After COVID, my wife and I have been frequent visitors to Johor Bahru, mainly to enjoy the local food and take advantage of the favourable exchange rate.
Below are a few of our personal recommendations.
Principle Cafe at Jalan Trus (next to Amari Hotel)
This is our go-to spot whenever we stay in the area. The food is fantastic—especially the truffle and mushroom risotto, which we highly recommend. Their cakes and coffee are also very enjoyable. The café has a cosy ambiance, though it can be crowded at times.
Tokyo Secrets - Mid Valley SouthKey
Part of a chain, this outlet is our favourite for cheese tarts—they’re the best we’ve tried. The Mille Crêpe cake is also quite good. One thing we appreciate is that it’s usually not crowded. While they do serve lunch, we wouldn’t recommend the main menu items.
We bumped into Hossan Leong here.
Manzanita - Komtar JBCC (Ground Floor)
This café has a bakery that offers decent takeaway bread. Better than Lavender Bakery, in our opinion. The food and coffee are enjoyable, and the matcha latte is reasonably good.
Nimmies Pastry Cafe - Taman Melodies
This well-known café lives up to its reputation. While the prices are on the higher side, the pastries are creative and delicious. Definitely worth a visit for pastry lovers.
