From Michelin-minted kitchens to old-school neighborhood stalwarts, these restaurants map out the living, breathing story of Peranakan food in Malaysia.
Malaysian Baba-Nyonya cuisine has always been a quiet force built from generations of cross-cultural marriages and culinary knowledge. It’s food that tastes like memory, but also like fusion: Chinese techniques fused with Malay spice pastes, Eurasian touches, and tropical ingredients that shape everything from sambal to dessert.
If you’ve read our Baba-Nyonya primer, here’s the next step: a curated list of where to actually eat it. These eight spots are by no means exhaustive, but they show the breadth of the cuisine today, from polished hotel dining rooms to busy family shops keeping grandma’s recipes alive.
Limapulo
Limapulo feels like a tucked-away time capsule in the heart of Chow Kit, a place where homestyle Peranakan cooking still hums with the warmth of a family kitchen. Their ayam pongteh is the kind of thing you’d expect a Baba grandmother to make: slow, velvety, and deeply seasoned. But that nostalgia is balanced by things like Sambal Petai Udang (sambal prawns with bitter beans) and Nyonya curry.
The decor keeps it simple, the portions are generous, and the menu never tries to be fancy. This is modern Peranakan food without “selling out”.
Anak Baba
Opening its doors in 2018, Anak Baba is a relatively young restaurant, but it carries the legacy of Peranakan cuisine with the nuance of true family-style cooking.
Located in Brickfields, a neighbourhood best known for its vibrant Little India, it feels like a cultural crossroads, just like the cuisine it serves: coconut-milk rice, turmeric fried chicken, Pai Tee, and popiah, all under one humble roof. The founders drew on their Malaccan roots, sculpting dishes that feel both intimate and elevated.
Restoran Nyonya Makko
One of Melaka’s Peranakan cornerstones. According to local guides, Nyonya Makko is well-loved for its “authentic Peranakan house” feel and solid heart-warming classics.
Leaning into the tangy, richly spiced staples of Nyonya cooking, their menu emphasizes robust favorites like Ayam Pongteh, Nyonya chap chye (Nyonya-style stir fry), and even Udang Masak Lemak Nanas (pineapple prawns).
Nancy’s Kitchen
Nancy’s Kitchen is a Peranakan institution that needs no introduction in Melaka. It’s cozy, familiar, beloved, and adamant about staying true to the old ways.
Their Ayam Buah Keluak (braised chicken with black nuts and tamarind gravy) carries a strong earthiness, the Ayam Pongteh simmers with patience, and the kuih spread is a vibrant color wheel of sweetness. Dining here is more than nostalgic. It’s a way to taste Melaka’s Peranakan lineage.
Auntie Gaik Lean’s Old School Eatery
Auntie Gaik Lean’s, now with a Michelin star, remains a fiercely personal, family-driven kitchen that radiates warmth and memory. Each dish, from the sour-sweet Gulai Tumis to the smoky, grilled otak-otak, feels like a conversation between past and present. The dining room is homely but modern and always bustling with commotion.
This is Peranakan food at its finest hour, and despite the acclaim, prices remain reasonable and the tastes still stay true to the robust flavors that won them a first star.
Bibik’s Kitchen
Bibik’s Kitchen is Penang’s humble Peranakan stalwart. It’s just honest cooking that’s been refined by years of repetition and love.
Their jiu hu char (stir-fry jicama with cuttlefish) is a masterclass in texture, while their Chicken Kapitan will make you want second servings of rice just to slurp up with gravy. It’s busy, it’s familiar, and a meal here is best finished with a tray of kuih for dessert.
Ivy’s Nyonya Cuisine
Ivy’s is small and intimate; a husband-and-wife operation that feels like they’re cooking in their own dining room, not running a restaurant. Their kapitan curry is balanced and layered, the jiu hu char has just the right amount of crunchiness, and the Pie Tee somehow arrives without pretension but with aesthetic care.
It’s the kind of place where you come for flavour, but stay because you feel you’re part of something ongoing: a legacy carried forward in small, tender gestures.
Together, these restaurants chart a living map of Peranakan identity in Malaysia. Melaka and KL give you the everyday heartbeat of Nyonya cooking that’s casual, communal, and neighborhood-first. Penang runs the gamut from Michelin-anointed heritage keepers to humble shops serving dishes that haven’t changed in decades.
Nyonya cuisine isn’t just a hybrid tradition; it’s a testament to how cultures intertwine, adapt, and still manage to taste unmistakably like home. And if you’re thinking of traveling to Malaysia and visiting any of the seven spots above, our partners have put together an easy way for you to explore cities like Penang for that Nyonya food tour you’re about to embark on.
Cover image via TripAdvisor.
