2026 Guide
Fresh fish and seafood slathered in sambal, wrapped in banana leaf and grilled over charcoal, often right by the sea.
Updated October 2026 ยท 32 spots ยท 11 states
โก Quick answer
The best Ikan Bakar in Malaysia for 2026 is Welcome Seafood Restaurant (Kota Kinabalu, Sabah), followed by Restoran Ikan Bakar Parameswara (Melaka) and Ana Ikan Bakar Petai (Kuantan). 30 of 32 picks are halal or Muslim-friendly.
๐ก Pro tip: Pick your fish from the ice, then ask for air asam (tamarind dip) on the side.
Asia City, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Order: Kam heong crab, butter prawns, steamed live fish
KK's best-known pick-from-the-tank seafood hall: huge, loud, and always full of tour groups and locals alike. Choose your catch, choose your sauce, and expect it fresh and fairly priced. No pork served.
Order: Ikan pari and siakap bakar in banana leaf with sambal
The headquarters of Melaka ikan bakar and the busiest grill at Medan Ikan Bakar Umbai. Pick your fish from the ice, have it grilled in banana leaf over charcoal with sambal, and eat by the sea; the queue builds fast after 7pm.
Tanjung Lumpur, Kuantan, Pahang
Order: Ikan bakar sambal petai in banana leaf
The best-known name in Tanjung Lumpur, Kuantan's ikan bakar village. Fish grilled in banana leaf under a thick sambal studded with petai is the move; it fills up by 8pm.
โ ๏ธ Last confirmed before 2025 โ check it is open before you go.
Order: Chilli crab, grilled squid, steamed clams
A halal-certified seafood restaurant on stilts over the Gayang estuary, a favourite for Muslim families and visitors heading north of KK. Live seafood cooked Malay- and Chinese-style with sunset views.
Kampung Sim-Sim, Sandakan, Sabah
Order: Steamed grouper, big oysters, butter prawns, crispy seafood noodle
The classic Sandakan seafood experience: a stilt restaurant out over the Sim-Sim water village with live tanks and sea breezes. Pork-free, though not certified halal.
Order: Daily-catch fish grilled over charcoal, sambal or plain
A long-time local pick that diners rate among Melaka's best seafood spots, and closer to town than Umbai. Fresh fish straight off the ice, grilled simply and fast.
Teluk Kemang, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan
Order: Ikan bakar with sambal and air asam
Probably the most famous seafood grill in Port Dickson, if not the whole state. Choose your fish, have it charred in sambal, and settle in, because the wait at peak hours is part of the ritual.
Taman Tun Fuad, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Order: Malay-style seafood dinner with cultural show
A huge halal floating restaurant on the lake at Tun Fuad Park, famous for seafood dinners paired with nightly Sabahan cultural dances. Touristy, yes โ but it's a KK rite of passage.
โ ๏ธ Last confirmed before 2025 โ check it is open before you go.
Wakaf Che Yeh, Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Order: Ikan bakar sambal with ulam and air asam
Kota Bharu's best-known ikan bakar chain, with a lineup of fresh fish grilled over charcoal and a spread of sambals and ulam. The Wakaf Che Yeh outlet is the evening crowd-puller.
Jalan Sim-Sim, Sandakan, Sabah
Order: Charcoal-grilled fish with sambal and air asam
Sandakan's go-to Muslim ikan bakar spot by the water village โ pick fresh fish, have it grilled over charcoal and drowned in sambal. Simple, smoky and cheap.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
Asia City, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Order: Kam heong crab, butter prawns, steamed live fish
KK's best-known pick-from-the-tank seafood hall: huge, loud, and always full of tour groups and locals alike. Choose your catch, choose your sauce, and expect it fresh and fairly priced. No pork served.
Order: Chilli crab, grilled squid, steamed clams
A halal-certified seafood restaurant on stilts over the Gayang estuary, a favourite for Muslim families and visitors heading north of KK. Live seafood cooked Malay- and Chinese-style with sunset views.
Kampung Sim-Sim, Sandakan, Sabah
Order: Steamed grouper, big oysters, butter prawns, crispy seafood noodle
The classic Sandakan seafood experience: a stilt restaurant out over the Sim-Sim water village with live tanks and sea breezes. Pork-free, though not certified halal.
Taman Tun Fuad, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Order: Malay-style seafood dinner with cultural show
A huge halal floating restaurant on the lake at Tun Fuad Park, famous for seafood dinners paired with nightly Sabahan cultural dances. Touristy, yes โ but it's a KK rite of passage.
โ ๏ธ Last confirmed before 2025 โ check it is open before you go.
Jalan Sim-Sim, Sandakan, Sabah
Order: Charcoal-grilled fish with sambal and air asam
Sandakan's go-to Muslim ikan bakar spot by the water village โ pick fresh fish, have it grilled over charcoal and drowned in sambal. Simple, smoky and cheap.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
Order: Ikan pari and siakap bakar in banana leaf with sambal
The headquarters of Melaka ikan bakar and the busiest grill at Medan Ikan Bakar Umbai. Pick your fish from the ice, have it grilled in banana leaf over charcoal with sambal, and eat by the sea; the queue builds fast after 7pm.
Order: Daily-catch fish grilled over charcoal, sambal or plain
A long-time local pick that diners rate among Melaka's best seafood spots, and closer to town than Umbai. Fresh fish straight off the ice, grilled simply and fast.
Order: Siakap bakar and pari bakar with sambal
The family-friendly Umbai alternative when Parameswara's line is too much. Fish sold by weight, honest charcoal grilling and kinder prices for a small group.
Order: Grilled fish with lacquered sambal by the Melaka River
Riverside grilled fish a short walk from the heritage core, with sunset seats that go first. Glossy sambal-coated fish plus shell-out seafood platters for sharing.
โ ๏ธ Last confirmed before 2025 โ check it is open before you go.
Sungai Punggor, Melaka, Melaka
Order: Charcoal-grilled fish with sambal
No-frills kampung setup at the river mouth where the fishing boats come in. Dinner only, fish chosen from the display and charred with sambal; about as fresh as it gets.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
Tanjung Lumpur, Kuantan, Pahang
Order: Ikan bakar sambal petai in banana leaf
The best-known name in Tanjung Lumpur, Kuantan's ikan bakar village. Fish grilled in banana leaf under a thick sambal studded with petai is the move; it fills up by 8pm.
โ ๏ธ Last confirmed before 2025 โ check it is open before you go.
Tanjung Lumpur, Kuantan, Pahang
Order: Ikan bakar and kerang bakar with sambal
A well-rated Tanjung Lumpur kampung grill for East Coast-style ikan bakar and smoky grilled cockles. Laid-back, local and a good second option in the village.
Tanjung Lumpur, Kuantan, Pahang
Order: Ikan bakar Marina, tomyam seafood
One of the busier stops on the Tanjung Lumpur seafood strip, with its house-style grilled fish and tomyam pulling a steady local crowd.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
Teluk Kemang, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan
Order: Ikan bakar with sambal and air asam
Probably the most famous seafood grill in Port Dickson, if not the whole state. Choose your fish, have it charred in sambal, and settle in, because the wait at peak hours is part of the ritual.
Jalan Seremban, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan
Order: Ikan bakar, sambal bamboo clams, crispy squid
A halal grill close to the beach that does a late-night trade in charred fish and sambal lala. It's the easy alternative when the Seri Mesra queue is too long.
Kampung Baharu, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan
Order: Ikan bakar and ikan pari bakar
A popular halal seafood spot in PD for grilled stingray and fish, with a family-friendly kampung setting.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
Wakaf Che Yeh, Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Order: Ikan bakar sambal with ulam and air asam
Kota Bharu's best-known ikan bakar chain, with a lineup of fresh fish grilled over charcoal and a spread of sambals and ulam. The Wakaf Che Yeh outlet is the evening crowd-puller.
Kampung Kubang Batang, Tumpat, Kelantan
Order: Ikan bakar sambal (bawal emas, siakap, cencaru)
A Tumpat-coast favourite for sambal-smeared grilled fish, with a choice of fish from bawal emas to cencaru and a plain tawar version for purists.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
Kampung Teluk Jawa, Masai, Johor
Order: Grilled and sambal seafood by the Straits
A decades-old waterside seafood landmark on the Teluk Jawa shore. You pick from the tanks, then get it grilled or done in sambal, and eat it with the sea breeze coming off the Straits of Johor.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
Kuala Kedah, Kuala Kedah, Kedah
Order: Ikan bakar by the river mouth
Grilled seafood at the Kuala Kedah estuary near the old fort, best timed for sunset. Kuala Kedah is the state's seafood town and this is a well-reviewed stop.
โ ๏ธ Last confirmed before 2025 โ check it is open before you go.
Order: Ikan bakar with sambal, gulai and satay
Langkawi's local ikan bakar strip, where islanders pick fish by the piece and wait for it off the grill. More local than the beachfront restaurants and much cheaper.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
Labuan Ferry Terminal, Labuan, Labuan
Order: Satak (spiced fried slipper lobster) and local seafood
Harbour-view seafood run by chef-owner Maria Drahman, serving Labuan-style dishes like satak and sayur paha-paha you rarely see elsewhere. The easy first stop for island seafood.
โ ๏ธ Last confirmed before 2025 โ check it is open before you go.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
Kuala Perlis, Kuala Perlis, Perlis
Order: Ikan bawal bakar with turmeric-coconut sauce
Perlis-style grilled pomfret in a creamy turmeric gravy, served by the Perlis River estuary. Fried squid and an ulam set with sambal belacan round it off.
โ ๏ธ Last confirmed before 2025 โ check it is open before you go.
Order: Ikan keli bakar (grilled catfish) with kampung dishes
A big kampung-style Malay buffet with over 50 dishes, best known for grilled and fried catfish. A Perlis family-lunch favourite.
โ ๏ธ Last confirmed before 2025 โ check it is open before you go.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
Order: Ikan bakar with nasi kunyit
An Ipoh Garden evening hangout where grilled fish and balitong draw a late crowd. One of the few ikan bakar names Ipoh people consistently recommend.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
Jeram, Kuala Selangor, Selangor
Order: Ikan bakar with house sauce and tom yam, by the sea
Grilled fish with a sea breeze on the Jeram coast โ a house sambal sauce and Thai-leaning sides make it a sunset favourite on the Kuala Selangor run.
CBD Perdana 2, Cyberjaya, Selangor
Order: Ikan bakar with air asam and sambal
Sprawling across three shop lots, Zam is Cyberjaya and Putrajaya office folk's grilled-fish canteen โ self-service by day, full service at night.
Jalan Sungai Udang, Klang, Selangor
Order: Ikan bakar with sambal petai
A Klang grilled-seafood favourite, smothering its ikan bakar in sambal petai alongside a sour-spicy tom yam.
โ ๏ธ Last confirmed before 2025 โ check it is open before you go.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
The best Ikan Bakar in Malaysia for 2026 is Welcome Seafood Restaurant (Kota Kinabalu), followed by Restoran Ikan Bakar Parameswara (Melaka) and Ana Ikan Bakar Petai (Kuantan).
Fresh fish and seafood slathered in sambal, wrapped in banana leaf and grilled over charcoal, often right by the sea.
It depends on the place. 30 of our 32 Ikan Bakar picks are halal or Muslim-friendly and 2 are non-halal. Use the halal filter at the top of the page.
Welcome Seafood Restaurant (Asia City, Kota Kinabalu) is our top Ikan Bakar pick in Sabah.
Restoran Ikan Bakar Parameswara (Umbai, Melaka) is our top Ikan Bakar pick in Melaka.
Ana Ikan Bakar Petai (Tanjung Lumpur, Kuantan) is our top Ikan Bakar pick in Pahang.
Restoran Seri Mesra Ikan Bakar & Seafood (Teluk Kemang, Port Dickson) is our top Ikan Bakar pick in Negeri Sembilan.
Pick your fish from the ice, then ask for air asam (tamarind dip) on the side.