Halal food and restaurants in Kuching is my personal listing about halal food in Kuching as I hope to help tourist (and maybe locals) find halal places to eat local dishes.
As you may know, Kuching has a lot of great halal food and restaurants, but there’s always an instance where these eating spots close down, and hence leaving my article outdated.
That said, I decided to create one listing (article) to down every place you can eat halal food, and restaurants that serve halal food in Kuching.
Kuching Food Tour
Before that, if you don’t want to trouble yourself, consider booking a food tour because they also can bring you to enjoy some great food in Kuching. You can also learn how to cook local Dayak dishes as well.
Links for both are below.
About halal food and restaurants in Kuching
Halal in Kuching is slightly complicated as most eateries, be it Muslim operated or not, tend to shy away from such certificate.
One reason is the cost and also time to actually get the certification, which can be pricy and taxing.
That said, most places that do not serve pork and alcohol usually do not carry the Halal certificate in Kuching, but are in fact halal as they are operated by Muslims. Another thing you must know is that there is a good number of popular no pork serving restaurants that actually also serve alcohol as it is a norm here in Kuching. These places are able to do so as the drinking section and food section is separated or operated by different people, and it is a normal thing here in Kuching.
Also, sometimes halal restaurants can be rather far apart so do consider renting a car in Kuching to ease your exploration.
Renting a car can be done using the link below and it will definitely help you in your quest to seek delicious eats in this city.
Now that we have gotten some suggestions out of the way, let me clarify a few things about this post and what each description means.
- This post is divided into two main sections; Best halal food in Kuching and Best Halal Restaurants in Kuching
- ‘About‘ tells you a bit about the dish/restaurant.
- ‘Time‘ will suggest when its easier to find the dish in Kuching if you don’t go to the recommended places, and
- ‘Where to eat <insert food name> in Kuching‘ is where you can get a good and recommended serving of the dish.
Mind you that the listing below doesn’t show all locations, but where the dish is popularly consumed/ordered among locals.
With that, read on to see and find out where you can get the best bites in Kuching.
Best Halal Food in Kuching
Sarawak Laksa / Laksa Sarawak
- About: Made popular by the late Antony Bourdain who called it ‘The breakfast of the Gods‘. Highly popular in Kuching and best eaten when hot. Served with lime and specially made shrimp paste, which are mixed with the broth before eaten. The shrimp paste adds to the broth flavour and spiciness. The lime adds sourness to the broth. This dish usually doesn’t include pork.
- Time: Morning
- Where to eat Sarawak laksa in Kuching:
- Alfred Laksa (Before 11AM)
- Mom’s Laksa* (All day)
- Laksa Stall @ Chong Choon Cafe (Before 10AM)
- Laksa Stall @ Golden Arch Cafe (Before 12.30PM)
- Laksa stall @ Choon Hui Cafe (Before 11AM) – Where Anthony Bourdain had his
- Chef Ahid @ Kubah Ria * (All Day)
- Madam Tang (All Day)
- Ah Mui Laksa @ Foody Goody (Morning)
- Laksa stall @ Fat Cat (Before 10AM)
- Madam Lau stall @ Da’Apple Kopitiam (Before 11AM)
Kolo Mee / Kolok Mee / Mi Kolok
- About: Mee Kolo generally comes in two colours, red and white. There’s both halal and non halal variants. The non-halal variant uses pork oil and is served with slices of pork, while thehalal variant is served with chicken meat instead. It’s usually served with chillies at the side. You can opt not to eat it together.
- Time: All day
- Where to eat Kolok Mee in Kuching:
- Haji Salleh (5.30AM – 1PM) Close on Tuesday
- Sepinang Sari Cafe (6AM – 1 PM)
- Sainah Cafe * (7AM – 9PM)
Beef Noodles
- About: Handmade egg noodles served with beef broth. Usually served with spicy soy sauce at the sides. There’s no need to mix the sauce in the dish as the sauce sauce is usually just for dipping meat. Usually served without pork.
- Time: Morning/Night
- Where to eat Beef Noodles in Kuching:
- Ah Mui Beef noodles @ Open Air market (Night)
- Famous Moo @ Food Bazaar the Spring (All day)
- Nyan Shin Cafe (6AM – 11AM)
- Haji Salleh (5.30AM – 1PM) Close on Tuesday
Belacan Bee Hoon
- About: A plate of bee hoon is topped with the shrimp paste (belacan) with century eggs, cuttlefish, beansprouts and cucumber. Its mixed together before eaten.
- Time: Afternoon
- Where to eat Belacan Bee hoon in Kuching:
- Swee Kang Ice Kacang (12 -8PM)
- Open Air market (Afternoon)
- Song Keng Hai Hawker Centre (Afternoon)
- Yeo Kim Kee Belacan Beehon (12PM – 5PM)
Ayam Pansuh
- About: A traditional Dayak cooking where the chicken is cooked in bamboo with tapioca leaves and jungle produce. A signature Dayak dish which is usually served during special functions.
- Time: Lunch/Dinner
- Where to eat Ayam Pansuh in Kuching:
- Lepau Restaurant (All Day)
Dabai Fried Rice
- About: Fried rice with Dabai (a local fruit) as paste and main ingredient.
- Time: All day
- Where to eat Dabai Fried Rice in Kuching:
- Warong Nusantara (8AM – 2PM)
- Barong Tinok (4PM – 8PM)
Midin Belacan
- About: Stir fried local fern in shrimp paste (belacan) which is very popular among locals an tourist.
- Time: Evening/Dinner
- Where to eat Midin Belacan in Kuching:
- Top Spot (5PM – 10PM)
- Lepau Restaurant (All Day)
Tempoyak Fish
- About: A local Dayak dish with fish served in fermented durian soup.
- Time: Evenings/Dinner
- Where to eat Tempoyak fish in Kuching:
- Lepau Restaurant (All Day)
Ambal Curry
- About: Bamboo clamps cooked in thick curry. It’s not too spicy but taste great with white rice.
- Time: Dinner/Evening
- Where to eat ambal curry in Kuching:
- Top Spot (5PM – 10PM)
Sago Linut
- About: Sago that’s cooked and eaten with soup.
- Time: Dinner
- Where to eat Sago Linut in Kuching:
- My Village Barok (4.30PM – 10 PM)
Mee Jawa
- About: Mee Jawa is a flavourful noodle dish which comes in blanched yellow egg noodles that’s blanched in delicious sweet potato gravy that’s served with half a hard-boiled egg, bean sprouts, fried spring onion or coriander leaves with chunks of meat (chicken, beef, or mutton). It usually comes plain but specials usually have satay.
- Time: Morning
- Where to eat Mee Jawa in Kuching:
- Kopi O Corner (7AM – 12AM)
Prawn Umai / Fish Umai
- About: A popular Melanau dish which consist of fresh fish/prawn that’s served with a lot of onions and garlic.
- Time: Evening
- Where to eat Umai in Kuching:
- Umai stall @ Top Spot (5PM – 10PM)
White lady / ABC / Cendol
- About: It’s cold, its sweet, and it’s cheap! Sold at very specific places in Kuching, these deserts popularly known as ABC, Ice Kacang and White Lady (photo) are made of ice, fruits and a whole lot of colourful things that can make a hot day seem so chill.
- Time: Afternoon
- Where to find white lady / ABC / ice kacang in Kuching:
- Swee Kang Ice Kacang (12PM-8PM)
- Song Keng Hai Hawker Centre (11AM – 5PM)
- Jubilee Hexagon (1PM – 5PM)
- Reservoir’s Summer House (11AM – 5PM)
Rojak Kuching / Rojak Buah / Sotong Kangkung
- About:
- Time: Daytime
- Where to find rojak in Kuching :
- Open Air market (Daytime)
- Song Keng Hai Hawker Centre (11AM – 5PM)
Kek Lapis Sarawak
- About: Sarawak’s infamous layered cake that comes in all sorts of pattern, colours and flavours.
- Time: All day
- Where to buy Kek Lapis Sarawak in Kuching :
- Kek Lapis Dayang Salhah (9AM – 11APM)
- Kubah Ria Market (5AM – 5PM)
- Also found along Jalan Main Bazaar
Gula Apong ice-cream
- About: Ice cream that’s mixed with Gula Apong and preferred condiments like nuts, cornflakes and sometimes chocolate rice.
- Time: All day
- Where to find Gula Apong ice cream in Kuching :
- RG Ice Cream Bergula Apong (2PM – 5AM)
- IG Gula Apong (11AM – 11PM)
Teh C peng special / 3 layer tea
- About: Got its name due to its multiple layers. Needs to be mixed properly before consumed. Usually, the bottom layer is made of Gula Apong, while the other two will consist of tea and evaporated milk with ice in between.
- Time: All day
- Where to drink Teh C Peng Special in Kuching : Most local eateries serve this drink perfectly in Kuching.
Best Halal Restaurants in Kuching
If you are looking for halal or places that serve no pork in Kuching, the listing of places I know off are below.
Lepau Restaurant
- Specialty: Known for serving authentic Dayak food.
- Location
Haji Salleh
- Specialty: Known for Mee kolok and Mee Sapi
- Location
Kubah Ria
- Specialty: A food court mostly operated by Muslims with a variety of dishes
- Location
Norumen Cafe
- Specialty: Known for its Mi Sapi
- Location
Mom’s Laksa
- Specialty: Known for its Laksa Sarawak.
- Location
Recommended reads
- Places of Interest in Kuching
- Festivals in Kuching
- Dayak food and restaurants in Kuching
- What to eat and where to eat in Kuching
