Nam Cheah, author of The Best Digital Nomad Destinations in Kuala Lumpur shares her favorite restaurants, bars, cafes, and coworking spaces in the melting pot of acity that is Kuala Lumpur.

The Best Restaurants in Kuala Lumpur for Digital Nomads

Chow Kit Hotel Kitchen and Bar: This hotel restaurant serves up scrumptious Malaysian staples along with locally-flavored cocktails in a warm and cozy space. 

‍Chocha Foodstore: A modern Malaysian fusion restaurant set in an original shop house in a corner of Chinatown.

Blackbyrd: The restaurant boasts an amazing panorama of the city on the 50th floor and is a great fine dining choice.

Portofino:This is one of the top Italian restaurants in KL with two locations in Bangsar.

‍Nirvana Maju: The most classical way of serving Malaysian cuisine is on a banana leaf, and Nirvana Maju is arguably the best place to try this style of food.

Bunn Choon Restaurant: It’s known as the best egg tart place in KL with good dim sum, and it’s next to the famous Kwai Chai Hong in Chinatown.

Village Park Restaurant: This is another banana leaf place with classic Malaysia Nasi Lemak, a coconut rice dish with spicy sauce sambal, fried fish, and peanuts, as their signature dish.

Small Shifting Space: A resto-bar on Petaling Street, SSS is famous for its mirrored panels that reflect Petaling street’s day and night scene and quality fusion food.

Wildflower: This is a shophouse restaurant that serves unique Malaysian and Asian fusion food with a leafy and modern interior.

The Rabbit Hole: This cafe-bar with a pool serves coffee and pastries by day and cocktails (on tap) by night.

The Best Bars in Kuala Lumpur for Digital Nomads

Coley: Named one of Asia’s top 50 bars between 2018 and 2020, it’s most famous for innovative cocktails and friendly staff in a little shop house in Bangsar.

Heli Lounge Bar: Heli Loung Bar is one of the best rooftop bars in KL to watch the sunset, probably because it’s a helipad by day and bar by evening and nights; but it does have a cover fee of 100 RM that goes towards a drink.

Pahit: This is a gin-focused bar hidden in Bukit Bintang run by the same people behind the award-winning Coley in Bangsar.

JOLOKO: The restaurant-bar dubs itself as a tropical hangout inspired by the Caribbean.

Shhbuuuleee: The name might be a mouthful to pronounce, but this small plate East Asian cuisine resto-bar has both a rooftop and quality highball cocktails.

‍G-String: This bar exudes a playfully promiscuous vibe with pink and purple lighting, neon signs, and hand-crafted cocktails

Jhann: This Indian restaurant and bar has an elegant interior that combines European and Indian styles.

Bar Trigona: The Four Seasons KL bar is a sustainable cocktail spot with floor-to-ceiling glass windows and gorgeous lighting.

The Iron Fairies: The fantastical bar is known for its whimsical design with four wonderful sitting areas to wander about in.

‍PS150: This hidden bar is located in a shop house near Petaling Street with Southeast Asian flavor cocktails and a pre-war vintage vibe.

The Best Cafes in Kuala Lumpur for Digital Nomads

Malaya Garden: This three-story cafe in Chinatown has an indoor rooftop that’s great to work in during off-peak hours.

‍Yellow Brick Road: This spacious cafe offers plentiful seating, a brunch menu, and an after-dark menu.

‍VCR Cafe: With a popular brunch menu and coffee, this is a good spot to help you get through your workload.

‍Feeka: This is the place to go for delectable baked goods and desserts with a hearty breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus.

‍Patricia Coffee: This cafe gives off an urban oasis vibe with light meals, desserts, and great coffee.

The Best Coworking Spaces in Kuala Lumpur for Digital Nomads

DOJO: This zen coworking space primes itself on the good work-environment design surrounded by plants and overlooking the eco-park.

WeWork: A trusted coworking space name in Asia, WeWork has two locations in Kuala Lumpur in the Mercu 2 building and Equatorial Plaza.

Common Ground: This is reliable global chain that has six locations in KL that including Damansara Heights, Bangsar, Bukit Bintang, and KL Sentral.

Colony: This a boutique coworking space brand with locations in KLCC, Eco City, and Damansara, and is perfect for those who find productivity in beautiful surroundings.

‍WORQ: This community-first coworking space has four locations across the city and is open for 24/7 access.