2026 Guide
Kuantan seafood, ikan patin tempoyak and highland treats.
Updated October 2026 · 39 spots · 6 cities
⚡ Quick answer
The must-eat spots in Pahang are Mohd Chan Chinese Muslim Restaurant Kuantan (Seafood Restaurant, Kuantan), Roti Bakar Beserah (RBB) (Brunch Café, Kuantan) and Gobang Maju Patin Tempoyak (Patin Tempoyak, Temerloh).
Taman Mahkota Putra, Kuantan, Pahang
halalfamily
Order: Halal Chinese seafood: butter prawns, steamed fish
The halal Chinese restaurant in Kuantan, with nearly 9,000 reviews and a big seafood menu.
banquet
Order: Cantonese seafood and banquet dishes
A Kuantan Chinese seafood favourite inside the Grand Continental.
Taman Mariana, Kuantan, Pahang
big groups
Order: Chinese-style crabs and prawns
Kuantan's best-known Chinese seafood restaurant, with thousands of reviews.
Jalan Air Putih, Kuantan, Pahang
seafood
Order: Local Chinese seafood
A well-rated neighbourhood seafood restaurant on Jalan Air Putih.
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breakfastlocal
Order: Charcoal roti bakar with kaya
Kuantan's iconic breakfast stop for charcoal-toasted bread, with near-perfect ratings over 4,700 reviews.
heritage shophouse
Order: Brunch plates and burnt cheesecake
A heritage-shophouse café in the old town, top-rated for brunch and cakes.
vintage decor
Order: Café breakfasts in a vintage shophouse
Kuantan's best-known café, in a restored old-town shophouse full of vintage finds.
coffee
Order: Coffee and brunch plates
A popular old-town café for coffee and a late breakfast.
Taman Sentosa Baru, Kuantan, Pahang
specialty coffee
Order: Specialty coffee, breakfast and cakes
A specialty coffee café with a solid breakfast menu.
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Jalan Triang, Temerloh, Pahang
Order: Gulai tempoyak ikan patin, pais bakar tempoyak
The name every Temerloh road-tripper is told first: a big riverside dining hall built around patin swimming in sour, funky durian-tempoyak gravy. Weekends are packed with KL families detouring off the highway, and the grilled pais tempoyak is just as good as the gulai.
Kampung Bangau, Temerloh, Pahang
Order: Gulai tempoyak patin with home-fermented sambal tempoyak
A kampung-style spot a short drive through riverside roads from town, known as the fiery one of Temerloh's patin houses. Home-fermented tempoyak and a proper nasi campur spread make it the local pick over the touristy halls.
Temerloh Town, Temerloh, Pahang
Order: Patin masak tempoyak, patin bakar
Regularly named alongside Gobang Maju as one of Temerloh's top patin addresses, with travellers calling its tempoyak gravy the best they have had. Lunch-focused, so go early before the river fish sells out.
⚠️ Last confirmed before 2025 — check it is open before you go.
Order: Ikan patin masak tempoyak, patin bakar
Kuantan's go-to when you want Temerloh-style patin without the drive inland. A Pahang-cuisine specialist where the tempoyak patin is the reason for the queue; regulars say stick to the main branch.
⚠️ Last confirmed before 2025 — check it is open before you go.
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Bandar Indera Mahkota, Kuantan, Pahang
family
Order: Mandy rice, maqlubah and shawarma
Kuantan's top-rated Arab restaurant with near-perfect scores across 1,700+ reviews.
desserts
Order: Many varieties of nasi arab, kunafa
A Middle Eastern restaurant with a wide nasi arab range and kunafa for dessert.
levantine
Order: Levantine plates and hummus
A Levantine kitchen praised for fresh, generous food.
Sungai Karang, Kuantan, Pahang
casual
Order: Mandy and kabsah
A small, well-rated Arab rice house on the Beserah side.
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Tatler Best 20 (#1 listed)farm-to-tablehill viewsreservations essential
Order: Farm-to-table set menu from its own organic garden
Topped Tatler's 2026 Best 20 list. A hillside farm an hour from KL where the menu is whatever the garden and forest give that week — a proper destination meal.
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farm tourday trip from KL
Order: Bentong/Raub Musang King orchard visits
Allan Phoon's agro-tourism farm draws around a thousand guests a month in season — the classic Musang King-country day trip from KL.
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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.
⚠️ Last confirmed before 2025 — 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.
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Teluk Cempedak, Kuantan, Pahang
Order: Curry mee with cockles and chicken
Kuantan's most famous bowl of curry mee, served from an old kopitiam on the way to Teluk Cempedak beach. Rich, lemak broth and a breakfast crowd of locals and visitors — arrive early or you'll be waiting.
Order: Curry mee topped with yong tau foo
A neighbourhood kopitiam off Jalan Beserah whose curry mee comes loaded with yong tau foo pieces. A long-time Kuantan breakfast favourite rather than a tourist stop.
⚠️ Last confirmed before 2025 — check it is open before you go.
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Bandar Indera Mahkota, Kuantan, Pahang
coffeegrill
Order: Monster beef burger
A coffee-and-grill spot whose monster beef burger is the one reviewers keep praising.
Taman Kerjasama, Kuantan, Pahang
family
Order: New York burger
A busy Thai-Western fusion restaurant whose burgers get regular praise.
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Jalan Chui Yin, Bentong, Pahang
Order: Stuffed tofu puff, brinjal and okra yong tau foo
Bentong is famous for its tofu, and this old kopitiam is where locals get their yong tau foo — cheap, fresh, generously stuffed. The wantan mee stall here sells out before lunch too.
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Genting Grand, Genting Highlands, Pahang
hotelhighlandsfamilylarge groups
Order: Huge Asian & international buffet up in the highlands
Genting's most famous buffet: a big, bustling spread that's been a fixture of highland trips for generations of Malaysian families.
⚠️ Last confirmed before 2025 — check it is open before you go.
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Order: Cendol pulut
Kuantan's best-known cendol stop, where the pulut version (with glutinous rice) is the order. A must after a hot afternoon in town and a regular on Kuantan food lists for over a decade.
⚠️ Last confirmed before 2025 — check it is open before you go.
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East Coast Garden, Kuantan, Pahang
cafe
Order: Cakes and pastries
A popular two-storey cake house and café.
cakes
Order: Cakes and slices
Kuantan's most-reviewed cake shop, in the old town.
Jalan Kubang Buaya, Kuantan, Pahang
sourdough
Order: Sourdough and pastries
Kuantan's artisan sourdough bakery-café.
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Jalan Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang
Order: Nasi lemak with ayam pandan
A long-standing roadside institution on the Gambang road that Kuantan folk name when asked about nasi lemak. Fragrant santan rice, punchy sambal and their pandan chicken keep it on every local list.
⚠️ Last confirmed before 2025 — check it is open before you go.
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Jalan Beserah, Kuantan, Pahang
Order: Dry wantan mee with black sauce, lard and chicken floss
Kuantan's cult wantan mee: springy noodles drowned in a dark, lardy sauce and finished with chicken floss. Looks messy, tastes addictive.
⚠️ Last confirmed before 2025 — check it is open before you go.
Order: Bentong wantan mee with char siu
One of the names that comes up when people drive up to Bentong for noodles — classic dry wantan mee with char siu in an old-town kopitiam setting.
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heritage
Order: Hainanese kopi, kaya toast
An old Raub coffee shop that pairs nicely with a durian run in Musang King country.
⚠️ Last confirmed before 2025 — check it is open before you go.
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Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands, Pahang
Order: Banana leaf rice with assorted curries and papadum
A favourite among visitors to the highlands for a proper banana leaf spread after a cold day at the tea estates — generous curries, vegetables and papadum on the leaf.
Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands, Pahang
Order: Banana leaf rice, roti canai
One of the long-running Indian canteens on Tanah Rata's main street, a dependable stop for banana leaf meals and roti between hikes.
⚠️ Last confirmed before 2025 — check it is open before you go.
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Order: Hainanese chicken rice
A popular old-town Bentong kopitiam best known for its chicken rice, a staple stop on weekend durian-and-ginger trips. Opinions vary, but it remains the most-named chicken rice in town.
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Kuantan seafood, ikan patin tempoyak and highland treats. Our guide lists 39 top spots in Pahang across 18 dishes: Seafood Restaurant, Brunch Café, Patin Tempoyak, Nasi Arab & Mandy, Fine Dining, Durian, Ikan Bakar, Curry Laksa, Burger, Yong Tau Foo, Buffet, Cendol, Bakery & Pastry, Nasi Lemak, Wantan Mee, Kopitiam Breakfast, Banana Leaf Rice and Chicken Rice.
Start with Mohd Chan Chinese Muslim Restaurant Kuantan in Kuantan for Seafood Restaurant — rated Must Try.
Top halal picks in Pahang: Mohd Chan Chinese Muslim Restaurant Kuantan (Seafood Restaurant), Roti Bakar Beserah (RBB) (Brunch Café), Gobang Maju Patin Tempoyak (Patin Tempoyak) and Al-Kawthar Restaurant Kuantan (IM 7) (Nasi Arab & Mandy).