9 Makan Places Within Walking Distance from JB City Square That Are Worth the Calories (Including IT Roo Cafe)

Last Updated on 2020-02-17 , 6:01 pm

We’ve all been across the Causeway at some point in our lives. It’s really an easy thing to do if there’s no heavy traffic, which, well, isn’t common, but we all still go there every weekend. And one day, you’re right in front of JB City Square, and the thought of another bite at Seasons or Nando’s is killing you. What you really want is good food within walking distance. Like IT Roo Cafe, yums.

Why not give these nine makan places a try? You can walk there from City Square!

Drums Café

This is not your regular café. They serve coffee, dessert and yes, Yong tau foo! You’ll feel fancy dining here with drums hanging above your head. And if you need to relax, there’s board games and comics waiting for you!

Location: 39 Jalan Ibrahim, 80000 JB
Monday to Sunday: 11am – 10pm

Restaurant Nilla

You can have a very affordable and nourishing banana leaf meal for lunch, and wash it down with a strong cup of masala tea. I personally love their ghee thosais. Crunchy, calcium-rich goodness!

Location: 109, Jalan Trus, 80000 JB
Monday to Sunday: 7am – 10pm

Restoran Ya Wang

You get slices of perfectly braised duck meat here, which is the perfect soft/firm texture. Its herbal duck sauce is so aromatic, you can smell it from the outside. The Char Siew here is killer too, and at such a low price tag (we haven’t even mention the 3 is to 1 ratio), you’d want to get two plates of them!

Location: 28 Jalan Segget, 80000 JB
Monday to Sunday: 8am – 6pm

IT Roo Cafe

IT Roo Cafe boasts of having the best chicken chop in town (just see their signboard), and they might just be right, based on the queue and the number of re-visits!

Location: 17 Jalan Dhoby, 80000 JB
Monday to Sunday: 10am – 9.30pm

Restoran Sekee

Order your dry or soup version of your noodles, and pick your ingredients. There’s fish maw, pork liver, kidney, and even oysters to choose from!

Location: 30 Jalan Segget, 80000 JB
Closed on Saturdays Sunday to Friday: 7.30am – 2.30pm

Meldrum Walk

This is actually a hawker food court of sorts. You get an amazing array of dishes. Bite onto a stick of satay with a plate of stingray Ikan Bakar on the side!

Location: Downtown JB (next to JB City Square)
Mondays to Sunday: 5pm – midnight (some stalls might be closed on weekdays)

Hiap Joo Bakery & Biscuit Factory

A furnace is used for all the baking (imagine!). You have to grab a pack of the banana cake if you’re here: it’s so good, some Singaporeans swear that they need to have one of these before they go back to Singapore, if not they’ll book a hotel and start queuing the next day.

Location: 13 Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, 80000 JB
Monday to Saturday: 8am – 6pm Closed on Sundays

Ho Seng Kee Restaurant

Hands down the best wanton mee I’ve had in Johor Bahru. Or maybe even in the world! The restaurant focuses just one its wanton mee, and have people from all over Malaysia (and of course Singapore) coming over just for at least two plates of sweet goodness!

Location: 108 Jalan Wong Ah Fook, 80000 JB
Monday to Sunday: 10am – 9pm

Old Street Corner Kopitiam

If you love kuehs, come early and have a bite here. Lunch starts later with Indian curries and veggies!

Location: Jalan Trus, 80000 JB
Monday to Sunday: 6.30am – 10am

If you really had to choose only one place to eat at, we would recommend IT Roo Cafe!