Jalan Keris 1, in Taman Sri Tebrau / Dai Mah Garden (大马花园), sees a number of new restaurants popping up in early 2026, turning the once quiet neighbourhood lane into the next exciting food street. Kopi Sarawak (喜越茶室), a Nanyang kopitiam specialising in popular Sarawak delights, is one of those new restaurants. Established since 2012, Kopi Sarawak has two outlets in Johor Bahru — in Jalan Molek and Setia Indah — before opening the third one in Taman Sri Tebrau.
As a Nanyang kopitiam, Kopi Sarawak offers the usual local fares of traditional Nanyang kopi, toasts and Nanyang delights in addition to its wide range of Sarawak delights (Kuching laksa, kolo mee, mani cai dishes, 3-layer tea, kampua mee, etc). Singapore’s Hainanese steamed chicken rice is on the menu too. For first-time customers, start with the “Top 15 Most Popular Dish” (15大必点榜首).
Kopi Sarawak’s regular-size Original Kolo Mee (原味哥罗面) is served with thin slices of char siew, minced meat, crispy fried pork lard on curly, thin noodle dry-tossed in shallot and garlic oil, light soy sauce, vinegar, etc, and garnished with fried shallots and scallions. A separate small bowl of soup contains two bouncy pork meatballs. The egg noodle is springy with nice savoury flavours from the white sauce and also from the minced meat with subtle peppery flavour. The char siew is the roasted type and is tender and juicy. This kolo mee is really delicious and is their signature dish.
The Kuching Fried Kueh Teow (古晋炒粿条) uses broad-flat kway teow to stir-fried with prawns, egg, lean pork meat, fishcake slices and bean sprouts. It is a non-oily, light-tasting, savoury dish with slight wok aroma and a dipping dish of soy sauce and spicy chilli padi for tuning the taste as desired. Kuching-style char kway teow often features more bean spouts and their crunchiness. It is no-doubt a different char kway teow experience.
The Kuching-style White Rojak (古晋白罗惹) is another Sarawak dish that is seldom seen. Unlike traditional black-sauce rojak that uses fermented shrimp paste as its primary ingredients, the white rojak is served with large cuts of fresh turnip, fresh cucumber and pineapple in a clear sauce made with lemon juice, lime juice and plum. The dish is finished off with crispy, cracker-like fried doughs and minced peanuts. The fruity sauce gives the fresh, crunchy salad a bright, citrusy-sweet-savoury taste, coupled with crispy and crunchy textures of the fried dough and minced peanuts. This is another rare dish to experience and it can double as a salad dish too.
The Handmade Meat Roll (手工五香肉卷) is a nice snack to go with main dishes with few or no meat. The nicely-fried, non-oily, low-salt meat roll has minced pork rolled in crispy crepe wrapper with spring onions, which give the snack its subtle aroma. Savour the juiciness of the savoury meat on every bite.
The Lemongrass Tea (柠檬香茅茶) is one of Kopi Sarawak’s specialty beverage. It features a mellow aroma of lemon and lemongrass, as the primary ingredients to brew the tea, with very low or no sugar at all. And, it is a really nice drink.
Aside from bak kut teh and wanton mee along Jalan Keris 1, Kopi Sarawak added a wide range of Sarawak delights, and also itself as a Nanyang kopitiam, to the new food street.
Social Media:
Facebook
Address:
167, Jalan Keris 1, Taman Sri Tebrau, 80500 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening Hours:
7:30am to 7pm | Daily
How to Get There:
From JB Sentral, take BAS.MY J10 / J11 / J15 / J20 / J22 to Crystal Crown Hotel and cross the road. Read: JB Bus: To Taman Pelangi & Dai Mah Garden.
Nearby:
More @ Taman Sri Tebrau:
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