Places to Eat in Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu’s rich cultural heritage and busy tourist scene mean that there are lots of options when it comes to dining out, whatever type of cuisine you prefer. If you’re looking for budget street food then the open-air food stalls on the sea front will be your best choice, and are a hive of activity every night. Whilst fast food can be found at one of the city’s many shopping malls, particularly at the Centrepoint where you’ll find plenty of predictable names and international favourites.

Malaysian Food

Starting with Malaysian cuisine, a popular and budget friendly option is Fook Yuen, which is a smallish self service restaurant with dishes like nasi lemak available, as well as many other Malay favourites.

Sabah Restoran is another good choice, serving buffets from only MYR2 and standard menu options from MYR20. Both of these are clean friendly outlets, serving good food at value prices.

In the mid range, Borneo 1945 Museum Kopitiam are great - serving traditional Malaysian dishes, excellent coffee and even offering a museum and bike rentals.

Western and International Food

For international food in the budget and mid range categories You Kee’s Bak Kut Teh offers Chinese pork dishes after 4pm, and prices are very budget friendly starting from just MYR4. Another Chinese option is Wah Juan, which specialises more in pork noodles, although is only open at breakfast time so not for the fainthearted! Man Tai restaurant is a good choice if you’re looking for a more formal Chinese restaurant.

Italian food is always popular and there are several places offering pizza, pasta and other Italian specialities, including Grazie Ristorante, Little Italy and Mario’s Pizza. All are popular although Little Italy probably the most.

There are plenty of options when it comes to Indian food, with some delicious curries to be enjoyed at Kohinoor by the waterfront, and Choice which serves Indian Muslim food alongside some Malay dishes.

Meanwhile you can dine at Hi Seoul for decent Korean food, The Stonebridge Gallery for all day English breakfasts, Sushi Tei for Singaporean sushi and Tambayan for Filipino cuisine. Kota Kinabalu is such a melting pot that you really are sure to find almost any cuisine that you fancy!

Fine Dining

If you’re looking to treat yourself to a meal at a more high end restaurant there are a couple of places that are worth mentioning.

For seafood, a local speciality, try Ocean Seafood Restaurant or Portview Seafood Restaurant, both of which offer excellent seafood dishes, including fish fresh from the tanks based on your choice or recommendations based on what they have in based on the day’s catch.

Ferdinand’s Italian is a little out of town near the airport but is another popular choice for higher end dining, whilst Nagisa is the well regarded Japanese restaurant in the Hyatt Regency.

Bars and Nightclubs

As well as restaurants there are plenty of watering holes in the city, although do be careful not to accidentally end up at one of the bars with ‘hostesses’ to serve male customers, unless of course that’s what you’re after.

Cock & Bull Bistro is a popular spot with tourists and is often busy - they have live bands and pool tables as well as a wide selection of drinks. Of course there’s also an Irish pub, serving the requisite Guiness, at the Shamrock Irish Bar.

For something more upmarket, the Sunset Bar at the Shangri La is a great spot for watching the sunset, although it’s not necessarily a budget friendly drinking place. More lively options can be found at Chocolate Factory, another bar with live music, and Cocoon which is one of the most popular nightclubs which is open late and always good fun.