head cooked with delectably spicy-sour gravy — a combination of tamarind and assorted spices that elevates the whole flavour.
Address: 85, Jalan Lim Swee Sim, Taman Kluang Baru, 86000 Kluang, Johor
