People & Places Cafe. Johor's Newest Check-in Hotspot

Popped by People & Places Cafe just now - because it's Johor Bahru's newest check-in hotspot 😄

AlleyLab Coffee Roastery Cafe. Craft Coffee Geek Haven in Johor Bahru JB

Updated 14 Aug 2019. AlleyLab Coffee Roastery at Citrine Hub in Sunway Iskander Nusajaya is where coffee lovers and coffee geeks in the know go for their cuppa Arabica in Johor Bahru.

1 Day Cafe Hopping Itinerary in Johor Bahru JB (Tuesday Edition)

Today is my cafe hopping and good coffee appreciation day in Johor Bahru. We started at 10am in the morning and left the last cafe at 10pm at night 😄 It's quite a tiring day but we felt very high throughout the day 😄

2017 All the Hip Cafes near City Square Johor Bahru JB Checkpoint

Friends want me to take them cafe hopping in Johor Bahru 😃 Drink latte instead of kopi C kosong 😂

It's no longer news - once sleepy, old downtown JB is energized - came alive as hipster cafe central in Johor.

Coffee Nowhere in Johor Bahru, Taman Gaya

Corrine and I paid a morning visit to Coffee Nowhere Cafe in Taman Gaya.

Inside Coffee Nowhere, the decor is simple and the layout straightforward. But, it was comfortable with plenty of private spaces and cushioned seats for chilling out with friends.

The decor consisted mainly of wooden boards and planks as it was inspired by the humble stable in the story of Nativity. 



The open concept bar lets us see the baristas in action.

We had the opportunity to chat with Welson, CEO of Coffee Nowhere.



This branch in Taman Gaya is Coffee Nowhere's birthplace and flagship. Coffee Nowhere now has another branch in Austin Perdana, in Yong Peng, and overseas in Singapore, Batam (Indonesia) and Vietnam. More Coffee Nowhere branches are expected in Malaysia and further afield like in China.

From our brief interaction, I sensed that Welson is one of those rare breed of ideas man and action oriented entrepreneur wrapped into one. He is energetic, observant, has a knack for spotting opportunities and acts fast and creatively to turn them into profitable enterprises.



The sound of a churning rotating drum and the seductive aroma of coffee interrupted our conversation. Chief Barista Trevor was roasting a fresh batch of coffee beans at Coffee Nowhere.



Trevor made Corinne a hand poured Ethiopian which tasted of citrusy red cherry with nuttiness, slight bitterness and caramel sweetness. 

She liked it.



Trevor made a cappuccino for me. I am still a novice in coffee appreciation.



Coffee Nowhere's blend is a trio of beans from Brazil (Bourbon), Ethiopia (Yirgacheffe) and Papua New Guinea. The medium bodied coffee has nutty and caramel flavours which is widely appealing.



This pizza was a surprise delight.

On the crispy crust laid a carpet of melted cheddar and mozzarella cheese blend, topped with slices of smoked duck and pieces of lychee. Yes, lychee! The pizza was then drizzled with a house blended sauce.

The mix of crispy crust, soft chewy cheese and tender duck was balanced with juicy fleshy lychee. The layers of savouriness from the blended cheese, fat and skin on smoked duck and sauce were balanced with refreshing sweet fruitiness from the lychee.

The combination of layered and contrasting textures and flavours worked delightfully well for us.

Coffee Nowhere's popular signature pizza is a Must Try.

Coffee Nowhere is a likable cafe and it's coffee appeals to a wide cross section, from coffee novices to enthusiasts.



Restaurant name: Coffee Nowhere 
Address: No. 30 Jalan Gaya 1, Taman Gaya, Ulu Tiram, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/9lZlS
GPS: 1.564338,103.801649
Hours: Mon - Sun: 11:00 am to 12:00 midnight

No pork, no lard, no Halal cert

Date visited: 17 Jul 2014

Return to Johor Kaki homepage.

Coffee Loft Cafe in Johor Bahru, Taman Molek - Where Coffee Meets Art

I have been happily cafe hopping, trying out the trendy cafes that sprout up all around Johor Bahru :D

Coffee Loft in Taman Molek opened about 6 months ago and had already created a buzz among the cafe going crowd in Jay Bee.



Inside Coffee Loft, the decor looked simple yet it felt sophisticated and trendy while feeling homely and inviting. I came here twice and both times I lingered long after the coffees were sipped and drank :P

It felt good here.



I like the bright, open, airy and spacious feel of the space. There is a kind of raw, unpretentious honestly and confidence in this place.




Large paintings with bold, colourful motifs brightened up the whitewashed walls. The paintings created an interesting contrast with the raw finishing of the walls and floors, attracting attention to themselves. The contrasts accentuated the beauty of the paintings.



Don't laugh. I like this painting the most. I felt attracted and attached to the friendly bear :P  And those eyes, there is something about those "goondu" eyes (looking lost....). 



More bears. 

These colourful bears are used as paper weights to hold the receipts down at the table and to indicate to the staff which tables have been served.

My first aromatic cuppa at Coffee Loft that brought me back again.

A nicely drawn flora latte art on creamy deep brown crema.

The coffee is a blend of Brazilian Arabica for a nutty taste, Guatemalan for chocolaty flavour and sweetness, with Sumatran for that familiar bittersweet robustness and rounded body.

I enjoyed this blend a lot.



My friend Mandy's pretty Baby Cino. She said it was mainly sweet tasting with a slight coffee, chocolaty flavour.

I concurred with a little sip, though this is not my type of coffee :P 



Came with Jo-Hann, a coffee enthusiast, for my second visit. Jo-Hann loves his Flat White. I had a Caffee Latte. Jo-Hann said this coffee was as good as any he had in Perth, Australia where he is studying now.



Jo-Hann and I shared this Tiramisu. Both of us liked this. The dessert was kept chilled and dusted with chocolate powder before serving. The rich creamy layers had the texture and taste of ice ceam. The spongy layers were moist yet slightly fluffy, while the lady fingers were saturated with coffee liquor.

After our coffees, Jo-Hann and I hung around awhile (lepak in local terms) at the cafe.


Click on the photo to view the video

Managed to catch friendly Barista Rex in action :D



We met Shawn, a partner at Coffee Loft. Shawn launched Coffee Loft soon after returning from university in Manchester (UK).

Shawn said the idea behind Coffee Loft was to bring art to all, so that everyone who have a coffee in Coffee Loft can enjoy art works at the same time.

Hence, Coffee Loft's tag line: Where Coffee meets Art.

The pieces now adorning the walls at Coffee Loft are by international award winning Johorean artist Hoe Say Yong from Yong Peng, Johor. 



Shawn pointed out this award winning painting by Hoe Say Yong at the main entrance to Coffee Loft. It depicts turquoise hued sea water and fish. 

Water, in all it's infinite forms, is a major theme in Hoe Say Yong's work. Hoe Say Yong said “The reflection on the water gives the image a new perspective, thus driving your imagination to come up with the rest”.

Hoe Say Yong's life long inspiration is his father who hand painted cinema bill boards and posters for a living. Yes, back in those days, billboards were hand painted with cat 漆 (paint) by painters perched high on bamboo scaffolding. When I was a boy, I used to spend hours watching painters at work and ogled at those paintings at cinemas. 

We couldn't afford cinema tickets at the time.

The cinema bill boards gave us a glimpse of what the movie was about, thus driving our imagination to come up with the rest.

Thanks to Coffee Loft, I am introduced to the fascinating work of Hoe Say Yong and I shall be back to be exposed to other artists, along with enjoying a nice cuppa cappuccino.



Restaurant name: Coffee Loft Cafe 
Address: No.29, Jalan Molek 1/12, Taman Molek, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Jeh1r
GPS: 1.528334,103.789150
Hours: Mon - Thu: 12:00 pm to 11:00 pm | Fri - Sun: 12:00 pm to 12:00 am
No pork, no lard, no Halal cert

Date visited: 24 Jul 2014

Return to Johor Kaki's Jay Bee cafe hopping guide.

Johor Bahru Hipster Cafe Hopping Guide - Hot Coffee

Hipster cafe craze has ignited across the globe and (happily) Johor Bahru is not spared.

Leading the charge in Johor Bahru are young entrepreneurs who are first and foremost coffee lovers. They are urbane, well travelled and passionate about coffee.

This is reflected in the creativity in cafe interior design and commitment to good roasts and brews in Johor Bahru's hipster cafes.

A few cafes have won international interior design awards and several JB baristas are ranked globally in latte art and coffee grading.



Johor Bahru's hipster culture while globally inspired is also well grounded in it's Nanyang roots. Some of the cafes are fully vertically integrated with their own coffee plantations in Johor, bean processing plants, roasting facilities through to retail outlets.

Here is a guide to just 13 of JB's many hipster cafes.

Note: Clicking on the pictures of the cafes will take you to the full articles with detailed descriptions and additional photos of the cafes.


Click on photo for full review

Cafe name: Just Want Coffee, The Factory 30
Address:  No 30, Jalan Mutiara Emas 5/3, Taman Mount Austin, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/r3Qnc
GPS: 1.547554,103.776383
Hours: 2:00pm to 12:00 midnight


Click on photo for full review

Cafe name: My Liberica Specialty Coffee (Molek branch)
Address: 73, Jalan Molek 3/10, Taman Molek, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/7ZUXG
GPS: 1.521567,103.784838
Hours: Monday to Thursday 12:00noon to 10:00pm. Friday to Sunday 9:30am to 11:30pm.


Click on photo for full review

Cafe name: My Liberica Specialty Coffee (Austin branch)
Address: AS-01-02, Level 1, Block A, Academic Square, Austin Heights, Taman Mount Austin, Johore Bahru.
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/H0FKJ
GPS: 1.561045,103.777853
Hours: 1:30pm to 11:30pm


Click on photo for full review

Cafe name: Coffee Nowhere
Address: No. 30 Jalan Gaya 1, Taman Gaya, Ulu Tiram, Johor 
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/9lZlS 
GPS: 1.564338,103.801649 
Hours: Mon - Sun: 11:00 am to 12:00 midnight


Click on photo for full review

Cafe name: Coffee Loft Cafe
Address: No.29, Jalan Molek 1/12, Taman Molek, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Jeh1r
GPS: 1.528334,103.789150
Hours: Mon - Thu: 12:00 pm to 11:00 pm | Fri - Sun: 12:00 pm to 12:00 midnight


Click on photo for full review

Cafe name: gCafe
Address: 147, Jalan Mutiara Emas 10/19, Taman Mount Austin, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/64N0B
GPS: 1.555897,103.782756 
Hours: Mon - Thu: 12:00 noon - 12:00 midnight | Fri - Sat: 12:00 noon - 1:00am | Sun: 12:00 noon - 12:00 midnight


Click on photo for full review

Cafe name: Brew Orchestra 交响乐厅氛围咖啡馆
Address: 19 Jalan Molek 1/5C, Taman Molek, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/X2uiZ
GPS: 1.530187,103.787967
Hours: Mon - Fri: 11:00am to 11:30pm | Sat - Sun: 10:00am to 11:30pm


Click on photo for full review

Cafe name: "W" Espresso Sporting Club By Monsta Cafe
Address: Country Garden, Danga Bay (off Jalan Skudai)
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/5sPLu
GPS: 1.473481,103.724325
Hours: 12:00 noon to 12:00 midnight


Click on photo for full review

Cafe name: Headmost Cafe (by Just Want Coffee)
Address: SunCity (Plaza Matahari), G07, Jalan Kuning, Taman Pelangi, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Meeem
GPS: 1.476551,103.768774
Hours: Sunday to Thursday 12:00 noon to 12:00 midnight | Friday to Saturday 12:00 noon to 1:00am.


Click on photo for full review

Cafe name: Insomnia Cestino Patisserie (Country Garden, Danga Bay outlet)
Address: Country Garden, Danga Bay (off Jalan Skudai)
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/5sPLu
GPS: 1.473481,103.724325
Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm


Click on photo for full review

Cafe name: Cestino Bakery and Bistro
Address: Blok F-01-07 and 08, Jalan Harmonium 24/2, Taman Desa Tebrau, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/cMEhd
GPS: 1.550760,103.795630
Hours: 12:00 noon to 11:00pm (Closed on Mondays)


Click on photo for full review

Cafe name: Faculty of Caffeine
Address: 106, Jalan Trus, Johor Bahru (across the road from from the Johor Old Temple and beside Plaza Seni)
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Z9i3L
GPS: 1.460365,103.763511 
Hours: 11:00am to 10:00pm


Click on photo for full review

Cafe name: Baristas Coffee 
Address: No 34, Jalan Sri Putra 1, Bandar Putra, Kulai, Johor 
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/EJVwb 
GPS: 1.640826,103.623862 
Hours: 10:00 am to 9:30 pm (Closed on Monday) 


Click on photo for full review

Cafe name: Pure Bean Coffee
Address: 94, Jalan Gaya 1, Taman Gaya 2, Ulu Tiram, Johor, Malaysia
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/jjKsk
GPS: 1.564649,103.801735
Hours: Mon - Fri : 12pm - 11pm | ​​Sat - Sun  : 10am - 11pm

This guide is far from complete - there are still many more hipster cafes in JB that I have yet to visit.

So, stay tuned as I am updating this Johor Bahru Hipster Cafe Hopping Guide regularly as I visit all the cafes, one by one :D

Do drop me a comment if you have a favourite cafe which you like to recommend to me and fellow readers.

I wish you happy cafe hopping in Jay Bee :D