7 Best Places for Chendol in Johor Bahru

JOHOR BAHRU, MALAYSIA – Almost every afternoon, we whine about the hot weather, be it in Singapore or Malaysia. One of the ways to ease the humidity is to have cooling drinks or desserts to quench your thirst. Chendol is a good solution. A popular traditional local dessert in Malaysia, this hawker iced desserts will satisfy all cravings for shaved ice with sugar syrup. You can get a bowl of icy goodness for less than S$2 just across the crossway. We have compiled 7 cheap and good local chendols in Johor Bahru that you wouldn’t want to miss. This is much needed for such a hot weather!

Located at Kampung Melayu, Chendol House has a cosy area for customers to hide away from the scorching sun. This is well-known among the Malay community due to its location and tasty dessert. With only RM2, you get to enjoy a bowl of cendol with kacang. The kacang (red bean) here is different from the rest. They used kidney-shaped red beans instead of the usual ones we had at other places. The taste of the chendol was not too sweet with slimy soft chendol strips. Top up RM0.50 for a Chendol Special that has glutinous rice and corns in it. Other than their signature chendol, Chendol House also offers local Malay savoury dishes and Malay pastries.

Located in different areas in Johor Bahru, Md. Zain Chendol is well-known among the locals. We visited their stall in front of Maybank at Taman Sri Bahagia for their chendol. The chendol with red bean and corns costs RM2.50 each and it was packed in a takeaway cup. The packaging is convenient as we can just drink it with a straw. Other than the standard chendol with red bean and corn, they also serve chendol with grass jellies and ice-cream, fruits and pastries as well. Other places: Maybank Taman Sri Bahagia, Masjid & KRT Bandar Baru Uda, Pasar Awam Larkin and Restoran Singgah Selalu

This is a roadside stall that offers a range of interesting chendol. Located inside Taman Suria, the stall is easily recognisable with their huge red tents. If traditional chendol does not attract your attention, perhaps the fancy fruity flavours cendols in Sofie Cendol do. We decided on Chendol Cempedak RM4 and Chendol Pulut/Tapai RM3. The chendol with cempedak has the fruity sweetness taste blending into the cendol. As for Chendol Tapai, it was a filling dessert bowl to enjoy. Tapai is also known as pulut is actually glutinous rice and some called it fermented rice. With Tapai added in, the cendol tasted milky and there is a strong distinct taste of tapai in it. The sweetness level of the cendol also decreased after added Tapai in. The stall also sells nasi ambang, mi goreng and Malay pastries too and the good part is that there have seating areas for customers to sit down and enjoy.

It is a norm in Johor Bahru to see stalls operating just in front of bank branches to generate sales. At Maybank branch in Taman Pelangi, there are many chendol stalls, including Cendol King. We had Chendol special at RM2.20 which includes glutinous rice, red bean and ice cold coconut milk. The chendol has a well-balanced ingredients and refreshing after taste. No wonder the customers flow ever stop. You can see cars driving pass and stop a while to grab a takeaway cup size and go. As this is a one way road, the staffs need to be fast and accurate to get the orders processed in order not to affect the traffic. We would recommend this stall if you ever drive pass this place. Other than chendol,there are packed nasi lemak on the tables for customer to eat and pay as well.

This chendol roadside stall is located in a rather remote location as compared to the rest. The Indian lady has been selling chendol for more than 10 years just in front of Courts. Most of her customers are people who visit Courts for shopping. She will set up her stall everyday by noon. With only simple ingredients; starchy pandan-flavoured green strands, shaved ice, coconut milk and palm sugar, it is selling at RM2 for a bowl. Best of all, it was not too sweet and the golden-brown syrup mixed well with the ice. This is so much needed for a sunny hot afternoon. Although there are no seats available by the road side, customers will still order and stand to drink it from the metal bowl. I am one of them and it reminded me of my childhood days when street vendors are popular then.

Located within a walking distance from Johor Bahru checkpoint, EH HE Café (no pork no lard) serves decent home made chendol. With RM4.80, you will get the shaved ice with pandan-flavoured green strands, red beans, coconut milk and gula melaka in a mug size. They had a large menu and we recommend having their signature chicken rice. After a good savoury meal, this is best to end a sweet note. The sweet treat is definitely an instagram-worthy shot too. And the best part is, you can enjoy it after a cafehopping trail around the area.

If all above are too far to travel, you can easily get your cravings at JB City Square Mall. Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul, run by the Tan family, has expanded their business across Malaysia region and internationally. It has been featured in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore TV programme. With RM6.50; you will get the standard chendol. If you are up to challenge, they do serve durian and cempedak chendol seasonally. True enough of its popularity; the taste is a lot subtle. The aromatic green pandan-flavored worm-like jellies are thicker in colour and rich with coconut milk and palm sugar. Most importantly, you can enjoy it at the comfort of air-con and free WIFI. You can also order assam laksa here too.

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Text & Photos by Hazel
Born in Malaysia, Hazel loves to travel and soaked herself with enrich cultures and food. Follow her food adventures on her blog.