Best Drinks in Kuala Lumpur: 10 Places for Teh Tarik, Kopi and Milk Tea
Last updated: October 2026
The best drinks in Kuala Lumpur are not only in cafes. Teh tarik pulled at a mamak stall, Hainanese kopi poured through a cloth sock, chilled air mata kucing from a Chinatown cart and brown-sugar milk tea from a mall kiosk all cost less than a cafe latte and say more about the city. This guide covers drinks in Kuala Lumpur, from 24-hour mamak tea stalls to new Chinese tea chains.
This guide covers 10 places with verified addresses, opening hours and prices in Malaysian Ringgit (RM), all checked in October 2026. Entries are grouped into milk tea and bubble tea, teh tarik and kopi, and fresh juice and local drinks. Each one carries a halal flag, because certification varies widely between a JAKIM-certified chain and a Chinese kopitiam.
Specialty coffee bars are covered separately in our KL cafes guide, and cendol and ais kacang sit in the KL desserts guide. This page focuses on the drink itself: where to get a properly pulled teh tarik, a strong kopi, or a cold herbal drink on a hot afternoon.
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Milk Tea and Bubble Tea in Kuala Lumpur
Chinese and Taiwanese tea chains have spread through every KL mall. The two below are the most talked-about recent arrivals, each with a flagship worth seeking out over a random kiosk.
HEYTEA (The Exchange TRX)
HEYTEA is a Shenzhen-based tea chain known for fruit teas and cheese-foam milk tea. Its first Malaysian store opened at The Exchange TRX in December 2023, and the brand now runs 15 stores across Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Penang and Pahang. In November 2025 HEYTEA Malaysia received halal certification from JAKIM, making it one of the few Chinese tea chains in KL with full certification.
Drinks run from RM9.90 to RM17.90. The menu centres on fruit teas made with fresh fruit (grape, mango and lemon are the regulars) and milk teas topped with cheese foam. Sugar and ice levels can be adjusted. Order at the counter or through the HEYTEA app to skip the queue at weekends. The Exchange TRX is linked to the Tun Razak Exchange MRT station.
CHAGEE (WOLO KL Global Flagship)
CHAGEE is a Chinese tea chain known for fresh milk tea brewed from whole-leaf tea. In October 2025 the brand opened its two-floor global flagship at the WOLO building on the Bukit Bintang intersection, with a selection of drinks created only for the Malaysian market. A second flagship opened at Mid Valley Megamall, and there is also an outlet on Level 3 of Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.
The flagship is the most convenient outlet for visitors staying around Bukit Bintang, a two-minute walk from Bukit Bintang MRT station. The menu has no pork or alcohol; ask staff if you need to see the current halal certificate. Order screens let you set sweetness and ice. Expect a queue on weekend evenings when the Bukit Bintang crowds are out.
Teh Tarik and Kopi
Teh tarik (pulled tea) comes from the Indian-Muslim mamak tradition, while kopi and cham (coffee mixed with tea) are Hainanese kopitiam staples. A cup costs a fraction of a cafe drink.
Mansion Tea Stall
Mansion Tea Stall is a long-running mamak operation on the ground floor of Selangor Mansion, an old apartment block off Jalan Masjid India. Plastic stools spill onto the five-foot way, and the tea is pulled the traditional way, poured back and forth between two jugs until it froths. It is the closest classic mamak to the Masjid Jamek and Little India area.
Order teh tarik. The food is known for the roti banjir special, roti canai drowned in dhal, sambal and fish curry with two half-boiled eggs. Prices are typical mamak level, with drinks around RM2 to RM3. Masjid Jamek LRT station is a five-minute walk. Cash is the safest option.
Restoran Yusoof dan Zakhir
Restoran Yusoof dan Zakhir is a busy Indian-Muslim restaurant directly opposite Central Market, which makes it the easiest place to sit down for teh tarik after walking through Chinatown and Kasturi Walk. The restaurant is halal-certified and draws office workers, market traders and tourists throughout the day.
Teh tarik and the other mamak staples are the standard orders, alongside roti canai and nasi kandar. Service is quick and tables turn over fast. Pasar Seni LRT and MRT stations are a three-minute walk away.
Ho Kow Hainam Kopitiam
Ho Kow Hainam Kopitiam has been serving Hainanese coffee since 1956 and is now run by the founder's daughter and grandchildren from a corner shop on Jalan Balai Polis, beside Kwai Chai Hong. Marble-top tables, patterned tiles and an open kitchen recreate the old-school kopitiam look.
The kopi cham (coffee mixed with tea) is the signature drink, served hot or iced. Pair it with kaya butter toast and soft-boiled eggs, or the nasi lemak. Queues form on weekend mornings, so arrive before 9 am. The kopitiam is closed on Mondays and shuts mid-afternoon. Pasar Seni station is a five-minute walk.
Ah Weng Koh Hainan Tea
Ah Weng Koh started at the old Imbi Market in the 1960s and moved with the other hawkers into ICC Pudu. The stall is a dedicated drinks and toast counter, and its Hainan tea and cham are thick, smooth and slightly bitter. It is one of the few places in KL where the drink, not the food, is the reason to queue.
Order a cham or Hainan tea with charcoal-grilled kaya butter toast. The rest of ICC Pudu has dozens of hawker stalls if you want a full breakfast. The stall opens at 5:30 am and closes at 2 pm, Tuesday to Sunday; it is closed on Mondays. ICC Pudu is a 10-minute walk from Bukit Bintang.
Capital Café
Capital Café opened on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman in 1956 and is still run by the founding Foochow family, now the second generation. Marble tables, old photographs and an original 1956 menu make it one of the most intact old coffee shops in central KL.
The Hainanese-style kopi and iced kopi peng come from the family's own drinks counter, while separate stalls sell Malay nasi padang, Indian rojak and satay. It opens Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 7 pm and is closed on Sundays. It sits a short walk from Bandaraya LRT station and pairs well with a stroll along Jalan TAR's batik shops.
Fresh Juice and Local Drinks in Kuala Lumpur
Chinatown has the best concentration of traditional cold drinks, from longan-based air mata kucing to bitter herbal teas. Bangsar adds Indian lassi.
Petaling Street Air Mata Kucing
This stall has sold air mata kucing for more than two decades from the crossroads of Jalan Petaling and Jalan Hang Lekir. The name means cat's eye water, after the dried longan that floats in the cup. It is brewed from longan, luo han guo (monk fruit) and winter melon, sweetened with rock sugar and served over ice.
A cup costs a few ringgit and a bottle filled with longan is about RM5. The drink is not overly sweet and is the most popular cooler in Chinatown on a hot afternoon. Look for the queue at the junction. The stall is a short walk from Pasar Seni station.
Koong Woh Tong (Petaling Street)
Koong Woh Tong is a Chinese herbal tea brand with an outlet at 111 Jalan Petaling (its other Petaling Street shop, at 23A, has closed). It is best known for guilinggao, a dark herbal jelly made from more than 20 traditional herbs, and a range of cooling Chinese herbal teas.
If the bitter herbal brews are too strong for you, start with a milder chrysanthemum-style tea or a bowl of guilinggao with honey. The shop is on Petaling Street, a short walk from the air mata kucing stall, so the two make an easy Chinatown drinks stop.
The Ganga Café
The Ganga Café is a vegetarian Indian restaurant in a Bangsar shop row, known for its lassi. The mango lassi is made with Indian mango purée and fresh yoghurt, and a salted lassi is also available for something less sweet.
The kitchen serves Indian vegetarian dishes, so a lassi can easily turn into lunch. It is open daily from 10 am to 10 pm. Bangsar LRT station is a short Grab ride away.
Practical Tips for Drinks in Kuala Lumpur
How to Order Teh Tarik and Kopi
Teh is tea with condensed milk, teh O is black tea with sugar, and teh C uses evaporated milk. The same rules apply to kopi. Add peng or ais for iced, kosong for no sugar and kurang manis for less sweet. Cham is a mix of coffee and tea.
A Chinatown Drinks Walk
Start with kopi cham at Ho Kow on Jalan Balai Polis in the morning, walk two minutes to Koong Woh Tong and the air mata kucing stall on Jalan Petaling in the afternoon, then sit down for teh tarik at Restoran Yusoof dan Zakhir opposite Central Market. All four are within a 10-minute walk of Pasar Seni station.
Halal and Price Notes
HEYTEA is JAKIM-certified, and mamak restaurants are Muslim-run, but kopitiams such as Ho Kow and stalls inside ICC Pudu are not certified. A mamak teh tarik costs RM2 to RM3, a kopitiam kopi RM3 to RM6 and a chain milk tea RM10 to RM18. Tealive and Chatime outlets are in almost every mall if you only want a quick bubble tea.
Drinks in Kuala Lumpur: Frequently Asked Questions
What drinks should I try in Kuala Lumpur?
Start with teh tarik (pulled milk tea) at a mamak restaurant, kopi or cham at a Hainanese kopitiam, and a cold air mata kucing or herbal tea in Chinatown. Milo dinosaur, sirap bandung and teh O ais limau (iced lime tea) are other local favourites available at almost any mamak.
Where can I get teh tarik in Kuala Lumpur at night?
Many mamak restaurants in KL open late or around the clock, so teh tarik is easy to find after midnight in Bukit Bintang, Masjid India and Brickfields. Mansion Tea Stall off Jalan Masjid India is a daytime stop (daily 7 am – 7 pm), so go to a 24-hour mamak for a late-night cup.
Is bubble tea in Kuala Lumpur halal?
It depends on the brand. HEYTEA received JAKIM halal certification in November 2025. Many other chains are Muslim-friendly but certification varies by brand and outlet, so look for the JAKIM certificate at the counter if it matters to you.
How much does a drink cost in Kuala Lumpur?
A teh tarik or kopi at a mamak or kopitiam costs about RM2 to RM6. Traditional Chinatown drinks such as air mata kucing cost RM2.50 to RM5. Mall milk tea chains charge RM10 to RM18 per cup.
Where is the best area in KL for traditional drinks?
Chinatown, around Jalan Petaling, Jalan Balai Polis and Central Market, has the most traditional drinks in one walkable area: Hainanese kopi, herbal tea, air mata kucing and mamak teh tarik are all within 10 minutes of Pasar Seni station.