Vegan Guide to Kuala Lumpur
Updated February 2024
Our recently updated Vegan Guide to Kuala Lumpur will help you when your vegan travel adventure takes you to the capital of Malaysia. In the time since we first stayed in Kuala Lumpur the availability of vegan food has increased dramatically and following our recent trip we can’t wait to head back and eat our way around one of our favourite cities in Southeast Asia, many people don’t spend much time in this exciting city but we love Kuala Lumpur and look forward to returning on a regular basis now that our brand new HQ is Johor Bahru in Malaysia!
Vegan Restaurants in Kuala Lumpur
The Hungry Tapir
The Hungry Tapir
135 Jalan Petaling
Kuala Lumpur
Opening Hours: Midday-10pm every day (closed Monday)
Having being recommended by a good friend, we wanted to check out this vegan restaurant in Kuala Lumpur and we loved it! We headed there for lunch with another good friend, Sarah from the excellent Plastic Free Southeast Asia and proceeded to order 3 dishes from the ‘nibbles’ menu and three main dishes. Oh boy, everything we ordered was incredible, and the portions were huge, we thought we would be leaving with leftovers ’to go’ but that just didn’t happen. In between chatting and taking photos, we slowly devoured every single plate of creative and delicious vegan food. A beetroot burger that looked and tasted delightful, a lions mane mushroom satay dish that was divine, and beetroot tacos topped with creamy slaw and shredded picketed onion that were oh so good. Quite simply this is one of the best vegan lunches we’ve had for a very long time. During this visit, they still served non vegan (veggie) desserts and also drinks with dairy milk, but now we are happy to update that the entire menu is vegan including drinks and desserts, keep up the good work Team Tapir, we love what you’re doing!
LaGula by Tapir
LaGula by Tapir
Four Points by Sheraton
Jalan Petaling
Opening Hours: 11am-10pm every day, closed Tuesday
From the team behind our favourite vegan restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, The Hungry Tapir comes this breakfast, brunch, all day dining plant based cafe and oh boy, have they absolutely nailed it. The menu is packed with delicious sounding dishes which makes the selection of what you’re going to eat somewhat of a challenge. We visited at breakfast and enjoyed an immense ‘Vegan Big Breakfast’ which is one of the best we’ve ever had, and a waffle plate piled with berrylicious cream, red grapefruit, blueberries and maple syrup. Both were outstanding and we can’t wait to return.
Dharma Realm Guan Yin Sagely Monastery
Dharma Realm Guan Yin Sagely Monastery
161 Jalan Ampang
Kuala Lumpur
Opening Times: 10.30am-2pm Monday-Friday
This place is incredible. We have been to many Buddhist veg buffets around the region but there has never been a restaurant with so many options. We were told that everything is vegan on the buffet with no egg and no milk. Every time we turned around there were new dishes being added to the selection of vegetables, curries, mock meats and even scrambled tofu. Wandering around the huge space there were people busy preparing the food and serving steamed buns, salads, spring rolls, noodle soups, dumplings in addition to the buffet which had around 30 options. The hardest thing was the fear of missing out and making the wrong choice, we both piled our plates which cost 17.50 MYR for both of us; the easiest thing was deciding that we will return tomorrow…
Kind Kones
Kind Kones
F29 Level 1
Bangsar Village
Kuala Lumpur
Opening Times: 10am-10pm every day
You MUST visit Kind Kones at least once when you’re in Kuala Lumpur, but multiple visits is just fine and highly recommended. Having experienced the delightful vegan ice cream from Kind Kones at a previous location, we had to visit their Bangsar outlet whilst in the area, and we weren’t disappointed. The selection was vast and each flavour that we ordered was delicious. These guys have got a serious vegan ice cream game, and it would be hard to find more variety and as good quality vegan ice cream anywhere. WOW and YUM.
Minf Houze Vegan Cafe
Minf Houze Vegan Cafe
Lot 20
3rd Floor
Wisma Cosway Mall
88 Jalan Raja Chulan
Kuala Lumpur
Opening Hours: 10am-8.30pm every day (closed Sunday)
Minf Houze Vegan Cafe is upstairs and tucked away in the mall, making it a little tricky to find but don’t give up as the food was excellent. The curry ramen was full of flavour and the sweet and sour mushrooms with rice certainly hit the spot too. Our side dish of curry potatoes was absolutely delicious, so much so that we ordered a second serving. We will return to this simple and local vegan restaurant in Kuala Lumpur for sure.
VickedGood
VickedGood
Unit 108, Centre Wing
Metropolitan Square
Petaling Jaya
Opening Hours: 10am-6pm every day (8.30pm Friday and Saturday) closed Wednesday
Simply the best. This is next level vegan baking and some of the best sweet and savoury treats we’ve ever had. The pastry chef at VickedGood has got mad skills and not only do their creations taste amazing, they look amazing too. We’re just sad that we don’t live in Kuala Lumpur so we could visit all of the time. Can’t wait to see you when we’re back…
Kusa Japanese Vegan
Kusa Japanese Vegan
2 Lorong Changkat Ceylon
Kuala Lumpur
Opening Hours: 11am-3pm and 5pm-10pm every day (closed Tuesday)
Despite closing at 3pm, when we arrived at ten past two we were hurried to order as “the kitchen is closing”. This made what appears to be a very calm and serene restaurant rather stressful as the menu is extensive and it was our first visit. In the end we ordered a couple of small plates, and will return at another time to order a full meal. The ‘Kusa Tempeh’ with vegan mayo was light and crispy, whilst the ‘All In One’ sushi plate allowed us to try a small selection of their sushi creations. The food was fresh and beautifully presented, whilst the menu looks very exciting so we look forward to returning.
Sprout
Sprout
Bangsar Village 1
Lot F13
Kuala Lumpur
Opening Hours: 10am-9pm every day (closed Monday)
We met a friend for lunch at Sprout during our recent trip and ordered a selection of dishes to share. The quiche was excellent, by far the best dish that we enjoyed, sadly the other dishes were all below par. The gyoza were over cooked and very oily, the chicken and rice was uninspiring, and Philly cheesesteak sandwich was possibly the worst sandwich we’ve ever had. Very disappointing, apart from the quiche…
Sala
Sala
3A Galeria Hartamas
21 Jalan 26a/70a
Desa Sri Hartamas
Kuala Lumpur
Opening Times: 11am-10pm every day
We headed to Sala very excited as everyone we know who had been there said it was fantastic. We left Sala a little underwhelmed wondering if our expectations had been set a little high. Our tortilla wraps were packed with tofu, tempe, mushrooms, jackfruit, chilled beans, black beans and all manner of salad and vegetables, this was topped with vegan nacho cheese, vegan sour cream and salsa. The flavours were not as exciting as we hoped and we felt that our wraps, although packed, were a little bland. Since our visit they’ve opened new locations and we will check them out again for sure.
Vegetarian Restaurants in Kuala Lumpur
Saravanaa Bhavan
Saravanaa Bhavan
(branches in Ampang, KLCC, Brickfields, Petaling Jaya and Bangsar)
Kuala Lumpur
Opening Times: check individual outlet
You will find Saravana Bhavan literally all over the world, they are the biggest chain of vegetarian Indian restaurants with over 30 in India and 47 at different worldwide locations. We’ve visited their Brickfields restaurant many times, but this was our first visit to the outlet in KLCC. With time on our hands we would go to Brickfields as it’s a more authentic dining experience due to being in Little India as opposed to a food court but we would have to say the food was very good all the same. We enjoyed dosa, masala poori and chilli gobi which were all fresh, tasty and very enjoyable. Great news is that now have a vegan menu available at some branches that helps to avoid any confusion regarding which dishes are vegetarian and which dishes are vegan.
Hainan Village Malayan Kopitiam
Hainan Village Malayan Kopitiam
31 G, Jalan Puteri 2/5
Bandar Puteri
47100 Puchong
Selangor
Opening Hours: 9am-9pm every day
This is the first Hainanese vegetarian kopitiam in Malaysia and as we were staying nearby, we decided to check it out. You need a little patience (and some help from the staff) to identify which dishes are vegan but it’s worth the effort. We enjoyed a delicious chicken rendang, some of the tastiest tempe we’ve had in Malaysia, and seeet and sour fish that was good, but too sweet. All served with nasi lemak and a glass of iced Soya Cincau (Soh-yah Chin-Chau) which is a mixture of sugar syrup, soy milk and grass jelly. Very impressed and if we were in the area we would certainly return.
Mr Naan & Mrs Idly
Mr Naan & Mrs Idly
190 Jalan Tun Sambanthan
Brickfields
Opening Hours: 11.30am-10pm every day
Pure veg spot with vegan options clearly marked on the menu. The self serve all-you-can-eat lunchtime buffet is excellent value and we enjoyed it very much. Be sure to double check that all dishes are vegan, as after asking and serving our food, we saw what looked like cottage cheese in one dish and it indeed was. We asked another member of staff and he was apologetic and very clear that all of their dishes and the bread were vegan and had not been cooked with butter ghee. This initial miscommunication wouldn’t put us off as the food was very tasty and the staff very friendly. It just reminds us that even though there is a greater understanding of veganism now, mistakes still happen…
Happy Chef
Happy Chef
G19 Ground Floor
Wisma MPL
Jalan Raja Chulan
Kuala Lumpur
Opening Times: 7.30am-5pm Monday to Friday
This is a typical Chinese Buddhist style vegetarian buffet restaurant that is located on the ground floor of the Wisma MPL office block, it primarily caters for the office staff and therefore isn’t open at the weekend. The staff were friendly and happy to explain which dishes were vegan, the food was tasty and cheap which was perfect as we were staying nearby. We wouldn’t travel especially for this restaurant but if we were hungry and in the ‘hood then we’d return for sure.
Simple Life
Simple Life
(branches in Bukit Jalil, Bangsar and Cheras)
Kuala Lumpur
Opening Times: check individual outlet
Simple Life has been a long time favourite of ours and we dined at their KLCC outlet many times, sadly it has now closed. However, this all organic and all veggie restaurant has a number of other outlets in Kuala Lumpur where they serve a number of great dishes with our favourite being the laksa without a doubt. It’s packed with flavour and spices and we’d have to admit that we’re kind of craving it right now as we’re writing this.
BMS Organics
BMS Organics
(branches in Ampang, Sri Damansara, Sri Petaling, Kepong and Mid Valley)
Kuala Lumpur
Opening Times: check individual outlet
There was an all vegetarian restaurant called BMS Organics with many vegan options at KLIA2 airport, but sadly it closed during covid and has never re opened. Does it make us a bit weird that on more than one occasion we have queued up at immigration, had our passports stamped and entered Malaysia just to eat there? We don’t think so meaning whenever we had a layover in Kuala Lumpur between flights we head to BBMS Organics for the laksa which is our favourite vegan laksa of all time. Don’t worry, there are other locations throughout Malaysia including a few in Kuala Lumpur and they are well worth looking out for.
VegTalk Station
VegTalk Station
Gateway@KLIA 2
Sepang
Kuala Lumpur
Opening Hours: 8am-8pm every day
Average food and miserable staff, but as the only veg spot open at the time of writing it served a purpose. Many dishes not vegan as contain dairy or egg so order with caution. Don’t expect any help from the staff who were obviously not enjoying themselves and wanted us to know that. It was cheap, veggie (hopefully vegan) and just about average, it filled a spot as we were very hungry with time to kill, not sure we would hurry back though…
Vegetarian Friendly Restaurants in Kuala Lumpur
RGB and the Bean Hive
RGB and the Bean Hive
35 Jalan Damai
Kuala Lumpur
Opening Times: Mon 9am-4pm Tue-Fri 8.30am-5.30pm Sat-Sun 9am-6pm
Only a short distance from KLCC this cool cafe is in an upmarket, leafy residential area surrounded by towering office blocks. Decent menu with plenty of clearly marked veggie and vegan options including our choice of hemp burger and vegan pizza. Our very tasty vegan pizza was served with 2 homemade vegan cheeses and grilled tempe, the burger was good although the roll was a little stale and it was served with French fries which were cold. We liked the vibe and we liked that you could refill your water bottle, we also like the fact they had 3 different vegan cakes available, we shared a slice of the carrot cake which was delicious.
LN Fortunate Coffee
LN Fortunate Coffee
Lot 468 G 29
Rivercity
Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah
Kuala Lumpur
Opening Times: 10am-10pm every day
We visited a previous location which has since closed, updated details above, we’ve left them in our guide but please understand this is from their old location and things may have changed. A relaxed atmosphere, chilled music and an all vegan menu awaited us. We ordered a multi grain sourdough sandwich with grilled tempe and tahini, also waffles with rice syrup and blueberries. The sandwich was light and tasty with the tempe (6 decent slices) being the star of the show, we also loved the tahini mustard dressing. Our waffle had a great flavour and the blueberries were fresh and tasty, it was a little over cooked but still very good making us want to buy our own waffle maker.
Empire Sushi
Empire Sushi
NU Central Mall and other locations
Kuala Lumpur
Opening Hours: check individual outlet
Empire Sushi is a local chain of sushi restaurants that you will find in many of the shopping malls in Malaysia. They have limited vegan options but both the kappa maki and inari are both vegan, offering a simple and cheap vegan sushi fix when you’re out shopping. Or perfect for a takeaway lunch which you can pimp once your home, don’t forget your own takeaway containers or you’ll end up with lots of single use plastic.
The Rabbit Hole
The Rabbit Hole
16 Changkat Bukit Bintang
Bukit Bintang
Opening Hours: 8am-1am every day
For anyone in the Bukit Bintang area this hidden oasis from the noisy bars and clubs offers an extensive menu with vegan options. They have meatless dishes highlighted (which aren’t vegan) but they also have dishes which are meat/egg/dairy free on their menu (which are vegan). We enjoyed the ‘Veggie Lovers Stack’ which was a whole meal sandwich loaded with tofu, avo, onion rings, salad, hash browns and a BBQ sauce. It certainly hit the spot for a late night munch, but would have been even better if served with salad and fries! They also have their own brand of cold pressed juices which were good, although it’s a shame they are served in plastic bottles.
Absolute Thai
Absolute Thai
IOI City Mall and other locations
Kuala Lumpur
Opening Hours: check individual outlet
This local chain of Thai restaurants has a vegetarian menu available upon request with many of their dishes being suitable for vegans. We tried the green curry which was packed with tofu and veggies. It had good spice levels and an authentic flavour, which is exactly what we were looking for. Very useful vegan option if you’re in one of the big malls where they seem to be located.
Vegan Shopping in Kuala Lumpur
The Hive Bulk Foods
The Hive Bulk Foods
92a Lorong Maarof
Bangsar Park
Kuala Lumpur
Opening Times: 9am-7pm every day
The Hive Bulk Foods was the first zero waste store in Malaysia and has a fantastic array of products including dried food, spreads and oils but also cleaning products and toiletries. It is inspiring and refreshing to see this type of business and we would support it for sure if we were living in Kuala Lumpur…
Veg Hub and KL Veg Fest
Veg Hub is an online marketplace for everything vegetarian and vegan in Kuala Lumpur making it an essential resource for anyone living in the city. They are also the team behind the impressive KL Veg Fest which saw thousands of visitors descend upon Paradigm Mall in Petaling Jaya for their third festival in September 2023. It was an excellent event where we got to eat our way around the multiple stalls offering vegan delights, whilst meeting lots of like minded people. Keep an eye out on their social media for the next festival in March 2024, and be sure to check out their online market place if you are based in KL.
Organicule
This website is the go-to place for premium grade superfoods to enhance your diet, improve your well being and make you smile. We met the guys behind Organicule at KL Veg Fest and they explained how they have searched far and wide to source the best organic ingredients to create a range of powders that everyone needs in their kitchen. We can vouch that their products are first class and the perfect way to supplement any diet.
Mushroom Lah
We also met the Mushroom Lah team at KL Veg Fest where we tried their mushroom rendang and it was simply outstanding. Head to their website as it’s available for nationwide delivery, we have it shipped to us in Johor Bahru and love creating delicious plant based plates of food with it. Can’t wait to see what else this passionate team come up with next, if it’s as good as their amazing vegan mushroom rendang we’re all in for a treat…
Vegan District
For those of you not living close to their store in Petaling Jaya don’t worry, you can order online for nationwide delivery their extensive range of vegan fresh, frozen and packaged products. We were super happy to be able to stock up on vegan sausages and burgers as soon as we arrived in Malaysia and even though we are based in Johor Bahru, the frozen products arrived expertly packaged and still frozen. It was great to meet the team at KL Veg Fest where we talked about all things vegan. Keep an eye on their website for new and exciting products which are being added regularly.
Vegan Friendly Supermarkets
We planned to give you a definitive list of what you can find in the many supermarkets in Kuala Lumpur but during our last few visits it became apparent that this wasn’t possible. The availability changes on a regular basis and we don’t want to be responsible for sending you from one side of town to the other to buy Gardein vegan burgers or Follow Your Heart vegan cheese only for you to find they no longer stock the product you were craving. However, we can say if you take the time to visit branches of Jaya Grocer and Village Grocer you are likely to find something exciting, imported and vegan if that’s what you’re looking for. We can say that the Village Grocer with the largest selection of imported goods and a dedicated organic section is in Bangsar and Jaya Grocer has an outlet at KLIA2 which is perfect to pick up some supplies when passing through the airport.
Other Vegan Guides to Kuala Lumpur
Below are some of our favourite online vegan guides that will help you as a vegan traveller in Kuala Lumpur, please let us know if we’ve missed any and we can add them to the list and of course Happy Cow is your friend as a travelling vegan so here’s their Kuala Lumpur page. Also, special thanks to our friend, Abi from Veganning in KL who has helped us keep this guide up to date.
Guide to Eating Vegan in Kuala Lumpur by Mindful Wanderlust
Vegan Food in Kuala Lumpur by Mostly Amelie
Malaysian Vegans Favourite Restaurants
Hey Caryl and Paul!
A mini update to say that the Kind Kones location you visited (at Four Seasons place) was sadly only a temporary pop up, and is no longer there! Kind Kones have, however, just opened two new outlets this month (Oct 2018)! One in Empire mall, Subang, and one in Mid Valley Megamall – yay for all the vegan ice cream!
Huge thanks for this updated KL post by the way – it’s an excellent resource to direct people to! Hope to catch up next time you visit! Love and nooch, Abi (@veganninginkl) x
Hi Abi,
Thank you so much for the update re Kind Kones, we will amend the guide right now. It’s a shame as we often stay right by Four Seasons Place so it was perfect to get our ice cream fix!
Hope you are well and also hope our paths cross next time we’re in KL for sure…
Paul & Caryl x
Your blog helps vegans a lot. Thank you so much!
Hi Jennifer
So happy to hear that our blog has been helpful?
Where do you travel to next?
Currently on a six/seven month trip around Asia and this blog has been lifesaving. Not only that but as food is the highlight of my life, following your recommendations has led to some of the best experiences of the trip too. Thanks so much!
Dear Amy
Your kind words make all of our efforts worthwhile! It’s great to know we’ve helped other vegans on their vegan travel adventures. Do be sure to reach out of you’re coming to Cambodia!
Paul
there is a new vegan store in kuala store, only vegan products sold, Vegan District at Kota damansara, do check out their facebook and check out their products, its all and all only vegan products for vegans in malaysia
Thank you for this very relevant info.It will be most helpful to Vegans and never knew there were so many outlets
thank you for commenting on our vegan guide to Kuala Lumpur, we are glad you found it helpful. there are many more optiosn that we would love to visit and add next time we’re in town!
There’s a few new FULLY vegan cafe/restaurants in hartamas , KL call Tiny Food Cafe , Savor of Life, and the vegan place recently !! I;ve visited all the cafe/restaurant , its really worth the visit and exposure for making a fully vegan cafe
thanks for this! we will try to visit next time we are in KL..
Lapan Wellness Cafe serves clean organic vegan food and drinks. Don’t forget to feature them, as they have been operating since 1993. It is located at
Level 1, Symphony Square
Jln Prof Khoo Kay Khim
Sek 13, Petaling Jaya
Tel 012-7988038
thank you, we will check them and add them to our vegan guide next time one of our team is in Kuala Lumpur!
Hii! Next time when you are in KL, do check out Savor Restaurant in Desa Sri Hartamas, it focuses on plant-based foods and healthier food options. There’s a vast menu to choose from and all the dishes offer great variety and taste!
38G, Jalan 28/70a, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
thanks for your suggestion to check out Savor when we are in KL. we have just followed your social media and look forward to popping in next time we visit Kl. thanks again and keep up the good work, your food looks great!