The Best Coffee Shops And Cafes In Ipoh Malaysia

Ipoh combines colonial and cultural heritage with jagged limestone hills and cave temples. After a recent tourist campaign, more travellers are embracing the city located halfway between Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Culture Trip rounds up the best cafés in Ipoh for coffee lovers in quirky locations as well as cosy spots for tea.

Thumb’s Cafe

Perak’s most famous concept café, Thumbs Café, combines a strange, but a seemingly fitting mixture of local and Western styles. Sit on the antique Asian sofas or lean against the British-style bar. Local owner, Mr Elias Yahaya, has travelled extensively and used his experience to influence the decorations of this halal café in Ipoh. Expect to find a wide variety of drinks, Western dishes and Asian favourites. Thumb’s opens in the evening and might make a cosy spot to unwind after a day of sightseeing.

Plan B @ Old Town Ipoh

STG Tea House Cafe

STG Tea House provides the opportunity to drink high tea inside a former colonial bungalow. The grand, white structure stands elegantly inside its manicured lawns with both indoor and outdoor seating options. Offering a variety of drinks, including alcohol and food, curious tourists interested in Ipoh’s past will appreciate stopping by. Just be aware that STG is a short drive from the city centre.

Petit Mary Patisserie

Petit Mary Patisseries, inside a two-storey converted house, combines a selection of delicious cakes and pastries with a warm interior. Expect to find a European flair and ambience as well as a cuteness factor that makes customers want to stay longer. The scones, Belgium chocolate cake and mango cake are highlights.

Espresso Lab

As the name suggests, Espresso Lab is all about the perfect coffee. Located a short drive from the old town, this café in Ipoh specialises in serving some of the city’s best coffee. Using fine coffee beans brewed by skilled baristas, the drinks include old favourites like Lattes and Americanos as well as some lesser-known types. Cakes and pastries are available here too. Anyone with a love of coffee or coffee connoisseurs will enjoy a drink here.

Patisserie BoutiQue

Step inside this café in Ipoh and immediately get the sense of teleporting across the world to Paris. Using a mixture of concepts, the interior elicits a welcoming environment and a cosy place to sit and enjoy a drink and slice of cake. Conveniently located in the middle of the old town near Birch Memorial Clock Tower and Ipoh’s colonial buildings, it makes for an ideal place to relax after exploring the neighbourhood. The menu includes a variety of freshly prepared cakes with the Crepe Cakes and Crème Brûlée coming highly recommended. Prices range from RM6 ($1.50) to RM15 ($3.80).

Nam Heong White Coffee

For a cup of Ipoh’s famous Old Town white coffee and a local breakfast, head to Nam Heong. This café in Ipoh is one of four branches around Malaysia that specialises in keeping culinary and gastronomical traditions alive. With a selection of drinks, an extensive food menu along with pastries and cakes, this forms a convenient location to stop after or before exploring the old town. Pro tip: a local favourite is Ipoh white coffee and egg tart.

Jose & Deli Eatery

A small café inside the French Hotel in Ipoh’s new town offers not only a trendy place to hang out but also a selection of dishes, pastries and cakes. While it’s relatively expensive compared to most cafés in Ipoh, Jose & Deli Eatery provides a classy experience. Expect to find a variety of fusion meals, Western dishes and Asian favourites as well as finger food.

Did you know – Culture Trip now does bookable, small-group trips? Pick from authentic, immersive Epic Trips, compact and action-packed Mini Trips and sparkling, expansive Sailing Trips.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.