Restoran Hua Mui JB — Restaurant in Johor

Came here on a saturday morning with my family. Order chicken chop, Hor fun, toasts and drinks

TLDR: Not worth the visit. Food is not good, over priced and overhyped.

This was no longer the Hua mui it once was from before 2021/2022, food prices have risen exponentially, rivalling better establishments in shopping malls but the the food , service and environment are not up to par.

Environment: Nostalgic yes, old school kind of coffeeshop. No aircon, old table and chairs. Personally i dont mind it but for the price point they are charging, i feel it matters.

Service: Service is slow, understood its breakfast time and its crowded. However drinks really take too long to arrive. Its like i finished my drink already and almost finishing my mains then it arrived for my mum. Maybe they can look at finishing table by table orders instead of doing one bulk of the same drink for the whole coffeeshop.

Service staff has no awareness, what they are doing is just to deliver you your food, you talk to them about order status and cutleries not being given, you are not sure if they registered what you said. Robotic in a sense.

Food: Menu Prices has risen, to the point where its similar to like eg.Oriental 华洋 (Nasi lemak can be 21 RM)

Taste wise , to be frank, very mid or even not up to standard.

Even their "Signature" Hainanese Chicken chop is nothing special. Chicken thigh is not dry (thankfully) but not flavourful. Probably not seasoned (?) Breading is not flavourful, not really crispy, im not too sure what is the taste profile HuaMui is going for. Nothing special. In the past when i visited, the breading was thiner and crispier.

Hor fun: i ordered the chicken version. There is wok hey in the hor fun, temperature is however, warm, i suspect the hor fun is pre cooked and they pour the hot gravy over it. Amount of chicken is a joke, few shredded slices (4 or 5?) That is the size of 1 segment of your index finger can you imagine it.

I will not be returning to Hua mui again. There are better options out there with this price point with regards to environment, food...

Restoran Hua Mui is a legendary kopitiam (traditional coffee shop) in Johor Bahru, famous for its Hainanese fare, traditional coffee, and old-school ambiance. Established in 1946, it is a culinary institution with over 80 years of history and a reputation for classic dishes like Hainanese chicken chop.

Main branch The original Restoran Hua Mui is located in downtown Johor Bahru, near the Tan Hiok Nee Heritage Walk.

Address: 131, Jalan Trus, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru.

Operating hours: Daily, from 8 am to 5 pm. Signature dishes and drinks

Hainanese Chicken Chop: Widely considered a must-try, this dish features a fried chicken cutlet with a signature Hainanese sauce. A 2025 social media post even jokingly featured a "Team Dip vs Team Pour" debate over the sauce.

Charcoal-Grilled Kaya Butter Toast: A traditional snack with kaya (coconut jam) and butter sandwiched in toasted Hainanese bread.

Traditional Coffee and Tea: Hua Mui offers a variety of traditional beverages, including Hainanese Kopi-O (black coffee) and 3-Layered Tea.

Kopi Gu You: A special coffee with butter, a traditional method of having coffee.

Hor Ga Sai: A mixture of coffee and cocoa, and its tea equivalent, Sai Ga Hor.

Other dishes: The menu also includes rice and noodle dishes, such as Mee Hua Mui, and vegetarian options.

History and recent updates

Culinary Heritage: Founded in 1946 by Mr. Chiang Kia Boon, the restaurant has preserved its authentic Hainanese flavors while incorporating local Malaysian tastes.

Halal Certification: In 2024, Hua Mui received its official Halal certification, allowing it to serve a wider, more diverse customer base.

Royal Visits: The restaurant has been a destination for distinguished visitors. In early 2025, it had the honor of hosting three Royal Families, with its CEO and COO welcoming the Yang...

First visit to Hua Mui. Never tried it because the queues were always freaking long and this time one of the rare times it didn't feel that long and we decided to give it a try to queue. Okay waited for about 25 minutes, probably reasonable? Service was a bit slow initially because so many people paid and left but they didn't allow diners to enter. Perhaps they were a little shorthanded as there were not enough people to clean the tables. Even the food did take some time to come. We ordered via QR and the food took at least 10 minutes to come, for the drinks at least. We already finished everything and wanted to leave and yet our garlic bread with eggs weren't even served yet. The drinks were okay, the Hainan noodles was my favourite dish of the meal. The nasi lemak rice was a bit dry and lacking the coconut taste. The chicken chop was so thin I think we only tasted the chicken skin. The Hainan noodles we loved it and it would be the dish I recommend. Initially was wondering if it was yee mee as it looked like in the pictures. We didn't like yee mee but decided to take a risk and order and turned out it wasn't and the noodles were good and sauce was even better! We used it on the nasi lemak else it was just too dry to eat. And from above we finished the mains and still waited for the garlic bread to arrive. Found the garlic paste to be a little on the salty side but it was a power combination eating with the soft boiled egg. Think it helped to absorb the saltiness and the overall taste was quite good. Not a bad place to eat with reasonable prices. Only gripe you need to have some patience in queuing and waiting...