Johor Bahru Cafes: 17 Coffee, Brunch and Bakery Spots with Hours and Prices
Johor Bahru cafes have multiplied since day-trippers from Singapore started crossing the Causeway for brunch. Johor Bahru (JB) now has roasteries, Japanese-style drip bars, matcha specialists and garden brunch cafes, most of them within 30 minutes' drive of the customs complex at JB Sentral.
This guide covers 17 cafes in four areas: the heritage streets of the old town (Jalan Dhoby, Jalan Trus and Jalan Tan Hiok Nee), Taman Pelangi and Taman Melodies, Taman Molek and Mount Austin to the north, and Eco Botanic in Iskandar Puteri. Each was checked in October 2026 against food guides published in 2025 and 2026, the cafe's own listings, Grab merchant listings or OpenStreetMap. Prices are in Malaysian Ringgit (RM); "++" means service charge and tax are added.
Most JB cafes are not halal-certified, though many use no pork or lard; each entry carries a flag. Old-style kopi and tea are in our Johor Bahru drinks guide, and cake and dessert specialists are in the Johor Bahru desserts guide.
Jump to a place (17)
- The Replacement – Lodge & Kitchen
- Flowers In The Window
- Sunday Morning Coffee Shop
- The Bagel Factory
- Dona Bakehouse
- KACJ Coffee
- Sweet Blossom Coffee Roasters
- Hiritsu Coffee Roastery
- Nimmies Pastry Cafe
- Keijometo
- OTTO Cafe
- D' Cafe
- The Brew Orchestra
- The FOUNDERS Cafe
- KNOCKNOCK Cafe
- off day cafe
- Little Bun Cafe
概览
Johor Bahru Cafes in the Old Town, Near the Causeway
These five are on or beside the Tan Hiok Nee heritage walk, 10 to 15 minutes on foot from the checkpoint.
The Replacement – Lodge & Kitchen
The Replacement is one of the longest-running cafes on the Jalan Dhoby heritage stretch, set in a 1940s shophouse with whitewashed walls, big windows and Scandinavian-style lighting. A June 2026 coffee guide notes that it brews with beans from Singapore roaster Common Man Coffee Roasters, with a latte at RM13++ and churros served with salted egg, salted caramel, chocolate or Nutella dips.
Brunch is the other draw: a Croque Madame costs RM33.90++ and the breakfast platter RM39.90++, with chicken ham or beef bacon. It is about a 15-minute walk from the Causeway checkpoint and closes mid-afternoon. It is not halal-certified but uses no pork or lard.
Flowers In The Window
Flowers In The Window is a two-storey cafe on Jalan Dhoby decorated with fresh blooms, opened by the team behind JB cafes Roost and See and Saw. The counter holds cakes, pastries and bread, including a croissant at RM10++ and a country sourdough loaf at RM21++ to take away.
For a meal, the pan-fried salmon salad with couscous and pesto costs RM29++. It is one of the few cafes in the old town that is halal-certified, and it closes at 4 pm, so it suits breakfast or lunch after crossing the Causeway.
Sunday Morning Coffee Shop
Sunday Morning Coffee Shop is a small Japanese-style cafe up a steep flight of stairs above a Jalan Trus shophouse. Drip coffee is the focus: hand-drip hot black coffee starts at RM13, cafe au lait at RM14 and a cold-drip iced black coffee is RM16.
The short food menu covers Japanese curry rice, katsu curry, mentaiko udon and a ham, cheese and egg hot sando with curry for dipping, plus warm banana brownies with ice cream. Ask for the window seats for natural light. It is closed on Wednesdays and is not halal-certified.
The Bagel Factory
The Bagel Factory is a bagel cafe on Jalan Wong Ah Fook, a short walk from JB City Square and the customs complex. Sweet and savoury bagels are loaded with cream cheese; a September 2026 guide lists All About Blueberries and Green Onion at RM18+ and a kunafa bagel at RM20+.
It is closed on Mondays and shuts at 3 pm on Sundays. It is not halal-certified but uses no pork or lard.
Dona Bakehouse
Dona Bakehouse is a modern bakery cafe on the Tan Hiok Nee heritage walk, two doors from the old Hiap Joo Bakery. A June 2026 bakery guide recommends the kunafa chocolate (a pain au chocolat with pistachio paste, RM16.90++) and strawberry or blueberry Danish (RM12.90–13.90++), with lattes from RM14++.
It opens at 8.30 am every day, which makes it an easy breakfast stop on a walk through the old town. It is not halal-certified.
Taman Pelangi, Taman Melodies and Sri Tebrau
These suburbs, about ten minutes' drive from the customs, hold the densest cluster of roasteries and brunch cafes in JB. You need a car or Grab.
KACJ Coffee
KACJ Coffee is a quiet, minimalist cafe in Taman Pelangi, about ten minutes' drive from the Causeway. The coffee is strong and full-bodied (an iced white costs RM14) and the iced hojicha latte RM16–17, alongside dirty black sesame and pistachio coffees.
Bakes are made fresh each day, including a sea salt butter roll (shio pan) at RM5.90 and yam mochi toast from RM13. A September 2026 guide lists it as closed on Wednesdays while a June 2026 guide shows it open daily, so check before a midweek visit. It is not halal-certified.
Sweet Blossom Coffee Roasters
Sweet Blossom Coffee Roasters is a roastery with no food menu and no pastries, only coffee. It picks its specialty beans through blind tasting and the single origins rotate with the season, so hand-brewed filter coffee is the way to taste them; the espresso tonic costs RM15.
Bags of its light-roasted beans are sold to take home. It is closed on Thursdays and is not halal-certified.
Hiritsu Coffee Roastery
Hiritsu is a calm roastery cafe with a hand-brew bar where you can watch the baristas grind, bloom and pour each cup. The signature Shaddock Gathered Coffee (RM18+) is cold brew with tonic and pomelo under a cream cap, and Running Peach (RM18+) mixes cold brew, tonic, lime, peach and ginger flower.
Desserts include a croffle with vanilla ice cream (RM20+) and a matcha financier with a molten centre (RM15+). It opens at 9 am every day and is about 15 minutes' drive from the customs. It is not halal-certified.
Nimmies Pastry Cafe
Nimmies is a two-storey cafe in Taman Melodies with Parisian-style decor that mixes raw industrial finishes and vintage pieces. It works as a bakery, brunch spot and late cafe: mains include shakshuka (RM29++) and chicken cutlet pesto tagliatelle (RM38++), and the gula melaka latte costs RM20++.
It is open from 8 am to 11 pm every day, the longest hours of any cafe on this list. A September 2026 guide says it is not halal-certified but uses no pork or lard.
Keijometo
Keijometo is the raw-concrete building on Jalan Chengai that went viral on TikTok, with bare, gallery-like interiors. The menu is Japanese-influenced and built around matcha: a watermelon matcha iced latte costs RM17+, the mentaiko tamagoyaki sando RM20+ and salmon ochazuke RM30+.
Expect a wait at weekends. It is closed on Mondays and is not halal-certified but uses no pork or lard.
OTTO Cafe
OTTO Cafe is a Bali-styled brunch cafe in terracotta and cream on the same street as Keijometo. Mains include Mom's Aglio Olio (RM38), soft shell crab toast with curry mayo (RM35) and a salmon fillet in coconut tom kha (RM38).
Drinks start at RM9; the dirty latte is RM12 and a strawberry matcha RM20. It is halal-certified, which is rare among the Taman Melodies cafes, and it is close to KSL City Mall and Mid Valley Southkey.
D' Cafe
D' Cafe is a glasshouse-style garden cafe in Taman Sri Tebrau, a short drive from the city centre. The long brunch menu includes the Pulled Benny (pulled chicken, poached egg and hollandaise on toast, RM30+) and a potato rosti (RM32+).
Fruit coolers such as Pinky Grapefruit and Pomegranate Breeze cost RM15+. It is open daily from 10 am to 7 pm and is not halal-certified but uses no pork or lard.
Taman Molek, Tebrau and Mount Austin
The northern suburbs are 20 to 30 minutes from the city centre and pair well with a visit to AEON Tebrau City or the Mount Austin food streets.
The Brew Orchestra
The Brew Orchestra is designed like a concert hall, with strings across the ceiling and light bulbs hung like musical notes. The brew bar takes pour-overs and cold brew seriously, and signature drinks include a pistachio dirty (RM19), dirty coconut (RM16) and Coco Land, coconut water under dalgona espresso foam (RM18).
The tiramisu waffle (RM32) comes with vanilla ice cream, mascarpone and a hint of rum. It is in Taman Molek, about 20 minutes' drive north of the city centre, and is not halal-certified.
The FOUNDERS Cafe
The FOUNDERS Cafe is a large industrial-style cafe in the Tiong Nam Tebrau area, full of plants, paintings and murals and busy at most times of day. It serves hand-rolled bagels, local-style mains, pasta and pizza, but the desserts are the reason most people come: the pandan gula melaka cake is RM15.90++ and a hazelnut dark chocolate brownie RM14.90++.
Drinks include an iced matcha latte (RM14.50++), iced black sesame latte (RM12++) and sparkling mocktails from RM16.90++. It stays open until 10 pm from Friday to Sunday. It is not halal-certified.
KNOCKNOCK Cafe
KNOCKNOCK is a Mount Austin cafe known for its floral ceiling, chandeliers and wall art, which makes it popular for photos. The menu runs to brioche French toast with fruit and edible flowers and a wasabi mayo crabmeat toast (RM34+), with a rose latte at RM14+.
A September 2026 guide gives weekend opening from 9 am and a 7 pm close, while OpenStreetMap shows 10 am to 6 pm daily, so check before you go. It is not halal-certified but uses no pork or lard.
Eco Botanic, Iskandar Puteri
Eco Botanic is a newer township on the way to Legoland and Puteri Harbour, closer to the Second Link than to the Causeway.
off day cafe
off day cafe is a minimalist cafe in the Eco Botanic township in Iskandar Puteri, about 30 minutes west of the city centre and close to the Second Link and Legoland area. It uses matcha from Kuala Lumpur brand Niko Neko; the matcha burnt cheesecake (RM24+) is the dish to order, and an iced hojicha latte with oat milk costs from RM18+.
Brunch plates include a classic French toast with berries, banana and beef bacon (RM23+). It is not halal-certified but uses no pork or lard.
Little Bun Cafe
Little Bun Cafe specialises in fluffy steamed brioche buns served in a wooden basket, in original (RM22+), pandan (RM23+), walnut and raisin or ham and cheese (RM26+), with two dipping sauces such as honey kaya, yuzu or taro paste.
It also serves sourdough sets, including a hearty breakfast with scrambled eggs, chicken sausage and hash brown (RM39+), and a tiramisu latte (RM18+). It is open until 9.30 pm daily and is not halal-certified but uses no pork or lard.
Tips for visiting Johor Bahru cafes
Getting there from the Causeway
The Replacement, Flowers In The Window, Sunday Morning Coffee Shop, The Bagel Factory and Dona Bakehouse are walkable from JB Sentral. Everything else needs a car or Grab; Taman Pelangi and Taman Melodies are about ten minutes' drive, Mount Austin and Taman Molek 20 to 30 minutes, and Eco Botanic about 30 minutes.
Closing days and weekends
Many cafes close one day a week (Wednesday or Thursday at KACJ, Sweet Blossom and Sunday Morning, Monday at Keijometo and The Bagel Factory) and several old-town cafes shut by 4 or 5 pm. Weekend queues at the viral cafes start late morning, so come early or on a weekday.
Prices and payment
A specialty latte costs about RM12 to RM18 and signature drinks RM16 to RM25. Prices marked "++" add service charge and tax. Cards and DuitNow QR are widely accepted; Singapore-issued cards work, but carry a little ringgit cash for older shops.
Johor Bahru Cafes: Frequently Asked Questions
Which Johor Bahru cafes are near the Causeway?
The Replacement and Flowers In The Window on Jalan Dhoby, Sunday Morning Coffee Shop on Jalan Trus, The Bagel Factory on Jalan Wong Ah Fook and Dona Bakehouse on Jalan Tan Hiok Nee are all within about 15 minutes' walk of the JB Sentral checkpoint.
Are there halal cafes in Johor Bahru?
Yes. Flowers In The Window in the old town and OTTO Cafe in Taman Melodies are described as halal-certified in 2026 food guides. Many other cafes use no pork or lard but are not certified, so check the flag on each entry.
Where is the best specialty coffee in Johor Bahru?
Hiritsu Coffee Roastery in Taman Melodies, Sweet Blossom Coffee Roasters in Taman Pelangi and The Brew Orchestra in Taman Molek all focus on pour-over and single-origin coffee. Sunday Morning Coffee Shop is the drip-coffee choice in the old town.
Which Johor Bahru cafes are open late?
Nimmies Pastry Cafe in Taman Melodies is open until 11 pm daily, Little Bun Cafe in Eco Botanic until 9.30 pm, and The FOUNDERS Cafe until 10 pm from Friday to Sunday. Most other cafes close between 4 pm and 7 pm.
How much does a coffee cost at a JB cafe?
Expect about RM12 to RM14 for a latte or iced white and RM16 to RM20 for signature drinks such as dirty coffees or matcha lattes, plus service charge and tax where prices are marked "++".