In a nutshell
- The Heli Lounge Bar was originally a helicopter landing pad and is now a rooftop bar with a seriously stunning view of Kuala Lumpur — best visited at sunset.
- We found the best food in Kuala Lumpur at the Tang City Food Court in Chinatown. The Keong Keong stall in particular blew us away — we went back twice in one day.
- The street Jalan Tuanka Abdul Rahman on Saturdays takes you into a completely different, Muslim-influenced side of the city — a real local experience.
- Berjaya Times Square has a full amusement park on the 5th floor of the mall — yes, including a roller coaster. One of those things you just have to see to believe.
Heli Lounge Bar: The Best View in Kuala Lumpur
There are plenty of viewpoints in Kuala Lumpur. But probably the most extraordinary one is the Heli Lounge Bar — a helicopter landing pad on top of a high-rise that transforms into a bar every evening.
A few tables and chairs, a rope barrier along the edge, and you’ve got what is arguably the coolest spot in the city.
Photography is totally welcome here, and you can even set up a tripod. The Heli Lounge Bar opens daily at 5 PM and is hands down the best place to see Kuala Lumpur from above — especially at sunset. Seriously, the panorama is incredible.
After 9 PM, entry requires long pants and closed-toe shoes; before that, casual clothing is perfectly fine.
Admission runs about 20 euros, but you do get two drinks included. Fair warning: the drink prices are steep — a small beer is around 6 euros, and soft drinks about 5 euros.
Here’s the thing though: a glass of red or white wine (0.2 l) also costs just 6 euros. That’s a genuinely great price for wine in Asia. So honestly, why not toast the sunset with a glass of red?
The Heli Lounge Bar sits on top of the Menara KH building on Jalan Sultan Ismail, just a few minutes’ walk from the Petronas Towers. The Menara KH sign is displayed prominently at street level, so you can’t miss it.
Inside, take one of the elevators up to the 34th floor — from there, a second elevator brings you all the way up to the helicopter pad.
Tang City Food Court in Chinatown
We love to eat — and we eat a lot. That’s also a big reason we fell so hard for Kuala Lumpur. The food scene here is simply amazing, with traditional Malaysian cooking sitting alongside strong Chinese and Indian influences.
You can feast on every corner, whether at a street stall, in one of the countless shopping malls, or at a proper restaurant. There’s something for every taste and budget.
One spot in Chinatown really won us over: the Tang City Food Court. It’s a slightly run-down hall filled with plastic tables and food stalls all around — and we came back here multiple times. Each stall has its own specialty, and the prices are seriously low.
Our absolute favorite was the stall called “Keong Keong,” which serves incredibly good noodles with various toppings like squid. The food is heated in a clay pot (claypot) and served directly in it. It was so good we actually ate there twice in one day.
The Tang City Food Court is tucked away at 20 Jalan Hang Lekir, right in the heart of Chinatown. In the evenings, tables are set up out front where tourists get offered food at inflated prices.
Just walk straight past — don’t let anyone rope you in. Right behind that, a food paradise with genuinely cheap prices is waiting for you. The food court is open daily from 6 AM to 11 PM.
Market on Jalan Tuanka Abdul Rahman
We stumbled onto Jalan Tuanka Abdul Rahman on a Saturday almost by accident — and suddenly found ourselves in a completely different world.
The street was incredibly crowded, with vendor stalls lining both sides. We’d walked right into a predominantly Muslim market, a world away from touristy Chinatown or the polished, Westernized Bukit Bintang neighborhood. You really do stand out as a tourist here, and that’s exactly what makes it so fascinating.
The stalls sell mostly textiles, but also food and everyday goods. If you’re looking for a genuinely local Kuala Lumpur experience — one of those real off-the-beaten-path moments — just strolling down this street and soaking it all in is absolutely worth your time.
Riding a Roller Coaster in a Shopping Mall
Kuala Lumpur is also the city of shopping malls. In the Bukit Bintang neighborhood, one shopping center follows another, each trying to be the biggest, most impressive, and most glittering. So if you forgot to pack something for your Southeast Asia trip, you’ll find everything you need here.
One of the largest and most extraordinary malls is Berjaya Times Square. With over 1,000 stores, it’s easy to get completely lost — and that’s exactly what happened to us. We turned a corner and suddenly found ourselves standing in total bewilderment in front of an amusement park on the 5th floor.
Out of nowhere, a roller coaster was roaring right over our heads. Inside a shopping mall. Unbelievable!
For the equivalent of about 10 euros, you get unlimited access — and in addition to the roller coaster, you can ride all the other attractions too. Honestly, one of the more unexpected Kuala Lumpur hidden gems we stumbled across.
