Desaru is a coastal resort area in Southeastern Johor, Peninsular Malaysia. The small town of Bandar Penawar, about 2 km inland, the east coast of Johor had a leisurely beach that could be reached without a boat. Desaru is highly seasonal, with monsoon winds and rains lashing the coast between November and February.
There is still plenty of sunshine even during the rainy season, but waves are high and it rains more. The “good” season is thus April to October, with June to August being the busiest months, when the waters are inviting and the sand fine.
Decided to spend your days while you are on a vacation, or even for weekends at Desaru ? If you got tired of wandering around Desaru and it’s time to fill up your stomach but don’t know where to dine, here are some seafood restaurant Desaru and some Desaru Food nice places in no particular order to recommend to you. HALAL or Non-HALAL are available.
Desaru Food – What To Eat In Desaru
- Lotus Desaru Beach Resort’s Restaurant
- Super Lobster Restaurant ( HALAL )
- Jade Garden Seafood Corner
- Aroi Thai Restaurant
- Nelayan Seafood Restaurant
- Sengat Seafood Restaurant ( HALAL )
- Snuk Thai Street BBQ
- 261 Bar & Restaurant
- Ideals Cafe
- MK Swat Jalal
1. Lotus Desaru Beach Resort’s Restaurant
It’s a resort & spa at Desaru, a popular beach resort and hence a major tourist destination in Malaysia. Lotus Desaru Restaurant divided into four part. Rhu Bar, situated at the beach front, a place for relax and dine with soft music, selection of wine and Ala-minutes western specially with breathtaking beach view, the most attractive was their freshest seafood on South China Sea Coast.
Seaview, is a buffet dinner, eat as much as you can. Every Friday is Hawker & Steamboat buffet dinner while Saturday sunset is Barbeque & Carvery buffet dinner, you has opportunity to witness live action from their chef and request your liking from 7.00 PM-10.00 PM.
Teratai Coffee House, a relax and casual atmosphere with a view overlooking the sea. Coffee house serves all-day dining with popular Asian & international foods, Ala Carte also available.
Beach Hut, serves all day Cocktails and Mock tails with selection of wine and exotic cocktails with an open air Bar by the Sea, is a great place for informal gatherings with variety of music.
⇒ Address : Lot 1854, Jalan Desaru, Bandar Penawar 81930 Kota Tinggi
⇒ Operation Hours : Monday – Sunday 08.00 AM – 11.00 PM
⇒ Contact : 07-8842800
2. Super Lobster Restaurant ( HALAL )
One of the Must Eat Desaru Food. It’s a short twenty more minutes drive from the Desaru beach resorts but it’s definitely well worth it. The chef of Super Lobster Restaurant has been worked in a five-star hotel in Singapore. Environment here is fairly clean, the staff were very friendly and speed service. A vibrant traditional Chinese restaurant but it’s HALAL, frequented by people from Singapore on weekends
Their signature dishes you must not missed out is the herbal lobster, the price may be a bit high but worth it. All the seafood stuffs were very freshly served. The fishing boat will return to the sea three or four hours a day after going out to sea, so everyday there are fresh seafood coming ashore. In fact, in addition to Lobsters and Crabs, there are many options at here such as, Shrimp, Sea Bream, Tribute, Lala and Sodong.
⇒ Address : 7, Jalan Jenahak, Kampung Sungai Rengit, 81600 Bandar Penawar, Johor
⇒ Operation Hours : Monday – Sunday 11.00 AM – 10.00 PM
⇒ Contact : 07-8246108
3. Jade Garden Seafood Corner
Jade Garden Seafood Corner was Champion Restaurant in Singapore Channel U, program <Yummy King 3>. This is combination with hostel, restaurant and pub, views here was very attracted, almost thirty minutes from Desaru. The seafood here was also very fresh. Their giant lobster are a favorite for foreigners. The signature dishes you can’t missed out including the Lala cook with sambal, mini lobster and a lot of special dishes different with the other restaurant. Their restaurant always crowded due to the pricing was acceptable within normal range, the top notch services was provided by friendly boss and staffs.
⇒ Address : Lot 4785, 1, Jalan Siakap, Kampung Sungai Rengit, 81620 Pengerang, Johor
⇒ Operation Hours : Monday – Sunday 11.00 AM – 10.00 PM
⇒ Contact : 07-8265460
4. Aroi Thai Restaurant
This is one of the outlets of Tunamaya Beach & Spa Resort nearby Lotus Resort & Spa Desaru 1 km drive away, a new and exciting dining experience haling from Kuala Lumpur. There is also an outside sitting and also air-conditioned sitting as well. Their restaurant limited choice of menu, serving authentic Thai Boat Noodles and street food, since the portion is small for each bowl and only RM 1.90 nett, you can try all in one time. The most recommended dish were their Lemon Grass Chicken wing, Tomyam Glass Noodle Soup. The boat noodles soup portions is just nice for the kids because the size of dishes was small.
⇒ Address : Desaru, 82200 Bandar Penawar, Johor
⇒ Operation Hours : Monday – Sunday 11.30 AM – 11.00 PM
⇒ Contact : 07-8338888
5. Nelayan Seafood Restaurant
This also an outlets of Tunamaya Beach & Spa Resort, Nelayan loosely translated as Fisherman by locals fetches the freshest catch from the local shores and served up the best seafood. The food was good though priced a little high, but serving were big. There was live music during dinner.
Environment here was nice, could enjoy the breeze outsides, it’s just take 1 min walks to reach the beach there and an unobstructed view to Desaru Coast. Seafood platted here was highly recommended, fresh and reasonable price. In August through October, you can enjoy the all-time local favorite seafood menu for only RM 758++ for only 10 person ( one desk ). The hot sale dishes including Black Pepper Crab and the moist and tender Roast Chicken.
⇒ Address : Bandar Penawar, 81930 Kota Tinggi, Johor
⇒ Operation Hours : Monday – Sunday 11.00 AM – 10.00 PM
6. Sengat Seafood Restaurant ( HALAL )
Teluk Sengat is a small rural, fishing village between Desaru and Kota Tinggi, Sengat Seafood Restaurant was a gem in a quite remote town, from Desaru only thirty more minutes by car. Usually patrons who came for the crocodile farm visit would drop by here for meal conveniently. The place is furnished with wooden table and plastic chair, no air-conditioning, no frills-decoration and very kampung-like. Maybe no too much difference in the price and taste from what you can get at those well-known restaurants in Johor Bahru, but if you happen to be on a road trip or around Desaru, it would make a great addition to your itinerary for lunch or dinner. The deep fried bun you can’t miss out, for dipping in the gravy. You are highly recommended to try the Chili Crab and Gong Gong.
⇒ Address : 58, Jalan Belanak, Johor, Kota Tinggi
⇒ Operation Hours : Monday – Sunday 10.00 AM – 09.00 PM
7. Snuk Thai Street BBQ
A Thai cuisine was hide in colorful resort, Sand & Sandals Desaru Beach Resort, only a few minutes by walk. Colorful is a feature of Thailand, Snuk Thai Street Bbq offers you more than just authentic Thai cuisine and a colorful board house atmosphere. Seafood restaurant not the only one choice in Desaru or around Desaru, the freshest seafood, colorful surroundings and more feature were attracted many food lover to have a try Thai cuisine at Snuk Thai Street Bbq, how can you missed out of this ? Thai cuisine here was delicious and the price acceptable. The must try dishes in this restaurant including Tomyam Hot Pot with seafood, chicken, or mixed, Pandan Chicken and Green Curry Chicken Soup.
⇒ Address : Bandar Penawar, 82200 Kota Tingggi (Inside Sand & Sandals Desaru Beach Resort)
⇒ Operation Hours : Monday – Sunday 11.00 AM – 03.00 PM / 06.00 PM – 10.00 PM
8. 261 Bar & Restaurant
261 Bar & Restaurant is an outlets in The Els Club Desaru Coast,named after Ernie’s PGA Tour record-breaking 72-hole aggregate in the 2003 Mercedes Championship. 261 Bar & Restaurant is the perfect place to unwind after a round of golf or to watch the sunset over this spectacular course. The cuisine here included Asian, Chinese, Drinks, Malaysian, Western with is suitable for Breakfast, chill out and dinner.
You can’t miss out on the signature Ernie’s Burger, which is a beef burger filled with crispy veal bacon, fried egg, cheddar cheese, tomato and caramelised onions. If you are craving for a local dish, try the flavorful Char Siew Chicken Rice, a dish with well-roasted five-spice chicken and pandan-steamed rice served with chicken broth and condiments!
⇒ Address : No 4, Jalan Danau, Desaru Coast, 81930 Desaru, Johor ( The Els Club Desaru Coast )
⇒ Operation Hours : Monday – Sunday 6:30 AM – 10:00 PM
⇒ Contact : 07-8780000
9. Ideals Cafe
Ideals Cafe from a team of people full of passionate and devoted about international & local food and beverage. The Cafe not only in preserving the origin of those delicacies, and also persevere in promoting traditional Malaysian dishes to the public. They serve the best international & local cuisine food with fine dining concept at lowest price. Ideals Cafe have many of type menu consist of Western sets, Malay sets, Western mix, Kids menu and Side menu while beverage had served only fresh juices.
The dishes you must not missed out including Aglio Olio Pasta, Sizzling Grill Lamb and the traditional Malay style food.
The most exciting thing is that the Cafe offers delivery services ! If you are lazy to go out from your resort you can just ask for delivery. You can just checkout the menu, and SMS or Whatsapp the detail order to 0177023783 / 0132265630. They will feedback as soon as possible and confirm your order via SMS/Whatsapp. Payment method can just by cash on delivery or by debit, credit card and paypal.
⇒ Address : 31, Jalan Kempas 1, Taman Desaru Utama, 81930 Bandar Penawar,
⇒ Operation Hours : Sunday – Thursday 12.00 PM – 12.00 AM, Friday 03.00 PM – 12.00 AM ( Closed on Wednesday )
⇒ Contact : 017-7203783 / 013-2265630
10. MK Swat Jalal
MK Swat Jalal is owned by a Pakistani gentleman who has settled down here and his staff are also Pakistanis. This place is in Bandar Penawar town about 4 km from Lotus Desaru Resort. In case you do not find this restaurant on Google Maps, look for “Marrybrown” restaurant and you will reach just about 100 yards from this place. Their experience in making “lazeez” non-veg food was apparent in some of the dishes such as Mutton Curry and Chicken Biryani. You are highly recommended to try their Puri Bread and Mutton curry as the Puri is different from out local indian puri, good combination for breakfast or lunch. The most noteworthy is their mutton curry is very addicting, lack of menu and high price but the taste of food here is very good.
⇒ Address : Bandar Penawar, 82200 Kota Tinggi, Johor ( near Marrybrown )
⇒ Operation Hours : Monday – Sunday 7.00 AM – 11.00 PM