Nam Heong Eatery – Traditional Coffee Shop In Ipoh Old Town

There are two battles you need to overcome if you want to have breakfast, brunch, or lunch at Nam Heong Eatery. One for parking, and another for a table.

During weekends and public holidays, this is always true. But weekdays are also just as hectic if you come at peak times.

Why should you visit this place then? Find out below!

Reasons To Go

One of the main reasons so many want to come here is firstly, is that this coffee shop is only a 5-minute walk from Concubine Lane.

Secondly, they are famous for their Ipoh white coffee and fresh egg tarts which they constantly churn out.

On top of this, there are multiple stalls to order from. Fried kuay teow, curry mee, some dim sum, fish ball soup noodles.

Of these, we recommend the egg tarts, lo bak go (deep fried raddish cakes), and savoury curry mee. The curry mee has siew yok, char siew, and fishcakes. We like the soup version, but many people get the dry version too).

Note: The kuay teow is not worth ordering.

Their egg tarts have a delightful flaky texture and a delicious filling that has the right level of sweetness.

The radish cakes are crispy on the outside but not oily. And they use dried shrimp for their radish cakes too.

At the front, there are colorful Nyonya kuih for sale. And during lunch time, there is mixed rice or economy rice too.

Reasons Not To Go

Because this corner shop eatery is close to a school, an apartment block, wholesale shops, and Little India:

Vehicles (like delivery trucks on weekdays) are constantly stopping and going around this area. There’s nowhere to park immediately in front of the eatery.

Instead, the nearest parking for Kedai Makanan Nam Heong is the side parking along the compound of the apartment block.

Or the side parking in front of Yinzo Kopi. You might need to park as far as Little India and walk over when the traffic is bad.

Once you have a parking spot, brace yourself for the madness of peak hours inside the eatery (typically between 9am to 12pm).

Tables are close to each other, and you’ll likely have to squeeze among other people as hawkers also weave among the tables. Sharing a table with strangers is common here.

The staff may set up plastic tables and chairs at the back of the eatery, but environment at the back of the coffeeshop is dirty and unpleasant.

It’s not that the inside of Nam Heong is very clean either. And understandably so since there are many people inside most of the time.

Pricing is higher than at other local spots around Ipoh. It costs RM5 for a cup of iced coffee, and a cup of iced barley drink. A bowl of curry mee costs RM8.

But this not surprising since this is a famous tourist spot.

Conclusion

If you’re patient and not already hungry, you can give Nam Heong Coffee Shop a go. We do think it’s a good place for breakfast or lunch if you don’t mind the crowds.

Do be considerate of others if you choose to dine here. It’s not nice to rush people through their meal just so you can have their table.

Other places that we recommend for breakfast in Ipoh.