5 Best Cafes in Kuala Lumpur Center for Coffee Geeks (2025)
Beyond the skyscrapers and sparkling malls of Kuala Lumpur there are many clusters of peace: tucked away down a side street, you’ll often find a quiet cafe offering a respite for coffee lovers.
This is not another collection of “Instagrammable cafes” with pretty interiors and mediocre, sugar-laden brews. Rather, this is a collection of cafes that speak to the skill of the baristas who have elevated Kuala Lumpur’s coffee scene. I’ve picked cafes that focus on high-quality sourcing, expert roasting (sometimes in-house!), and high-level brewing techniques.
I’ve limited my selections of Kuala Lumpur cafes to those that fall roughly within the Bukit Bintang and Chinatown neighborhoods. Why? These are the areas you’re most likely to stay in and/or explore as a visitor.
While KL certainly has outstanding coffee shops throughout its entire sprawl and more residential areas, this guide is tailored specifically for travelers with limited time who want to experience the best coffee in KL, within walking distance of central attractions.
Map & Rundown of My Favorite Cafes in Kuala Lumpur
- VCR (incredible latte art & bean selection)
- Brew & Bread @ The Rabbit Hole (delicious brunch & coffee with aesthetic setting)
- Stellar Coffee (laser-focused on exquisite single-origin light-roast coffee)
- Picadilly Coffee Roasters (for sweet tooths who love pastries and sweet coffees)
- Feeka Coffee Roasters (for perfect coffee with some slight hitches in service)
5 Best Coffee Shops in Kuala Lumpur
VCR
- Address: 2, Jalan Galloway, Bukit Bintang, 50150 Kuala Lumpur
- Hours: 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM daily
- Website: vcr.my
In a cute little micro-neighborhood of Bukit Bintang, there’s a lot of cute cafes, boutiques, and bars in this trendy little section of KL. VCR is a lovely specialty coffee shop that has branched out to other places in Malaysia and done exceptionally well.
Their espresso game is particularly strong, with a menu that goes well beyond the standards. I treated myself to a flat white that was absolute perfection — silky microfoam and a beautiful latte art to get you excited for the coffee you’re about to consume. If you prefer less milk, they also do beautiful macchiatos and piccolos.
Feeling the heat? Their espresso tonics would be such a refreshing alternative when KL’s humidity has you melting on the sidewalk (I somehow managed to visit when KL felt ‘cool’ — at least by comparison to hot season in Bangkok, where I live!)
VCR also does excellent pour-overs, though admittedly, that’s not what I typically go for with coffee since I don’t drink my coffee black very often. You can choose between a V60 or Kalita Wave brewing method for a rotating selection of single-origin beans. This is where you can really taste the care they put into sourcing their coffee!
Beyond the coffee, VCR has ventured into some seriously interesting non-coffee territory, targeting non-drinkers like myself! Their mocktail selection includes fermented lemonades, house-made kombuchas, and shrub sodas. I was genuinely torn between a very necessary dose of caffeine and these creative N/A drinks! The apricot lavender shrub soda in particular sounded absolutely heavenly on a hot afternoon.
Food-wise, they run a brunch menu from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM that transitions into a lunch menu from noon until 8:30 PM, with a few all-day options bridging the gap. I didn’t have the stomach space during my visit (the curse of a travel blogger trying too many places in one day), but I’m still thinking about the soft shell crab burger that got away! At 30 MYR (about $7 USD), it seemed like a steal for what looked like a pretty substantial offering that I looked at longingly while it got served to other tables.
Coffee drinks range from 13-18 MYR (roughly $3-4.25 USD), putting them in line with what you’d expect for specialty coffee in Southeast Asia, but far cheaper than what you’d pay for similar quality in most Western cities.
Brew & Bread @ The Rabbit Hole
- Address:16, Changkat Bukit Bintang, Bukit Bintang, 50200 Kuala Lumpur
- Hours: 10 AM to 5:30 PM on weekdays (opens at 8 AM on weekends)
- Instagram: @brewnbread
Brew and Bread (located at The Rabbit Hole) is one of those places that immediately puts you in a good mood by its decor and surroundings. It has a relaxed vibe that reminds me of a Bali café (plunge pool in the middle of the cafe, anyone?), but without any of that forced, try-hard influencer energy. It’s the kind of spot you can easily lose track of time in.
But don’t let the laid-back atmosphere fool you — the coffee here is seriously good. I went for their ‘Driver’ blend, which is a mix of beans from India, Honduras, and Ethiopia (40-40-20). I’d never tried Indian coffee beans before, so it was cool to taste something new with Indian beans taking the lead. The Ethiopian beans brought that signature bright acidity, giving the blend a nice balance.
They even go into the details on the coffee card about the varietals and regions where the beans are grown, which is a treat for any coffee geek. If you’re more into single origin, they’ve got that covered too, with options from Guatemala, Colombia, Rwanda, and Ethiopia — perfect for those who want to savor each coffee’s unique flavor profile with a carefully brewed pourover.
I also grabbed brunch here, and it didn’t disappoint. I had the eggs Benedict with fried chicken thighs, and while I’d rate it a solid 7.5/10 — graded on the Southeast Asia curve, which sometimes struggles to deliver on Western-style breakfast offerings, that’s more like a 9/10.
Definitely a place where the vibe, coffee, and food all come together for a good (and admittedly photogenic) time!
Stellar Coffee
Tucked inside the REXKL complex, which also happens to house my favorite bookstore in Kuala Lumpur (up on the third floor!), this spot in Chinatown is perfect for a quick coffee break before you go explore the labyrinth of books upstairs.
I’ll be honest, the vibe here at Stellar isn’t really about lingering — the seating is functional, not necessarily the most inviting for lounging, but it’s perfectly suitable for a quick pick-me-up. Think: quick coffee experience and refuel, not necessarily settling in for a long day at a cafe. Definitely a laptop free vibe!
There’s no food besides a small selection of cakes, but that’s kind of the point — simplicity is key here. They focus on what they specialize in and nothing else. You’ve got coffee, kombucha, and cakes — that’s it. The coffee menu is intentionally limited, offering cold brew, pour-over, pure espresso, americano, and espressos with varying milk ratios.
The coffee is sourced from trusted relationships, and it’s all Arabica, single origin, and light roast. The one I had was from Ethiopia (one of my all-time favorite countries for coffee!), and it was absolutely perfect for my tastes. If you’re into tasting the subtler elements of coffee, this is the place to do it!
I went for a piccolo with minimal milk (just 4 oz.), which let the fruity and floral notes of the coffee shine through, aromas floating in the air above the coffee almost like a tea — according to the tasting notes card they gave me, it had elements of pineapple, mango, and peach and I could definitely get the hint of peach that they mentioned.
Picadilly Coffee Roasters
- Address: 62&64, Jalan Tun Perak, City Centre, 50500 Kuala Lumpur
- Hours: 8 AM to 10 PM daily
This cafe in Kuala Lumpur leans a bit more toward the sweet side, focusing on absolutely exquisite-looking cakes and pastries that are almost too pretty to eat. If you’re a sugar-head, this place is right up your alley, though it’s probably not going to win over the hardcore coffee nerds.
I went a little wild and ordered their creme brulé latte, which was just as sweet as I expected, but the crackle of the caramelized sugar made it feel like I was having a mini dessert with my coffee.
Still, I opted to include it on the list because while I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, I know that so many of us love pairing a sweet treat with our coffee… or hell, even having the sweet treat be the coffee!
At 18 MYR it was pricy for KL (about $4.50 USD), but honestly, it’s the kind of indulgence I don’t mind splurging on. They’ve also got other sweet options like a rose latte (which seems to be popping up everywhere in KL lately), but if you’re after something more classic, they’ve got flat whites and other staples for those who prefer to keep it simple.
From what I’ve read in reviews, the savory food here doesn’t always get the best praise, so I’d recommend sticking to the coffee drinks and those mouthwatering cakes and pastries. It’s not really a spot for mega-coffee enthusiasts since they don’t dive into the details of where their beans come from, but if you’re in the mood for something sweet with your caffeine, this is a fun stop.
Feeka Coffee Roasters
- Address: 19, Jln Mesui, Bukit Bintang, 50200 Kuala Lumpur
- Hours: 8 AM to 10 PM daily
- Instagram: @feekacoffeeroasters
Tucked away on a super-green and lush street just a few minutes’ walk from one of the busy main roads, Changkat Bukit Bintang, Feeka Coffee Roasters is a cafe worth a stop. Their drinks menu is a solid mix of single-origin coffee and creative drinks.
You can go for a classic pourover (V60) or espresso-based options like flat whites (what I got and loved!) and lattes, plus cold brews, matcha, and other caffeinated delights. Their menu is phrased a bit clumsily though — they put ‘black’ coffees in one section (which can include americanos, etc.) and ‘white’ coffees in another (with no distinction between what kind of coffee, but if you order it, they’ll ask if you want a latte, flat white, etc.)
If you’re in the mood for something a bit less caffeinated, they also have monthly-changing mocktails; during my visit, they offered an espresso vanilla mocktail and a berry lychee mocktail.
Feeka’s breakfast menu runs from 8 AM to 3 PM, and the mains menu is available from 11 AM. until closing, but I didn’t have the time to try their brunch offerings. However, while the atmosphere and the coffee are really lovely, I did find the service a bit pushy for my personal tastes.
I was initially heading to a nearby cafe, but a waiter called out to me, urging me to check it out. Later, when I returned, he even made a point of mentioning to me he’d tried to get me to come in earlier.
Honestly, that put me off quite a bit, as I felt like I was being chastised a bit — and if I wasn’t writing this guide for the blog, I’d probably have left just on principle. Still, if you can overlook that, it’s a great spot for a coffee break in KL.
Honorable Mentions
Jeju Coffee
- Address: 9, Jln Mesui, Bukit Bintang, 50200 Kuala Lumpur
- Hours: 7 AM to 10 PM on weekdays; 7 AM to 6 PM on weekends
While I quite liked my orange americano tonic at Jeju Coffee (a Bangkok trend that Malaysia seems to finally be getting sweet on!), the only downside I can say is that it’s really not a place to sit and linger. It’s definitely a grab-and-go coffee spot, as it’s located within a hotel lobby and there’s really only one table. They also don’t have a lot of information about their coffee beans.
One significant pro for some travelers (namely: you early risers out there, you) is that this is one of the earlier cafes to open in Kuala Lumpur, probably because it’s inside a hotel. So if you really want a bright-and-early morning coffee but you don’t want to go to any chains like Starbucks, this is a great first-coffee-of-the-day choice before sightseeing.
LOKL
- Address: 30, Jalan Tun H S Lee, City Centre, 50100 Kuala Lumpur
- Hours: 8 AM to 5 PM daily
My coffee at LOKL was okay, but just that: okay! I ordered a flat white and it didn’t feel like they put too much thought into it — the latte art was mid, and I don’t like being served a flat white in a glass cup for my own personal preference!
The coffee itself was perfectly fine, and the aesthetic of the café is quite nice, but I fear it’s one of those places that prioritizes Instagrammability over delicious coffee. They focus a lot on brunch and pride themselves on being an ‘Australian-style’ café but honestly, if the coffee doesn’t deliver, I don’t get very excited about the food.
Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016, visiting 75+ countries in total. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. As a former educator, she merges her writing and educational experience to encourage ethical, sustainable travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and TBEX. Her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. When she’s not on the road, she lives in Bangkok, Thailand.
