There are plenty of reasons to visit Johor. The great outdoors from Pontian to Desaru, nostalgia for the way things were, shopping and, of course, good food.
Visitors from across the Causeway are slowly but surely driving up prices downtown and in Mount Austin – basically anywhere Singaporeans frequent. There’s nothing wrong with comfort zones, but if you’ve an itch to venture down roads less travelled and find crabs as delectable but cheaper than around KSL Mall, then this list is for you.
Having tootled around greater JB for a bit (and bearing in mind my well-travelled crab-obsessed dad), here’s a list of atmospherically “ulu” (remote) seafood restaurants around Johor.
Almost all Chinese-run seafood restaurants in Johor are “Muslim-friendly”, meaning they use no pork or lard, though those conscious of this requirement might want to skip smaller establishments like You Kee and Sin Kong.
Their bigger Sungai Rengit neighbours, such as Jade Garden and Super Lobster on this list, see regular Malay-Muslim government officials and businessmen having lunch and dinner there.
Finally, we’ve included a rough price guide with each listing, from $ for the cheapest relative options to $$$ for the priciest.
JADE GARDEN SEAFOOD CORNER
Price estimate: $$$
Sungai Rengit, also fondly known as “Lobster Village”, was once a popular destination for cyclists from Singapore who’d hop on a bumboat from Changi Village to Tanjung Pengelih and bike to Rengit. The bumboats and the idyllic Pengerang coast are history now, alas, thanks to the construction of Malaysia’s largest petrochemical complex, which began in 2013.
Lobster Village has nevertheless survived, and its dozen or so seafood restaurants have somewhat thrived. The departure of construction crews with the refinery complex’s completion in 2018 has allowed Sungei Rengit to settle back into its sleepy rhythms. The post-COVID revival of Desaru, 30 minutes north by road, has brought tourists back to the village.
The most successful of Rengit’s seafood eateries has been Jade Garden, which moved from its original shophouse/backyard spot to its new location on the water, standing on unromantic concrete stilts. Its reputation is still as high as ever. Besides its signature lobster in superior broth, you can ask for its off-menu marmite lobster, which only locals and regulars know about.
Lot 4785, 1, Jalan Siakap, Kampung Sungai Rengit, 81620 Pengerang
SUPER LOBSTER RESTAURANT
Price estimate: $$$
A strong rival of Jade Garden’s is Super Lobster Restaurant. Its S-tier Google user rating may warrant some scepticism, but its murals boasting of celebrity visitors (mostly Channel 8 stars) are bona fide proof – as are the impressive array of cooking competition certificates of its executive chef.
This Sungai Rengit stalwart similarly got its start around Jalan Kerisi and now occupies a new shophouse block right at the entrance to the village. Despite its more modern appearance, Super Lobster (like Jade Garden) still has local supporters and still draws crowds for weekday lunches. Befitting its name, the restaurant goes all out in its variety of lobster offerings with around a dozen different preparations, such as red wine, salted egg and good ol’ butter.
7,9 and 11, Jalan Jenahak, Kampung Sungai Rengit, 81600 Pengerang
YOU KEE AND SIN KONG
Price estimate: $
If you fancy something much more rustic (and slightly cheaper) in Sungai Rengit, there’s You Kee and Sin Kong on Jalan Kerisi, which is where Jade Garden originally stood.
The former is fondly remembered by my family, immortalised by an amused uncle posing with their sign promising diners an “air conditional” dining environment. That signboard is long gone but their new ones, in truly Malaysian fashion, welcome you to either “Youu Kee” or “You Kees”. Sin Kong across the sleepy lane similarly endures as a regular dinner spot for locals.
You Kee: 55, Jalan Kerisi, Kampung Sungai Rengit, 81600 Pengerang; Sin Kong: 9, Jalan Kerisi, Kampung Sungai Rengit, 81600 Pengerang
SENGAT SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
Price estimate: $$
Dad and my notoriously fussy sister-in-law rated Sengat Seafood Restaurant as one of the best, if not the best, they’ve tried in Johor. The fish, crab and prawns, all harvested from the Johor River that abuts Teluk Sengat, were top-notch.
Teluk Sengat is quite a drive from downtown JB – you’d have to take the E22 highway to Desaru before doubling back on country roads to this tiny village on the east bank of the Johor River – but it’s worth a day trip for the crocodile farm, nearby Johor Lama (the 1528 birthplace of the Johor sultanate marked with a well-curated museum), or if you’re in nearby Desaru or Kota Tinggi.
58, Jalan Belanak, Teluk Sengat, 81920 Ayer Tawar
KONG KONG SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
Price estimate: $$
Kong Kong Seafood Restaurant, sitting on the Johor River’s western shore, has long been incredibly popular with locals of far east JB for whom the 5km-drive down quiet kampung roads is foreplay. Regulars and foodies swear by this restaurant’s rosy-red drunken prawns, which are hard to do perfectly with the right cooking wine. All the seafood are from the kelongs just offshore from Kong Kong.
Nearby is Rakit Tan kelong seafood market and restaurant, accessible by a RM20 (S$6.30) boat ride, if you’re feeling more adventurous.
Lot 33, Kampung Kong Kong Laut, 81750, Kampung Kong Kong, 81760 Masai
KEDAI MAKAN SIMPANG ARANG
Price estimate: $
This little-known gem, well hidden in far west Johor, is culturally significant as one of the last remaining enclaves of our region’s indigenous orang laut (sea people).
Kampung Simpang Arang is one of a few villages north of the Johor Straits that’s still home to the Orang Seletar, who were displaced by the clearing of Singapore’s mangrove coasts in the second half of the 20th century. Prior to their arrival, the Malay hamlet provided refuge to Chinese Malaysians during the Japanese occupation during World War II.
It’s a unique cultural blend that’s being studied by academics and government agencies, particularly as Simpang Arang is hemmed in by Forest City Golf Resort on the west (which has restricted its river access to the sea) and a tech park to the east that has seen a dozen data centres erected in the past couple of years (which will likely double within the next few).
The village is a short 15-minute drive from Gelang Patah on narrow lanes. Simpang Arang isn’t particularly picturesque, but Kedai Makan Simpang Arang is clean, airy, and supports this precariously placed community. It certainly helps that the restaurant serves great fare with, in my book, the highest stamp of approval – on my last visit there with family, my nephew was gobsmacked by how much chilli crab his 80-year-old grandpa managed to put away.
Go have a great meal there. Then maybe read up a bit and think about how we can craft a more sustainable future, with love.
25, 81550 Gelang Patah, Johor Darul Ta’zim, Malaysia
CHUA KEE AND TIAN LAI
Price estimate: $$
Most Singaporeans already know of these two rustic Gelang Patah legends – they’ll make the short trip here if they’re in Legoland or Medini – but they warrant their inclusion for JB visitors who don’t usually go west out of downtown.
Situated in the old, original downtown of Gelang Patah by the bus terminal, Chua Kee is slightly more popular and always packed on evenings. You’ll never have to wait for a table, though, with its sizeable dining area.
Just 300m down the road is Tian Lai, which has expanded in recent years with branches in Bukit Indah and Taman Abad (near KSL). While he enjoys Chua Kee, my fussy-eater nephew prefers Tian Lai’s chilli crab sauce – which he’ll sop up with half a dozen mantou (baked buns) – and the steamed fish.
Often it comes down to who’s open on the day that’ll decide where we’ll feast when in Gelang Patah – Chua Kee closes on Mondays, Tian Lai takes its weekly break on Wednesdays.
Chua Kee: Jalan Kacang Panjang, Gelang Patah, 81550 Gelang Patah; Tian Lai: 158 Jalan Leong Bee, Gelang Patah, 81550 Johor Bahru
PENDAS FLOATING RESTAURANT
Price estimate: $
This restaurant-on-stilts offers arguably some of the best unobstructed views, sitting just across the Johor straits from Tengah Reservoir within Singapore’s SAFTI live firing zone (meaning it’s pure wilderness with no urban development). Its standout dishes include its sambal sotong (squid) and black pepper crab.
Thanks to the Second Link border crossing and Malaysian road design, the seaside village of Pendas should remain as quaint and ulu as it is now, and getting there is quite a drive (though a pleasant one). Pendas Floating Restaurant on the tip of a mini peninsula is 2km from Sunway Big Box to a map but 20km away by back roads (28km using the Forest City highway).
Please, don’t venture here by rideshare and expect to hail a car back to civilisation. Plan ahead and book a ride for a three-hour block, at least, or compensate your driver for waiting a couple hours there until you’re ready to head back.
56, Jalan Tanjung Kupang, Pendas, 81550 Gelang Patah
ALAM SEAFOOD AND MUTIARA BIRU
Price estimate: $
Kampung Sungai Tenom, another orang asli (aboriginal people) village, is far more accessible if you don’t have the time to venture too far from downtown JB. The village has a clear view of Danga Bay’s high-rise condominiums to the east and Kranji in Singapore across the Straits.
Alam Seafood Restaurant is the first you’ll come upon on the left and has the best ambience, and is airily cool on hot afternoons. The resident cats are chill as well, even with curious toddlers. Mutiara Biru, just next door, is a larger establishment sitting on concrete stilts over the water and sees larger crowds, particularly during dinnertime.
Kampung Sungai Tenom, Sungai Danga, Kampung Sungai Temon, 81200 Johor Bahru
DAMAI SEAFOOD VILLAGE
Price estimate: $$
Not far from Kampung Sungai Temon is the photogenic Damai Seafood Village, which caters to lush Malay weddings with its event hall. Situated near Sungai Danga, although not on the river itself, the restaurant is ringed by half a dozen ponds which are part of its connected Damai Fishing Village and is a pleasant stop between Bukit Indah and downtown JB.
No 50, Jalan Kassim, Kampung Sungai Danga, 81200 Johor Bahru
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