Vegetarian and Vegan Eats in Kuala Lumpur
Part of the Kuala Lumpur travel guide — see every topic in All Kuala Lumpur Guides.
Kuala Lumpur is an easy city to eat vegetarian in, for a reason that has nothing to do with modern food trends: it has large Indian Hindu and Chinese Buddhist populations, both with long-established vegetarian traditions and dedicated restaurants. Brickfields alone would keep a vegetarian happy for a week. The complication is Malay and Chinese cooking, where belacan (fermented shrimp paste), dried anchovies, fish sauce and lard turn up in dishes that look entirely plant-based.
Indian vegetarian
Brickfields is the centre. Banana-leaf rice is often served in fully vegetarian restaurants, where the whole set — rice, three or four vegetable dishes, rasam, pickle, pappadam, with unlimited refills — is meat-free by default and costs 10–15 ringgit. South Indian breakfast is a separate pleasure: thosai, idli, vadai and uppuma with chutney and sambar, served from six in the morning. Many of these places are strictly vegetarian throughout, which removes any doubt about shared pans or stock.
Chinese Buddhist restaurants
Signed as su shi or vegetarian, these serve entirely plant-based food including elaborate mock meats made from wheat gluten, soy and mushroom, alongside straightforward vegetable and noodle dishes. They are found near temples and in the older Chinese neighbourhoods, and are strictly vegetarian — often also avoiding onion and garlic, which some Buddhist traditions exclude. On the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month many Chinese restaurants add vegetarian options, and during the nine-day Nine Emperor Gods festival vegetarian food is everywhere.
The modern scene
Kuala Lumpur has a growing plant-based restaurant and cafe scene, concentrated in Bangsar, Damansara, Publika and TTDI, doing everything from vegan burgers to modern plant-based tasting menus, with mains at 25–60 ringgit. Several hawker centres now have a dedicated vegetarian stall. Supermarkets stock plant milks and meat substitutes widely. The one gap is that this is still a minority option in the mainstream restaurant scene, so booking somewhere specific beats hoping a general restaurant will adapt.
The words that matter
Saya vegetarian is understood; tanpa belacan means without shrimp paste and is the critical phrase, as belacan is in most sambal and many stir-fries. Tanpa ikan bilis excludes dried anchovies, which are in nasi lemak by default and in many stocks. Tanpa telur excludes egg. In Chinese places, asking for zhai or pointing to the vegetarian sign works. Be aware that "vegetarian" is sometimes understood as excluding red meat only, so listing what you avoid is more reliable than the label.
Vegetarian and Vegan Eats at a glance
| Best area | Brickfields — Indian vegetarian, banana-leaf rice RM 10–15 |
|---|---|
| Chinese Buddhist | Signed vegetarian or su shi — strictly plant-based |
| Modern scene | Bangsar, Damansara, Publika, TTDI; mains RM 25–60 |
| Watch for | Belacan (shrimp paste) and ikan bilis (dried anchovy) |
| Key phrase | Tanpa belacan — without shrimp paste |
| Bonus | Nine Emperor Gods festival — vegetarian food everywhere |