Kedai Kopi Keng Nam is further away from touristy Concubine Lane and Kong Heng. So, if you have your own car, you should check out this local favorite if you can.
The reason for its popularity is the variety of food. Want to know what’s worth ordering here?
Read this post and find out!
Table Of Contents:
About Kedai Kopi Keng Nam
Kedai Kopi Keng Nam is on a quiet street (at least, it’s quiet in the morning). This old-school Chinese kopitiam is in Ipoh New Town.
The unusual dish that that they serve here is sticky rice with kaya top on (kaya pulut). This is a considerably rare treat, even in Ipoh. They’ve been serving this dish for decades at this point.
Aside from this, the small shop squeeze in ~4 stalls with their own specialty dishes. Mainly, noodles.
This place is always busy in the morning, especially around 9am. They open from 7:30am and close at 11:45am.
Kedai Kopi Keng Nam is closed on Thursdays.
Ease Of Parking At Keng Nam Coffee Shop
As long as you’re willing to walk a bit (and if it’s not a public holiday), finding street parking close to Kedai Kopi Keng Nam is easier than in Ipoh Old Town.
It helps that there aren’t any tourist attractions along this road. If you’re looking to buy Ipoh biscuits and souvenirs though, there’s a Qunkee Biscuit & Bakery branch (famous for kaya puffs) within walking distance.
Ambiance At Kedai Kopi Keng Nam
Ambiance is not the strong point of Kedai Kopi Keng Nam.
Cleanliness is only average at best if we’re comparing it to other coffee shops in Ipoh. And to make up for the lack of seating, the staff put tables and stools on the adjacent lot (when they are not open) too.
Even so, tables are close together and you might have the occasional waiter or customer bumping into you while you dine here.
Lastly, don’t expect air conditioning here.
Service At Keng Nam Coffee Shop
Since the last time we came, the service at Kedai Kopi Keng Nam has improved a lot.
The staff no longer yell at each other over the heads of customers to communicate orders. They have found an orderly way to work.
Each staff has their own designated task (e.g., dishing out kaya, preparing kaya toast, taking orders, serving drinks, etc).
And they prepare popular orders (like kaya toast) ahead too. The orders come at almost the same speed as their preparations. We got all of our orders very quickly too (within 10 minutes of ordering).
Note: We came a little before 9am where 9:30am is the peak time. It was easy for us to find a table and parking.
Then again, we went on a weekday in the middle of the week. There are particular staff members at Kedai Kopi Keng Nam that can be quite rude and negligent of customers when it’s full house.
Food At Kedai Kopi Keng Nam
Everything we tried at Kedai Kopi Keng Nam is better than average. And this is regardless of how hungry we were.
The kaya is just nice, and not too sweet. And therefore, the kaya toast with half boiled eggs and sticky rice with kaya (kaya pulut) are both worth getting.
Dry curry mee is tasty too. As is the curry chee cheong fun although the curry is on the mild side.
Coffee is good (some say average and a little sweet) and so is their barley drink.
Prawn noodles is another must-order here.
Pricing At Keng Nam Coffee Shop
Pricing is for drinks is considered affordable at Kedai Kopi Keng Nam. A cup of coffee costs RM2.20 where it costs RM2.50 in other areas of Ipoh (e.g., Canning Garden or Ipoh Garden South).
A bowl of noodles can cost RM7.50 here. So, bear in mind that the food can be pricey. It depends on what you choose to add on too.
Conclusion
Kedai Kopi Keng Nam is a good alternative for local breakfast in Ipoh if you don’t want to fight with the tourist crowds at Moon De Moon or at Thean Chun.
You may want to go to Kedai Kopi Keng Nam specifically to try the kaya pulut. As not all kopitiams in Ipoh have this nostalgic dish.
