Eating My Way Through an Island in Malaysia
A visual food guide for Langkawi Island
I recently had the opportunity to take a trip to Southeast Asia with my sister. This trip was especially meaningful because, since moving to South Korea two years ago, I don’t get to see my family often. My sister is currently a senior at a university in NYC, and I teach English in Korea. This January, our vacation schedules aligned perfectly. I had originally planned a solo trip to Malaysia and Bali, but as soon as I realized her school break matched mine, I invited her along!
Since we fund these trips ourselves, traveling isn’t always easy, but we made it happen and shared an experience we’ll remember for a lifetime.
We’re both big foodies and love trying everything. My sister especially enjoys eating healthy and mindfully, so it was fun to see what dishes she chose and which restaurants she recommended. We were pleasantly satisfied by almost everything we ate in Langkawi, so I wanted to put together this food guide for you!
Everything We Ate in 4 Days on Langkawi Island!
Langkawi is a small island off the northwest coast of Malaysia and was the first stop on our two-week vacation. After an 8-hour flight (with a layover in Kuala Lumpur) for me and a 26-hour journey for my sister, we finally met on the island in the late evening and headed to our stay at Cenang Beach.
Note: The addresses provided here were found on Google Maps, but it’s much easier to just type the name of the restaurant followed by “Langkawi” into the navigation bar.
Day 1
Dinner: Street Food at Pantai Cenang Night Market
📍 Address: 16, Jalan Pantai Chenang, Kampung Lubok Buaya, 07000 Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia
🕗 Hours: 8 PM onwards
🍢 Chicken Satay – 20 MYR (~$4.50 USD)
A staple in Malaysia
Juicy, tender chicken with a sweet peanut sauce
🥩 Turmeric Fried Beef – 9 MYR (~$2.00 USD)
Super tender meat
Perfectly cooked veggies, spicy sauce, miso soup, and white rice
Day 2
Breakfast: Warung Coffee
📍 Address: Hadapan AB Motel, Jalan Pantai Chenang, Kampung Lubok Buaya, 07000 Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia (this is the address Google Maps will give you, but it’s actually directly across the street from here)
🕗 Hours: 7:30 AM - 12:30 PM (Closed Thursdays)
🥪 Egg & Chicken Meatloaf Sandwich – 13 MYR (~$2.90 USD)
Perfectly toasted bread, fluffy eggs
Cold cut style chicken
🍳 Tomato Onion Omelette – 11 MYR (~$2.50 USD)
Light, fluffy, and cheesy
Lunch: Damascus Cafe
📍 Address: F-1 Cenang Cenang Shops Pantai Cenang, 07000 Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia
🕗 Hours: 8am - 2am
🌯 Chicken Shawarma Wrap – 12 MYR (~$2.70 USD)
Tasty but slightly dry chicken
🧆 Falafel Plate – 20 MYR (~$4.50 USD)
Crispy outside, perfectly cooked inside, great seasoning
Comes with seasoned hummus
🥣 Hummus – 20 MYR (~$4.50 USD)
Smooth, flavorful, drizzled with quality olive oil
Served with pita bread
Snack: Swinter
📍 Address: Lot 18, Maliwalk, Malibest Resort, Jalan Pantai Chenang, Pantai Cenang, 07000 Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia
🕗 Hours: 2 PM - 11:30 PM
🍦 Pistachio Ice Cream – 8 MYR (~$1.80 USD)
Made with real pistachios
Rich, natural flavor (unlike artificial ones in the U.S.)
Dinner: Kalut Cafe and Bar
📍 Address: 2, Jalan Pantai Chenang, Kampung Lubok Buaya, 07000 Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia
🕗 Hours: 11 AM - 1 AM
🍗 Chicken Satay - 24 MYR (~$5.40 USD)
More chicken satay! (although we did like the one from the night market better)
(We also split a burger, but I forgot to take a pic…)
🍔 The Kalut Burger - 44 MYR (~$9.90 USD)
a decent burger, but not the best
Note: This restaurant was pricier than the others, but its beachfront location and nightly fire show (7:30 PM & 9:00 PM) made the experience worthwhile—even though the food was just okay.
Day 3
Breakfast: Cenang Signature Coffee House
📍 Address: Lot 2614, in front of Underwater World Langkawi, Pantai Cenang, 07000 Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia
🕗 Hours: 8 AM - 4 PM
🍜 Smoked Duck & Dried Noodle – 16 MYR (~$3.60 USD)
Tender, juicy duck with perfectly cooked noodles
Great umami soy sauce
🍚 Hainanese Chicken & Rice – 10 MYR (~$2.30 USD)
Tender, juicy chicken with a spicy sauce
🍞 Kaya Butter Toast – 4 MYR (~$0.90 USD)
Sweet, nutty, creamy
Note: 10/10! Authentic, home-cooked meals at great prices. Perfect portion sizes!
Late Lunch: Adam’s 7 Cafe
Located at the entrance of 7 Wells Waterfall (I was so tired after hiking the 701 meter peak that I forgot to take a pic of the restaurant exterior…)
📍 Address: 12, Jalan Telaga Tujuh, 07100 Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia
🕗 Hours: 11am - 6pm, closed Fridays
🥩 Beef Turmeric - 8 MYR (~$1.80 USD)
a yummy and satisfying meal after visiting the waterfall and the long hike up Machinchang Mountain
nice flavors and well cooked meat
🍚 Chicken Fried Rice - 10 MYR (~2.30 USD)
a satisfying meal with crispy fried chicken
Day 4
Breakfast: Kelly’s Cafe
📍 Address: 115, Off, Kelly's Cafe, Jalan Pantai Chenang, Kampung Lubok Buaya, 07000 Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia
🕗 Hours: 8:30 AM - 4 PM (Closed Wednesday & Thursday)
🍳 Shakshuka – 36 MYR (~$8 USD)
Tender meatballs, perfectly cooked over-easy eggs
Well-seasoned sauce
🥑 Salmonist Breakfast – 38 MYR (~$8.60 USD)
Beautiful presentation
Thinly sliced lox with avocado, capers, onion, and tomato
Tasty chive cream cheese
Dinner: Street Food at Pantai Cenang Night Market (again!)
📍 Address: 16, Jalan Pantai Chenang, Kampung Lubok Buaya, 07000 Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia
🕗 Hours: 8 PM onwards
🍢 Original Chicken, Spicy Chicken, Lamb Satay – 1.50 - 3.00 MYR/stick ($0.33 - $0.70 USD)
Each was tender and well seasoned
Delicious umami sauce that was unique from the usual peanut sauce
Flavorful coconut rice
Marinated chicken that was super tender
Wrapped and served in a banana leaf
If you read this far, thank you! I wish I could treat you to satay! The following morning, we made our way to the next stop of the trip — Kuala Lumpur. Stay tuned for that food guide and everything we ate there next!
Wow! You were in my country, Malaysia. Looks like you enjoyed your stay in Langkawi! 😀
Are you still in Malaysia?