Ipoh is the capital city of Perak state in Malaysia. It is situated on the Kinta River, approximately 180 km (110 mi) north of Kuala Lumpur and 123 km (76 mi) southeast of George Town, near Penang. As of 2010, Ipoh had a total of 657,892, rendering it by far the third-largest city in Malaysia.
Initially a town, Ipoh started to develop steadily in the 1880s after it found large quantities of tin in its vicinity. By 1895, it became the second-largest city in the Federated Malay States, within the Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, and Pahang. In 1988, Ipoh became an established city. Nevertheless, the town experienced decades of deterioration and neglect after the exhaustion of its tin reserves and the fall of tin prices in the 1970s.
For certain issues, Ipoh is undervalued. Ipoh, for example, is famous for its terrific food and some hidden places in Malaysia and is worth the visit for this reason! Spend a day or two but only if it ties in with your schedule.
Nam Heong White Coffee
Are you coffeeholic? Then, you should try their White Coffee. Driven by 60 years of long heritage, Nam Heong Ipoh is renowned for retaining Ipoh’s culinary heritage’s timeless flavors while delivering impeccable service.
Over the years, Nam Heong has consistently captivated the hearts of many close and far, en route to being one of Malaysia and Asia’s most popular F&B brands. Tourists from other countries visit Ipoh mainly this shop because of their original white coffee.
Check them out at :
2, Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Negeri Perak.
Operating hours:
Opens daily from 7:00 am to 5:30 pm except Monday
Chee Cheong Fun, Buntong Market
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Chee cheong fun is mainly served in two ways, the dry or wet versions. In the dry version, it is served with bright red sweet sauce and in most cases, chili sauce as well as pickled green chili. In the wet version, it is served with curry with pork rind and long bean or minced meat and shiitake mushroom gravy. Both dry or wet versions are topped with sesame seeds and fried shallots.
This aunty’s chee cheong fun is one of the best in town!
Check this out at:
Jalan Buntong, Buntong, 30100 Ipoh, Negeri Perak.
Operating hours:
Daily 8:00 am to 1:00 pm
Kannaas Banana Leaf
Kannaas Banana Leaf restaurant is one of the must-visit places in Ipoh. Their bamboo briyani is too delicious. The preparation for the briyani rice is the same but the chicken, mutton, prawn, fish, and vegetarian chicken are cooked separately using different types of masala.
The highlight of the briyani is the way it is served. The waiter brings the steamed hot bamboo to the table, then taps on the bamboo using a piece of wood stick. By doing this, the ingredients in the bamboo fall onto the banana leaf. They are open daily from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.
Check them out at:
Jalan Perhentian, Medan Kidd, 30000 Ipoh, Negeri Perak.
Nasi Ganja
I believe everyone would have ever heard of this before. Nasi Ganja is one of the Ipoh’s signature! Every day for lunchtime many people regardless of race and religion come here to get Nasi Ganja. Even if at peak time, we can see many people are queuing up to outside of the shop.
This restaurant has been established in Ipoh for a long time and the surrounding neighborhood atmosphere with the design of the old building makes you feel like going back to the 80-90s era.
Check this out at:
2, Jalan Yang Kalsom, Taman Jubilee, 30300 Ipoh, Negeri Perak.
Operating hours:
Sunday to Friday – 9:30 am to 6:00 pm except Saturday – 9:30 am to 5:00 pm
Ayam Tauge @ Bean sprouts chicken
Bean sprouts chicken is a recipe identical to Hainanese chicken rice, the only difference is that a plate of beansprouts comes along with the sauce. The steamed chicken is served with sweet, oil-flavored soya sauce.
Check it out at:
48, Jalan Yau Tet Shin, Taman Jubilee, 30300 Ipoh, Negeri Perak.
Operating Hours:
Daily – 10:30 am to 2:00 am
Cheese Naan, Restoran Di Naina
Restoran Di Naina offers many Mamak specialties but for obvious reasons, they are better known for their cheese naan! This allows the restaurant to remain available 24 hours a day, too. This way, even though you have intense cheese naan cravings at 2 in the morning, they’re still there for you. It seems like the cheese trend is here to stay, as proven by Restoran Di Naina’s especially cheesy naan bread.
![](https://varnam.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/cheese-naannn-1024x768.jpg)
Instead of the normal cheese naan filled with slices of ooey-gooey cheese inside, Di Naina makes its own variety! In addition to melting the cheese in the middle layer between the crusts, Di Naina’s workers plan to pour an excess of a layer of cheese sauce over the crust. Tempting, huh?
Check this out at:
No. 37, Jalan Sri Ampang 1, Taman Sri Ampang, 31350 Ipoh, Negeri Perak.
Operating hours:
Daily – 24 hours, expect Friday – 12:00 am to 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm to 12:00 am
Lim Ko Pi
Looking to cool off on a sunny and burning day? Or only searching for a savory dessert to finish your meal? With Ipoh cendol and the freshest ingredients, Lim Ko Pi is not going to let you down. If you love to consume sweet, try requesting for extra brown sugar. I bet you’ll never regret trying this!
Check them out at:
10 Jalan Sultan Iskandar 30000 Ipoh Perak.
Operating hours:
Tuesday to Sunday – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, closed on Monday
Concubine Lane
According to the locals, the mining tycoon Yao Tet Shin constructed Concubine Lane for his three wives. Every lane had been properly called Wife Lane, Concubine Lane, and Second Concubine Lane. Whereas another variant of the local tale is that the spot where rich men kept their mistresses was also the location.
Concubine Lane is today the most famous street, turned into a trendy hangout with several pop-up stalls selling tasty ice balls, flower-shaped cotton candy, and more. Here are some of the snacks that you can try!
Kuma Rainbow Cheese Toast
Rainbow cheese toast is one of the viral foods in the concubine lane.
Check this out at:
6, Jalan Panglima, 30000 Ipoh, Negeri Perak.
Operating hours:
Daily 9:00 am to 7:00 pm
Ice Ball
They are offering here an odd cold dessert. A huge ball of ice (ais kepal) that you can have in a few varieties like mango, grape, pandan, sarsi.
Check this out at:
99, Jalan Sultan Yusof, 30000 Ipoh, Perak.
Operating hours:
Weekdays (except Tuesdays): 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
Weekends: 10:00 am to 5:30 pm
Platform 9 1/2 Cafe
Alongside, while you are walking down the lane, you will eventually see this place at the end. This cafe is actually built with the theme Harry Potter. If you are a big fan of Harry Potter series, then you will definitely love this cafe! They have provided many props inside the cafe for you to try on and take pictures.
If you are a photogenic person, I’m sure you will get some nice pictures to post on your social media accounts.
Check this out at:
22 Lorong Panglima, Concubine Lane, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Operating Hours:
Sunday to Thursday – 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
Friday and Saturday – 9:00 am to 10:00 pm
Sultan Abdul Aziz Recreation Park @ Polo Ground
Sultan Abdul Aziz Park (Polo Ground) is a 7,500-step (3.3 miles) route that is situated near Ipoh, Perak. This route has an elevation gain of approximately 49.2 ft. This place is quite best for those who are looking for relaxation.
There are some hawker stalls where you can buy ice cream and enjoy it while relaxing. The interesting part is that the park is open 24/7.
Check them out at:
Jalan Brash, 30350 Ipoh, Negeri Perak.
Gunung Lang
One of the several calcareous mountains in the state of Perak especially in Lembah Kinta, is the Gunung Lang Recreational Park which is located just five kilometers from Ipoh city.
Gunung Lang is a region of calcareous fields in the middle of Lembah Kinta, in the north of the Ipoh Region. It can be reached from the Sungai Siput and Jalan Kuala Kangsar exits from the North-South Expressway.
You can even enjoy fish feeding at the park.
Check them out at:
Taman Rekreasi Gunung Lang, Off Jalan Kuala Kangsar, 30010 Ipoh, Perak.
Operating hours:
Monday to Thursday – 8:00 am to 12:00 pm, 1:30 pm to 7:00 pm
Friday – 8:00 am to 12 pm, 2:45 pm to 4:00 pm
Saturday, Sunday, Public holiday – 8:00 am to 6:30 pm
Boat Ride Fees:
Adults – RM 3.00
Children (3 – 12 years old) – RM 1.50
Senior citizens (above 55 years old) – RM 1.50
Tasik Cermin
Tasik Cermin, or Mirror Lake, is a magnificent secret pool surrounded by karst towers of limestone. It is a restricted area so it is at your own risk to enter. You need to park your car and walk across a running quarry and a tunnel before gazing at a spectacular view of the lake and the hill of calcareousness.
Tasik cermin which practically means mirror lake comes from the reflection of the hill at the lake. Head at 11 am where the reflection is the best. You can get the best natural environment here if you are a nature lover person. The best part is, it’s open daily.
Check this out at:
Persiaran Pinggir Rapat 5a, 31350 Ipoh, Negeri Perak.
Kinta Riverfront Walk
The Mini I-City of Ipoh which called as Kinta Riverfront Walk in Ipoh. Not only some nice LED lights on the trees (just like I-City in Shah Alam), this Riverwalk even has some lovely restaurant facing the Ipoh River and it’s a perfect spot to explore. It is a new and a perfect spot to enjoy with superior night LED lighting on the trees.
There are even rental out bicycle for the public. It is a good place to hang out with family especially during the holidays! It is open everyday till late night.
Check this out at:
LOT A04-A08,River Walk @ Kinta River Front ,Jalan Lom Bo Seng, 30000 Ipoh, Perak.
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