The best cafés in KL for lingering

Order your coffee at the back and enjoy it out at the store front among the potted plants. It’s a leisurely, breezy spot to linger, and very pretty too, if you want to show off to your Instagram followers. 

Instead of the usual junk store/vintage chic interior, this bright and airy shophouse café, located along the revamped Jalan Doraisamy (now known as ‘The Row’) is sleek, modern and cosy. And the best part is, it's usually calm and quiet over here, especially on the weekends. If you’re planning to get some work done, you’d be glad to know there are ample plug points here and the WiFi is fast.

The back portion of the café – where it’s most Instagram-worthy, thanks to the theatrics of hanging (spiral) joss sticks and giant chrysanthemum paintings – is where you’ll find sofas and swing chairs to lie back and chill. It’s the perfect hideaway to escape the outside heat with a drink and a book. 

At this Scandinavian-styled café, you can expect a clean, minimal space. There’s an air of peace and easiness here, and most importantly, cosy corners with couches.

Surround yourself with books as you linger on at this X Coffee bar in The Japan Store, which specialises in beans from cult Japanese roasters, namely Maruyama, Fuglen and Nozy. As such, the prices are higher than usual, but you can expect quality hand-brew coffee with lots of flavour.

The space itself is beautifully designed: seating pods dominated by wood elements and accentuated with mood lighting. And because it’s located on the third floor where the bookstore is, there's always something pretty to browse through, from coffee table tomes on art, design and fashion, to literature by the likes of Kazuo Ishiguro and others. 

One of KL's most good-looking cafés is perched on Jalan Galloway, a curiously unusual option for a contemporary coffee spot. The café is remodeled from a building on-site, while much of its original charm and old-world feel are retained. Coffee wise, the folks here don't believe in house blends. Instead, single origins rotate fortnightly, while cakes here are bang on form with the most indulgent being The King Cake, banana cake layered with peanut butter frosting, banana slices and chocolate.

The new Rubberduck isn’t only bigger in space, the menu has expanded as well. There are now additional choices such as salads, smoothie bowls and hot food on top of their already popular dessert and pastry offerings. The bright and airy space has a tropical resort vibe that will have you staying on long after you’ve finished your meal – come early to snag the rattan lounge chairs.