Specific dietary requirements are the key things that I noticed about our digital nomad community. As per the live stats on Nomads.com, 38% of us don't eat meat. Which means we all seek great meat-free restaurants everywhere we go. Here, I'm sharing my top vegan spots in Kuala Lumpur.

What do Nomads eat? | Fair use Nomads.com

Malaysian cuisine context

Kuala Lumpur served as my home base for over two years. Hence, I’ve been exploring the local food scene. Thanks to their ethnic diversity, there's an enormous variety of cuisines to try.

Yet, you need to be aware of the local dominant ingredients. Malaysians love eating chicken, eggs, and rice. That's what you'll find in the local mamak stalls, food courts, and most restaurants. But fear not! If you know where to look, you'll find plenty of vegan options.

My personal best vegan restaurants in Kuala Lumpur

1st Kusa Vegan Bukit Bintang: excellent Japanese vibe and taste

  • Address: Unit G2, Wisma Noble Land No 2, Lorong Changkat, Lorong Ceylon, Bukit Bintang, 50200 Kuala Lumpur
  • HappyCow | Google Maps
  • Instagram | They don’t offer delivery

Kusa is my top choice. I often invite my international friends for dinner here. Wooden interiors with dim lighting create a cozy atmosphere. One that I know from Japan.

The menu is extensive, featuring a variety of Japanese and Korean dishes. I urge trying:

  • Seaweed Fried Rice that looks like a giant black bowl,
  • Jjajiang Rice with its yummy mushroom sauce,
  • Kusa Ramen — thick, spicy broth with silken tofu.

Vegan sushi and ramen at Kusa

For a more Malaysian dining experience with an ambient vibe, I recommend Hungry Tapir. It has a special place in my heart. As this is where I had my first date with my partner.

While they offer Western dishes, I recommend trying their vegan Malaysian specialities:

  • Ibu's Mee Goreng — vegan seafood with my favorite pok choy (leafy greens) and dark soy sauce.
  • Tapir's Nasi Lemak — most popular local dish but vegan: mushroom, tempeh, coconut rice, peanuts, and cucumber.
  • Jungle Laksa — spicy coconut soup with eggplant, tofu, and bean sprouts.
Big Brekkie at Hungry Tapir

3rd Minf Houze Vegan Cafe — cozy spot in an old mall

Don't be scared by their location. Minf Houze Vegan Cafe is in a dark old mall where most businesses have closed. The elevator on the mall's right leads toward a cheerful, snug dining establishment.

They focus on Chinese-Malaysian cuisine. Honestly, the myriad options on the menu are overwhelming. So I recommend my favorites:

  • Chinese Mapo Tofu — the traditional dish has minced meat, so I love their vegan version that preserves the thick gravy taste, but without the meat.
  • Sichuan Mala Ramen — the special peppercorn called mala is not only spicy but also numbing! If you like spicy food, you will love this vegan ramen.
  • Hakka Leicha Mix Veggetables With Rice — famous "thunder tea" dish with grounded tea-based sauce that you mix with rice.

Empty hallways, cozy cafe, delicious vegan food, and lunch with fellow nomad Janis

4th Tiny Food Cafe — a small restaurant close to Mont Kiara

Downtown hosts the initial three establishments. This particular choice rests within a residential district. Next to the affluent Mont Kiara neighborhood. As the name suggests, it is a small eatery. But they deliver big, bold flavors.

They offer a shortlist of Western and Asian dishes, and these are my favorites:

  • Tofu Karaage Bowl — the usual Japanese karaage is meat-based, so I love to have this fried tofu version with teriyaki sauce.
  • Char-Siu Tofu Curry Pasta — it's a fusion of a Cantonese barbecue dish with marinated tofu and Italian-style pasta.
  • Kimchi Bap — Korean rice bowl with homemade kimchi, edamame, and seaweed.

5th Sala at Avenue K — grab a burrito!

This was the first vegan restaurant I visited in Kuala Lumpur. In 2019, when I stayed at The Hatchery Place, we used to come to Sala for proper vegan feasts. Unfortunately, their primary location in Desa Sri Hartamas is currently closed.

There's a smaller Sala in Avenue K, a mall opposite the famous Petronas Twin Towers. If you fancy Tex-Mex fushion dishes, I recommend:

  • Spicy Asia Tofu Burrito — my favorite stuffed burrito with fresh veggies, black beans and spiced tofu.
  • K-Pop Korean High Fiber Chick'n Burger — an unusual combination of mock meat burger with kimchi and gochujang mayo
  • Nourish Bowl — a Buddha bowl you can customize with your choice of protein, carbs, greens, seeds, etc.
Vegan burrito at Sala Avenue K

Notable restaurant chains with vegan options

Most restaurants in Kuala Lumpur cater to meat-eaters, with some vegetarian options. Which again aligns with the local ethnic groups and their requirements. However, these restaurant chains offer vegan options even if it's not clearly marked on their menu:

  • Fish Bowl — despite the name, it's a poke bowl restaurant where you can customize your dish to the smallest details: Delivery | Find near you
  • La Juiceria Superfoods — set menus can be customized to be vegan, even if the name of the dish doesn't mention it: Delivery | Find near you
  • BMS Organics — flavorful vegetarian Malaysian and Chinese dishes with vegan customization: Delivery | Find near you
  • Stuff'd — another place where I love to get my vegan burrito with guacamole and hummus: Delivery | Find near you

Pinxin is my absolute favorite vegan delivery in Kuala Lumpur

Grab and Foodpanda are the two most popular food delivery apps in Malaysia. While they offer a wide range of vegetarian options, their vegan dishes are limited. In my experience, it's due to a mix of factors:

  • low vegan demand and awareness,
  • delivery apps not verifying their inventory,
  • no detailed information about the ingredients in the dishes.

However, ordering from a proper vegan restaurant is the best option for a vegan meal. Besides the ones I described above, there's one more place that I love: Pinxin.

Delicious vegan food at Pinxin in Georgetown, Penang

This restaurant was my favorite vegan spot in Georgetown, Penang Island. During my three-month stay in this part of Malaysia, I visited Pinxin weekly. Discovering their branch in Kuala Lumpur brought me great joy.

This place lacks dine-in service, differing from Penang's restaurant. It's just a takeaway place, or so called cloud kitchen. Still, they deliver renowned Penang Chinese Malaysian cuisine. My go-to dishes are:

  • Sembal Petai Tempeh Rice — a famous local delicacy with stinky beans and tempeh.
  • Asam Fssh Rice — tasty soy mock fish in Nanyang-style spicy and sour sauce.
  • Sweet and Sour Hericium Rice — a variation of the traditional Gu Lou Yuk dish with hericium mushroom.

Update: For a while, Pinxin offered cooked food delivery in Kuala Lumpur. I reached out to them, and they confirmed that Pinxin now only offers frozen dishes. They slow-cook them for five hours and then freeze dishes at -40°C.

If that's an option for you, order it directly from their website:

All Vegan Products — Shop 50+ Penang Dishes | Pinxin
Browse all Pinxin vegan products. Frozen meals, satay, chilli sauces, cooking pastes & noodles. Free shipping RM250+.
Pinxin Vegan

The Kuala Lumpur vegan food scene is constantly evolving

Malaysians love their food diversity. Even though veganism is still a niche, I'm glad to see delicious dedicated meat-free restaurants in KL. Especially because locals are eager to try them. Regardless of their regular diets.

I compiled the above list based on my dining and delivery experiences. Yet, during research for this article, I found new, intriguing places. Here are additional locations I'm planning to try:

Lastly, it's always worth checking out new vegan spots around you. Google Maps is the most popular and obvious choice. However, I deeply recommend HappyCow. This community-driven app often gives you more detailed information about each spot.

Check HappyCow in KL

Moreover, I add my favorite restaurants to my Google Maps global list. Follow me to see it my recommendations wherever you go.

Nerd on Tour Google Maps list

Over to you

How were your vegan experiences in Kuala Lumpur? Did you discover additional yummy vegan restaurants? What dishes did you like the most?

Reply and tell me what you think. I strive to respond to every comment, and I'd love hearing from you.

See you next Tuesday.