Yu Kee Bak Kut Teh — Restaurant in Borneo

We visited this popular bak kut teh restaurant in Kota Kinabalu based on numerous recommendations. Upon arrival, we noticed it was quite crowded, and initially, we weren’t sure if we needed to queue. After asking a staff member, we were told to find any available table ourselves. It was a bit confusing because, unlike other restaurants, there was no clear queuing system. Customers who arrived later could take available seats immediately. After finding a table, a staff member quickly brought us tea, cups, spoons, and chopsticks without any explanation. Assuming the tea was complimentary, we poured ourselves a drink. Later, we realized that the tea was likely charged, though this wasn’t communicated to us beforehand. We placed our order around 7.35pm and were disappointed to learn that several items, like 3 layer meat, yu cha kueh, and pork ribs, were sold out. We ended up ordering two portions of lean pork (RM10.50 each), one portion of pig stomach (RM11), and a bowl of rice (RM1). The total bill came to RM35. However, when we reviewed the prices, it seemed like the total should have been RM33. We suspect the additional RM2 was for the tea, though this wasn’t explicitly stated or listed on the menu. The food itself was decent—the two bowls of extra-small bak kut teh soup was hot and flavorful. However, we were very disappointed that the lean pork and pig stomach were served cold, which significantly impacted our dining experience. For dishes priced at RM10.50 and RM11 per portion, we expected them to at least be served warm. In terms of service, the staff seemed very busy, which is understandable given the crowd. However, the overall environment felt a bit unkempt, perhaps due to the high volume of customers. I want to emphasize that it’s not about the extra RM2 for tea—I understand small charges add up. But for a restaurant serving so many customers, this kind of unclear charge could easily accumulate. Transparency in pricing would go a long way in creating trust with customers. If tea is not complimentary, it would be better to inform customers when serving it or display this clearly on the menu. Given this experience, I would think twice before visiting again. It’s unfortunate because I came with high expectations based on the recommendations but left feeling disappointed. I hope the restaurant considers improving its food quality (ensuring hot dishes are served) and being more transparent about additional charges to enhance the overall...

Do not go to this place. The food is not even that great. First of all, the menus are on the walls, where the photos is on one and the price is on another wall. Second of all, the servers would bring random dishes and a pot of tea onto your table WITHOUT TELLING YOU YOU NEED TO PAY FOR THOES ITEMS. We didn’t want the rice, so we asked the server to take them away thinking he brought them to the wrong table. We got charged extra when we were about to pay, and the guy who’s in charge of payment was the worst person in the whole city... he had a treacherous and absolutely disgusting attitude towards us. We asked him why we were charged 3 extra Ringgit, and that was when we found out about the tea. He kept yelling at us and say that every table has a pot and it’s our fault that we didn’t say no when the tea was brought to us. Since we were forced to pay for the tea, my friends and I decided to stay for another minute to finish the tea. This guy later came to us when we were ready to pay, we simply asked for the total price again, and his response was “I already told you how much your meal cost” and refused to tell us again. When we finally figured out how much it cost by ourselves, we put together some coins as it was only a few hours before we head to the airport and leave the country, this guy suddenly said to us “How impolite are you to leave me coins, don’t you know it’s rude to leave small change!!??” I could not stand letting him bully us so I replied: “You were just as impolite given the way you talked to us.” My friend got so mad and yelled back at him “What kind of attitude is that!? Eating in this restaurant is liked being robbed!!!!”

The guy did not say a word back. We slowly walked out and sincerely hope that this horrible horrible experience will not happen again to others by sharing our story here. Interestingly, the Uber driver who picked us up 5 minutes later told us that the restaurant is notorious for overcharging and would never ever recommend anyone there. I guess all the locals know not to go there and how badly customers were treated.

Do not go to this restaurant. Really....

I find it quite amusing that people who wish to do reviews of coffee shops and hawker centres in Asia in Google Maps wanna review them based on cleanliness as one of the factors.. Good food in Asia especially in Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand and Vietnam are found in areas with long queues, average atmosphere and usually not the very best in cleanliness or even lavatory standards… if you wish to rate this as part of your overall food review it merely demonstrates your incompetency to understand the basis and existence and foundation of typically wonderful food which is typically found in nooks and corners all across alleys and streets and hems in Asia… the pulse of a nation and the food culture of a city in a country…

If you feel compelled on cleanliness then you are not a foodie or even a taster as food quality taste and structure would easily shade you away from the unappealing.

Anyway enough of that…

I first visited Yu Kee more than a decade ago and have seen them grow strength to strength with now over 2/3 outlets in KK.

The place is super packed on a typical Tuesday evening, brimming with locals and Koreans and Asian Tourists. Food quality : 8.5/10 Soup quality : 9/10 Diversity : 9/10 Ambience : 8/10 (coffeeshop chatter) Overall rating : 9/10 one of the best if not the best in Kk, compared to a few other shops.. the couple runs the business with their son and siblings and also their loyal assistants Price for 5 pax : 120RM Super value and superb quality Return to Eat : Definitely a pit stop for...