Eating and drinking on Langkawi, Malaysia

The main island of the group of islands known as Langkawi Permata Kedah off the north-west coast of Malaysia has become a popular tourist resort for visitors from all over the world. As such, it has seen a blossoming of cafés, bars and restaurants. Though some beachside bars have disappeared in recent years to be replaced by shops hiring out jet-skis, notably along the Cenang and Tengah beaches, there is still a wealth of food and drink outlets to choose from. Here are a few of the more interesting ones to get you started.

Sunset Café, Gunung Raya

Situated at the peak of Langkawi’s highest mountain is the Sunset Café at around 900 metres above sea level. Though advertised as being open from 9am to 8pm, it sometimes only serves in the evening, so worth checking in advance. Even when closed during the day, you can still get tea and other drinks, including beer, to refresh you while you enjoy the best views of the island. When the kitchen is open, there is a mixture of western and eastern fare. To reach the peak, you first have to drive up a long and winding road (about 13km long), so you’ll need to hire a car or a taxi to get there and back.

Oasis, Lot 638, Joulan Pantai Cenang

This beachside pub and restaurant survived the cull along the Cenang and Tengah beaches and is just a few metres south of the Underwater World tourist attraction. The inside bar has a range of seating, including comfy chairs, and a couple of pool tables. Ordinary tables and chairs are along the beachside veranda and on the beach itself, from where you can watch the ocean and Langkawi’s famous sunsets. Beverages range from soft drinks to cocktails, wine and beer, Tiger being the best on offer. The food is good, with a choice of Indian and western dishes; the Mick Jagger Burger is recommended.

If you are in the area, also worth a look is Debbie’s Irish Bar, a few buildings down on the same side towards the Aseana Hotel. It serves Guinness, Carlsberg and Tiger on draught plus has a TV for showing sports.

Night Markets

Just about every night of the week there will be a night market somewhere on the island with lots of street sellers offering a variety of foods, as well as clothes, electronic goods, souvenirs and so on. You may have to take pot luck on what food some are serving, but be brave and you may be pleasantly surprised. Your hotel should be able to tell you where and when the nearest one is to where you are staying, but the largest is held on Saturday evening in the island’s capital Kuah Town.

Sole Café, Oriental Village

The Oriental Village is a purpose-built tourist town at the bottom end of the cable car run, but it is worth a visit in its own right with a variety of shops and entertainment such as elephant rides and rabbit feeding (beware, the rabbits do bite). There is also a food court that contains Sole Café, which serves a wide range of food from traditional Malaysian dishes to more Western style meals. And there is an impressive selection of local soft drinks.

Scarborough Fish ’n’ Chip Restaurant, Lot 1388, Jalan Tanjung Rhu

Yes, you did read that right. On the sea front between the Black Sand Beach and Tanjung Rhu Beach is the closest thing you’ll find to an English fish ’n’ chip shop in the region. It is run by Dhillon, who lived in Leeds for eight years and used to travel to Scarborough to eat the fish and chips. There is a range of food on offer, and the chips really do taste like the British variety. You can also have a nice cup of tea, other soft drinks or even a beer. Seating is on stone tables and chairs on a veranda or on the beach itself. And the toilets are extremely clean.

Cenang and Tengah Beaches

For other places to eat, the main road alongside the Cenang and Tengah beaches has loads of restaurants and cafés serving food from just about all nationalities. There is even the English Tea House opposite Underwater World; it sells cream teas, toast and meat pies, as well as more than 20 varieties of milk shake. Just north of Underwater World is Baan Thai, a recommended Thai restaurant. The Babylon beachside bar is also worth a look.