Johor Bahru Local Products: 5 Things to Take Home and Where to Buy Them
Johor Bahru local products are a mix of old-town bakery goods, packed snacks and crafts. Johor Bahru (JB) is best known for Hiap Joo's banana cake on Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, boxed biscuits and pastries, and batik and tanjak sold at the state craft centre in Larkin.
This guide covers 5 Johor Bahru local products checked in October 2026, each with a shop that sells it. Johor is also known for pineapples, durians, otak-otak and laksa Johor, but we could not confirm a city shop selling them in a form you can take home, so they are left out for now. Biscuit and snack shops we found only in OpenStreetMap, such as those beside KSL City Mall, are left out.
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Banana Cake
Banana cake from Hiap Joo Bakery is the best-known food to take home from Johor Bahru. The bakery has used a wood-fired oven on Jalan Tan Hiok Nee since 1919, and its moist, dark banana cake is sold in boxes of 10 pieces for about RM13.
There is often a queue and it sells out, so go in the morning. The cake has no long shelf life, so eat it within a few days. OpenStreetMap lists Monday to Saturday opening; check before a Sunday trip.
Traditional Biscuits
Chinese-style biscuits and pastries in gift boxes are a standard present to bring home from JB. They keep for weeks and survive a bag better than cake.
JMM Cookies (嬌媽媽), a Johor Bahru cookie and pastry shop, has an outlet in JB City Square, a short walk from JB Sentral. Its GrabFood listing showed daily hours of 11 am to 9 pm in October 2026, with mooncakes and gift boxes around the Mid-Autumn Festival. Its own website was under maintenance, so check the range in the shop.
Kerepek
Kerepek are Malaysian crackers and crisps made from cassava, banana, tapioca, onion-flavoured dough or fish, sold in sealed packets. They are light, cheap and keep well, so they make easy gifts in bulk.
Large supermarkets carry packed kerepek in their snack aisles. Mydin, the budget Malaysian chain, is a good place for a cheap bulk buy; its Mutiara Rini hypermarket in Skudai opens 8:30 am to 10 pm, and our Johor Bahru supermarkets guide lists stores closer to the city centre.
Batik and Tanjak
Batik cloth and the tanjak, a folded Malay headdress, are the textile crafts most closely linked with Johor at Kompleks Kraf Johor, the state craft centre run by Kraftangan Malaysia. Craftspeople there demonstrate block and canting batik and the sewing of tanjak, and the Karyaneka boutique sells Malaysian-made textiles and gifts.
You can try batik painting or tie-dye yourself, with packages from RM5, and take your work home. The complex is open 9 am to 6 pm daily; phone 07-235 0433.
Handmade Chocolate
FIDANI is a Malaysian chocolatier, founded in 1999, that makes hand-finished pralines and truffles with Belgian chocolate. It is not a Johor speciality, but its shop at Johor Premium Outlets is the easiest place near JB to buy boxed Malaysian-made chocolates.
The outlet centre opens 10 am to 10 pm daily, and the store phone is 07-590 9300. Pack chocolate in your hand luggage and keep it out of a hot car.
Tips for Buying Johor Bahru Local Products
How to plan your shopping
Hiap Joo on Jalan Tan Hiok Nee is about 10 minutes on foot from JB Sentral, and JMM Cookies in JB City Square is a short walk from there, so do them together in the morning. Kompleks Kraf Johor needs a short Grab ride, and Mydin Mutiara Rini in Skudai is about 30 minutes away by car.
Carrying food home
Cake and buns keep only a few days; biscuits and kerepek keep for weeks. Check what you may bring into Singapore or your home country, especially fresh fruit and meat products.
Supermarkets for packed foods
For packed snacks, sambal, coffee mixes and kerepek at fixed prices, the large supermarkets are easier than small shops; see our supermarkets guide linked below.
Johor Bahru Local Products: Frequently Asked Questions
What food should I bring home from Johor Bahru?
Banana cake from Hiap Joo Bakery is the best known, followed by boxed traditional biscuits and packets of kerepek crackers. Biscuits and kerepek keep far longer than the cake.
How much is Hiap Joo banana cake?
A box of 10 pieces costs about RM13, according to a June 2026 food guide. The bakery sells out, so go in the morning.
Where can I buy Johor pineapples or laksa Johor paste?
We could not confirm a particular shop in the city this month. Fruit stalls and the large supermarkets are the places to look; check what you are allowed to carry home.
Where can I buy batik in Johor Bahru?
Kompleks Kraf Johor in Larkin, run by Kraftangan Malaysia, sells batik and other crafts and runs batik workshops from RM5. It is open 9 am to 6 pm daily.