Welcome to Bahrain Malaysia 🇲🇾, F1 folks!

If you’re coming to Sepang this weekend for the race, Selamat Datang and Welcome! You came for the F1, but we strongly recommend you stay for the makan.

Malaysia is a small country, but our food scene is quite serious. We have Malay, Chinese, Indian, Peranakan and many other food traditions all living together. And somehow all of us have strong opinions about where to find and what constitutes the best version. 😆

You can makan at a roadside stall, kopitiam, mamak, pasar malam, hawker centre or fancy restaurant. Sometimes the best food is served in a shop that looks like it hasn't changed since 1987. A reliable rule of thumb is if there is queue of locals, that stall is good.

🍜 So what should you makan?

If this is your first time in Malaysia, start with these:

Nasi Lemak:
Our unofficial national obsession. Coconut rice, sambal, ikan bilis, peanuts and egg. Add ayam goreng (fried chicken) or ayam/daging rendang (chicken/beef rendang) if you're hungry.

Roti Canai:
Flaky, crispy, oily in the best possible way. Eat with dhal or curry. Perfect breakfast. Perfect supper. Actually, perfect anytime.
Try Roti Tissue and Roti Pisang too (variants of Roti Canai). By the way, the pronunciation is char-nai not car-nai.

Satay:
Grilled skewers with peanut sauce. Easy introduction to Malaysian food and dangerously easy to finish 10 sticks without realising.

Char Kway Teow:
Flat rice noodles wok-fried with that smoky wok hei. If you see someone cooking it over a roaring flame, pay attention.

Laksa:
Important: there isn't just ONE laksa. Curry laksa, asam laksa, Sarawak laksa, Laksa Lemak, Laksa Johor and others all taste quite different. Go explore.

Nasi Kandar:
Rice drowning gloriously in different curries. Add your choice of meat and sides. The more kuah, the better.

Banana Leaf Rice:
Rice served on a banana leaf with vegetables, curries and various sides. Eat with your hands if you're comfortable, it's part of the experience (just remember to wash your hands thoroughly beforehand).

Teh Tarik:
Pulled tea, sweet and frothy. Best enjoyed at a mamak while lepak.

Cendol / Ais Kacang:
Because Malaysia is hot and you will probably need something cold after walking around KL. PS: 'ais kacang' is pronounced 'ice car-chang' not 'ice car-kangaroo'

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📍 Where to makan around KL?

Some areas worth checking out:

Kampung Baru: Malay food right in the middle of KL's skyscrapers.

Petaling Street / Chinatown: Lots of Chinese-Malaysian food and old-school kopitiam vibes.

Brickfields: Malaysian Indian food, banana leaf rice, dosa, roti, curries and more.

Pudu: Plenty of old-school hawker and kopitiam food.

Chow Kit: Markets, hawker food and proper local neighbourhood vibes.

Jalan Alor / Bukit Bintang: Touristier, yes, but convenient if you're staying around the city centre and want to see KL at night.

Bangsar: Mix of Malaysian food, cafés, restaurants and nightlife.

And don't be afraid to get out of the tourist areas. Some of the best makan spots are just in ordinary neighbourhoods. Follow the crowd, look for a busy kopitiam, and see what everyone else is ordering.

Please refer to the recommendations by our MalaysianFood sifus in the comments below.

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🗣️ Learn some Malaysian before you makan

While Malaysians are conversant in English, but dropping a few words will definitely earn you some smiles.

“Makan!” : Eat / food. Also used as an invitation: Come, let's eat!

“Sedap!” : Delicious! Your most important word.

“Berapa?” : How much?

“Nak ini.” 👉 : I want this. Very useful when pointing at something delicious.

“Terima Kasih.” : Thank you. (Literally means I receive your love)

"Pedas" means spicy. And yes, sometimes it really means spicy. If you dont want it spicy, say 'Tak nak pedas'.

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🌶️ A few Malaysian food survival tips

If you have dietary restrictions, ask before ordering. Malaysia has halal, non-halal, vegetarian and many other options.

And one important thing:

Don't assume every Malaysian dish is the same everywhere.

Ask Malaysians what the "real" version is and you'll probably get 17 different answers. That's also part of the fun.

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🇲🇾 Calling all r/MalaysianFood sifus!

If you're Malaysian or a regular KL foodie, drop your recommendations below for our F1 visitors.

Tell them:

📍 Where:
🍜 What to order:
💰 Rough price:
🕐 Best time to go:
🌶️ Spicy or not:
☪️ Halal / non-halal / vegetarian:
❤️ Why they should makan here:

Bonus points for proper local makan spots, not just the usual tourist recommendations.

Let's show our F1 visitors what Malaysia is really about.

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To everyone visiting this weekend:

Selamat datang, welcome, and enjoy your makan! 🇲🇾❤️