Kuching may not be in the league of Kuala Lumpur or Singapore when it comes to shopping, but in the food department, it does have a respectable repertoire of street food especially those found in the large numbers of economical food courts and kopitiams. Actually many so called food courts are joined shoplots or a cluster of coffee shops that compliments each other in the the choice of foods and drinks. Some of the more popular food courts and well known kopitiams are as following:

Jalan Song

Going by table count, this is probably the biggest congregation of coffee shops on the whole island of Borneo! There are at least four large interconnected coffee shops in this area, excluding a few more not directly linked to them! The name of three of them are Peach Garden, Sin Wan and Expert Food Court. Among them there are at least 120 stalls with probably 400 tables, selling practically all the street food that Kuching has to offer, you name it, they’ve got it. However they are only open from 5.30 pm onward. For morning breakfast and lunch, Top Ten Cafe and No. 6 Cafe at the periphery of this group are very popular.

RH PlazaAirport Road

This is a cluster of building blocks with large kopitiams like Siang Siang and also specializes in more upmarket eateries besides the usual food courts. There are at least 10 air-con restaurants and equal numbers of boutique eateries, many have come and gone, but diners make a beeline to this place when they run out of ideas for a chow. Most eateries here commence business only in the evening.

Premier 101

Probably the most talk about food area of Kuching as of this writing.  With a group of kopitiams and foodcourts within an easily walk-about environment, this area cater to the breakfast and evening crowd.  Stole a lot of clientele from the Jalan Song area with its niche stalls like Yau Kee Kopitiam which has a wide selection of kueh beside the usual kopitiam fare.

The Central Park area

Situated along the busy Jalan Road near the approach to the 3rd Mile Bazaar, this area has several big size kopitiam that merge to form a huge eating area.  Practically all Kuching’s favourite street food are found here and is popular among the younger generation. Business only picks up in the evening and some are even open 24/7!

Batu Kawa New Township

Affectionately referred to as MJC after the acronym of its developers Mudajaya Corp., this is largest satellite township of Kuching in term of its sheer numbers of shophouses. Located on the Batu Kawa Road on the way to Bau and is a 15 minutes drive from downtown Kuching. The most crowded foodcourt is the Siang Siang and the up and coming Sin Lian Seng Foodcourt. Day and night eating place.

Pertama Car Park

One of few halal eating outlets in Kuching.  Popular among foreign tourists as it is within the tourist enclave. Its main attraction are mostly seafood and a limited number of hawkers stalls featuring satay and grilled fish. But don’t expect to get traditional hawker’s f are here. A dinner for four can easily tote up the bill to three digits.  Sited at the roof top of a car park, hence its name.

Tabuan Jaya

The twin coffee shops of Siang Siang and xxx has been around for quite some time and is a very popular and economical eating place for this heavily residential area. This is a must-pass-through point on the way to the fast developing area of Kota Samarahan about 20 kilometres away. Open day and night.

Ban Hock Road

An assortment of kopitiam (coffee shops)  occupy practically all the two blocks of shophouses here. This is probably the nearest food court to the tourist area known as the Golden Triangle of Kuching, where all the star-rated hotels are found. The Grand Continental Hotel is just across the road. Again, practically all of kuching’s favourite food are found here and many stalls have very loyal local clienteles.

A morning place, slow in the afternoon and dead silent at night.

King Centre Food Court

Among the oldest and more established food courts in Kuching. But is beginning to lose its lustre in recent years though a few stalls have die hard followers. Nearby Dalight Food Court too had seen better days though its premises is one of the biggest in town. Over the years numerous attempts to resuscitate its fortune through renovation and new stalls had floundered.  Worth a check-out if around the area. Day and night eating place.

Kenyalang Park

Traditional residential area surrounding the coffee shops here gives it a parochial atmosphere, with plenty of retirees sipping coffee and chatting whole day, while housewives buzz around with grocery shopping. Morning and afternoon only.

4th Mile Penrissen

This include the popular Food Avenue food court, and the Expert Food Court opposite the road and a collection of lesser coffee shops at the blocks of building behind it. The group of new coffee shops like Tarzan, Big Hand, Alkautzar at the nearby 3rd Exchange fall under this grouping.

Liang Kee Commercial Centre, Expert Food Court

The 7th Mile Bazaar

This satellite township boast another collection of large foodcourts within its confines. A compact and bustling shopping areas for the equally heavily populated surrounding ensure an endless supplies of diners for its kopitiams. Downtown Kuchingites are known to drive here just to take a goofing-off breakfast or lunch and back to work

Fresh Food Court, 7th Mile Bazaar

Matang Jaya

Another big housing area across the Sarawak River on the way to Matang. The Matang Jaya township is home to a dozen good eateris and foodcourt. The only drawback is its distance and its killer traffic jams. Would only recommend if you have time on your hand. An Indian Muslim coffee shop serve great nasi bryani and roti canai.

Tabuan Laru

The row of shophouses opposite the Stutong Wet Market has some good eateries especially the Foody Goody and Fat Cat which are famous for their Sarawak laksa. Across the road on the side of the wet market is another up-and-coming coffee shop Lee Cafe which merges with C121 provides a great variety of choices for breakfast, lunch and supper. The food stalls above the wet market is a good place for a morning cuppa too.

Padungan Road

Along this road are found at least a dozen boutique eateries like Memories, xxx and a few popular watering holes for the yuppies crowd like Soho and Grappa. HongKong Noodle House also have an outlet here. This area also include the food stalls above the market of Song Kheng Hai ground (behind the Everrise Supermarket) which the masses come for high tea from noon onward till 5.00pm. Popular here are belacan bee hoon and rojak wash down with ABC, candol and sea coconut drink.

Hui Sing Garden

All the stalls here are formally street hawkers relocated from Palm Road, and is very popular among the local residents living around the area. This is reputedly the birth place of “White Lady” and “Matterhorn”, fancy names for syrupy drinks of shaved ice with jelly and some cut fruit cubes, and the “in” thing to order for youngsters.  Listen to the clashing of the woks of char kueh tiaw as vendors compete to out-noise each other in the war of the woks.  Rivalry among some stalls are such that each will not serve customers sitting in other tables beside his own. In other word chose your foodstall and sit near to it!

Satok area

Near the main road and the overhead bridge is the teeming night eating stalls catering to mostly Muslim clientele. Many stalls sell satay, barbecue fish and chicken wings.

Rubber Road

The eating outlets here are quite separated from each other, nevertheless, the large numbers of them justify their grouping into an area. Most visible is the venerable Thomson Corner, the pioneer of Kuching’s food court. Boon Khai Resfreshment Room sells afternoon snack like lok-lok and dessert drinks like ais kacang and the likes. Further up the road is the cluster of Indian Muslim food outlet like Curry House, Bombay Masala, Old Rex Cucur Udang (popular with afternoon crowd for snacks). The After Four Cafe is right opposite, and have delightful dim sum and light eats.  ChilliPeppers (halal eats) round the corner is popular for lunch with the office crowd.

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