Cafe Hopping in Johor Bahru

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Street art at Jalan Trus, JB

After I shared photos of the cafes and places we visited in Johor Bahru some weeks ago, many of my friends were surprised that JB is not as boring as they thought. In fact, they were surprised that the cafe culture in Singapore has spilled across the causeway.

So here are the cafes we stumbled upon around Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, Jalan Ibrahim, Jalan Trus and Jalan Dhoby. Some of them even have Instagramable desserts that come with recommendations by popular food bloggers!

 

Cafe hopping in JB

From our hotel at  Puteri Pacific, we walked to Ehhe Art Cafe which is at the junction of Jalan Trus and Jalan Tan Hiok Nee for breakfast. The cafe had a very unique interior, where rustic meets nature with a pop of art everywhere you turn.

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The reason why we came was because I was hoping to try their famous Hainanese Chicken Chop or Hainanese Chinese Rice. But it turns out we were way to early and these are only served during lunch after 12pm.

For breakfast, they have options like Nasi Lemak, eggs and hotdogs, toast and curry chicken and mee siam. I ordered mee siam expecting vermicelli in a spicy and sour gravy but when it came, it was a dish of dry and fried mee siam pretty like our breakfast bee hoon. Their coffee was good though and it’s really aromatic and strong.

Ehhe Art Cafe
No. 1, Jalan Trus, Bandar Johor Bahru 80000, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia.
Junction of Jalan Trus and Jalan Tan Hiok Nee (just beside Hiap Joo Bakery)

 

Around the corner, we spotted these street art on the walls of the building. Interestingly,  Jalan Tan Hiok Nee is the cultural district of JB. But I’m guessing that these modern art has brought street culture and a new character to the area.

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Street art at Jalan Trus

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How nostalgic are these!

After breakfast, we decided to explore around the area. But what do you know, cafes in JB don’t open so early. #sogoodlife

So for early risers, you’re better off having local breakfast at traditional coffeeshops like Hua Mui Coffeeshop where you can sink your teeth into charcoal grilled toast with kaya and butter,  soft boil eggs, French Toast, as well as Nasi Lemak.

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At 11:30am, most of the cafe were still not opened for business. So all I managed was photos of them with their shutters down.

 

Koone
Address: 30, Jalan Dhoby, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru
Opening Hours: Mon-Thu 1pm – 10pm; Fri-Sun 1pm – 12am

According to Miss Tam Chiak, their specialty is soft serves with liquid nitrogen that can last for approximately 30 seconds in pink pastel cups!

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Sangkaya
Address: 14, Jalan Dhoby, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 1–11PM

Specializes in coconut ice cream!

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The Replacement – Lodge & Kitchen
Address: 33, 34, Jalan Dhoby, 80000, Johor Bahru, Johor, 80000 Johor Bahru
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 9am – 7pm; Sat & Sun 8am – 7pm

This cafe is one of your best bets for breakfast and brunch and we heard they’ve got pretty awesome salted egg churros too!

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We chanced upon this container cafe, Chaiwalla & CO, beside Maco Vintage cafe. Just how hippie is this seriously?!

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We tried their iced flavoured fruit tea and thai ice tea but as much as I would love to say that the drinks are as good as their marketing, they were just not what we expected. The fruit tea was too sweet and the thai tea was not sweet enough.

But Phoebe did say their fruit tea with yogurt pop toppings was pretty good and I’m planning to try that another time.

There were only make shift seats at this cafe, but I’ll advise against baking yourself under the sun especially with the recent heatwave that has hit Malaysia. So just buy and go.

Chaiwalla & Co. Container Café
Address: Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 9.30am to 10.30pm

 

Our last stop for the day was Maco Vintage Cafe where Sophie spotted cakes on display and exclaimed, there’s aircon here!

Maco Vintage Cafe’s specialty are their Mille crepe and they have lots of options to satisfy every sweet tooth. We choose their 3-in-1 Mille crepe after all why settle for one flavour when you can enjoy 3?
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Mille crepe cake with coffee, the perfect ending for our cafe hunt in JB that afternoon 🙂 Besides cake, they also serve dishes like pizza, pasta, chicken chop and quiche if you’re looking to have lunch or dinner.

Maco Vintage Cafe
Address: Jalan Ibrahim, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 10am-10pm

 

There were too many cafes that we wanted to try on this JB trip but I’m sure there’ll be more opportunities in the near future. In fact, we’ve planned another weekend trip for my birthday 🙂

If you missed it, here’s Part 1 of our weekend getaway to Johor Bahru and I hope I don’t take too long to complete part 3 on to share about our stay at DoubleTree by Hilton.

 

Besides shopping and checking out the awesome local food, we also went cafe hopping and checked out the street art in JB. If you’re heading to JB, then don’t miss these posts where I share some of my shopping finds and places to go cafe hopping across the causeway as well.

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Comments: 30

  1. Summer April 15, 2016 at 1:06 am Reply

    Wow i am impressed! These cafes sound so inviting and i love all the pics you took! Thanks for sharing these finds and hope you will have a great birthday celebration yar! 🙂 have fun, Susan!

    • Susan April 18, 2016 at 10:29 am Reply

      I saw the Smart Local post about the 50 cafes to check out in JB, so plenty more to explore. Thanks in advance too Summer.

  2. Michelle April 15, 2016 at 6:26 pm Reply

    I think it’s time we take a mini vacation across the causeway. Thanks for sharing!

    • Susan April 18, 2016 at 10:29 am Reply

      Yes, and one that’s beyond Legoland 🙂

  3. Jacqualine April 15, 2016 at 9:44 pm Reply

    Haaaaa hipsters live in JB also ok!! I look forward to bring the family over the causeway for some crepe cakes too!!

    • Susan April 18, 2016 at 10:30 am Reply

      Many Singaporeans visit these cafes and in fact some of these cafes are opened by Singaporeans too.

  4. Coffeeandtoastmama April 16, 2016 at 12:28 am Reply

    I love your photos. Enjoy reading your blog too! Maybe I should take a day trip to cafe hop in JB like you 🙂

    • Susan April 18, 2016 at 10:40 am Reply

      Thanks 🙂 Yes a day trip or a weekend trip to JB is very doable.

  5. Bumble Bee Mum April 16, 2016 at 7:51 am Reply

    I know what you mean about JB being happening with hippy cafes. They have been sprouting out a lot recently – which is what has been drawing me back to JB. Go for a drive around Taman Mount Austin! The cafe scene there super happening.

    • Susan April 18, 2016 at 10:41 am Reply

      I intend to check out the new water theme park in Mt Austin too! Perhaps next year when my daughter is older and taller so that she can go on more rides.

  6. Ling April 17, 2016 at 3:29 am Reply

    Thanks for this list of cafe hopping in JB. After reading your post, I’m sure to plan a visit this June holidays. Advance blessed birthday to you, Susan!

  7. […] After I shared photos of the cafes and places we visited in Johor Bahru some weeks ago, many of my friends… Continue reading » […]

  8. mmlittlee April 17, 2016 at 5:25 pm Reply

    Cool! But my husband will never agree to go JB. The safety issues are at the back of his mind and he cannot bear to have his car [or any parts of it] get stolen. hahaha

    • Susan April 18, 2016 at 11:24 pm Reply

      It was the same concern we had for years before we finally drove up. But then again, we drive a very humble car so it’s not even worth targeting. Haha.

  9. Ai Sakura April 18, 2016 at 12:17 am Reply

    wow they really look so hip and happening!!! Can bring me on a ride next time? No way hubby will drive in hahaha

    Ai @ Sakura Haruka

    • Susan April 18, 2016 at 11:27 pm Reply

      We hired a driver for this recent trip so you can consider that if you’re planning to go up to JB the next time. But I’ll say just exercise caution and park in brightly lit areas in the shopping malls and you’ll be quite safe.

  10. mummybean April 19, 2016 at 11:49 pm Reply

    I need to show my husband your post! We are going to be in Johor for a church camp in June and I’m going to try to convince my husband to take a short trip to JB after that!

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  16. denise October 22, 2017 at 9:28 pm Reply

    Did you drive when you go cafe hopping?

    • Susan October 25, 2017 at 11:24 pm Reply

      We’ve gone carless, so we either walk to Jalan Dhoby and Jalan Tan Hiok Nee from the hotel (We usually stay at Doubletree by Hilton) or take Grab or Uber there 🙂

  17. Robert White January 13, 2018 at 6:21 am Reply

    Hi Susan, I send a fb msg too, it appears your coffee a what we call a flat white, I’m fussy on coffee so would be keen to hear who in Sing and JB do good coffee 🙂

  18. Melaka for kids - A Juggling Mom May 17, 2018 at 10:58 am Reply

    […] Cafe hopping in Johor Bahru […]

  19. Pearl August 2, 2018 at 5:07 pm Reply

    Can u mentioned the average of dining in JB as well

    • Susan August 8, 2018 at 11:52 am Reply

      There are lots of dining options and there is bound to be one that suits your budget. I would say that average prices are 15MYR to 20MYR for per pax in restaurants and even lower in coffee shops.

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