Vegan Guide to Johor Bahru

OCTOBER 2022: Due to COVID we were unable to travel for nearly two years, which means it’s been impossible to update our vegan travel guides. Therefore we cannot be sure if the below restaurants are still open, so please contact them directly to check. As travel has now restarted we will be updating guides accordingly, but in the meantime please check out the excellent HappyCow, which you can find via the link at the bottom of this vegan guide.

Published August 2018

Johor Bahru is the southernmost city in Malaysia and often overlooked by tourists and travellers alike, our Vegan Guide to Johor Bahru shows you where you can find tasty vegan and plant based food when you’re in town and also a couple of suggestions as to where you can stay. Currently undergoing mass development and investsment we believe Johor Bahru offers the perfect location for a night or two if you’re en route to Singapore; from the central business district of Johor Bahru to downtown Singapore takes little over an hour as long as you avoid peak times. We’ve even stayed here when we’ve had meetings in Singapore, avoiding the very high room rates in Singapore and finding much better value for money in Johor Bahru.

Annalakshmi

Annalakshmi
19 Jalan Depat
Johor Bahru

Opening Times: 11am-3pm Closed Sunday

Although situated a little way from the town centre this restaurant is well worth a visit. Delicious Indian vegetarian buffet with super friendly staff including Mr Krishnan who we had a very nice conversation with during our visit. It’s located in an old wooden house which is also home to ‘The Temple of Fine Arts’ where thy teach traditional music and dance to students from 7 to 70 years old. The place has a lovely feel and is mainly run by volunteers, they operate a “pay as you wish” policy for their food which is amazing considering how good it was. Worth checking out for sure.

Green Veg Garden

Green Veg Garden
12 Jalan Ngee Heng
Floor #05-08
Johor Bahru

Opening Times: 9am-2pm Monday to Friday

Chinese vegetarian food situated on the 5th floor food court in the same building as DoubleTree Johor Bahru. Simple but tasty selection of vegetables, tofu, rice and a soup for 6.50 MYR. Close to the border crossing for anyone heading to Singapore and perfect if you’re staying in the hotel.

Vegan Food Johor Bahru - Green Veg Garden 1

Vegan Food Johor Bahru - Green Veg Garden 2

JB Vegetarian

JB Vegetarian
Jalan Trus
Bandar Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru

Opening Times: 6am-3pm every day

We headed to this Chinese Malaysian vegetarian food stall to check it out en route to the border crossing, it’s only 5 minutes walk from the City Square immigration entrance so perfect before heading to Singapore. There were so many choices it was overwhelming with multiple curries, vegetables and mock meat to choose from. Everything was vegan with eggs available to add to your food extra, from what the friendly owner explained none of the dishes have egg inside (or onion for that matter due to the Buddhist nature of the food). All in all a very good buffet option where you can have your fill of traditional Buddhist Chinese Malaysian vegan food for just a couple of dollars…and they had vegan sausages too.

Vegan Food Johor Bahru - JB Vegetarian 1

Vegan Food Johor Bahru - JB Vegetarian 2

Noodle Face

Noodle Face
Johor Bahru City Square
Lot MF-10
Level 03
Johor Bahru

Opening Times: 10am-9pm every day

Located in the City Square Mall this is an ‘Express’ outlet of the vegetarian restaurant of the same name at Jalan Austin Heights. Due to eating so much there was no way that eating more vegan food was possible but we swung past to check it out. Many of the dishes included egg but this clearly marked on the modern and concise menu. We loved the concept and would eat here for sure next time we’re in Johor Bahru.

i Vege

i Vege
16a Jalan Pingai
Taman Pelangi
Johor Bahru

Opening Times: 11am-3pm and 5pm-8.30pm closed Tuesday

This was the closest all vegan restaurant to where we were staying listed on Happy Cow. We arrived to find it closed despite the hours being correct, having jumped back in the taxi a staff member mysteriously appeared and opened up. Not sure how to describe the set up but it was a little strange with a feeling we were in someone’s living room despite a number of large tables set up in a restaurant style. A quick look at the menu and a chat with the staff highlighted that it clearly wasn’t all vegan (we’ve submitted an update to Happy Cow) but they were able to help us choose vegan dishes. We ordered braised tofu and vegetables with a sweet and sour soy meat fried rice and they were both just OK, we wouldn’t rush back but if you’re local to here then it might serve a purpose.

Vegan Friendly Luxury Hotels in Johor Bahru

DoubleTree Johor Bahru

DoubleTree Johor Bahru
12 Jalan Ngee Heng
Johor Bahru

We’ve just returned after not staying for 2/3 years and we’re very impressed indeed. The staff team went out of their way to cater for us, arranging vegan food in the Exec Lounge and also showing us all of the options at breakfast in Makan Kitchen of which there were plenty. They were also happy to create a couple of dishes that were not on the buffet upon request. If you decide to stay here (remember it’s only an hour from the downtown Singapore) let them know in advance especially if you have lounge access, otherwise ask to speak to someone from the F&B team upon check in so they can arrange to help you at breakfast. We will return for sure, in the meantime here is our updated review of DoubleTree Johor Bahru.

Vegan Food Johor Bahru - DoubleTree Johor Bahru 1

Vegan Food Johor Bahru - DoubleTree Johor Bahru 2

Renaissance Johor Bahru

Renaissance Johor Bahru
2 Jalan Permas 11
Bandar Baru Permas Jaya
Johor Bahru

Another great vegan friendly luxury hotel in Johor Bahru is the Renaissance which is part of the Marriott family of hotels and resorts. It’s a little further away from the centre of town and the border for Singapore but Grab taxis are plentiful and very cheap. We let them know in advance (as we would always recommend) that we were both vegan and they assured us they had it all under control, we’re happy to say they certainly did withbus enjoying tasty vegan food in both of their signature restaurants and in the club lounge. Here you can read our detailed review from Renaissance Johor Bahru.