Ideally located near the border checkpoint, Johor Bahru City Square has become one of the most visited malls by tourists, especially Singaporeans. The mall has a wide selection of restaurants, clothing stores, cafes and entertainment facilities. Despite having many food choices at the mall, do you know there’s also a lot of good food within walking distance from the mall? Check out our list of seven best food attractions you can find near City Square Mall.
1. Johor Bahru Kam Long Curry Fish Head
Famous for its fish head curry, Kam Long Restaurant has been around for many years and is one of the places even locals love, not to mention Singaporeans. The fish is fresh and the curry sauce is thick, flavourful, sweet and not too spicy. The tau kee is divine when soaked in the curry sauce. It is definitely something worth queuing for as the price is reasonable. Go for their fish tail if you want more fish meat, but of course, be prepared to pay more. If you want to avoid long queues especially during weekends, visit this restaurant on a weekday.
Address: 74, Jalan Wong Ah Fook, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor
Phone: 016-752 8382
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday, 8am – 4pm
2. Restoran Hua Mui
Restoran Hua Mui is one of the best places for a hearty breakfast with a relaxing vibe and atmosphere. Situated less than a five-minute drive from JB City Square, this halal Chinese restaurant serves a great variety of kopitiam dishes, including kaya toast, Hainanese coffee, mee mamak, fried kuey teow, yee mee and more. Their signature dish, Hainanese Chicken Chop, is a must-try as the meat is tender and isn’t too greasy. Their Mongolian Chicken is also something you shouldn’t miss. Do come early as it tends to be very crowded during the middle of the day.
Address: 131, Jalan Trus, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor
Phone: 011-3505 8916
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday, 8:30am – 6pm
3. Restoran Ya Wang
Ideally located near the checkpoint, Restoran Ya Wang serves superb duck dishes, especially their Signature Herbal Duck, which can be considered one of Johor’s best. The duck meat is juicy and tender while the skin is roasted and soft. The herbal taste is not too strong and overpowering, with just the perfect balance of herbs combined together. Their roast pork is also worth trying as the skin is crispy with fatty meat beneath it. Their other tze char dishes are highly recommended too, including sambal kangkong, fried sweet potato leaves and beancurd/tofu. Apparently, this air-conditioned eatery is the consultant of the franchise Dian Xiao Er in Singapore, thus drawing many Singaporeans eager for the authentic taste.
Address: 28, Jalan Segget, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor
Phone: 07-224 8624
Opening Hours: Thursday to Tuesday, 8am – 6pm; closed on Wednesday
4. It Roo Cafe
Serving one of the best chicken chops in Johor Bahru, It Roo Cafe is considered to be one of the oldest cafes in town. Their main signature dish, Hainanese Chicken Chop, is a thick piece of fried fillet chicken thigh meat soaked with either mushroom sauce or barbecue sauce. The portion is big and reasonably priced. There is also an option for you to add two eggs on top of your juicy chicken chop! If you are a potato-lover, don’t miss their home-cooked wedges, which are highly recommended by their customers.
Address: 17, Jalan Dhoby, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor
Phone: 07-222 7780
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday, 12pm – 9.30pm
5. Kedai Makanan Sang Heng
With a history of more than 30 years, Kedai Makanan Sang Heng serves immensely delicious fish ball noodles. The soup base is flavourful with a tinge of natural sweetness and the handmade fish balls are chewy. The previous chef Uncle Seng had been cooking noodles until his 80s, but unfortunately, he passed away not long ago. Even though the younger generation has taken over the shop, the taste is still very similar, making this place a definite must-visit.
Address: 7, Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday, 7am – 1pm; closed on Sunday
6. Triple K Cafe
Different from the usual beef noodles in Johor Bahru, Triple K Cafe serves nice beef noodles with a sweet soup base more akin to the Indonesian taste instead of a more Chinese base. Their mutton soup noodles is also highly recommended. Both the beef and lamb meat are fresh and tender and they go perfectly with the chewy yellow noodles. And did I mention that the price for each bowl is very reasonable? How could you miss this?
Address: 48, Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor
Phone: 012-787 1811
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9am – 5pm; closed on Monday
7. Amphawa Boat Noodle Downtown
Are you craving for Thai food? Well, you can now enjoy authentic Thai food even if you are in Malaysia. Amphawa Boat Noodle Downtown serves really good Thai food, one of the closest tastes you can get from Thailand. The place has a nice ambience and their service is good and quick. Their portion of boat noodles is small, albeit their Tom Yum flavoured boat noodles is always on high demand. Apart from the latter, they also offer delicious Pad Thai, basil chicken rice, pandan chicken and mango sticky rice. Their Thai iced tea is a must-try as it has a very rich flavour, just like those you can find in Thailand.
Address: 40, Jalan Ibrahim, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor
Phone: 07-220 0060
Opening Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 11:30am – 10:30pm; Friday to Saturday, 11am – 12am
