Real Koshari and Hawawshi in Malaysia, This KL Spot Surprised Me
Watch the VLOG on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@anavidtraveller/video/7582141200434482439.
Today I found something I honestly never expected in Kuala Lumpur. A proper Egyptian restaurant hidden inside Damansara Perdana. It felt like one of those moments where you walk in with zero expectations and end up discovering a slice of home in the Middle of Malaysia.
I left my car at the hotel because KL traffic can test your patience on any day of the week. A quick cab ride later, I was standing outside a quiet row of shops, not the kind of place you’d expect to find Egyptian comfort food. But the moment I stepped inside, everything changed.
A lady welcomed us with the warmest smile and immediately switched to Arabic. She handed my wife the English menu and gave me the Arabic one. I loved that tiny cultural detail. It felt familiar, cosy, and honestly a little emotional. Before the food arrived, I ordered karkadae. Hibiscus tea is such a classic in Egypt, and the first sip took me straight back to Cairo. Sweet, tangy, refreshing, and exactly how it should taste.
Then came the koshari. Rice, lentils, pasta, chickpeas, and fried onions layered into one comforting bowl. In Egypt, we usually get three sauces, but here they served garlic vinegar and chilli. I watched the waiter gently warn me not to pour everything at once. So please remember, add sauce only to the part you are eating, or it will go soggy. The tomato sauce was missing, so it was not exactly like the street stalls, but the flavours still felt nostalgic.
Next came the real star of the evening. The hawawshi. They make their own bread fresh and pan-fry it. Back home in Cairo, most places bake it in the oven, so this was a different style but still juicy and packed with flavour. The edges were crisp, the inside was tender, and dipping each bite into tahini with pickles took it to another level.
Later, the lady told me she was Sudanese. Suddenly, everything made sense. The warmth, the flavours, the way the food felt like home. Egyptian and Sudanese cooking share many similarities, and you can taste that comfort in every dish.
If you love Middle Eastern flavours or you want something different in KL, this little eatery is worth the trip. It is a proper hidden gem that surprised me in the best possible way.
Restaurant
Nebu Arab Eatery
Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
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