Kuching's food scene usually gets talked about two ways: the kopitiam institutions (Choon Hui Cafe, Top Spot Food Court, Green Hill Corner and the like) and the kolo mee and Sarawak laksa specialists that locals argue about endlessly. Both are covered in our other Kuching pieces. This one is the third-wave side of the city: specialty coffee roasters and brunch cafés serving flat whites, pour-overs and bagels rather than kopi-O.
Every café below was re-checked on 23 Oct 2026 against its own Facebook, Instagram or website and its Google Maps listing. Two cafés from our first version of this list, The Coffee Clinic at Song Plaza and Sukha at Brighton Square, are now marked permanently closed, so they have been removed and Flat_Kch on Jalan Padungan has been added.
Old Bazaar: Sarawak's Own Coffee Bean
Black Bean Coffee & Tea Co. at 87 Jalan Ewe Hai is where the Sarawak specialty-coffee story starts. It has been roasting since 2001 and pioneered Sarawak Liberica, the large-bean coffee species grown in Sarawak's own farms. Order the gula apong latte, which blends Sarawak Liberica and Sarawak Robusta with Sarawak palm sugar, then buy a bag of beans on the way out. The shop also stocks imported single origins from Brazil, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Honduras if you want to compare. It keeps shop hours, closing around 6pm and all day Sunday, so make it a morning or early-afternoon stop. A second branch operates at Tabuan Desa.
Kuching Waterfront: Coffee With a River View
James Brooke Bistro & Cafe sits on the Sarawak River promenade off Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, with colonial "White Rajah" theming and views across the water. It is less a coffee-geek stop than a scenic sit-down: the menu mixes Western plates such as the White Rajah grilled fish with Sarawak laksa, which is the dish reviewers mention most. It stays open until about 11pm, which makes it the natural pick for an evening drink after a Waterfront walk.
Jalan Song and Padungan: Bagels and Flat Whites
The Bagel Man at Lot 171, Jalan Song Thian Cheok is Kuching's dedicated bagel café. On its foodpanda menu The Veggie is RM24.50, Chipolata Sausage RM31, Avocado Bacon RM33 and the smoked-salmon L.O.X RM38, with sweet raspberry cream cheese or PBJ bagels at RM16. Delivery-app prices tend to run slightly above dine-in. It is a morning-to-mid-afternoon operation, closing around 2.30 to 3pm, and the room is small, so arrive early.
Flat_Kch Specialty Coffee at 230 Jalan Padungan is a compact, owner-run espresso bar that celebrated its first anniversary in November 2024. Regulars come for flat whites, lattes and matcha lattes, paired with burnt cheesecake from its sister pastry label. It opens 8am to 6pm (last order 5.30pm), closes on Wednesday and serves no pork. With a 4.8 Google rating from around 70 reviews, it is the best choice on this list for a quiet, well-made cup.
Bing! Coffee has been a Kuching name since 2004, with outlets at 84 Jalan Padungan, Premier 101 on Jalan Tun Jugah, Green Heights, and the glass-walled Garden Cafe at 111 Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg in Rikett Estate. The Garden Cafe is the prettiest of the branches and is known for its beef lasagna and panini. Most outlets open around 10am to 10pm; Green Heights shuts earlier, at about 7pm.
Saradise and Soho East: The Roasters
Elementary Coffee Roasters at Level 1, Lot 30, Block A2, Saradise is the accessible sister chapter of Earthlings, set up to serve good coffee and tea without technical or price hurdles. It is a minimalist room that suits laptop work, sells fresh-roasted beans at the counter and stays open until about 11pm.
Earthlings Coffee Workshop at Soho East, Lot 188, Jalan Wan Alwi Lorong 5 has been roasting since 2013. Its online store (checked 23 Oct 2026) lists single-farm Sarawak Liberica lots such as Munggu Kupi, Long Banga, Long Balong and Tringgus Bong at RM38 for 100g or RM68 for 250g, a multi-village Standard Liberica at RM63 for 250g, and house blends such as Black Market II at RM50 for 250g or RM76 for 500g. It also runs a Coffee Academy for barista courses, and leads a Sarawak Liberica Refinement Project with more than 500 indigenous smallholders; each Liberica bag names its village and farmer. If you only visit one place for coffee in Kuching, make it this one.
How to Pick Between Them
- You want to taste Sarawak Liberica: start at Black Bean on a weekday, then compare with an Earthlings roast.
- You want brunch: The Bagel Man, but only before about 2.30pm.
- You want a quiet, carefully made flat white: Flat_Kch, any day except Wednesday.
- You need to work for a few hours: Elementary at Saradise, which stays open until about 11pm.
- You want a view or a late coffee: James Brooke Bistro on the Waterfront.
- You want something near your hotel: Bing! Coffee, which has the most outlets.
- You want beans to fly home with: Earthlings or Black Bean, as whole beans rather than ground.
What We Left Out
- The Coffee Clinic (Song Plaza, Jalan Tun Jugah) and Sukha Cafe (Brighton Square, Jalan Song): both were on our first version of this list and are now listed as permanently closed on Google Maps. Sukha's own Facebook page has not posted since 2021.
- Beurré, a French-leaning coffee-and-bagel spot on Jalan Song, posted a farewell message on its Facebook page and has closed.
- The Green Cottage and Rainforest Garden Cafe are pleasant garden settings, but their menus centre on local dishes such as Sarawak laksa rather than specialty coffee.
- Kopi & Bread at TT3/Northbank markets itself as a modern kopitiam, so it fits our kopitiam piece better.
- Odiya Cafe is built around a Korean food menu rather than a coffee-first identity.
