JB breakfasts are one of those things Singaporeans talk about like it's a secret, except everyone knows about it. The Jalan Trus heritage strip alone has enough to fill a week’s worth of mornings twice over, and once you've got a car, the dim sum halls and roti canai stalls further out open up too.
The heritage strip you can walk to from CIQ
If you're crossing by bus or walking through the checkpoint, everything in this section is within 10 minutes on foot. Jalan Trus and Jalan Tan Hiok Nee run parallel to each other just south of the old town, and between them they hold more breakfast history than most cities manage in an entire food district.
01. Restoran Hua Mui
Hua Mui has been serving Hainanese food on Jalan Trus since 1946, and still retains that old-school kopitiam vibe where every table seems to know what they're ordering before they sit down.
The Hainanese Chicken Chop (from RM25.90) is a proper cutlet, crumbed and fried, served with brown gravy and a side of peas and chips that feels like a time capsule from British Malaya. But I'd argue the real reason to come this early is the breakfast set, consisting of charcoal-grilled kaya butter toast (from RM3.70) with soft-boiled kampung eggs and a cup of Kopi Gu You, their butter coffee, adds up to under RM15.
📍 Address: 131 Jalan Trus, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru
⏰ Opening hours: 8am – 5pm daily
🍴 Halal status: Halal
🌐 Website: restoranhuamui.com
02. Hiap Joo Bakery
Straight around the corner from Hua Mui lies Hiap Joo, which opened in 1919 and still bakes everything in a wood-fired oven. You can really taste it on signatures like the banana cake (from around RM12). It's dense, fragrant, and somehow still moist in the middle despite being baked over charcoal. They also do coconut buns, garlic bread, and a peanut butter bun that sells out quickly on weekends.
📍 Address: 13 Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru
⏰ Opening hours: Mon to Sat, 7am – 6pm | Sun, 9am – 1pm
🍴 Halal status: Not halal-certified
03. Ah Ma Teochew Kuih
Once you’ve had your fill of banana cake, walk a few doors down and you’ll be greeted by JB’s resident Teochew kuih specialist. But my personal favourite here when I’m across the border is the Ah Ma Teochew Porridge (from RM9.90), a plain, silky rice porridge served alongside a rotating spread of savoury sides and traditional kuih that you pick to build your own meal. On a good morning, the spread behind the glass counter has, like, 20 items. Which I think qualifies this one for “smorgasboard” status.
📍 Address: 13 Jalan Trus, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru
⏰ Opening hours: Tue to Sun, 7.30am – 5pm | Closed Mon
🍴 Halal status: Not halal, though no pork or lard is used
04. Kopiloco
If you’re looking for a full JB breakfast for less than RM10, Kopiloco has the retro Nanyang aesthetic and prices that make Hua Mui look like a trendy cafe. The Butter Kaya Toast (RM3.80) with a Half-Boiled Kampung Egg (RM3.80) is the classic move. The Sambal Egg Toast (RM4.60) adds a bit of kick if you want it, and their Mee Siam with Egg (RM6.90) is a solid hot option when toast isn't going to cut it. They also do Portuguese egg tarts, flaky and warm if you catch them fresh from the oven.
📍 Address: 64 and 65 Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru
⏰ Opening hours: 7.30am – 5.30pm daily
🍴 Halal status: Halal
05. Salahuddin Bakery
At the far end of Jalan Dhoby, tucked into a corner that most people walk past on their way to somewhere else. Salahuddin has been baking since the 1960s and the shopfront hasn't changed much since then. It's a Muslim-owned bakery that makes everything in-house. Regulars know to arrive before 11am because the good stuff goes fast.
The flaky cream cone (from around RM2) is what this bakery is known for. Crisp pastry filled with a light, slightly sweet cream that collapses the moment you bite into it. Their lamb curry puffs are the other star, properly spiced and filled generously enough that 2 of them count as breakfast. Cash only, nothing fancy, and absolutely worth the detour.
📍 Address: 26 Jalan Dhoby, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru
⏰ Opening hours: Sat to Thu, 9am – 4.30pm | Closed Fri
🍴 Halal status: Muslim-owned
06. Warung Roti Canai Bukit Chagar
Three minutes from CIQ, this bare-bones stall in Bukit Chagar sells roti canai for RM1 a piece. Plastic chairs, a flat-top griddle, and a queue that moves fast because, well, who can turn down Roti telur, roti sardine, and roti planta for under RM3? The canai is thin and crispy rather than the thick, doughy style, and the curry dipping sauce has a proper kick.
📍 Address: 394 Jalan Tengku Azizah, Bukit Chagar, 80300 Johor Bahru
⏰ Opening hours: 7am – 12pm daily
🍴 Halal status: Muslim-owned
07. Restaurant Reaz Corner
Thhis 24-hour mamak on Jalan Dhoby solves the ages-old anxiety of "what if my Causeway crossing takes longer than expected and I arrive starving at midnight" while also being a perfect morning spot. The roti canai here is solid, but the standout is the Roti Arab Kaya Butter (RM4). It's fluffier and thicker than regular roti, spread with kaya and butter and toasted until the edges go slightly caramelised.
The Nasi Briyani Ayam Tandoori (RM12) is more of a lunch move, but the Susu Kambing Biasa (RM5), a warm goat's milk drink, is a JB breakfast staple that doesn't really have a Singapore equivalent (that you can get without going to a farm).
📍 Address: 23 Jalan Dhoby, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru
⏰ Opening hours: 24 hours daily
🍴 Halal status: Muslim-owned
08. Restoran Kacang Pool Haji
Kacang pool is a thick, slow-cooked fava bean stew with minced meat, a runny egg cracked on top, and bread on the side for scooping. It's a Middle Eastern-influenced dish that settled into Johor's food culture generations ago, and Kacang Pool Haji's version (from RM7) is so good that it’s more or less single-handedly kept this restaurant afloat for decades.
📍 Address: 12 Jalan Dato Jaafar, Taman Dato Onn, 80350 Johor Bahru
⏰ Opening hours: 7am – 12am daily
🍴 Halal status: Muslim-owned
A short drive away
These 2 sit outside the CIQ walking radius but are well within reach if you've driven across the Causeway. One opens before dawn. The other does kopitiam food so well that the queues followed it across 3 outlets.
09. Restoran Kak Kak
Dim sum in JB starts early. The trolleys roll at 6am, and by 8am the dining halls are full of families making enough noise to fill a hawker centre twice over. Kak Kak is one of the more popular spots for it, tucked into Taman Maju Jaya about 15 minutes from the city centre.
The Har Gow and Siew Mai are reliable starting points, but the Lo Mai Kai, glutinous rice steamed in lotus leaf, is where I'd start. Sticky, savoury, and portioned generously enough that one basket between 2 is plenty alongside everything else. Prices start from around RM5 per basket, and a table of 4 can eat extremely well for under RM60.
📍 Address: 9 Jalan Maju, Taman Maju Jaya, 80400 Johor Bahru
⏰ Opening hours: Wed to Mon, 6am – 1pm | Closed Tue
🍴 Halal status: Not halal
10. Roast & Coffee
Modern Nanyang kopitiam energy with food that goes well beyond toast and eggs. Roast & Coffee started from a single noodle stall and has expanded to multiple outlets across JB.
For an easy entry point, look no further than the Kaya Butter Toast (from RM3) and traditional Nanyang coffee. But the reason people drive here is the Signature Laksa (RM10.90), which rich, coconut-forward broth that has enough heft to carry you through until a late lunch.
📍 Address: 33 and 35 Jalan Indah 13/3, Taman Bukit Indah, 81200 Johor Bahru (Bukit Indah outlet)
⏰ Opening hours: 7am – 5pm daily
🍴 Halal status: Not halal-certified
🌐 Website: roastandcoffee.com
(Featured photo from: Ah Ma Teochew Kuih)
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