The exchange rate sits at around RM1 to SGD0.32, and a full hawker meal in Johor Bahru can cost as little as RM5. Singaporeans do not cross the Causeway purely for their savings, though.
The food in JB carries its own identity, shaped by Johorean Malay heritage, century-old kopitiam traditions, and hawker stalls that have spent two or three generations refining a single dish. If you are planning a food trip across the border, here is a practical guide to the best food in Johor Bahru and where to find it.
Heritage Kopitiam and Old Town Eats
The old town grid around Jalan Wong Ah Fook and Jalan Tan Hiok Nee is the best starting point for any JB food trip. It is walkable from the CIQ checkpoint and JB Sentral, which means you can start eating almost immediately after clearing immigration. This area holds the highest concentration of long-running eateries, and it is where most of JB’s most-discussed dishes are actually found.
1. Restoran Hua Mui
Image Source: Restoran Hua Mui
One of JB’s oldest kopitiams, Hua Mui has been operating since 1946. The Hainanese Chicken Chop is the signature order: thick-cut, fried golden, and covered in a brown onion and mushroom gravy that has barely changed in decades. If you arrive for breakfast, the roti bakar with housemade kaya is worth ordering alongside.
Address: 131, Jalan Trus, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor
2. Hiap Joo Bakery and Biscuit Factory
Image Source: Hiap Joo Bakery and Biscuit Factory
Hiap Joo has been baking banana cake in a traditional wood-fired charcoal oven since 1919. The cakes sell out fast, often by early afternoon on weekends. Arrive in the morning if you want to be sure of getting one. They travel well, hold up on the drive back to Singapore, and make a straightforward souvenir worth picking up.
Address: 13, Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor
3. Kam Long Curry Fish Head
Image Source: Kam Long Curry Fish Head
Situated on Jalan Wong Ah Fook, Kam Long is the most well-known spot for JB food recommendations involving curry fish head. The gravy is rich and slightly sweet without being overwhelming. Order it with steamed rice or bread for dipping, and plan to share between two or three people. The lunch crowd builds quickly, so arriving before noon gives you a better run at a table.
Address: 74, Jalan Wong Ah Fook, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor
Seafood and Local Favourites in Taman Sentosa
Taman Sentosa, a short drive from the old town, is where many Singaporean regulars head for their JB seafood meals. The area has a cluster of restaurants that have been drawing cross-border diners for years.
1. Shoon Huat Bak Kut Teh
Image Source: Shoon Huat Bak Kut Teh
Shoon Huat is a JB institution for bak kut teh. The broth is peppery and clear, the pork ribs are braised to an even tenderness, and the portions are noticeably larger than what you would get for the same price in Singapore. It tends to sell out once the day’s stock is gone, so an early visit is the safer bet.
Address: 11, Jalan Sutera 1, Taman Sentosa, 80150 Johor Bahru, Johor Darul Ta’zim
2. Hai Kah Lang Seafood Soup
Image Source: Hai Kah Lang Seafood Soup
A long-standing dinner spot for fresh seafood in a light, well-seasoned broth. Crab, clams, prawns, and fish are all cooked to order. The restaurant gets busy from around 7pm on weekends, so arriving before then makes for a smoother experience. Like most outdoor Taman Sentosa spots, seating is partly al fresco.
Address: 173, Jalan Sutera, Taman Sentosa, 80150 Johor Bahru, Johor Darul Ta’zim
Trendy Cafes and New-Gen Dining in Mount Austin
JB’s cafe scene has expanded considerably, driven in large part by Singaporean day-trippers looking for specialty coffee and modern food at prices well below what Singapore charges. Mount Austin and Bukit Indah have become the main neighbourhoods for this crowd.
1. Keijometo
Image Source: Keijometo
One of JB’s most talked-about cafes right now, Keijometo sits inside Austin 18 and draws a largely Singaporean crowd on weekends. The menu is Japanese-forward with a matcha focus. The Watermelon Matcha Iced Latte and the Mentaiko Tamagoyaki Sando are well-reviewed favourites. The industrial concrete interior is part of the appeal, and the social media attention it gets is, for once, warranted.
Please note that Keijometo is not halal-certified.
Address: Unit G-03, Austin 18, Jalan Austin Perdana 3, Taman Austin Perdana, 81100 Johor Bahru, Johor
2. Yeon Cafe
Image Source: Yeon Cafe
A Korean-inspired cafe in Taman Pelangi, around ten minutes from the CIQ. The menu covers Korean mains like Bibimbap and Kimchi Fried Rice alongside pastries and light bites. It works well as an afternoon stop after a morning of old town eating, and the opening hours are reliable enough to plan around.
Address: 12, Jalan Perang, Taman Pelangi, 80400 Johor Bahru, Johor
Practical Tips Before You Cross the Causeway
A few things sorted in advance make a genuine difference to how the day runs.
1. Cash and Payment
Many of JB’s best hawker stalls and kopitiams remain cash-only, and a food trip that runs out of ringgit halfway through is a frustrating one. Withdraw from an ATM in JB rather than exchanging at a money changer in Singapore; the rate on the JB side is consistently better. For cafes and sit-down restaurants, Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted. The Touch and Go eWallet QR system is also increasingly common at hawker spots, so setting up the app before you cross gives you an extra payment option that comes in handy.
2. Plan Your Stops by Area
JB is more spread out than it looks on a map, and hopping between areas without a plan can eat into time you would rather spend eating. A practical approach is to anchor the morning around the old town grid near Jalan Wong Ah Fook, where the heritage kopitiam spots are clustered and walkable from the CIQ checkpoint. Save Mount Austin or Bukit Indah for the afternoon, when the cafe belt is in full swing. Grouping stops this way means less time in traffic and more time at the table.
3. Time Your Crossing
Weekend lunch hours at the Causeway can add a significant amount of time to your journey, in both directions. The congestion tends to peak between 9am and 1pm on Saturdays and Sundays, which is exactly when most food trips are planned. Crossing early, before 7am on a weekday, keeps the queue short and puts you at the old town breakfast spots before they run out. Our Causeway peak hours guide breaks down the least congested windows throughout the week so you can build a realistic plan around your meal schedule.
4. Check Opening Hours in Advance
Heritage spots like Hua Mui and Hiap Joo Bakery do not operate on restaurant hours. Hiap Joo regularly sells out by early afternoon on weekends, and several old town kopitiam stalls close once the day’s batch is finished rather than at a fixed time. A quick check the day before, either on Google Maps or the restaurant’s social media page, takes two minutes and saves you a wasted trip across the Causeway for a shuttered stall.
Getting to JB Comfortably for Your Food Trip
Working out transport is often what takes the fun out of a JB food trip, especially when you are heading over with family or a group carrying bags. Buses work for solo travellers, but for groups, a private car removes most of the friction.
We offer door-to-door private taxi transfers from Singapore to JB with pickup from any address, including homes, hotels, offices, and Changi Airport, and direct drop-off anywhere in Johor Bahru. Fares start from SGD130 one-way for an Innova covering up to five passengers, priced per vehicle rather than per head. Tolls are included, with no surge pricing.
If you are combining your food trip with a look around the city, our JB attractions guide covers the highlights worth building a full day around. When you are ready to go, book your Singapore to JB private car transfer via WhatsApp or online with no deposit required.