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Malaysia
This Week in AsiaSociety

Petaling Street, the ‘Chinatown’ of Malaysia’s capital, bets on its heritage for a modern revival

  • The landing point of many Cantonese and Hakka settlers centuries ago, the area was seen to have lost its local character in recent times
  • But a movement to restore the area while remaining true to its historical and cultural roots is proving popular with not just tourists but locals as well

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Crowds pass below the main gate of Petaling Street, now home to a slew of trendy cafes, restaurants and bars. Photo: Shutterstock
Emily Ding
Kuala Lumpur’s downtown Petaling Street area, the landing point of many Cantonese and Hakka settlers from China during the tin rush of the 1800s, has long been popular among tourists for its namesake market, Chinese and Indian temples, hawker food, and budget hostels. For the Malaysian city’s denizens, however, the area has been plagued by the impression that it is seedy and unsafe, and that it has lost its local character due to an influx of immigrant workers.

Valid or not, this perception may be slowly changing. A slew of trendy cafes, restaurants, and bars have opened in the area in recent years, attracting a younger crowd and more families. One establishment that has experienced these transformations in a very short time is Ho Kow Kopitiam.

Founded in 1956 and named after its 76-year-old patriarch, the Hainanese family-run cafe was asked in May last year to leave its old premises on Lorong Panggung, a quaint alley with pre-war shophouses and hole-in-the-wall hawker stalls. Since it reopened a stone’s throw away in November, it has drawn daily queues. “We have rebranded ourselves with a different business model and look, but kept the feeling of the old cafe and the taste of the food, especially our signature roti bakar [toast] and soft-boiled eggs, and our Hainanese coffee,” says Koo Wei How, Ho Kow’s 25-year-old grandson.

Ho Kow Kopitiam commands a perpetual crowd during peak dining hours. Photo: Emily Ding
Ho Kow Kopitiam commands a perpetual crowd during peak dining hours. Photo: Emily Ding
Before, it was a traditional kopitiam , one of a dying breed in Malaysia as younger generations decline to continue the business of their elders. Now, it’s been updated with an Instagram-friendly modern-vintage aesthetic, and employs more than 20 staff – most in their early twenties – when it previously employed one.

In adapting to the demands of the modern market, Ho Kow Kopitiam partnered with a private company, Hup Zhong Fu Heng. “Our mission is to gather all heritage businesses and buildings in the area and help them rebrand and rebuild their vision,” says Hermes Mah, one of its partners and founder of nearby cafe Leaf & Co, which opened in 2016.

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