17 Best Melaka Street Food To Have Like A Local

This blog is all about Melaka food! If you’re looking for Melaka food guide, you have come to the right place on the internet! Let’s start.

It was in this city, which the Portuguese invaded, that the Dutch and their governor once resided, and where the British left their marks of colonization. But most importantly, it was here that the Peranakan people originated. This fusion of cultures, industry, and resourcefulness first began when Sultan Mansur Shah arranged to be married to the Chinese Princess Hang Li Po in an effort to strengthen trade relationships. Their marriage spurred many more unions between her Chinese male entourage and the local Malay women. That is a story to tell!

17 Best Melaka Street Food To Have Like A Local

Melaka was a port where it all began. While the state is rich in the untold and bonds it is equally over-whelming and rich in every bite of the dishes originated in this very own land. Thus to experience the culture of Melaka in the best way possible, we’ve gathered the favorites and authentic dishes and food originated from Melaka on our Top 17 Melaka Street Food to Have Like A  Local! Time to get on your feet and explore Melaka like you never have.

1. Satay Celup

Known to be one of the very famous dishes in this town,  Known to have uniquely adapted that fusion the culinary traditions of a diverse population into a mouth-watering whole. Satay celup unlike grilled satay is an eating exercise that involves your hands reaching out and dipping raw or semi-cooked skewers of seafood (fish, cockles, prawns etc.), meat, vegetables, as well as quail eggs and an assortment of fish balls dunked into a hot boiling pot of satay gravy. Sounds like the kind of exercise we’d be into ain’t that right?

Operating for more than 40 years now, the best part of these restaurants serving satay celup is their authentic peanut sauce rich with crushed peanut, spicy and sweet flavor that catalyst the reaction for MORE.

Where to eat:  ~Restoran Capital Satay ~Banleesiang ~Old Village ~Mcquek’s Satay Celup ~Cathy Satay Celup

2. Nasi Lemak @ Restoran Ming Huat (Jalau Ujong Pasir)

Considered Malaysia’s ‘national dish’, it started life as a humble filling for farmers, a fragrant rice dish commonly cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf and eaten typically with spicy sambal, fried anchovies, a hard-boiled egg, peanuts, and sliced cucumbers.

What makes it different in Melaka is its influence with Nyonya style of cooking hence the enhancement of flavor with the sambal (spicy gravy) embodying the best of spiciness, sweetness, and tanginess!  Sambal chunky with tons of onions and chilies, a typical Malaccan-type of sambal, sweeten by gula Melaka, flavored by prawn heads and plenty of geragau (small dried krill) is mellow in terms of heat and sweet with a slightly briny taste usually paired expertly with cooked rice and lauks for days.

~Facebook ~Tripadvisor
Address: 140, Jalan Ujong Pasir, 75050 Melaka
Hours: 7 AM to 4 PM. Closed on Friday
Phone: 011-1764 5779

3. Chicken Rice Balls

This is a dish of Chinese origin and is most commonly associated with Hainanese cuisine. Famous for their rice balls both here in Ipoh & Melaka legend has it that steamed Hainanese chicken rice was originally shaped into balls so that these savory morsels could be kept warm for a long time making it easily dependant by farmers and workers to consume it during lunch!

Mostly located along Jonker Street, a few worth mentioning is Chung Wah due to serving only- free-range chicken resulting in naturally sweet meat complemented well with their homemade chili sauce mixture of red chilies, garlic, ginger, and a touch of lime. Other worth mentioning would be Ee Ji Ban Chicken Rice (Halal and represent the taste of Melaka) & Huang Chang Chicken Rice (Affordable). 

Where to eat: ~Hoe Kee Chicken Rice~Chung Wah ~Ee Ji Ban Chicken Rice ~Huang Chang Chicken Rice 

4. Melaka Style Wantan Mee

While it’s white base for Penang Wan Tan Mee, the Melaka version is chili based tossed with dark sauce and chilli oil, giving it a reddish hue. Topped off with BBQ pork slices (char siew) and roasted pork as well as vegetables, Dung Fong is known to serve some of the states spicy wan tan mee served with a delicious mix of savory-spicy soy sauce, consistent noodles, char siew, Siew yoke, and some vegetables best has in the morning as well for supper during the night!

Where to eat: Dong Fung Coffee Shop, Kedai Kopi Soon Yen

5. Nyonya Laksa

Unlike the usual Laksa, Nyonya Laksa is originated from the Baba & Nyonya (Peranakan). Pungent, rich and well flavored from the spices and chilies, Nyonya laksa broth very so different from the usual laksa we’re used to is prepared using chicken and prawns, while curry laksa uses chicken stock.

The red-orange dotted oil on top of the Nyonya laksa comes from the prawns, which gives the curry a richer and sweeter taste. A bowl of flavorful Nyonya laksa is not complete without some hard-boiled egg, prawn, fish balls, onions, chicken strips, mango slices, and sambal. Once put in the mouth, the spices of curry will melt your heart taking you to heaven! That’s one way to get there!

Where to eat: 486 Baba Low (homemade sambal chilli), Calanthe Art Cafe (Hygenic & Authentic) , Nancy Kitchen, Bess Kopitiam (Savory)

Read Also: Top 10 Food In Ipoh

6.  Asam Pedas

Favorite among the Peranakan community, asam pedas is the perfect representation of their cuisine which offers  a melee of sour and spicy notes on your taste buds usually paired with fish/seafood cooked in asam pedas soup, made from tamarind juice, chilli, and an assortment of spices.

Typically, the dish also includes vegetables such as okra, eggplant, long green beans, and tomato, a simple team up with steamed white rice is enough to steal the show. Featuring mostly authentic Nyonya Restaurants in this article, most of the ingredients and technique go by the old book of the cuisine for the best flavors!

Where to Eat: ~Amy Heritage Nyonya Cuisine, ~Nyonya Makko Restaurant,~ Cottage Spices A Taste of Melaka

7. Ayam Pongteh

Also a traditional Peranakan dish, Ayam Pongteh is a dish of braised chicken in sweet bean paste with Chinese mushroom, gula Melaka, and potato

Seri Nyonya Peranakan Restaurant @ Hotel Equatorial

Serving all Malaysians with their halal-certified establishment is famous for their authenticity and affordable price range amidst its luxurious vibe with its traditional yet elegant decor, roomy space, and good hospitality. While you’re at it, be sure to give their ikan goreng cili garam (deep-fried fish with spicy chili paste) a try and wrap up your meal with their signature drinks like Assam Boi and Cincau Susu. No better dessert to end your meal other than their signature durian cendol!

Where to Eat: ~Amy Heritage Nyonya Cuisine, ~Nyonya Makko Restaurant,~ Cottage Spices A Taste of Melaka

8. Pai Tee

They say good things come in small portions! We’re not too sure about nugget but we’re certainly sure about Pai Tee. Served with similar fillings of popiah, the sweet and freshly prepared mixture of julienned vegetables garnished with coriander leaves is a common Peranakan finger food that literally fits a single mouthful and is best consumed right away.

Where to Eat:~486 Baba Low  ~Baba Charlie (Best Nyonya Kuihs) ~Kocik Kitchen(Halal Certified)~ Amy Heritage Nyonya Cuisine( Hygenic)~Nyonya Makko Restaurant (Authentic Nyonya Restaurant),~ Cottage Spices A Taste of Melaka (One of the best picks) 

9. Nyonya Cendol @ Aunty Koh

Hidden little off Jalan Klebang, this place visible with a crowd does justice to this signature of Melaka! Just like Char Koay Teow is to Penang, Cendol is to Melaka and this dessert doesn’t easily go wrong! Perfectly balanced between sweetness and bland, Aunty Koh is here to impress you and cool you from that scorching heat with a simple bowl of icy coconut-y slimy goodness!

With its combination of red beans and cendol (green noodle), rich in gula Melaka syrup and complemented well with the creaminess of the coconut milk and finely shaven ice- it’s a smooth flow all the way! Looking for a place along the Jonker street? Hit up Jonker 88 cuz they don’t disappoint either!

Where to have:~Aunty Koh ~Jonker88

Read Also: Top 13 Malaysian Food You Should Try

10. Char Siew Rice

Some like it roasted, others like it leaned while a few are mad about fatty meat with crispy and the rest like it sweet and well flavored with a savory gravy poured over the char siew slices well paired with a hot bowl of rice! In Melaka, you’re in for a treat with all these options laid out for ya making it tough to pick!

While Bunga Raya Food Court Boon Leong) is a legacy that has maintained their reputation throughout history with their succulent meat ( request for the combination of half fat and half lean meat layers for your rice) paired with rice bathed in curry and sweet sauce and topped with omelet for an unforgettable experience, Chuen How Restaurant is pretty dope serving glossy maroonish-red looking roasted pork meat, we’d go for the latter then the first then do it all over again the next day!

Where to eat: ~Bunga Raya Food Court ~Restoran Chuen How

11. Nyonya Kuih

It’s a marriage of flavors and culture. Nyonya kuih goes way back interviewing during the time of  intermarriages between the descendants of Chinese immigrants who came to Melaka and the local communities with the existence of Chetti (Peranakan Hindy People) and the Straits Born Chinese coming together and creating one way another what we have now known to be a sweet & savory little goodness you can find in any parts of Malaysia yet especially sentimental in Melaka.

~Baba Charlie: Kuih kosui, a dark gula Melaka kuih tossed with freshly grated coconut
~Kuih Nyonya Kim(Home-made) : Rempah Udang(steamed glutinous rice roll stuffed with desiccated coconut filling) & Kuih Kochi (triangular shape and sweetened glutinous rice with gula Melaka filling).
~Dapur Cho Cho: Kuih koci, pulut tekan, kaya kuih, rempah udang, ang koo, apam, seri muka, kuih lapis and Onde Onde (Huge teardrop shaped dough is boiled and bathed with finely grated coconut. It literally ends with gula Melaka melting in your mouth) 

12. Putu Piring @ Tengkera

Just like any other desserts in Malaysia, putu piring is one simple bite-sized snack shaped like a thick, round disc encompassing a steamed rice flour made from rice or glutinous rice flour with ground peanuts or gula Melaka, giving it a familiar yet indescribable sweet and salted taste. Best had it while it’s warm to enjoy its soft and warm-hearted essence,

~Facebook ~Tripadvisor
Address: 252, Jalan Tengkera, 75200 Melaka
Hours: Closes soon: 6 PM to 10 PM. Closed on Sunday
Phone: 06-282 1505

13. Salted Egg Custard Buns @ Low Yong Moh Restaurant

Best described as one the crowded place for a killer dim sum eatery rocking since 1963,  Low Yong Moh Restaurant or “Restoran Rong Mao”  located opposite Kampung Kling Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Melaka. Standing as one of the oldest and first dim sum restaurant ever existed in Malacca, it’s an attractive place on its own.

While all their dim sum is a heavenly variety of mouthwatering bites that won’t let you down, their yellow salted egg custard bun has a generously dripping amount of custard in it cloudy soft body driving you to order more and more!

~Facebook ~Tripadvisor
Address: 32, Jalan Tukang Emas, 75200 Melaka
Hours: 5.30 AM to 1 PM. Closed on Tuesday.
Phone: 06-282 1235

14. Kari Debal/ Devil Curry @ Eleven Bistro

Though the Dutch influenced the city architecturally, and the Brits imposed their language, it was the Portuguese who left their mark on the cuisine, and today you’ll still be able to visit a part of the city called the Portuguese Settlement where you’ll be able to try their food. Top of the pick is Curry Debal which translates (rather wonderfully) to Devil’s Curry.

At Eleven Bistro, they strive to bring you the best dining experience in Portuguese cuisine. So they say and this sought-after dish at the Malaccan Portuguese settlement made with a spice paste of red chilies, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, galangal, and turmeric, Devil’s Curry’s distinction from other Malaysian curries contains vinegar, making it tangy with its spiciness taking it up a notch as you dig into the potatoes and chicken altogether! Best paired with rice!

~Facebook ~Tripadvisor
Address: 11,Jalan Hang Lekir, 75200 Malacca Town, Melaka, 75200 Malacca
Hours: 11 AM to 2 AM. Opens daily
Phone: 06-282 0011

15. Sago Gula Melaka

The name itself tells you where this dish’s roots stem from and my ultimate favorite ugh (drooling) Proudly a famous Malaysian dish, sago gula Melaka combines the texture of chewy pearl sago drenched in a combination of sweet Gula Melaka and fragrant santan (coconut milk). This is a traditional sago pudding dessert that is served chilled and is especially welcome after a spicy meal.

First-time consumers and all time fav consumers often find the texture and appearance of the tiny sago pearls fascinating. With such few basic ingredients, it’s hard to believe how much flavor is in this sweet Malaysian favorite.

Where to eat: ~Jonker88 ~Calanthe Art Cafe 

16. Coconut Shake @Klebang Coconut Shake

It’s the concoction you need for the Hot Melaka Heat. And distinctive stall makes this refreshing drink a real gem – Klebang Coconut Shake. Crowds will be queuing up to dabao for an authentic taste of the concoction of fresh coconut water and its flesh, and the scoop of vanilla ice-cream that gives it a nice balance of sweetness.

Though only established a few years ago, tourists have begun flocking to Klebang just to have a taste of its infamous coconut shake! Coconut water, coconut flesh, ice cubes, and vanilla ice cream are blended into a smoothie, with an option to have it served with a scoop of ice cream on top.

~Facebook ~Tripadvisor
Address: 5, 75200 Klebang, Melaka
Hours:11 AM to 6. 30 PM. Opens Daily
Phone: 013-399 4061

17. Popiah

Melaka specialties are closely similar to Fujian/Chaozhou-style fresh spring roll made up of egg roll wrappers with fillings such as shredded jicama, julienned beancurd, lettuce and the combination of sweet and chili sauce, pork lard is a core ingredient served in the popiah in Melaka and it’s utterly irresistible.  Full of oomph and thick with fillings, what is there not to like?

Bunga Raya (food court) popiah has always been one of the top local favorites in town when it comes to sourcing the Pork Lard Popiah. And if you find yourself walking along Jonker Walk, Jonker Street Popiah is a treat! Baba low, on the other hand, adds in gula Melaka distinguishing it from the rest making it sweeter and more flavorful to this fresh dish!

Where to eat: ~Bunga Raya Food Court ~Jonker Street Popiah  ~Baba Low 

Melaka Food Blog 2018/2018

Here comes to the end of our Melaka food guide. If you like it, please share it with your friends and family!

As usual, if you have any great street food in Melaka that we missed out, feel free to suggest us in the comment section below.

Enjoy your food trip to Melaka! See ya.