Kota Kinabalu guide · Where to eat
Places to eat in Kota Kinabalu, with what to order and how comfortable each is for families and older travellers.
Updated
Kota Kinabalu's food is a mix of Chinese, Malay and indigenous Sabahan cooking, with a lot of seafood. Local noodle dishes such as laksa and sang nyuk mee are sold in old coffee shops, many of them on Gaya Street, and the night food market on Gaya Street runs on weekend evenings. Seafood is central to the city's restaurants, so vegetarians need to ask carefully about fish sauce, shrimp paste and meat stock.
For Indian and vegetarian diners, the options are limited but real. Mother India at the Oceanus Waterfront mall is a North Indian restaurant with marked vegan dishes, though it also serves meat. Sri Latha Curry House on Jalan Berjaya offers South Indian rice, roti and uttapam, but it also serves fish. For plant-based meals, THTC Cafe in Bundusan is listed as fully vegan, and Gaya Vegetarian on Jalan Gaya is a meat-free cafe with vegan options and some egg and dairy. I did not find a strictly pure-vegetarian or Jain restaurant that I could verify, so Jain travellers should ask hotels to arrange food without onion and garlic. Further vegetarian restaurants include Living Seed in Suria Sabah, Veggie Time at Imago and City Veggie in Penampang, though none is confirmed as egg-free.
Check hours before you go: several vegetarian places close mid-afternoon, one is closed on Sundays, and the cafe in Bundusan was listed as closed on Wednesdays.
Menus and kitchens change. If you follow a strict diet or have an allergy, confirm with the restaurant before you order.
Asia City Complex, near the Likas and Api-Api side of the centre
A Chettinad restaurant at Asia City Complex serving banana leaf meals, biryani, naan, roti, tandoori and dosai, listed by Wikivoyage among Kota Kinabalu's Indian options.
Lot G23, Ground Floor, Kompleks Asia City
A halal fried-chicken chain with a branch in Asia City, named by the Sabah food trail article and two directories for chicken, family meal sets and cheesy chicken rice.
Lintas Platinum, Kampung Nosob, Penampang, south of the centre
A vegetarian restaurant in Lintas Platinum, Penampang, serving vegetarian dishes with a Sabahan twist, including mixed rice and a la carte plates.
3rd floor, Suria Sabah, Jalan Tun Fuad Stephens
A seafood noodle restaurant on the third floor of Suria Sabah mall serving noodles in tomato or tom yam soup, listed as pork-free.
Gaya Street branch, Pusat Bandar
A self-service kopitiam with a Gaya Street branch, serving dim sum, pick-it-yourself dishes, nasi lemak and roti kahwin, according to Wikivoyage.
Jalan Gaya, central Kota Kinabalu
A meat-free Chinese and Western cafe on Jalan Gaya with a buffet-style rice plate and many dishes that can be made vegan; it is open mornings to mid-afternoon on weekdays and Saturdays.
Waterfront area, Kota Kinabalu city centre
A North Indian restaurant by the Kota Kinabalu waterfront with indoor and outdoor seating, listed by Wikivoyage, which says it claims to have invented the Chicken Cheese Tandoori Tikka.
Suria Sabah mall, Jalan Tun Fuad Stephens, city centre
A vegetarian restaurant inside the Suria Sabah waterfront mall serving oriental dishes with a local flavour, with a sea-view dining area. A practical meal stop for vegetarians in the centre.
Oceanus Waterfront mall, Lot G-40A, Kota Kinabalu
A North Indian restaurant in the Oceanus Waterfront mall serving Punjabi dishes and curries, with a clearly marked set of vegan dishes that staff are said to know well.
Lots 4-6, Wisma HCS, Jalan Kolam, Taman Luyang Phase 1
A dim sum restaurant in Wisma HCS, Taman Luyang Phase 1, listed for salted egg custard buns and open from early morning.
Unit B-1-12, Block B, 1st Floor, Sutera Avenue
A fine-dining room on the first floor of Sutera Avenue, named by Sabah Tourism and two food directories for tasting menus built around Sabah-grown produce.
13 Lorong Dewan, Pusat Bandar
A Lorong Dewan cafe behind Gaya Street, named by three pages for coffee, French toast, scones and light plates, and handy before or after the old-town walk.
Block E, Lot 10, Sinsuran Complex
A coffee shop in Sinsuran Complex listed on the Sabah food trail and by Journify for Tuaran mee, the fried egg noodle from Tuaran; non-halal, not for vegetarians.
No. 26, Jalan Pantai, Pusat Bandar
A Jalan Pantai bak kut teh shop named by Sabah Travel and Amazing Borneo, with claypot and dry versions listed; a pork dish, so not for vegetarians or halal diners.
Jalan Berjaya, Bandar Berjaya, central Kota Kinabalu
A South Indian curry house on Jalan Berjaya serving banana-leaf rice, rotis and uttapams, with an extensive vegetarian menu alongside fish curry dishes.
Commercial Centre, Bundusan, south of the city
A fully vegan cafe in Bundusan, south of the centre, with a mixed Western and Asian menu including roti canai, ginger tofu, pumpkin pasta and tom yum fried rice.
Level 2, Imago Shopping Mall, KK Times Square
A vegetarian restaurant on Level 2 of Imago Shopping Mall at KK Times Square, serving local, Western and Thai-inspired dishes with many mock-meat options and brown rice.
Lot G18, Kompleks Asia City, Jalan Asia City
A popular seafood restaurant at Kompleks Asia City, listed for fresh seafood at affordable prices, with Kam Heong crab and butter prawns among the dishes named by Sabah Travel.
127 Jalan Gaya, Pusat Bandar
A daytime Gaya Street eatery at 127 Jalan Gaya known for laksa, claypot rice, Tuaran mee and Tenom coffee, listed as pork-free.
