Tudor-style English tea rooms, cafés overlooking their plantations, themed coffee shops, locally produced tea and some of Malaysia’s best scones – Culture Trip explains where to get these and more at these coffee shops in Cameron Highlands.
Malaysia’s highlands offer a refreshing respite from the suffocating lowland heat and humidity. Dozens of coffee shops in Cameron Highlands provide idyllic settings to sip on a hot drink in the cooler mountain air. Culture Trip rounds up our favourites for budget-friendly prices, dessert spots and English tea rooms.
Barracks Café
Cafe, Malaysian
Few coffee shops in Cameron Highlands have the flair of Barracks Café. Housed in a converted British barracks, this café gives a sense of stepping back in time. Information boards with hints of regional history cover the walls inside. Colourful flowers omitting a sweet aroma surround the garden tables. Culture Trip recommends stopping by after a morning of hiking along the nearby trails. Get a hot cup of tea or coffee with a raisin scone and a slice of cheesecake.
Tanah Rata’s Lord’s Café upholds a reputation for the best scones in Cameron Highlands. This family-friendly coffee shop is a magnet for sweet-toothed travellers. Take a seat in the simple yet elegant interior and order homemade scones and pancakes. Add locally picked tea, a selection of coffees and milkshakes, and it promises a cosy spot to spend an afternoon. But what sets Lord’s apart from the other coffee shops in Cameron Highlands is its budget-friendly afternoon tea. We recommend a pot of BOH with strawberry scones and cream.
Capitale Coffee is among our favourite coffee shops in Cameron Highlands for caffeine addicts. Featuring dozens of coffees and lattes (as well as a decent selection of tea), this café attracts connoisseurs. Light meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) as well as crepes and cakes are also available. Culture Trip recommends this café to pass away a rainy day. Order espresso marocchino in the morning and marshmallow choco milk around lunch time.
This peaceful cake shop-cum-café in Brinchang provides a wide selection of sweet treats and desserts. A stone’s throw from the Butterfly Farm, Strawberry Cottage is among the best family-friendly coffee shops in Cameron Highlands. Customers have endless options to satisfy any sugar cravings (think homemade cookies and ice cream). Order a cup of BOH tea from the nearby plantation with a brownie or get a vanilla latte and slice of their signature carrot cake. Adventurous palates can try their nasi lemak cheesecake found nowhere else in Malaysia.
Rosette Café in Tanah Rata combines a coffee shop with an Asian-Western fusion restaurant. Images of colourful flowers decorate the orange walls. Dim lighting creates a more exclusive environment. Head down in the morning for a caffeine fix and light breakfast of scones with a dollop of local strawberry jam. Or stop by for afternoon tea and an early dinner. This is among the more popular coffee shops in Cameron Highlands with mid-range international tourists.
Cameron Valley Tea House 1 might be among the more expensive cafés, but it does offer high-tea with a view. After opening in 1933, the plantation expanded into four vast gardens. Freshly picked leaves infused perfectly with just the right amount of hot water generate aromatic flavours. Choose between classic varieties and special house blends. Take a seat outside and sip away to the undulating fields of green expanding across the horizon. Tea for two with scones cost upwards of RM50 ($12 USD).
BOH Tea Plantation grows the nationwide famous BOH Tea. Learn about each stage of their lucrative industry before tasting the fruits of their labour at the Tea House. Stunning green vistas stretch in all directions from the outdoor terrace. Customers can appreciate this view with a fresh cup of BOH and a homemade scone. Despite the relatively high price, we do recommend stopping by after touring the plantation. Pro tip: This is among the more popular tea houses in Cameron Highlands bursting with tourists at all times of the day. Expect crowds, noise and delays.
Yong Teng Café offers some of the best pancakes in Cameron Highlands. Run by a deaf couple, this budget-friendly coffee shop in Tanah Rata serves snacks, meals and desserts. Grab a seat and order a Malaysian-style tea or a hot coffee. Savour the warmth amid the refreshing highland air with a plate of sweet treats. This is among our favourite coffee shops in Cameron Highlands for an affordable breakfast before a day of hiking. Order either their Western-style toast or strawberry pancakes.
The Smokehouse Hotel exudes an almost perfect English countryside tea house environment. Set inside a black and white Tudor-style bungalow, the café serves high-quality tea with delicious scones. Leather sofas and pictures of the British seaside cover the walls in its formal interior. Blooming gardens span outside the almost floor-to-ceiling windows. Despite the high prices, this is among our favourite cafés in Cameron Highland to time-travel back to British Malaya.
Cameron Highland Resort’s Jim Thompson Tea Room combines a tasteful café with British-style high-tea. Rattan armchairs next to spacious windows overlooking the golf course fill the classic interior. Soft piano music serenades customers in a more formal environment compared to other coffee shops in Cameron Highlands. Appreciate the air of drinking high-tea inside a colonial plantation bungalow while snacking on pastries and scones.
