Melaka Old Town, in Malacca, is a great place for a wide range of local food, above all things else. Aside from Peranakan restaurants, western cafes and modern Nanyang "kopitiams", there are a handful of traditional coffee shops (the real kopitiams), that serves traditional kopi and traditional local fares. These kopitiams are usually opened early in the morning and closed by mid-day.
If you are up early in the morning, when the old town is still asleep, and want to have traditional local fare for breakfast, head over to one of the coffee shops listed below. They are usually opened by 8am. Do take note of their opening hours and off days.
1. Lung Ann Refreshments (隆安茶室)
Lung Ann Refreshments is a small coffee shop located at a road junction. It serves mainly traditional breakfast toast set with thick kopi, two soft-boil eggs and toasts with butter and kaya (coconut jam). The breads are lightly toasted to retain its softness while crispy on the outer surface. This is the best spot for light breakfast or afternoon coffee.
Opening Hours:
7am to 4pm (Sunday till 12pm) | Closed on Wednesday & Thursday
2. Loh Yong Moh Restaurant (榮茂茶樓)
Loh Yong Moh Restaurant is the only place in the old town that serves traditional dim sum. The key thing about the restaurant is its persistence in serving traditional dim sum, focusing on food quality rather than making them look pretty. Order the food the traditional way, the staff will go to your table and show you what he has on his tray and you just point. After the meal, ask the staff to count the plates before paying at the cashier.
Opening Hours:
6am to 11:30am | Closed on Tuesday & Wednesday
3. Heng Huat Coffee Shop (兴发茶室)
Heng Huat Coffee Shop is housed in Tang House on one side of Jonker Center Stage along Jonker Street. Heng Huat sells hot beverages, traditional toasts, noodle dishes, economic bee hoon, Nyonya pastries, nasi lemak, etc. One of its stalls, called Ah Ma Wan Tan Mee, sells traditional wanton noodle. Combine coffee, toasts or soft-boiled eggs with wanton noodle to make a full meal.
Opening Hours:
7am to 1:30pm | Closed on Monday & Tuesday
4. De Xing Lung Kopitiam (德兴隆咖啡店)
De Xing Lung Kopitiam is located at the junction to Lorong Jambatan. It is housed in a pre-war building giving it an "old kopitiam" ambience. De Xing Lung is popular for its old-taste mee hoon kueh (面粉粿), or "wheat flour cake", which is available in either soup or dry style. Other than mee hoon kueh, yee mee (伊面), mee sua soup (面线汤) and Nyonya laksa are also available.
Opening Hours:
7am to 2pm (Sunday till 1pm) | Closed on Monday & Tuesday
5. Restoran Kok Keong (板底街芋饭肉羹汤)
Restoran Kok Keong, located opposite De Xing Lung Kopitiam, has been serving pork meat soup (肉羹汤) since 1933. The traditional Hokkien dish is served with selected porky ingredients with beancurd in a light herbal broth and usually with yam rice. The dish is often mistaken as bak kut teh (pork ribs soup) due to the use of similar ingredients and dark-coloured broth but it is an entirely different dish and taste. This is one dish that is hardly seen elsewhere.
Opening Hours:
8am to 2:30pm | Closed on Sunday
6. Pin Pin Hiong Restaurant (品品香餐室)
Pin Pin Hiong is located just a couple of units from Cheng Ho Cultural Museum (郑和文化馆). The coffee shop serves their signature traditional mee sua soup (面线汤) in thick broth with lots of ingredients. Apart from mee sua, the restaurant also serves fried noodle, oyster omelette, prawn omelette, and stir-fried vegetables, etc, to name a few.
Opening Hours:
7:30am to 1pm | Closed on Sunday
7. Restoran Tengkera Duck Noodle (大树下鸭面)
Tengkera Duck Noodle, located in Taman Kota Laksamana, is a stone’s throw from Melaka Old Town. The kopitiam serves mainly braised duck noodle with options for braised foodstuffs, such as pig intestines, braised tofu, braised eggs, etc, to be added-on. The duck noodle has tender duck meat and noodle in dark braise gravy.
Opening Hours:
7am to 1:30pm | Closed on Tuesday
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My eating routine in Melaka Old Town is usually the above kopitiams for breakfast, the modern Nanyang kopitiams or western cafes for brunch, lunch or coffee, and restaurants or night market for dinner. It is a great way to try a wide variety of food in the old town.
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