Johor Bahru Drinks: 8 Places for Kopi, Milk Tea and Matcha
Johor Bahru drinks start with kopi: dark-roasted Nanyang coffee, often with butter or margarine, pulled with condensed or evaporated milk. Johor Bahru (JB) also grows its own Liberica coffee, and its newer cafes have added Chinese tea houses, matcha bars and Hainanese milk tea to the list.
This guide covers 8 places to drink kopi, tea and matcha, from old-town kopitiams near the Causeway to tea houses in Mount Austin and Iskandar Puteri. Each was checked in October 2026 against food guides from 2024 to 2026, Grab merchant listings, OpenStreetMap or the venue's own website. Prices are in Malaysian Ringgit (RM); "++" means service charge and tax are added. Every entry has a halal flag.
Alcohol is covered in our Johor Bahru bars guide. For specialty espresso and pour-over, see the Johor Bahru cafes guide; Restoran Hua Mui's Hainan kopi is in the hawker food guide.
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Kopi and Milk Tea in Old-Town Johor Bahru
Four places within walking distance of JB Sentral, three of them on or beside Jalan Tan Hiok Nee.
Roast & Coffee
Roast & Coffee is a Nanyang-style kopitiam on the Tan Hiok Nee heritage walk that started as a simple stall and now has seven branches around JB. It makes traditional coffee the old way: the gu you kopi-O (RM4.20) is black coffee with a knob of butter melted in, and the iced three-layer kopi (RM7.90) stacks strong kopi-O over evaporated milk and palm sugar.
There is a full menu of local mains and sides, including vegetarian dishes, and it opens at 7 am every day, so it is an easy first stop after crossing the Causeway. It is not halal-certified.
Kopiloco by 1993
Kopiloco is a budget kopitiam next door to Roast & Coffee, part of a small JB chain. Its Signature Kopiloco has a strongly roasted flavour and cost RM3.80 in a December 2024 review; the three-layer milk tea (RM7.90) leans milky rather than strong.
Food is cheap breakfast fare such as peanut butter French toast and fried mihun. The branch still appears on Grab in October 2026, but the hours above come from 2024, so check before a late-afternoon visit. It is not halal-certified but uses no pork or lard.
Pacific Kopi
Pacific Kopi is a two-storey Nanyang-style cafe on Jalan Dhoby that looks like a cross between an old coffee shop and a minimalist cafe; the upstairs room is roomier. Its Iced Pacific Kopi (RM5.30–5.80++) is rich and strong without being too sweet, and the kedondong (ambarella) juice is a local alternative to coffee.
Food covers nasi lemak with chicken tenders and a spicy mala pan mee made with minced chicken. Two 2025 guides give different hours (7 am to 6 pm, and 8 am to 9 pm), so check if you plan an evening visit. There are other branches in Sutera Utama and R&F Mall. It is not halal-certified but uses no pork or lard.
Tea Garden KOMTAR JBCC
Tea Garden is a Nanyang-style kopitiam chain from Johor, and its KOMTAR JBCC branch is a short walk from JB Sentral. The Hainanese milk tea (RM8.90) uses Ceylon black tea and is not too sweet; for something stronger, Hor Kar Sai (RM9.90) is kopi with Milo powder stirred in.
The food menu runs from baked herbal chicken rice (RM24.90) to Johor laksa and steamed cocoa bread with butter and kaya. It is open from 9 am to 10 pm daily, longer than the street kopitiams, and is halal-certified.
Liberica Coffee, Tea Houses and Matcha
These need a car or Grab: Taman Molek and AEON Tebrau City are 20 to 25 minutes from the Causeway, Mount Austin about 25 minutes and Horizon Hills about 30 minutes.
My Liberica Coffee
Johor is one of the few places in the world that grows Liberica coffee, a large-bean variety that makes up about 1% of global production. My Liberica grows, processes and roasts its own Liberica beans on a plantation in Kulai, and the Taman Molek outlet is its flagship coffee bar, where you can sit at the counter and watch the baristas.
Try the ice drip coffee, a concentrated cold brew, or a jackfruit hand brew for a fruitier cup; bags of beans are sold to take home. The company's website lists the Taman Molek outlet as open from 11 am to 7 pm every day. It is not halal-certified.
Cam Tea & Ember Cafe
Cam Tea & Ember is a Chinese-style tea house in Mount Austin with wooden fittings and camping-style tables. The Classic Roasted Milk Tea Set (RM69.90) lets you brew your own tea at the table, with snacks such as glutinous rice cake, black sesame balls and green bean cookies and unlimited refills.
For something cold, the claypot iced milk tea (RM20.80) comes with seven free toppings. You can also rent a hanfu outfit with hair styling (RM24.90 to RM29.90) for photos. It is closed on Wednesdays and is not halal-certified.
Furiku AEON Tebrau City
Furiku is a matcha kiosk chain where you build your own drink: choose the matcha strength (easy RM9, intermediate RM11 or advanced RM14), add a base such as taro, red bean or strawberry yoghurt for RM3, then a topping such as dark houjicha gelato. A plain iced matcha latte is about RM10 to RM11, and houjicha lattes start at RM11.
The AEON Tebrau City kiosk is on the second floor and keeps mall hours. There are other branches at Sutera Mall and AEON Kulai. It is not halal-certified.
Ichigo by Tea Cottage
Ichigo by Tea Cottage opened in Horizon Hills, Iskandar Puteri, in October 2026. It offers 14 matcha varieties: straight matcha and matcha lattes in premium grade (from RM11.90 and RM14.90) or ceremonial grade (from RM16.90 and RM22.90), plus fruit matcha lattes such as soursop and durian (about RM23).
A wider tea list covers pu-erh, oolong and floral teas, and desserts include gelato waffles (from RM29.90) and Swiss rolls (RM17). Hours were not published at opening, so check its social media first. It is not halal-certified. Phone 010-828 4517.
Tips for drinks in Johor Bahru
How to order kopi
Kopi comes with condensed milk and sugar by default. Kopi-O is black with sugar, kopi-C has evaporated milk and sugar, and adding "kosong" means no sugar; "peng" means iced. Teh follows the same rules. Gu you (butter) kopi-O is a Johor speciality at Roast & Coffee.
开放时间
Old-town kopitiams open at 7 or 7.30 am and close by late afternoon. For an evening drink, Tea Garden in KOMTAR JBCC is open until 10 pm and the mall kiosks keep mall hours.
Liberica beans to take home
Liberica coffee is grown commercially in Johor and is hard to find elsewhere. My Liberica sells bags of beans at its outlets, and Sweet Blossom Coffee Roasters (in our cafes guide) sells light-roasted specialty beans.
Johor Bahru Drinks: Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I drink traditional kopi in Johor Bahru?
Jalan Tan Hiok Nee in the old town has Roast & Coffee and Kopiloco side by side, and Pacific Kopi is around the corner on Jalan Dhoby. All three are walkable from the JB Sentral checkpoint and open in the early morning.
What is Liberica coffee?
Liberica is a coffee species with large, irregular beans and a fruity, smoky flavour. It makes up about 1% of world production, and Johor is one of the few places that grows it commercially. My Liberica Coffee grows its beans in Kulai and serves them at its Taman Molek coffee bar.
Is there halal kopi in JB?
Tea Garden at KOMTAR JBCC is described as halal-certified in an October 2026 guide. Kopiloco and Pacific Kopi use no pork or lard but are not certified, and Roast & Coffee is not halal-certified.
How much is a kopi in Johor Bahru?
A traditional kopi costs about RM4 to RM6 at the old-town kopitiams, for example RM4.20 for butter kopi-O at Roast & Coffee. Hainanese milk tea at Tea Garden is RM8.90, and specialty matcha lattes cost RM10 to RM23.
Where can I get bubble tea or matcha in JB?
Furiku at AEON Tebrau City makes custom matcha lattes from RM9, Cam Tea & Ember in Mount Austin serves claypot iced milk tea, and Ichigo by Tea Cottage in Horizon Hills has 14 matcha varieties. Mount Austin also has a row of bubble tea shops.