Ipoh gets plenty of love for its white coffee and bean sprout chicken, but ask a local where to eat on a lazy weekend and the answer is often simpler: ikan bakar. Smoky fish straight off the grill, slathered in sambal, eaten with hot rice and a squeeze of lime, either at a buzzing evening food court or a kampung-style warung by the water. The city and its surrounding suburbs, from Taman Canning to Meru Raya and Station 18, are full of grill smoke if you know where to look.
We rebuilt this guide from scratch using current Google data. Every place here holds a rating of 4.0 or better, is still open, sits within Ipoh itself, and genuinely centres its menu on grilled fish rather than just keeping one tray at the back. A few old favourites dropped off this year because they closed or their ratings slipped, and after applying the rules honestly, nine spots truly made the cut. Here is where to find the best ikan bakar in Ipoh right now.
What Makes Ikan Bakar in Ipoh Different?
Being inland, Ipoh grills a lot of river fish alongside the usual coastal catch. Expect patin and keli (catfish) on the banana leaf as often as pari (stingray), and keep an eye out for patin bakar tempoyak, where the fish meets a fermented durian sauce that Perak does better than anywhere else in Malaysia. Many of the city’s ikan bakar spots are also nasi campur houses at heart, so your grilled fish comes with a full spread of kampung vegetables, sambal belacan and ulam. It makes lunch here feel like a homecooked feast rather than a restaurant meal.
When Should You Go for Ikan Bakar in Ipoh?
Timing matters more in Ipoh than in most cities. A good number of the best grills here are daytime operations that open around breakfast and sell out by mid afternoon, especially the Malay nasi campur styles like Pokok Belacan, Saffani and Pak Mat. Turn up at 2:30 pm and the trays may already be empty. The evening crowd is covered too: Kam Wan in Taman Canning and Ikan Bakar Abah only fire up their grills from late afternoon, and Tommy Seafood in Gunung Rapat runs until nearly midnight. Decide whether you want a grilled fish lunch or supper first, then pick your spot from the list below.
Table of Contents
- 1. Restoran Kam Wan Aneka Selera
- 2. Pokok Belacan Restaurant
- 3. ARASO @ Restoran Terapung
- 4. Restoran Saffani
- 5. Restoran Tasik Raban (Station 18)
- 6. Restoran Ikan Bakar Pak Mat
- 7. Ikan Bakor D’ Sungei
- 8. Ikan Bakar Abah
- 9. Tommy Seafood (Gunung Rapat)
1. Restoran Kam Wan Aneka Selera
Kam Wan in Taman Canning, better known to locals as the Ipoh Garden food court, is where the city’s ikan bakar conversation usually starts. The grilled fish stall here is the anchor of the whole place: pick your stingray, sotong or whole fish from the ice display, and it arrives at your table wrapped in foil, blistered from the fire and buried under a punchy sambal. Around it sit dozens of other stalls, so one table can mix grilled fish with fried rice, lobak and dai chow plates. It gets properly busy on weekend nights, which is half the fun. Come hungry, come early, and bring friends.
Operating Hours: 4:00 pm – 10:30 pm (Daily)
Address: Lengkok Canning, Taman Canning, 31400 Ipoh, Perak
Tel: 016-553 2907
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2. Pokok Belacan Restaurant
Out in Bandar Meru Raya, Pokok Belacan runs one of the most popular self-service Malay spreads in Perak, and grilled fish is the star of it. The counter holds more than seventy dishes on a good morning, with the ikan bakar sumbat, fish stuffed with a fiery sambal before it hits the grill, being the plate regulars queue for. Add their namesake sambal belacan, kampung vegetables and a scoop of rice, and you have a proper Perak lunch for a very reasonable bill. It is a daytime operation that wraps up by mid afternoon and rests on Mondays, so plan an early lunch rather than a late one.
Operating Hours: Tue–Sun 8:00 am – 3:30 pm; Closed Monday
Address: 26, Jalan Meru Bistari A6, Bandar Meru Raya, 30020 Ipoh, Perak
Tel: 013-446 3463
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3. ARASO @ Restoran Terapung
ARASO sits over a pond off Jalan Hadhari near Manjoi, a floating kampung-style restaurant surrounded by greenery that feels a world away from town. The kitchen is best known for its nasi kerabu, served the proper east coast way with grilled fish or ayam bakar, salted egg and a pile of fresh ulam. Portions are generous and prices stay friendly, which is why the deck fills up fast at lunch. The place runs a second shift at night for satay and grilled suppers by the water. For a relaxed family meal with a view, this is the pick of the list.
Operating Hours: 7:00 am – 3:00 pm & 7:00 pm – 3:00 am (Daily)
Address: 7A, Jalan Hadhari, Kampung Tengku Husin Lama, 30020 Ipoh, Perak
Tel: 011-1166 6909
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4. Restoran Saffani
Saffani in Taman Muda is the kind of neighbourhood kedai that locals would rather keep to themselves. It opens at seven in the morning with roti canai and curry, then rolls into a nasi campur spread where the grill does the heavy lifting: ikan keli panggang with a smoky char, ayam bakar, and a fish curry that regulars rate as the best thing on the counter. The catch is that popular dishes run out fast, sometimes well before the official closing time, so treat it as a breakfast or early lunch stop. Note that it rests on Fridays. Simple, honest cooking at kampung prices.
Operating Hours: Sat–Thu 7:00 am – 3:30 pm; Closed Friday
Address: 54, Persiaran Pulai Baru 2, Taman Muda, 31300 Ipoh, Perak
Tel: 017-560 5250
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5. Restoran Tasik Raban (Station 18)
The original Tasik Raban is a lakeside institution up in Lenggong, and this Station 18 branch brings its river fish cooking into Ipoh proper. The order here is grilled patin with tempoyak, the fermented durian sauce that Perak does better than anywhere, alongside grilled keli and a rotation of ala kampung dishes that changes daily. It is a lunch-only affair in Taman Pengkalan Jaya, busiest when office crowds roll in after noon, and it closes on Saturdays. If you have never tried patin tempoyak, this is the most convenient place in the city to fix that.
Operating Hours: Mon & Sun 10:30 am – 4:00 pm; Tue–Fri 11:00 am – 4:00 pm; Closed Saturday
Address: 1-21, Medan Stesen 19/4, Taman Pengkalan Jaya, 31650 Ipoh, Perak
Tel: 016-531 7606
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6. Restoran Ikan Bakar Pak Mat
Pak Mat in Klebang has been feeding the northern side of Ipoh for years, starting the day with roti canai and curry mee before the ikan bakar spread takes over towards lunch. Grilled fish here comes the traditional way, laid out with kampung sides so you build your own plate, and the roadside village setting makes it an easy, unhurried stop. Prices are fair, portions are honest, and the staff treat regulars and first-timers the same. It shuts by late afternoon and takes Tuesdays off, so this is another one to hit before 2:00 pm rather than after.
Operating Hours: Wed–Mon 7:00 am – 4:00 pm; Closed Tuesday
Address: No 81, Laluan Klebang Restu 1, 31200 Ipoh, Perak
Tel: 018-465 0508
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7. Ikan Bakor D’ Sungei
D’ Sungei in Rapat Setia is the sit-down option among Ipoh’s Malay-style grills, with a spacious layout, outdoor tables and two air-conditioned rooms that fit twenty to thirty people each. That makes it the practical choice for family gatherings, office lunches or any group that wants grilled fish without sweating over a hawker table. The seafood is fresh, the sambal comes with a proper kick, and the bill stays gentle for what you get. Lunch service runs from late morning to mid afternoon, with Mondays off. Book one of the rooms ahead if you are bringing a crowd.
Operating Hours: Tue–Sun 11:00 am – 4:30 pm; Closed Monday
Address: 6, Jalan Sepakat, Rapat Setia, 31350 Ipoh, Perak
Tel: 013-596 6151
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8. Ikan Bakar Abah
When the ikan bakar craving strikes after dark, Abah in Kampung Tasek is the answer. The grill only lights up from five in the evening and keeps going until eleven, serving a compact menu of grilled fish and a sotong bakar sambal that regulars call the must-order of the house. The outdoor seating gives it a relaxed kampung supper feel, the boss is famously friendly, and you can even settle the bill by QR code. Prices sit comfortably in the cheap-and-cheerful range. It rests on Mondays, but every other night this is one of Ipoh’s most satisfying late grills.
Operating Hours: Tue–Sun 5:00 pm – 11:00 pm; Closed Monday
Address: T13, Jalan Dahlia, Kampung Tasek, 31400 Ipoh, Perak
Tel: 011-1896 8986
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9. Tommy Seafood (Gunung Rapat)
Tommy Seafood in Gunung Rapat shows the Chinese side of Ipoh’s grilled fish scene. The signature is grilled stingray in a sauce diners describe as dangerously addictive, backed by grilled lala, sotong and prawns, plus steamed patin and jade perch for the table. It is a small evening operation run by a hands-on boss whose warmth gets mentioned in nearly every review, and the waiting time reflects how much of the cooking is done to order. The smart move is to phone in your order before driving over. Prices are kind for the freshness you get, which explains the fiercely loyal following.
Operating Hours: 5:00 pm – 11:30 pm (Daily)
Address: 149, Jalan Gunung Rapat, Kampung Gunung Rapat, 31350 Ipoh, Perak
Tel: 010-382 2353
Google Review: View on Google
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Nine grills, two very different rhythms. If you want ikan bakar for lunch, aim for the daytime nasi campur houses: Pokok Belacan, Saffani, Pak Mat, Tasik Raban or D’ Sungei, and go before 2:00 pm while the trays are still full. If supper is the plan, Kam Wan’s food court energy, Abah’s kampung grill and Tommy’s grilled stingray have the night covered, with ARASO happily working both shifts by the water. Every spot on this list clears a 4.0 Google rating and is verified as still open, but hours and rest days do shift, so a quick call before you drive out is always worth it. Now pick a grill and make a weekend of it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What fish should I order at an ikan bakar spot in Ipoh?
Stingray (ikan pari) with sambal is the classic starting point, and both Kam Wan and Tommy Seafood do it well. For something distinctly Perak, order grilled patin or keli with tempoyak, the fermented durian sauce, best tried at Restoran Tasik Raban in Station 18.
Is the ikan bakar in Ipoh halal?
Several places on this list, such as Pokok Belacan, Saffani, Pak Mat and ARASO, are Malay-run kitchens serving Muslim-friendly menus. Formal halal certification varies from shop to shop though, so if certification matters to you, check the latest status with the restaurant before you go.
How much does ikan bakar cost in Ipoh?
Ipoh remains one of the cheapest places in Malaysia for grilled fish. A nasi campur plate with grilled fish at the daytime spots typically lands under RM15, while a shared spread of grilled stingray, sotong and sides at an evening grill usually works out to RM20 to RM40 per person depending on your order.
Why do so many ikan bakar places in Ipoh close by mid afternoon?
Many of the best grills are nasi campur operations that cook one big batch in the morning and close once it sells out, usually by 3:30 pm. For evening ikan bakar, head to Kam Wan, Ikan Bakar Abah or Tommy Seafood instead, all of which only start grilling from late afternoon.
Disclosure: This list was compiled by the team at My Weekend Plan after extensive research and shared opinions to suggest helpful recommendations for the public. The sequence of brands is in no particular order so if you have any other great suggestions too, please email us support@myweekendplan.com.my. For more information, kindly refer to our copyright, privacy & disclosure policy.
