We flew into New York City for a quick weekend trip in January. The weather was freezing and raining. We did not care. We had one mission: find the best authentic Malaysian and Korean food New York has to offer, because we had been missing those Southeast Asia flavors since getting back home.
This NYC food tour for Malaysian and Korean restaurants was something we had been planning for months. Living in California, we have access to good Southeast Asian food, but New York has its own ecosystem of spots that simply do not exist anywhere else in the US. Nyonya, Kopitiam, Rasa: these are names that come up repeatedly in any conversation about where to find real Malaysian food on the East Coast, and we wanted to verify all of them in one trip. We also had Koreatown on the list because it is always on the list.
We stayed at the Moxy Hotel in the Lower East Side, bundled up, and ate our way through the city. Here is the full itinerary.
Stop 1: Nyonya (Chinatown)
We landed late and Nyonya in Chinatown is open until 11:00 PM, which made it the obvious first stop. One thing to know: they only accept cash. There is a Chase bank directly across the street from the Moxy if you need to grab some.
The restaurant itself is a well-worn Chinatown institution that has been serving Malaysian food for years. The decor is simple and functional, the lighting is bright, and the room fills up quickly even on a cold weeknight. It feels like a place where people are there for the food, not the atmosphere, which is usually a good sign.
Roti Canai: Not much flavor on its own, but dipping it into the spicy curry made it work perfectly. The flatbread is soft and layered in the right places, with a slight chew that holds up when you drag it through the curry. This is exactly how roti canai is meant to be eaten and Nyonya gets the execution right.
Chicken Satay: The peanut sauce arrived too cold. We asked them to warm it up, which they did, and it was solid after that. Lesson learned: do not be shy about asking for adjustments. The skewers themselves had good char and the chicken was not dry, which is the main thing that can go wrong with satay.
Char Kway Teow: Disappointing. The noodles were smaller than we prefer and did not compare to what we had in Penang or Los Angeles. The wok hei felt muted, and the flavor overall was flat in a way that made us think this particular dish might not be Nyonya's strength. Order something else.
Hainanese Chicken: The standout of the meal. This was exactly what we came for. The skin was silky, the meat was poached to the right tenderness, and the ginger-scallion sauce did what it is supposed to do. Honestly, this alone justified the stop.
Dessert: We ordered the ABC (Ais Kacang), and the owner sent out complimentary bowls of Bubur Pulut Hitam (black sticky rice with coconut milk) and Bubur Cha Cha. Both warm, both perfect for the cold rainy night. The Bubur Cha Cha had those little taro and sweet potato cubes in a light coconut broth, and eating it while rain hit the Chinatown windows outside was genuinely a moment.
Stop 2: Kopitiam (Lower East Side)
The next morning, we walked over to Kopitiam for a proper Malaysian breakfast.
Kopitiam occupies a small, bright space in the Lower East Side that feels like a genuine Malaysian coffee shop transported intact. The menu is small and focused, which is always a good sign. They are not trying to do everything; they are trying to do the specific things that define Malaysian breakfast culture, and they do them very well.
We ordered Kaya Butter Toast with soft-boiled egg on the side. Dipping the sweet toast into the runny egg with a dash of white pepper is one of the best flavor combinations in Malaysian breakfast food. The kaya itself was made in-house and had that distinctive pandan-coconut sweetness that store-bought versions never quite capture. The toast was golden and crispy on the outside, soft in the middle, and the thick spread of cold butter combined with the warm kaya is the kind of thing that immediately takes you somewhere else.
We had traditional Kopi Tarik and White Coffee, both served in plastic bags exactly like you would get them in Malaysia. This is a specific and deliberate choice, and it matters: the temperature, the sweetness level, and even the act of drinking from a bag all feel like part of the experience. Kopitiam clearly understands that the ritual is as important as the beverage.
If you are in New York and you want a Malaysian breakfast that actually tastes like Malaysia, this is the place.
Stop 3: Rasa (Greenwich Village)
We took the subway to Greenwich Village for Rasa. On the way down we saw a very large NYC subway rat. Standard New York experience. Moving on.
Malaysian Beef Jerky: We spotted a nearby vendor selling this for $2.80 each. Incredibly sweet and savory, and just as good as the expensive versions sold in Malaysia. We bought two and regretted not buying more.
Sarawak Laksa: We had been unable to find this dish anywhere in California, so seeing it here was exciting. Sarawak Laksa is specific to Kuching in East Malaysia, and it has a broth that is completely different from other laksa styles: thicker, more coconut-forward, with a spice profile that is harder to describe than to taste. It is not identical to what we had in Kuching, but Rasa did a great job: the broth was comforting and the noodles were not sticky. After months of not being able to find this dish, it was a real relief to have a version this close to the real thing available.
Rasa feels more polished and modern than Nyonya, with a quieter dining room and a menu that has clearly been thought about carefully. It is not cheap by NYC standards, but the quality reflects the price.
Dessert: The owner, Cami, gave us a complimentary Fa Gao (prosperity sponge cake) to finish. A genuinely sweet gesture. The cake was soft and lightly sweet, a good light note to end on after the richness of the laksa.
Stop 4: Koreatown and Hashi Market
After walking through Central Park to digest, we headed to Koreatown. First stop: Hashi Market, a brand-new Japanese and Korean grocery store from the H Mart family.
The selection is enormous. There are large dedicated sections for banchan and kimchi, and viral items like Tanghulu ($20, a bit steep). We grabbed Yellowtail sushi, a Toro box, and traditional Korean Fried Chicken with Shikhae rice drink and ate everything in the "Uri" (My House) seating area inside. Note: if you want beer with your chicken here, you have to order it as takeout.
The Korean Fried Chicken was the main event and it delivered. Double-fried, properly crispy, with that lacquered sauce glaze that stays crunchy even after sitting for a few minutes. This is the version that Korean fried chicken obsessives in the US are always chasing, and Hashi Market's version is legitimately good.
The grocery section alone is worth a visit if you cook Korean food at home. The banchan selection had things we have not seen in Korean grocery stores in California, and the prices were reasonable for New York.
Stop 5: Her Name Is Han and Sanchan
We finished the tour with dinner at Her Name Is Han, which we have a full dedicated review for. See: Her Name Is Han NYC Review, including how we used Amex Gold dining credits to pay for most of it.
Her Name Is Han is the elevated Korean restaurant that Manhattan needed. It is refined without being pretentious, and every dish shows a real understanding of Korean flavors elevated into a fine-casual format. We went in with high expectations based on reviews we had read, and it still surprised us with how good it was.
The next morning, before heading to the airport, we made one last stop in Chinatown at Sanchan. This was my favorite bubble tea shop from Malaysia, and I was genuinely surprised to find a New York location. We arrived early. By 11:30 AM there was a line out the door.
Sanchan does brown sugar milk tea and cheese tea at a level that is hard to find outside of Southeast Asia. The brown sugar at the bottom is thick and syrupy, the milk tea has real depth, and the cheese foam on top of the cheese tea is lighter and less sweet than most US versions. If you are a bubble tea person and you are in Chinatown, make the detour.
Practical Tips for This NYC Food Tour
- Budget for cash: Nyonya is cash only. Bring more than you think you need for Chinatown generally.
- Start in Chinatown: The late-night hours at Nyonya make it a natural first stop if you land in the evening. Kopitiam makes sense the next morning for breakfast.
- Rasa takes reservations: Book ahead for dinner. At lunch the wait is more manageable.
- Hashi Market hours vary: Check before you go, especially on holidays.
- Subway between stops: Central Park to Koreatown is a quick subway or a very long walk. Take the train.
- Sanchan gets crowded fast: Go early if you want to avoid a wait. By late morning on a weekend it becomes a full queue situation.
Final Verdict
This was one of the best food weekends we have had in a while, and it confirmed that New York genuinely punches above its weight for Malaysian food in the US. If you are visiting NYC and you want a Malaysian or Korean food tour that covers real ground, this itinerary holds up. Every spot had at least one dish that was worth the trip on its own.
Would we do it again? Absolutely, and we would add more stops. There is always more to eat in New York.
Find the Spots
| Restaurant | Google Maps | Yelp |
|---|---|---|
| Nyonya (Chinatown) | Maps | Yelp |
| Kopitiam (LES) | Maps | Yelp |
| Rasa (Greenwich Village) | Maps | Yelp |
| Hashi Market (Koreatown) | Maps | Yelp |
| Her Name Is Han | Maps | Yelp |
| Sanchan (Chinatown) | Maps | Yelp |
