Letter From Johor Bahru Coffee-shop fare with a brew of nostalgia drives rise of Johor cafe chains

Blending heritage elements with a modern twist, they attract older customers seeking comfort from the past and younger patrons looking to relax amid Instagram-worthy surroundings.

- Harith Mustaffa

In a Johor Bahru cafe, my steaming hot kopi-o comes in a thick porcelain cup and saucer, set on a marble-top table. The surroundings are cool and comfy, the furniture is retro, and the floor tiles are chequered black-and-white vintage. Around me are families tucking into their nasi lemak and laksa, and Instagramming Gen Zs scrolling on their phones.

If you've visited Johor recently, you would likely have come across such eateries offering humble coffee-shop or kopitiam fare like coffee, kaya toast, soft-boiled eggs and noodle bowls. All this in air-conditioned comfort with spacious seating, served with a dose of nostalgia amid decor featuring old-school wooden tables and chairs, vintage patterned tiles, and even a classic Singer sewing machine.

"We grew up eating these local dishes at home or at a hawker stall in our neighbourhood... (kopitiam fare) marries the familiarity of taste and the search for a hip new cafe," said Ms Nur Ezzara Basyira, a 25-year-old communications executive from JB.

Over the past few years, kopitiams wrapped in comfort with a serving of nostalgia have proliferated in the southern Malaysian state, especially in state capital JB, which is viewed as a favourable launch pad for food-and-beverage businesses.

Some of these cafes have done well enough to venture beyond their home borders to Singapore and Australia, and one has even listed successfully.

Oriental Kopi, which in 2020 opened its first outlet in Johor Jaya, a suburb in JB, debuted on the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia on Jan 23, 2025. Its shares doubled from the IPO price of RM0.44 to close at RM0.875 on the first trading day.

To date, the kopitiam chain operator has over 20 outlets in Malaysia, and plans to open at least 13 more by 2026. The chain, which offers Nanyang-style coffee and cuisine, also has two outlets in Singapore, where it plans to open a total of eight outlets over the next three years with Singapore-based Paradise Group.