Beyond the one ambuyat stall
Most "things to do in Labuan" lists — including our own — treat food as one line item among shipwrecks, war cemeteries and duty-free shopping, usually pointing at a single weekends-only ambuyat stall and stopping there. Fair enough for a general guide, but Labuan's small, Brunei-adjacent food scene deserves its own list. This one stays on food only: three Chinese seafood institutions, a hotel coffee house, a Western-leaning restaurant on a hotel's eighth floor, the island's night market and a casual local gerai — all verified as currently trading during this search.
The seafood houses
Labuan's food identity leans heavily on Chinese seafood, cooked to order from a display tank or ice tray. New Sung Hwa Seafood Restaurant on Jalan Hujong Pasir is reportedly the island's oldest seafood restaurant, with a river view and both open-air and air-conditioned seating. Mawilla Yacht Club Restaurant near Ramsey Point trades on its Brunei Bay and Papan Island views rather than polish — expect a dated, stilted building and plastic chairs, but a fresh-catch board with prices displayed (crab, squid, silver fish sold by weight). Labuan Fisherman Harbour Restaurant relocated to Paragon Labuan and is known for tiger prawn baked with cheese and Nyonya-style steamed fish.
Everyday and budget picks
Green Apple Restaurant on Jalan Sawangan Cina is a reliable, wallet-friendly Chinese/oriental spot with both indoor air-conditioned and outdoor seating. The Grill at Tiara Labuan Hotel is the hotel's all-day coffee house, serving a "Tiara laksa" alongside Chinese, local and Western dishes from 6.30am — handy if you're staying nearby and want food outside typical restaurant hours. It is not a 24-hour kitchen for walk-ins, though: only room service runs round the clock.
Western fusion and casual eats
Red Onion x Langit is the new home of what used to be Red Onion House beside Labuan Golf Club. The golf-club restaurant closed on 26 August 2026, and the team reopened on Level 8 of Labuan Point Hotel in early September: Red Onion is the "contemporary dining" room, Langit is the "sky restobar" next to it. The menu still leans Western and Italian, with tenderloin and sirloin steak, grilled salmon, spaghetti bolognese and fusilli puttanesca. As of late September it is in pre-opening mode: dinner from 6pm, lunch service from 1 October 2026 and the official opening on 17 October 2026. Reservations are on 013-355 8525. Expect the odd service hiccup until then, because the team's own posts describe the kitchen and ordering system as still in test-run mode. For something more informal, Manis Fam Empire in Kg Sungai Bangat is a gerai known for its "shell out" seafood boil spread and smash burgers, open evenings from 6pm. Its own Facebook cover and its Google listing disagree on whether Sunday or Monday is the rest day, so call first.
The night market
Pasar Malam Labuan on Jalan Bunga Mawar is the island's main night market — ikan bakar (grilled fish), satay, traditional kuih and fresh drinks like coconut water and cendol, in the usual point-and-grill night-market format.
What a meal costs on Labuan
One thing Labuan bills don't have: service tax. Labuan is one of Malaysia's duty-free "designated areas", and the Customs Department's food-and-beverage guide says F&B served inside a designated area is not subject to service tax. A RM100 restaurant bill that would be RM106 in Kota Kinabalu stays RM100 here. That doesn't cover everything on the bill. A hotel outlet such as The Grill can still add its own service charge, which is a house charge rather than a tax, so read the bottom of the bill.
As a rough guide from the figures below: RM25–RM30 a head for Green Apple, The Grill or Deep Sea Raff; the night market is cheaper still. A seafood dinner at Mawilla or New Sung Hwa is priced by weight, and one diner's dinner for three with drinks at Mawilla came to about RM240, or RM80 a head.
If you need halal
Worth being upfront about, because it changes the shortlist: four of the entries above — New Sung Hwa, Mawilla Yacht Club, Labuan Fisherman Harbour and Green Apple — are Chinese seafood and oriental restaurants, and none of them advertises JAKIM halal certification. Muslim travellers on Labuan generally eat at the Malay and gerai end of the island instead: Pasar Malam Labuan on Jalan Bunga Mawar, Manis Fam Empire in Kg Sungai Bangat, and Deep Sea Raff Restaurant on Jalan Merdeka beside Jetty Sri Ganti — a halal Malay-style waterfront restaurant serving nasi campur berlauk and a pay-by-selection spread, averaging around RM25 per person, roughly 7.45am to 11pm, on 087-421 902. Deep Sea Raff isn't numbered here because it already has a full entry in our Labuan seafood list, linked below. As always on halal questions, check the certificate at the premises rather than relying on a listing.
Picking a spot
For a proper sit-down seafood dinner, New Sung Hwa or Labuan Fisherman Harbour are the safer bets; Mawilla trades some polish for the best view. On a budget or short on time, Green Apple, The Grill's laksa, or a walk through Pasar Malam Labuan will do the job well. If you want halal specifically, start at Deep Sea Raff or the night market. If Red Onion House was on your list, it has moved: book Red Onion x Langit at Labuan Point Hotel instead, and go after 17 October 2026 if you want the full menu rather than the pre-opening one. Whichever you pick, this is a small market — call ahead where hours matter.
