Melaka's rich culture and heritage is veritably reflected in the large variety of food offered here. The myriad of eating outlets caters to every taste and budget, ranging from classy restaurants to simple roadside stalls and food bazaars, serving Eastern, Western, Peranakan, and fusion fare. The gastronomically-adventurous are definitely in for a treat.
Restaurants in Malacca
Restoran Bibik Neo No. 6, Ground Floor, Jalan Merdeka, Taman Melaka Raya.
Open daily 11am-3pm and 6-10pm
Offering authentic local Peranakan fare, Bibik Neo recommends dishes like ikan assam with eggplant in mild fish curry and otak-otak, pounded fish with spices baked in banana leaves.
Ole Sayang 198-199 Jalan Taman Merdeka Raya.
06-283 1966. Open daily 11.30am-2.30pm and 6-9pm
Drop by here to sample the beef goreng lada (stir-fried pepper beef), cooked in a rich creamy soya-based sauce, and the ayam lemak pulut, a spicy chicken dish served with glutinous rice. This restaurant's offerings average RM7 per dish.
Heeren House 1 Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock. Open daily 8am-6pm
Visitors with a higher budget can drop by the Heeren House, located in a small hotel overlooking the Melaka River. This stylish cafe serves Peranakan, Portuguese, and Western food, with special Nyonya set lunches at RM15 per person. Bring home its traditional Nyonya cakes.
Restoran Lim (Mee Yoke) Jalan Taman Melaka Raya
A popular coffee shop for duck rice, noodles, and various hawker delights familiar and well-suited to most Asian travellers' tastes. With tables spilling onto the pavements, this place adds the extra dimension of an atmospheric 'rowdy' alfresco dining experience.
Long Feng Chinese Restaurant Renaissance Hotel. Jalan Bendahara. 06- 284 8888
For fine dining the chinese ten-course way, the Long Feng is a good choice. The restaurant serves excellent Cantonese and Szechuan cuisine in a posh setting at about RM20 per dish.
Hoo Kee Chicken Rice 4 Jalan Hang Jebat
To sample the famed chicken rice balls head across the bridge from Town Square. This coffee shop, a fave of locals and tourists, is often crowded, so be prepared to share tables with others equally eager to dig into the fragrant rice balls. Each plate (at Rm2.50) comes with chicken, cooked in Hainanese style, and three tightly kneaded, though fairly oily, billiard-size rice balls. Further along the same road, there are three more shops selling similiar chicken rice balls, but Hoe Kee reigns as the most famous of its kind in Melaka.
Restoran de Lisbon Portuguese Square
Its entertainment is as engrossing as its scrumptious food. Live bands play on weeknights while Portuguese cultural shows take the limelight as dinner entertainment on Saturdays.
Banana Leaf 42 Jalan Munshi Abdullah
For a cheap banana leaf meal, try these reataurants. They charge about RM3.50 per person and serve South Indian vegetarian dishes.
Capitol Satay Jalan Bukit Cina
Tuck into the satay coated in savoury peanut sauce and you would not mind the constant stream of billowing smoke from the charcoal grills nearby. Besides the usual types of skewered meat, choose from a range of fish, seafood, or vegetables to be skewered and grilled.
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