Built back in 1910 as a hotel, this heritage lot along Jalan Sultan has reincarnated into a cafe and event space for city crawlers. Jao Tim's charm lies not only in its historic name (it means 'hotel' in Cantonese), but also the dashing interior melding exposed bricks with brass-accented furnishings. Tourists who grow tired trawling the streets of Chinatown would find this heaven-sent, since it's a rest stop for coffee and craft beers, as well as a look into old KL. For now, the menu is limited to light bites — warm and rustic Classic Chicken Pie (RM15), an oozy Grilled Cheese Sandwich (RM15) plus pastries on daily rotation. With more hot food in the pipeline, and a plan to turn the floor above into a co-working space, this place is all set to be yet another one of Chinatown's key destinations.
Avg price per person: RM25
Photo by Burppler Trisha Toh