Where To Find Delicious Ipoh Food Like A Local

Finding good food in Ipoh is difficult. Not because there are few options but the opposite. This list is based on our personal opinions.

We do suggest that first time visitors avoid following the crowds when you come to Ipoh. Many times, the famous options are overrated.

So, without further ado, this is where you can really find the best food in Ipoh!

1. Wan Tan Mee At Min Chee Wan Ton Mee (Stall No. 36 at Stadium Indera Mulia)

This is one of the famous spots that is worth going to. The texture of their noodles is unlike other wan tan mee stalls in Ipoh because it is very springy.

For this, you must accept a few things – portions are small, the sauce is a little oily (so is the cutlery), and the char siew if it’s not sold out, is thin.

The soup that comes with the noodles has a strong anchovy taste. And the handmade pork dumplings in the soup are delicious.

Note: Nobody orders this wan tan mee in soup. It is best eaten dry.

Many like to have this wan tan mee for breakfast or lunch. The stall is closed mid-week (Tuesday and Wednesday) and it closes at 4pm daily.

2. Fish Head Noodle At Fai Kee (Stall No. 43 at Stadium Indera Mulia)

If you go at or after 9am, prepare to wait for your bowl. Because this family-run stall is a very popular breakfast spot among locals.

The soup of their famous fish head noodles is sweet and sour, and this goes well with their fried grouper fish. It costs RM14 for a bowl.

You can also add on sides like their fried pork patty or fried meat (combination of fish and pork) dumplings.

Portions are average too.

3. Egg Tart At Nam Heong Eatery

Ipoh white coffee is one of the reasons to have a meal at Nam Heong Eatery. But while you’re here, you should try their freshly made egg tarts too!

Read more about our experience at Nam Heong Eatery.

4. Beansprout Chicken Rice At Cowan Street Ayam Tauge And Koitiau Restaurant

Queues start from 5pm at Restoran Cowan Street Ayam Tauge & Koitiau and this is one way to know if they are open. They often close for half of the week and are not open for breakfast or lunch.

Their serving is strangely orderly (and a little robotic) but the chicken is tender and very tasty. They do not serve rice here, just hor fun (flat rice noodles).

Braised chicken feet and juicy beansprouts are highly recommended sides that you can order along with your chicken and noodles.

If you will not miss rice, we think the chicken at Restoran Cowan Street Ayam Tauge & Koitiau is a lot better than what you get at popular Restoran Tauge Ayam Lou Wong.

5. Kai Se Hor Fun At Moon De Moon

Kai se hor fun is what makes Moon De Moon so well known. They used to serve very good curry mee too but no longer.

As locals ourselves, we just avoid coming here on weekends and public holidays. It is best to come here before 9am to beat most of the crowd.

There is a roast pork truck that sometimes parks in front of Moon De Moon. Their siew yok is crispy, and you can try some while waiting for your noodles. Which normally take 30 to 40 minutes to come during busy days.

PS: Drinks might take a very long time to come (~20 minutes) if it is full house.

6. Tau Fu Fah At Wong Kee Beancurd

Forget Funny Mountain Soya Beancurd, if you want a mind-blowing bowl of tau fu fah. What Wong Kee Beancurd serves is special:

Their tau fu fah has a very smooth texture. You can get a few different sugar syrups and toppings for your tau fu fah if you want.

There’s nowhere to sit at Wong Kee Beancurd except for simple plastic stools. The area around this stall is not clean or comfortable, but the tau fu fah is worth it! See more options for tau foo fah.

7. Dim Sum At Restoran Chooi Yue Dim Sum

Restoran Chooi Yue Dim Sum has long queues every time they open. The crowd is just as big on a weekday as it is on a weekend. Finding parking for this non halal dim sum restaurant is not easy.

But their dim sum in general, is tasty, of sizable portions and at reasonable prices. They also serve coffee which is uncommon for a dim sum restaurant.

Moreover, their dining environment is attractive and comfortable.

Just prepare yourself to wait for an hour or more if you choose to have breakfast at Chooi Yue Dim Sum Restaurant.

8. Yong Tau Fu At Choong Kee Dai Shu Geok (Pokok Besar) Restaurant

For years, the yong tau fu at Choong Kee Dai Shu Geok (Pokok Besar) Restaurant is famous (and still is).

They have a wide selection of yong tau fu and they are made fresh daily. Of these, our personal favorite is the fried jicama (sar kok). But their laksa is only average in our opinion.

Beside the stall is a typical food court setup where you can order from other stalls. If you order drinks, go for their ice blended red bean drink – it’s great on a hot day and not too sweet.

PS: Choong Kee Dai Shu Geok (Pokok Besar) Restaurant is back-to-back with a copycat restaurant. You can tell by the difference in the number of customers.

9. Nasi Ganja At Yong Suan

The taste of the dishes at the nasi Ganja stall at Yong Suan coffee shop remains the same as it has for many years. It is not one dish that stands out here.

Many go for their signature red fried chicken, but we find it kind of hard to chew and the taste is average.

Getting a few dishes together and mixing their sauces is the best part about dining here. And they are generous with portions too.

We suggest avoiding the seafood dishes as the stall is not known for its cleanliness. In fact, food poisoning is a risk here.

It is unusual if you don’t see any queues at lunch time because they have many customers for both takeaways and dine-in. Waiting for a table is normal despite the many tables and chairs in the small coffee shop.

Conclusion

This list of Ipoh food combines some touristy places as well as options that we think genuinely have good food to offer. Or that are better than their competitors.

Remember that all the places listed here are popular with locals too. So, if you wish to avoid queues, we advise going as early as possible.

You can also join our private local food tours for a day.