It is the year 2022, I’m sure that everyone truly missed those times hanging out with families and buddies in great places, like attractive destinations or even better, cafes in Kuala Lumpur since the pandemic in the year 2020. Cafes are truly a great place to sit with your buddies and chat together as long as you want. Fortunately, in recent times, restrictions are gradually softening which follows by people being allowed to dine in restaurants to work within the offices. Thus, the cafes are once again back in business to serve loyal customers.
Interestingly, Malaysia is believed to have around 7000 cafés, which can be found in most of the country’s major cities. Cafes in KL or Kuala Lumpur play a vital part in the city’s hectic climate. The lifestyle in Kuala Lumpur is incredibly chaotic and demanding, with most individuals hurrying against the clock with insufficient time to rest or prepare for each meal. The majority of the working class in Kuala Lumpur has to waste a lot of time going to work across great distances while dealing with traffic congestion and the difficulties of public transportation. As a result, cafés near a workplace are the perfect spot for workers to briefly escape from their workload.
Ever since the arrival of Instagram, people start posting pictures whenever it is special or unique to capture. In recent years, some influencers have even started to introduce coffee shops by taking some photos of special venues and posting them on Instagram which result not only results in more views but also attract more people to visit the place being posted. To gain more profits, recent cafes are redesigned with a much aesthetic style interior to create an atmosphere that is worth posting for people who dine in. Thus, without further ado, let us take a look at the best cafes in KL as Instagrammers.
Best Cafes for Instagramers in Kuala Lumpur
Kopenhagen Coffee
First of all, if you are a fan of Scandinavian lifestyle and culture then this is the cafe which you should not miss. Located in Mount Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, this aesthetic cafe is considered one of the best-rated cafes in KL as the cafe offers a great atmosphere of clean Scandinavian simplicity which provides customers true peace of mind within the busy environment of Kuala Lumpur. Also, the cafe promotes the concept of hygge that is created by blending Copenhagen’s design history, flavours, coffee expertise, and effortless elegance into the food, beverage and interior of the cafe.
As for the food and drinks being offered, Kopenhagen cafe consists of a handful of pastries and drinks, such as the Espresso made out of beans from local raster Sprezzatura, Matcha latte and Gryphon tea that is all served in beautifully designed Royal Copenhagen cups or mugs. For those who wish to sit and relax after your long hours of work, take note that the restaurant operates from 7 am to 4 pm on weekdays and 8 am to 5 pm at the weekends. Besides Mount Kiara, the cafe also opened another two outlets located at KL Eco-city and Kapas. For those who wish to sit and relax after your long hours of work, remember to take note of the operating hours shown in the business details below:
Address:
Vista Kiara, Jalan Kiara 3, Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Business Hour:
Monday to Friday 7 AM – 4 PM, Weekends & Public Holidays 8 AM – 5 PM
Website:
https://www.kopenhagencoffee.com/
Merchant’s Lane
Furthermore, this cafe in Petaling street sits near Merchant’s Lane is normally packed with tourists all the time. Merchant’s Lane cafe is an interesting addition to the Chinatown café scene. This tranquil refuge is located above an old business near the Advance Tertiary College. There is no large signage up yet, but don’t worry, there is a little sign heading up to the area that isn’t too difficult to discover. Fun fact: Before its closure more than five years ago, the facility was a brothel. According to the Co-owner Kenneth Tan and another partner were previously with Butter plus Beans, but having their café was always in the pipeline. Most of the furniture is custom-made, including some of the benches which were fashioned out of old wooden staircases.
When it comes to food and beverages, the menu will see some changes in the coming months, but items so far include breakfast and Asian-inspired comfort food, such as the Aglio Olio comes with prawns or chicken rendang and the Cantonese-style Hongkie Beef Stew is slow-cooked for 12 hours. Besides, they present their homemade caramel and potato hash. As for beverages, like coffee and tea are available. Also, some intriguing options like jasmine black coffee and rose honey milk are available. Feeling eager to try the meals mentioned? You would like to take note that it closes every Wednesday so avoid planning your gathering on Wednesday.
Address:
150, Jalan Petaling, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Business Hour:
6 days per week: 11:30 pm- 9 pm, Wednesday: Closed
Website: http://www.facebook.com/merchantslane
Chocha Foodstore
Coincidentally, this cafe in Kuala Lumpur is also located in Petaling Street is just a few doors away from the cafe which I mentioned previously. Chocha Foodstore is one of the most aesthetically gorgeous cafés we’ve visited this year, with classic pastel tiles aplenty that change by room, a sun-drenched centre courtyard lined with planted herbs, and clusters of vintage glass lamps swinging over long wooden tables in a corner. Mentah Matter Design’s architect and owner, Shin Chang, changed the area while preserving the building (raw concrete walls and everything). The vibrant tiles and grilles at Chocha are all original furnishings from the Mah Lian Hotel. According to Shin Chang, they believe that this project would serve as an example and aid in the endeavour to prevent unnecessary demolition of old buildings in KL.
Since its beginning, the menu has undergone several alterations, but the foundation of the menu has remained the same. Their ancestral red rice, slow-cooked and grilled goat rack, beef tongue, and marinated duck are among their delicacies. Chocha also features Australian steaks in its ‘cut of the week.’ Their drinks menu has expanded to include a whole host of wines and they’ve also got sake on their list. If you’re planning to drive yourself home, skip the alcohol and instead indulge in their handcrafted sodas and cold brew teas. As for the opening hours, the cafe closes every Tuesday, operates from 5 to 12 pm on weekdays.
Pokok KL Cafe
Moreover, if you are a nature lover, especially in greenery, the Pokok KL Cafe is what you should not miss out indeed. Located in MAHSA Avenue, the coffee shop itself is presented in a glasshouse, making it one of the most attractive places for Instagrammers. Whenever you visit the cafe, before you enter the café, the sight of the shop’s floor to ceiling glass frontage will instil a beautiful sense of tranquillity in you. You will be able to bask in the warm golden sunlight that streams through the architecture as you enter. Imagine doing that while eating a delicious plate of their cuisine!
Their Baked Farm meal contains a variety of tantalising flavours in a single box. It has lamb albondigas, crispy beef bacon, sausage pieces in tomato puree, shaved parmesan, and poached eggs on top. We guarantee you’ll leave this dinner feeling filled but also completely satisfied. Other nutritious brunch favourites, such as Big Breakfast, Smoked Salmon Benedict, and the Avo Stack, are also available.
If brunch hasn’t satisfied your appetite, you can always remain and enjoy a range of delicious local and fusion main meals. Since the café’s inception in 2018, regular customers have been raving about their pasta meals. The Seafood Aglio Olio is delectably packed with mussels, squid, and prawns. Also, I recommend the Carbonara Pasta and the Lamb Meatball Pasta, which are both excellent. The Nasi Lemak Bomb and Nasi Lemak Platter are also deserving of your taste buds because of the wonderful fierceness of the sambal-infused nasi lemak. Business details of Pokok KL Cafe are shown as the followings:
Address:
MAHSA Avenue (Jalan Universiti Campus), Block B, Level 1 Jalan Ilmu, off, Jln Profesor Diraja Ungku Aziz, 59100 Kuala Lumpur
Business Hour:
7 days per week: 10am to 9pm
Website:
https://glasshousecafe.beepit.com/ordering/?type=delivery
Kaiju Company
Last but not least, this unique cafe in KL is the hipster restaurant that sits in the APW, Bangsar. Not only the cafe is unique in the way of the interior bring designed also the meals being presented in the fusion between the Thai and Japanese influence. Kaiju means “big monster” in Japanese, and the name of this restaurant, Kaiju Company, is aptly mirrored by its logo, which features a charming monster, as well as the 30m-long paper origami dragon lantern suspended from the ceiling. The dining room isn’t very large, yet it exudes a welcoming atmosphere with a tidy and fascinating décor. Large glass window panels, furniture in a combination of wood and black tones, and a lovely floral arrangement added to the lively atmosphere along with the outside seating available as well.
Importantly, as for the food and beverages offered by the Kaiju Company cafe, they are special which most of the cuisine is quite exotic to me. First, let’s mention the dish, Bara-Bara Chirashi is a dish which consists of seafood sashimi, soft Tamago, and some crispy deep-fried lotus roots to name at least. Besides this, the cafe offers the Hawaiian Kaiju rice bowl and the Gyu Tan rice bowl which both are truly the must-try dish for rice lovers. As for the drinks, the cafe usually provides “normal drinks” which are various types of teas and the signature power drink which are alcohol drinks curated by the cafe, such as Sake Cocktail laced with Asamboi, Lemongrass etc. Besides that, Japanese Beer and Wines are also available that make this cafe ideal for nightlife. Like other cafes in Kuala Lumpur, business details of the cafe are shown as the followings:
Address:
29, Jalan Riong, Bangsar, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Business Hour:
Tuesday to Saturday: 11:30am- 9:30pm, Monday: Closed
Website:
https://www.instagram.com/kaijucompany/
Conclusion
Cafes are great places where not only the working class hang out with colleagues or escape the stress in the working place, aesthetic cafes are ideal places for food bloggers, especially Instagrammers who post regularly to attract views from the followers. Although the pandemic hit hard the businesses of most of the cafes throughout Kuala Lumpur, luckily as in 2022, restrictions are gradually lifted and the customers are allowed to dine in with SOPs required. Since there are so many cafes in KL, mentioning all of them is deemed impossible as there are thousands of cafes across the city and more are yet to open and serve. If you are feeling likely to go out but not where to go, why not search and cafe to sit back and relax to enjoy your meal of the day?
