My wife asked me a simple question last year: why do we keep going back to JB for food?
I thought about it for a while. The answer is not complicated. Johor Bahru has hawker food prices for food that is as good as Singapore, in some cases better, and the exchange rate makes everything feel like you are getting away with something.
Here is where we actually eat when we cross.
Yi Jia Seafood, Bukit Indah
This is our default JB dinner. Not because it is famous or on every food blog, but because it has never disappointed us in years of going back.
The fish is fresh. The prices are honest. A family of four eats properly, with crabs and a vegetable and rice, for under RM150 which is approximately $47 SGD. In Singapore that same meal with comparable quality costs $120 minimum.
Specific dishes we order: butter squid, chai po fish, brinjal with belachan, and whatever fish is on the board that day. The chai po fish is the one thing I specifically look forward to.
Location is in the Bukit Indah neighbourhood, close to Aeon Bukit Indah mall. It is a proper restaurant, not a food court, with air conditioning and real table service.
Go before 7pm on weekends. After that you wait for a table.
Lok Lok At Restoran Tonggek, Various Locations
Lok Lok is the food that makes kids feel like they are in control of dinner and parents feel like they are winning as well.
For those who have not done it: you pick skewers of meat, seafood, and vegetables from a refrigerated display. You cook them yourself in a boiling broth at your table. The skewers cost RM2 to RM3 each. A family of four leaves full for under $20 SGD total.
The version at Restoran Tonggek near the Eco Botanic area is our preference. The broth is cleaner than some of the more tourist-oriented places and the ingredient selection is better.
This is not fine dining. That is the whole point.
Dessert At Roof Garden By Saka, Mount Austin
Mount Austin has become too crowded for us on most visits. But one place keeps us going back for a specific reason.
Roof Garden By Saka is a dessert shop with a rooftop seating area. The cendol is genuine Malaysian style, with genuine Gula Melaka and decent coconut milk. The mango pom pom ice is solid. They do not cut corners on the ice quality.
The reason this matters: Singapore cendol is expensive for what it is. This is better and cheaper and the rooftop setting makes it feel like an actual destination.
Note: go on weekday evenings if possible. Weekends at Mount Austin mean parking difficulties and crowd levels that ruin the experience.
Teh Tarik And Toast At San Peng, JB Old Town
San Peng is not on most Singaporean food tourist radar. It should be.
It is a kopitiam in the JB old town area that has been operating since the 1970s. The teh tarik is pulled properly at the counter. The toast is dai bing, the way toast should be. The kaya is made in house.
Coming here feels like eating in a different decade. That is the appeal. There is no air conditioning, the plastic chairs are mismatched, and the ceiling fans do not move enough air. The food does not need any of those things.
If you want to understand Malaysian breakfast culture before you go to a mall food court, this is where you start.
Indian Muslim Food At Victory A&W, Tebrau
Most people associate A&W with fast food nostalgia in Singapore. Victory A&W in Tebrau is a different thing entirely.
It is an Indian Muslim restaurant near Aeon Tebrau City. The mee goreng is consistently excellent, the roti canai is good, and the teh tarik is strong. This is where we eat before or after Aeon Tebrau City because the food court inside is good but sometimes you want a proper sit-down meal first.
It is not fancy. It is just correct.
Dried Goods And Snacks At Tong Shui Zai, Various Malls
Not a restaurant. This is what we do on the way out.
Tong Shui Zai is a dried goods and snacks chain that has a strong presence in JB malls. The selection of Malaysian brand cookies, crackers, dried seafood, and specialty ingredients is significantly wider than what Singapore supermarkets carry.
Common buys: Bika Ambon, various types of dried scallops, curry leaves in bulk, Malaysian made peanut brittle, and whatever seasonal thing is on promotion. You spend $15 to $30 SGD and you come home with things that last for months.
What I Skip In JB Now
Let me be specific about that.
I skip the Hiap Joo bakery in JB old town. It is famous and the bun is good. But the queue on weekends has become an attraction in itself and I am past the point in my life where I queue 45 minutes for a charcoal bun. The version at San Peng is close enough.
I skip the Kwang Siang HK dim sum. It used to be reliable. Reviews have declined consistently over the past two years. I have heard the same from other Singaporeans who go regularly. There are better options nearby.
I skip any cafe that has an Instagram wall and a queue of Singaporeans taking photos outside it. Mount Austin has a cluster of these. The coffee is mid and the atmosphere is compromised by the people who go specifically to take photos rather than drink coffee.
The Three Rules I Actually Follow
Rule one: go early for lunch. By 11:30am at the latest on weekends. The food is fresher and you get a table without waiting.
Rule two: use YouTrip or Touch n Go (TnG) for payments. Most JB food places accept Singapore QR payments now. YouTrip gives you competitive exchange rates and TnG works at most Malaysian merchants. You rarely need to carry Malaysian cash unless you are at a very traditional kopitiam or wet market stall.
Rule three: if a place has a queue of locals, follow the locals. Singapore food tourists go to different places than Johor residents. The places with long queues of Malaysian customers are the places worth eating at.
The Honest Cost
A full JB food day for two adults:
- Breakfast at San Peng: RM20 ($6 SGD)
- Lunch at Aeon Tebrau City basement: RM35 ($11 SGD)
- Snacks and dried goods: RM80 ($25 SGD)
- Dinner at Yi Jia Seafood: RM150 ($47 SGD)
- Dessert at Roof Garden: RM25 ($8 SGD)
- Total: RM310 ($97 SGD)
That is two people eating properly across a full day with snacks and dessert included. In Singapore that day costs $200 minimum.
That is the JB food calculation in one paragraph.
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