4 great restaurants in Langkawi, Malaysia

Here are four really good restaurants on Langkawi in Malaysia. It's been a few years since we've been to Langkawi, but when we were there, we spent almost every night looking for a great restaurant. We have written about the restaurants before, but now we decided to gather them in one post for the sake of simplicity. Some of the restaurants we visited have closed since we were there, but these four, perhaps the very best, are still serving their great food.

Good restaurants in Langkawi

In Langkawi you will find restaurants serving food from all corners of the world, not least from different parts of Asia. There are of course restaurants serving Malaysian food, but don't be surprised if it's even easier to find restaurants serving Chinese, Thai or Indian food.

Malaysian dishes that you may come across are satay (chicken skewers with peanut sauce, cucumber, red onion and rice cubes), rendang (beef stew with coconut milk), nasi lemak (rice dish with coconut milk and various accompaniments) and laksa (noodle soup with coconut milk).

In general, it can be said that Malaysian food very often contains rice or noodles and preferably coconut milk, and that it can be very spicy. One tip is to not do as Peter did and request the most spicy thing they have...

There are plenty of restaurants on Langkawi and most serve reasonably good Asian food. However, if you're looking forward to a special dinner, it's a good idea to do some research beforehand. Here are four good restaurants in Langkawi that we really liked.

1. Orkid Ria

Restaurant Orkid Ria serves mainly seafood with Asian spices, and also some other Asian dishes. We had to queue for a while to get in here, but we definitely thought it was worth it!

We ordered a whole bunch of dishes, including dim sum, scallops with chilli, cauliflower with garlic and snapper in ABC sauce. The table was quickly filled with dishes, and everything was really, really good. 

Address: Lot 1225 Jalann, Pantai Cenang, at Cenang beach

2. restaurant nam, Bon Ton resort

One evening we took a taxi from our hotel to the restaurant. Nam, at the Bon Ton Resort. This restaurant is a little out of the way, but well worth a visit. You have to like cats though! The place also runs a shelter for cats, and the cats are really just everywhere.

The menu includes both Malaysian and Western dishes. We chose a "local platter" with several different Malaysian dishes. We got a large tray with green leaves and lots of different dishes, with everything from meat and chicken to shrimp and aubergine. Very tasty! For dessert we ordered a mixed plate of fruit, ice cream and a local dessert speciality made from black beans.

Address: Bon Ton Restaurant & Resort, Pantai Cenang, 07000 Langkawi

3. fatCUPID

The small restaurant fatCUPID was actually "our" hotel restaurant, where we had breakfast every day while staying in Langkawi, either omelettes or pancakes. 

The hotel was super cosy with small modern cottages, a short walk to the beach and the most charming and friendly staff. ever. The food here was also really good! We had several different spicy Malaysian stews with rice and were super satisfied every time.

Address: At Hotel La Pari-Pari, 2273 Jalan Teluk Baru, Kampung Tasek Anak, Pantai Tengah

4. unkaizan

Unkaizan is a Japanese restaurant, which is a bit more expensive by Malaysian standards. On the other hand, eating here was an experience! The restaurant is located in a quiet part of Tengah, on a small hill with a nice view of the sea.

We each ordered a "set menu" because it seemed the easiest and most interesting. Peter chose beef fillet served with rice, salad and soup. I ordered sushi which was served with tempura, salad, egg pudding and soup. Very good!

Address: Lot 395 Jalan Telok Baru Pantai Tengah

Have you been to Langkawi or elsewhere in Malaysia? What did you think of the food? Do you have more restaurant tips?