9 plant-based restaurants in Malaysia

Drawing inspiration from Malaysian cuisine, The Hungry Tapir is helmed by equatorial plates turned vegetarian. Home-cooked meals, local fare, and sustainably-sourced produce are at the heart of this restaurant. Founder Makissa Smeeton’s Eurasian heritage is evident in every interstice from the space’s menu to community events. A dish inspired by the Kristang soy limau terung, chilli and soy eggplant, is one such embodiment of identity. The restaurant brings new life to meat-free gastronomy, being the first exclusively vegetarian joint in the city with a full-service bar. 

The Hungry Tapir
Address: 135, Jalan Petaling, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur. +603-2022 2137

See also: 11 places to explore in Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur

Sala is an entirely vegan Tex-Mex restaurant with outlets across the Klang Valley. While many may doubt a burrito without sour cream or soft tacos devoid of queso fresco, Sala proves that dairy-free dining is not a compromise. Drizzling plates with vegan sour cream and plant-based cheese, Sala’s menu also highlights an assortment of vegan proteins. Barbecue jackfruit, mushroom asada, and spicy tempeh are just some of the replacements featured in the eatery’s chimichangas, burritos and tacos. 

Sala Desa Sri Hartamas
Address: A-G-3A Galeria Hartamas, No 21 , Jalan 26a/70a, Desa Sri Hartamas. +6011-1150 3606

Hijau is one of KL’s most well-known spots for plant-based fare. Homegrown classics made with locally-sourced ingredients are its speciality, focusing on traditional Malay-Indo plates. Tofu and tempeh are its plant protein of choice, utilising it in less than conventional ways. Take, for example, its tofu otak-otak. Besides heartier plates of nasi kerabu, lontong, and nasi padang, you’ll also be able to find regional delicacies like vegan budu and vegan sambal tumis. 

Hijau
Address: L1-08, 6, Jalan Damanlela, Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur. +6011-3750 7708

Among the plethora of banana leaf spots in Little India, Gandhi’s is one of this writer’s favourites. Tucked in an unassuming corner between the heritage-steeped Jalan Tun Sambathan and the shiny business district of Nu Sentral, is Gandhi’s. The restaurant caters to plant-based diets of all intensities, offering South Indian dishes free of meat, garlic, and onion. Accompaniments can change daily, sans its selection of mock-meat peratals, sambals, and varuvals. Its deep-fried, bright red and robustly spiced cauliflower is a game-changing plate and should not be skipped.

Gandhi’s Vegetarian Restaurant
Address: 3A/05, G/5, Scott Sentral Service, 28, Jalan Scott, Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur. +603-2276 6704

Susu Vegan Mylk Bar is Penang’s plant-based Valhalla. Vegan burgers are made in-house using a blend of organic beetroots, mushrooms, oats, and pearl barley. The patties are then slathered in vegan cream cheese to replace conventional sliced counterparts. Its antique-decorated interior and impressive collection of vinyl make the perfect environment to sip on the restaurant’s bespoke mocktails.

Susu Vegan Mylk Bar Penang
Address: 209, Jalan Hutton, 10050 George Town, Pulau Pinang. +6016-416 4937

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Serving authentic Indian vegetarian cuisine, The Ganga Café was born out of the owners’ passion for gastronomy. Its menu houses an impressive assortment of Gujarati, South, and North Indian dishes—all of which are plant-based. Street food and sharing plates are available here, with its pani puri and palak paneer being notable highlights. If you can’t decide on your order, fret not as every Sunday, the restaurant offers a rotating lunch menu equipped with its must-haves. 

The Ganga Café
Address: 19, Lorong Kurau, Bangsar, 59100 Kuala Lumpur. +603-2284 2119

This Melaka café caters to those with more provincial palates. With a foliage-strewn exterior that reflects its ethos, Botanist Café’s menu houses an assortment of local dishes with a vegetarian twist. Diners can source plant-based versions of Malaysian mainstays from roti jala and asam laksa to su ku teh, a meat-free alternative to bak kut teh. 

Botanist Café
Address: 41 & 43, Jalan Melaka Raya 8, Taman Melaka Raya, 75000 Melaka. +606-292 2819

Lagula by The Hungry Tapir serves plant-based fare that is by no means pedestrian. While a majority of local vegetarian options are often noodle soups and stir-fried vegetables minus fish sauce, Lagula specialises in meatless breakfast plates. Constructing flaky pastry with olive oil instead of butter, supplanting eggs with tofu, and making its own cashew cheese, diners can expect familiar and crowd-favourite brunch fixings without the meat.

Lagula by The Hungry Tapir
Address: G-02, G/F, Four Points Hotel by Sheraton, 2, Jalan Balai Polis, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur. +6011-6096 7726

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