The Ultimate Guide to Johor Bahru Heritage Trial

For any traveller visiting the town of Johor Bahru, JB Heritage Street is a must in your itinerary. Johor Bahru Heritage Street is made up of a few connecting streets, with buildings from pre-war years. If you’re curious about how the old Johor Bahru looked like decades ago, this is one area that should not be missed.

By referring to the map, the three recommended streets to focus on would be JalanDhoby, JalanTrus and Jalan Tan Hiok Nee as most of the popular shops are located within these three streets. A tour around this area can be divided into three categories – to see, to eat and take-away for the road.

I) Places To See

1. Johor Bahru Chinese Heritage Museum

The Chinese Heritage Museum, also known as Tiong-Hua Museum, showcases valuable artifacts and items contributed by families and associations of the older generation in order to help us understand the Chinese culture better. You will also learn about important names like Tan Hiok Nee, Ngee Heng and Wong Ah Fook and the story behind these prominent figures. For those who wish to understand the background of the different Chinese dialects, this is a good place to start too.
Opening hours : 9am – 5pm daily (Closed on Mondays)
Entrance Fee : RM3 – adults, RM1 – children, students, and senior citizens

2. The Red House

Originally owned by a wealthy Indian family, the Red House was passed on to several others before its present owner decided to repaint it and use it for cultural events.

The Red House is now being repainted to white. Visitors can still ask to see the interior of the building while works are being done.
Enquiries may be directed to the office of Johor Chinese Heritage Museum at No. 42 Jalan Ibrahim, Contact no : 607 – 2249633, Fax: 607 – 2249635 or email: heritage_museumjb@jb-tionghua.org.my

II) Places To Eat

1. Hua Mui Kopitiam

If you arrive in Johor Bahru early, this may be one of the first stops to sit down and enjoy some local breakfast. This coffee shop serves plenty of local delicacies from morning till tea time. If you’re craving for some traditional butter-kaya toasts and coffee, this is the place you should stop at for a satisfying morning meal.
Operating Hours: 8:00AM – 6:00PM
Location: Diagonally across the street from Roost Café

2. The Replacement Lodge and Kitchen

For those who prefer something in between breakfast and lunch, The Replacement Lodge & Kitchen offers a range of mouth-watering dishes for brunch. All the items listed on the menu are worth trying. If you’re just hanging out with friends over a cup of coffee and dessert, make sure to try the Salted Egg Churros. It’s bound to leave you a pleasantly unforgettable impression!
From 7pm onwards, The Replacement turns into a whole different theme, “Night at The Replacement” where western dishes and Tapas are served, while relaxing lounge music is played in the background. Travellers who are staying overnight may also wish to check out The Replacement’s AirBnB listing which is located just upstairs. With its central location, all the interesting sights in town are merely a short walk away.
Address: Malaysia, 33, JalanDhoby, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Operating hours: 10AM–10:30PM

3. IT Roo Café

IT Roo Café, as its signboard states, is probably one of the best chicken chop you can find within the town area of Johor Bahru. There are two types to choose from – fried chicken chop, or grilled chicken chop. The chicken is also served along with side dishes like coleslaw, sliced tomato and cucumber, as well as potato wedges that are freshly cut from raw potatoes and deep fried to perfection. This café also serves local delicacies like Cantonese Hor Fun, Fried Mee Hoon and Fried Rice for those who want something other than the usual chicken chop. If it’s a sunny day, be sure to order a glass of rootbeer float too while you’re there!
Address: 17, JalanDhoby, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Hours: 12–9:30PM
Phone: +60 7-222 7780
Phone: +60 16-720 0068

4. The Ice Cream Project

The Ice Cream Project is a quaint little café along JalanDhoby that serves handmade ice-cream. The ice-cream is blended and frozen on the spot by mixing food grade liquid nitrogen (N2) with the ingredients and flavourings after customers place their orders. What makes the ice-cream so delicious is that because it is made on the spot upon customer’s orders, the taste of the ice-cream is at its finest with no icy chunks. Sometimes when ice-cream is kept in the freezer for some time it may turn icy due to the inconsistent temperature. Therefore, by doing this, customers get to fully enjoy the taste and flavour of the ice-cream. For those with a sweet tooth, this may be your favourite hangout spot!
Address: 31, JalanDhoby, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Hours: 3–10PM
Phone: +60 7-221 0039

5. Hookah District

For those who enjoy late evening hangouts and chilling with friends over shisha, Hookah District offers a variety of flavours. Situated at an open area, customers can enjoy shisha while enjoying the cool evening breeze.
Opening hours : 7pm onwards
Address :Jalan Ibrahim, 80000 Johor Bahru

III) Places for Take-Away Food

After a long day of sight-seeing and food hunting, it’s time to head back home again, but not without something for the road. Here are a couple of stops to make before you hit the road

1. Hiap Joo Bakery

Famous for its banana cakes and coconut buns, there is always a long queue outside the shop and sometimes even up till the streets. HiapJoo Bakery has been in operation since 1919 and even the Royal family of Johor frequent this place. The cakes and bread are deliciously unique because they are baked in the traditional clay-brick oven using wood fire. The banana cakes are soft and moist that you’d find it hard to stop once you start. You will want to bring boxes of their cakes back home for the rest of your family and friends once you’ve tried it.
Address: 13, Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Hours: 12pm – 5.30pm
Phone: +60 7-223 1703

2. Salahuddin Bakery

Another bakery that uses wood-fired oven to bake their bread and pastries is Salahuddin Bakery. This bakery has been in operation since 1937 and there is a wide variety of bread, pastries and Bengali puffs to choose from. All the bread and pastries are displayed in trays as shown in the picture above and one popular pastry recommended by many is their sugee biscuits.
Address: 26, JalanDhoby, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Hours: 9:30AM–5:30PM
Phone: +60 12-766 8380
A walk along JB Heritage Street can take up to a full day. These are merely a few interesting stops, but you will come across many more while exploring. There is something about this area that always keeps its visitors coming back for more. If you have not been there, plan a trip soon!

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