One of the benefits of staying overnight in Ipoh is that you get to try the best Ipoh Chinese restaurants for dinner. With many ethnic Chinese living in Ipoh, you can easily find some of the best Chinese food here!
A Chinese restaurant is a suitable venue for a reunion with friends or family. Or even for a birthday celebration.
Don’t worry, there are halal options too. And Chinese restaurants that specialize in seafood!
Table of Contents:
Best Chinese Food In Ipoh
Other than local kopitiams and hawker centers, delicious Chinese food is all around Ipoh!
In fact, almost every area in Ipoh has at least one Chinese restaurant. Some are open for lunch too.
1. Sun Marpoh Restaurant
Locals are very well-acquainted with this Chinese restaurant! Not surprising as it’s been around for more than 30 years.
A must-visit Chinese restaurant if you are from out of town, Sun Marpoh Restaurant will not let you down. You will find the restaurant packed with locals – a sure sign that the Chinese food is top notch.
Make a reservation if you want to try their tasty food on a weekend! They can keep up with a crowd, so you won’t have to wait long for your order to come!
It’s a safe bet that you’ll like most of their dishes like their sweet and sour pork, marmite chicken, salted egg prawn, steamed Tilapia fish or Thai-style squid!
Or their infamous sambal petai!
Ingredients are fresh and the dishes well executed. Prices are good too!
We find that their seasoning is just right and while a little bit cramped, the dining environment is clean and comfortable. Read more about our experience at Sun Marpoh Restaurant.
- Location: 67-69, Jalan Lau Pak Khuan, Ipoh Garden, 31400 Ipoh, Perak
- Opening Hours: 11:30am to 2:30pm and again from 5.30pm to 9:30pm (Closed on Wednesdays)
- Contact: +605-545 5127
2. Tuck Kee Restaurant (德記酒家)
Located at the intersection of Jalan King and Jalan Queen, Tuck Kee Restaurant has been around for many years.
Ask any Ipoh Chinese natives what their go-to Chinese restaurants are and Tuck Kee Restaurant is definitely on their list.
Well-known for their scrumptious roasted meats, there is often a long queue at their take-away counter. Especially during the weekends.
You do not want to miss out on their roasted pork belly, BBQ pork (char siew) and smoked duck! Give the Chinese barbeque sausage (siew cheong) a try too – they’re tender and perfectly roasted.
It can get a little cramped in the family-friendly air-conditioned restaurant but the taste and proportion of the Cantonese-style dishes (Especially the ones with meat) are worth it!
If you are not sure what to order, you can trust the “captain” to serve you their best dishes of the day.
Make a reservation before you go to ensure yourself a table! It’s usually full even though they have two floors!
Or you can try Ipoh food delivery (They’re on Foodpanda)!
Remark: You can park across the restaurant for a fee of RM3.
PS: Don’t confuse this restaurant with the Ipoh Tuck Kee Restaurant (specializes in fried noodles)
- Location: 1-3, Jalan King, Taman Hoover, 31650 Ipoh, Perak
- Opening Hours: 11:30am to 2:30pm again from 5:30pm to 9:30pm
- Contact: +605-254 1906
3. Sun Lee How Fook
Sun Lee How Fook is a pink building along Jalan Kampar (former name of the road) and opposite The Store.
Renamed Sun Lee How Fook in 1986 and relocated to its current address in 2002, this Chinese restaurant is the place to go for wedding dinners or any big celebrations.
Not surprising when they can fit 100 tables inside along with a stage!
It’s a comfortable and clean environment that is family-friendly and wheelchair-friendly. There are private rooms available for booking too.
There are raving reviews of them all over the Internet. You can’t go wrong if you’re looking for delicious Chinese food to fill your tummy. Their crispy pork and fried sang mee is a must-try!
PS: They’re not shy about using MSG in their dishes though.
Not many parking slots are available at the front of the building but there is an underground car park that you can access from the side of the building.
You can also find them on Foodpanda!
- First Branch Location: 96, Jalan Raja Permaisuri Bainun, Taman Gopeng, 30250 Ipoh, Perak
- Opening Hours: 11:45am to 2:30pm and again from 5:45pm to 10:30pm
- Contact: +605-253 3268
4. Restoran Sam Poh (三宝饭店)
Highly recommended by locals and non-locals alike, everyone who has dined at Restoran Sam Poh has nothing but good things to say.
Portions are small so you can try many of their tasty dishes like kam heong pork, kangkung fried with belacan, assam curry squid (sotong in Malay) and salted egg squid for reasonable prices!
These are great with some beer on the side.
The restaurant is air-conditioned, and the menu has photos and lists the main ingredients in English. Prices are affordable as well.
You’ll want to come early before the dinner crowd pours in! Or give them a call to make a reservation as this restaurant doesn’t have much seating.
PS: Not the prettiest restaurant to dine in.
- Location: No. 17, Persiaran Bandar Baru Tambun 16, Taman Desa Tambun Indah, 31400 Ipoh, Perak
- Opening Hours: 4.30pm to 9pm
- Contact: +6016-551 6869
5. Restaurant Kok Thai – Tasek
Popular for wedding dinners, finding parking close to Kok Thai can be a hassle.
The food (of generous portions) however, will make you forget that! You’ll need to at least know how to speak some Chinese to make ordering easier. They do have sets available too.
Mouth-watering, appetizing and delectable – these are some of the words that describe many Chinese dishes served at Restoran Kok Thai.
Moreover, service is good, and pricing is affordable.
They’re well known for their ginger tau fu fah too! If you are planning for a gourmet food trip to Ipoh, do include Restoran Kok Thai in your list.
- Location: No. 37, 49, Laluan Tasek Perdana, Medan Tasek Perdana, 30010 Ipoh, Perak
- Opening Hours: 11am to2:30pm and again from 6pm to 10:30pm
- Contact: +6012-508 3571
Best Chinese Seafood Restaurants In Ipoh
For a city that is not that close to the sea:
There is still a great deal of Chinese seafood restaurants to satisfy anyone craving a delicious and fresh seafood feast!
6. Thong Lok Seafood Restaurant At Tanjung Tualang
Though technically not in Ipoh:
You’ll understand why people drive all the way to this small village once you get a glimpse of their huge freshwater prawns – so juicy and fresh! They come in different sizes ranging from large to small.
But they’re not just known for their river prawns. Grab some friends so you can try other seafood dishes!
Tanjung Tualang is a leisurely 45 minutes’ drive out of Ipoh. It is common for those passing by or on the way to Penang to head into Tanjung Tualang to eat at Thong Lok Seafood Restaurant.
It’s opposite the building that houses the morning wet market, so you can’t miss it!
Weekends see bigger crowds and it’s not rare for them to run out of certain dishes like the kong jing prawn! Another thing to note is that they don’t accept credit cards!
Remark: Prices have increased due to the increasing numbers of out-of-town customers!
- Location: Jalan Pasar, 31800 Tanjung Tualang, Perak
- Opening Hours: 11am to 9pm
- Contact: +605-360 7921
7. Mun Choong Seafood Restaurant (中和园民众酒楼)
Feeling fancy?
This is one of the oldest established fine dining restaurants in Ipoh. Having been around since 1978, it is one of the many Chinese restaurants in Ipoh that has endured the test of time.
Mun Choong Restaurant has grown from being a one-level restaurant to a three-storied building that can house banquets and big events with a capacity of 900 pax.
Expect fresh and tasty high-quality seafood dishes like baked crab or Tanjung Tualang prawns (Tip: order them with tails pan-fried and heads steamed), attentive service and prompt serving times. You might even want to order a second round of rice!
And unless you order expensive dishes, most of the pricing is reasonable.
Note: Parking is limited. Reservations are recommended for dinner times.
- Location: 511-517, Jalan Pasir Puteh, Taman Camay, 31650 Ipoh, Perak
- Opening Hours: 11:30am to 3pm and again from 5pm to 10pm
- Contact: +505-321 2815
8. Menglembu Chinese Restaurant: East Ocean Seafood Restaurant Menglembu (东海鱼翅酒家)
Chefs take liberties with the creative food presentation at Menglembu Chinese Restaurant. Especially with their large food platters!
You don’t have to wait long to try the delicious food either! And they boast great service too.
Seafood such as shrimps, squid, and cuttlefish are prepared fresh and delicious. But their house specialty is steamed marinated chicken with ginger!
If you’re not sure what to order, just ask for recommendations from the captain!
Note that reasonable prices mean the restaurant tends to be crowded on weekends.
- Location: No. 1- 13, 31450, 7, Hala Perusahaan Menglembu 7A, 31450 Menglembu, Ipoh, Perak
- Opening Hours: 11:30am to 3pm and again from 6pm to 10:30pm
- Contact: +605-282 9457
9. Restaurant Pusing Public
You can’t go wrong with Restaurant Pusing Public! Doesn’t matter if it’s for lunch, dinner or a special occasion! Locals have been singing its praises for years!
They have an impressive menu and equally excellent service.
Menu items to try include:
- Baked crab
- Tanjung Tualang big headed prawns
- Omelette with crab meat
- Char siew
Portions are big and dishes are flavorful. Restaurant Pusing Public is also one of those restaurants where wedding dinners are commonly held.
No worries on seats and car park availability here! But it can get quite packed during weekends, so be sure to head over early.
Pricing is on the higher end compared to other places. However, the excellent taste of their dishes more than compensate for that.
- Location: G 57-65, Jalan Horley, Kampung Jawa, 30300 Ipoh, Perak
- Opening Hours: 12pm to 2:30pm and again from 6pm to 9:30pm
- Contact: +605-253 3428
Halal Chinese Food In Ipoh
You don’t have to miss out on Chinese food as there are more than a couple of halal Chinese restaurants in Ipoh!
10. Restoran Hj. Sharin Low Grand
You might have seen this restaurant before in some other part of Malaysia but this is the only branch in Ipoh!
Partake in roast duck and seafood dishes like their steamed fish or sinful salted egg crab and buttered prawns! Or other dishes prepared following Southern-Chinese style.
You can also try their new dishes which are kong pao chicken and char siew chicken.
Along with special offers during Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Restoran Hj. Sharin Low Grand is a great choice to enjoy halal Chinese food.
But on weekends, it can take 15-20 minutes for the food so it’s best not to come on a totally empty stomach!
- Location: 16, Persiaran Greenhill, Kampung Jawa, 30450 Ipoh, Perak
- Opening Hours: 11am to 10pm; Sunday, 12pm–10pm (Closed on Mondays)
- Contact: +605-241 2472
11. Restoran Caterbest
The owners of Restoran Caterbest are a husband-and-wife team who have been operating the restaurant since 1994. The Chinese-Muslim husband is the chef!
You can spot this restaurant from the main road in Bercham. It has two floors, and you can dine in comfort as the restaurant is air-conditioned.
Service is reliable and with such affordable prices, this is as good as it gets for genuine Chinese cooking that is halal!
Additionally, they have a wide variety of dishes on their ala carte menu. Diners can also choose from their course meals.
Recommended dishes:
- Claypot tofu
- Curry fish head
- Lemon chicken
Catering and delivery services are available too! Check out their Instagram account to keep up to date: @restorancaterbest.
- Location: 74 & 74A, Jalan Bercham, Taman Seri Dermawan, 31400 Ipoh, Perak
- Opening Hours: 11:30am to 3pm and again from 6pm to 10:30pm
- Contact: +605-547 8622
Read more:
- 11 Best Ipoh Dim Sum Restaurants That You Have To Try
- 9 Famous Salted Chicken In Ipoh That You Should Try
- 15 Best Western Restaurants In Ipoh
- 15 Best Breakfast In Ipoh
- 9 Best Chicken Rice In Ipoh
- 5 Famous Ipoh Peanut Candy Stores To Check Out In Ipoh
Getting Around Ipoh
If you don’t happen to have a car with you, you can always call a Grab or taxi from your hotel. Or walk over if you happen to be close to an Ipoh Chinese restaurant.
Aside from that, you can include transport to one of these Chinese restaurants in Ipoh as part of your free and easy Ipoh itinerary with RayTheTour private tour service!
The tour doesn’t include the cost of your meals but it does cover the expertise and local insight of our Ipoh-born tour guides!
As well as pick up and drop off service anywhere in Ipoh. WhatsApp RayTheTour to get in touch for a booking!
Further reading:
Conclusion
As with any decision concerning food in Ipoh, it’s a tough choice with almost too many Ipoh Chinese restaurants to choose from!
To narrow down the options, this list covers the local favorites and longer-serving establishments!
Including a few halal Chinese restaurants so you can enjoy an authentic Chinese meal together with your Muslim friends!
Didn’t see any options you liked? What about having Korean food in Ipoh? Or visiting a nice Japanese restaurant in Ipoh?
