While cafe culture is going strong in Singapore, Johor Bahru’s burgeoning crop of cool coffee joints is just a car ride away – and if a plane ride to Bangkok isn’t on the cards, these will more than make up for it.
Frequenters of JB might know about Roost Juice Bar, the cafe that serves up some amazing frozen yoghurt and, of course, juices. Well, the owners have opened up a new cafe just a few doors down. Filled with hanging plants and plush sofas, the cosy cafe is just as Instagram-worthy as its sister joint, if not more.
Their menu incorporates edible flowers, herbs and spices into its food offerings (there’s a drink containing rosemary, chilli and lemon). If you’re planning on making a trip down, it’s best that you go early. The cafe tends to fill up towards midday because, like us, people just can’t seem to get enough of it. 9 Jalan Dhoby, 80000 Johor Bahru
You may have heard about Sea & Saw, and with good reason. It’s one of the most popular hipster cafes in JB, with the interior furnished and designed as artfully as if it had your Instagram feed in mind, thanks to its creative marketing honcho and Female Collective member Linda Hao.
The cafe is big on horticulture, with potted plants impressively arranged along the perimetre their perimeter. What that means: You won’t just have pretty and appetising food to tempt your followers with, but pretty backdrops for your fabulous #OOTD too. 6 Jalan Bertingkat Skudai, 81200 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Interieur Cafe is actually an interior designer’s side project, so you can trust that the backdrop to your photos will be professionally stylish. If that isn’t impressive enough, how’s this: The cafe’s design won an award in the Asia Pacific International Property Awards.
Despite that lofty accolade, there’s nothing pretentious about the cafe. In fact, it’s exudes a homely feel, in part due to its casual cafe fare. They serve up a mean waffle, and we’d recommend getting the matcha cake too if that’s available. No 2 Jalan Bestari 3/2, Taman Nusa Bestar, 81200 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
You might have seen pictures of the caffeine concoction that created quite a storm in social media circles last year. If you haven’t, allow us to formally introduce you to that incredible invention: the “Sweet Rain”, a fluffy, delicious cloud of cotton candy “hovering” atop your piping hot cup of coffee. And while you get your Instagramming #foodie on, the cotton candy begins to melt into your coffee, literally raining down sugar into your brew. There are just as many rave reviews for their cakes, so we recommend heading down as a group to sample as many options as possible. 52 Jalan Serampang, Taman Tebrau Jaya, 80400 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Why travel to Bangkok for coconut ice cream when you can get something equally amazing right across the causeway? Sangkaya’s version is freshly made on a daily basis using home-grown Malaysian coconuts and come prettily made too, and your Instagram followers will definitely welcome the visually pleasing photos. 25 Jalan Austin Height 3, Taman Mount Austin, Johor Bahru
An adapted version of this appeared in www.herworldplus.com.
Like this? Here are 10 minimalist cafes in Singapore we love.
- TAGS:
- Cafes
- johor bahru
- malaysia
- travel
- weekend