Kong Fu Kopitiam (功夫茶餐厅), is a unique, martial arts-themed Nanyang kopitiam and cultural attraction offering traditional kopitiam fares within a nostalgic setting that is designed to celebrate Chinese cultural heritage and the legacy of martial arts. The kopitiam occupies the ground floor of a 1928-built historical building that once housed Perak Ku Kong Chow Association (霹雳广肇会馆) until 1959.
As part of the Ipoh Old Town Heritage Trail, the historical building was repurposed in late 2024 to serve as both a dining spot and a cultural attraction with a free museum. Kong Fu Kopitiam features wooden furniture with oriental Chinese cultural artefacts and decorations. The museum upstairs showcases the Chinese association’s history and items used in old Cantonese traditions — uh, we missed it.
Typical of a Nanyang kopitiam, there are Hainanese-style breakfast set with soft-boiled eggs and traditional toasts to go along with traditional kopi, and typical of a kopitiam in Ipoh, there are white coffee and caramel custard as well. For breakfast, we had kopi-O, white kopi, butter kopi, cham, caramel custard, 2 sets of soft-boiled eggs with kaya-butter toasts, Croissant Cheese Tuna and Moonlight Hor Fun.
The Roti Bakar / kaya-butter toast (功夫烧面包) has a thick slab of butter, and kaya, that gives the grilled toasts a rich, savoury and mild-sweet satisfaction. The toasts is crispy outside and retains some softness inside. The Caramel Custard (炖蛋) is soft, creamy and mildly sweeten by the caramelised syrup. The Croissant Cheese Tuna (牛角包芝士金枪鱼) has minced tuna with greens, tomatoes, cheese, mayonnaise, herbs & spices, etc, making it a delicious light bite for breakfast.
Butter Kopi (牛油咖啡), added with a slice of butter, is always a great way to experience traditional coffee with smooth, creaminess added with a savoury flavour and is best to go with kopi-O — the original taste. Go with kopi (coffee with milk) if you want to put on weight 😂.
Moonlight Hor Fun (月光河) is a popular dish that is perfected and popularised in Ipoh although its origin is unclear — either Ipoh or Kuala Lumpur. The hor fun (broad-flat kway teow typically made in Ipoh) is wok-fried with fishcake slices, prawns, chicken and greens in dark soy sauce and topped with a raw egg (the moon) before serving. The noodle dish carries a strong wok-aroma, not salty and smoothened by the raw egg after tossing with it.
Being a modern kopitiam, Kong Fu Kopitiam is one of the few eateries in Ipoh Old Town that offers an air-conditioned environment and its food at affordable prices — and don’t miss the free gallery on the second floor.
Social Media:
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Address:
39, Jalan Panglima, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Opening Hours:
8:30am to 4:30pm | Closed on Wednesday
Nearby:
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