Kopitiam

“I'd def like to try their crab meatballs, nasi lemak, pandan crepe, beehive cake, the sticky rice but with Kaya topping, pulled tea.”

“Eggs were perfectly runny and the yolk broke over the coconut rice with shrimp paste filling in the most satisfying way.”

“My favorites are the pulut inti, blue sticky rice topped with grated coconut and their mochi.”

Kopitiam

Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes

Price range.

$ Price range Under $10

8 reviews

  1. I was very impressed with the food and drink coming out of this tiny Malaysian restaurant in Chinatown. With only a few seats to sit, our group decided to do takeout and bring our food to a nearby park. Service was friendly, fast and very efficient. Prices were excellent – so affordable! My Malaysian iced coffee with condensed milk was delicious and refreshing and not at all too sweet, in my opinion! I ordered the nasi lemak for my meal and it was a large portion of rice served with sambal, anchovies, peanuts, cucumbers and more. It's a distinct, unusual flavor for those who have never tried it before, but having eaten this dish many times around the world I do believe that at this restaurant was one of the best!

  2. My visit to Kopitiam marked my first time trying Malaysian food, and my experience was an awesome one.

    I could tell that their menu was well-thought out, since there weren't many items on it. Even though people might see that as a negative thing, I liked that there were a smaller number of drinks and dishes for me to look at, because it made choosing a dish to try much easier.

    I got the Pulut Panggang (Baked Sticky Rice with Lemongrass Spicy Shrimp Floss in Sambai, or hot sauce) and Teh Tarik (black tea + condensed milk). The Pulut Panggang is more filling than it looks, I felt satisfied after eating it. And even though I normally don't like spicy foods, the spice level for this dish was mild and more flavorful, so it reminded me of Korean hot pepper paste. That, along with the thick sticky rice, were why I enjoyed this dish so much.

    The Teh Tarik was a great addition to my meal and it reminded me of the chai tea lattes I usually get at coffee shops around the city.

    The two staff workers I talked to, Kio (not sure if I spelled that right) and Stephanie, were so down-to-earth and approachable to talk to.

    I appreciated that the food and drink I tried were authentic, and not altered to fit American tastes. You get the real deal here.

  3. I told my mom about the blue sticky rice and she surprised me the next day with 2 of the brightest blue food I've ever seen.  Mom even tried to set up the items for me to photograph (so she could steal my picture later [= )

    I didn't know what to expect, but the Pulut Inti sticky rice was interesting.  More of a savory item then a dessert item.  There was shredded toasted coconut for additional texture and flavor.

    She also brought the thousand layer cake.  I didn't particularly like it because all I tasted was butter, which reminded me of pound cake.

    I would visit and try the Pulut Inti again, and several other items on the menu.  The pictures look so tasty!

  4. Came here on a whim bc Via was doing a promotion (all rides to and from Kopitiam were free), and left totally enamored.

    This place isn't much to look at – small storefront with five stools against the wall. The menu is small with 3-4 entrees, a handful of snacks and another handful of desserts. I actually kind of appreciated that since the hubs has a major case of FOMO and always spends forever debating what to get. We ended up basically ordering every entree: the nasi lemak, the chilled spicy sesame noodles, the shrimp floss and sticky rice. Finished with the kaya toast and peanut mochi for dessert. I also got an iced tea tarik with condensed milk and hubs got the hot coffee (kopi) tarik with condensed milk.

    The nasi lemak didn't have chicken, but I didn't really miss it – it's usually a tasteless, bland affair that needs to be spiced up by sambal anyway, and the anchovies were more than enough to add flavor to the rice. The pulut panggang, which was spicy shrimp floss and sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf, was our favorite. The savory shrimp filling had just a touch of sweetness and a good kick to it, and the sticky rice was the perfect consistency. We ended up taking the sesame noodles to go because we wanted to leave room for dessert.

    The kaya toast was outstanding, but then again it's hard to mess up coconut jam, pandan and nice, thick toast. The peanut mochi was also very good – soft, warm mochi, topped with palm sugar and ground peanut. This is a dish best eaten fresh. The sugar starts melting and the mochi gets kind of congealed if you take it out.

    This is more of a takeout place, but I hope they expand into an actual coffee shop. The food is awesome, prices are very reasonable and the staff is really friendly.

  5. The food was very enjoyable. I went early just so I can eat in the place.
    The place was empty and I had the counter seating all to myself!

    My early lunch included the
    Nasi Lemak (National Dish of Malaysia)- coconut rice with anchovies, hard boiled egg and slices cucumber. The presentation was great to look at. The anchovies were cooked nicely; well seasoned but not salty. The spicy sweet sauce went good with everything. Rate 4/5.

    For a drink I had the Kopi Tarik ice coffee. Tasty sweet condensed. Rate 4/5

    Their menu is simple, the place is small; only five counter seats but the food is good, satisfying and taste look no other food most of you ever had!
    Go try it!  BTW Nasi Lemak is the National Dish of Malaysia……

  6. I love this hole in the wall Malaysian restaurant.

    With room for six to sit, and the size of a studio apartment, it's unbelievable what goes on behind that counter. This is a full on restaurant with entrées and coffee/teas, plus some amazing deserts.

    For an impatient millennial junkie like me, it took me till the first bite to calm my horses. I shouldn't of forgotten that they make it on the spot. But hey, it was the caffine in me that had me walk out like three times to pace around. For my first visit here, I only Ordered the Muah Chee ($5), it's a plate full of Fresh Hot steamed glutinous rice balls, coated in Peanut, Sesame & Sugar.

    Them balls are The street food of Malaysia, (can't you see from my latest reviews that I'm a street food junkie?) that's how I usually dive in to a new cuisine, Balls first!  Those things were so shockingly soft and amazeballs, (balls lol) that I had to order another one before I left. But hey, don't worry the consequences for my impromptu double Dippin action were dire, no more food for me that night. The muah Chee (mochi) is a really heavy snack, so order it as an appetizer rather than a desert.

    Moral of the story: you will see more of me here, watch out anchovies (referring to the Malaysian dish – Nasi Lemak) I'm coming for ya.

  7. Fantastic hole in the wall Malaysian eatery! I read  about Kopitiam on NYT and since it's located not far from my job I made a mental note to check it out. When I finally did I was very happy I did! They don't actually have a kitchen but what they dole out from across the counter are dishes packed with authentic flavors as you would find back in Malaysia. It's the only spot I know of in NYC that makes and serves kaya toast, which if you haven't had yet you must try as it is just heavenly for breakfast accompanied with soft boiled eggs and coffee or tea. Their nasi lemak is also amazing! An umami packed dish you won't forget. Perfect for lunch! I also tried their fresh made muah chee, rice cakes made to order on a hot plate. It is perfect for a slightly sweet ending to lunch or as an afternoon snack.

    Note that seating is very limited.

  8. I really appreciate this diverse & eclectic culinary world that we live in and I am currently new to and loving the Malaysian dish called Nasi Lemak a Malaysian coconut milk rice, served with sambal, fried crispy anchovies, toasted peanuts,and cucumber slices that's cheap, satisfying, spicy like I like it and delicious. I credit my yelp friend Rich W. with turning me onto this dish with his photos and I happily bookmarked and made my way down to Kopitiam not to be disappointed!

    I'm a tad bit greedy so I found out you could order a side of the fried crispy anchovies in sambal for an additional $8 not bad. I love any kind of seafood and spice so this works for me.

    I also ordered their spicy fish cake which takes the spice level up two notches but is excellent and compliments the Nasi Lemak perfectly.

    I haven't tried anything else from here yet but I'm working on it, the trouble is the space here is terribly tight and tiny which is not ideal for me so I always take the food to go and enjoy in the comfort of my own space.

    The staff here is personable and friendly and I had the opporutinity while waiting for my food to see the magic performed for the hand pulled coffee so this is next up on my list along with dessert.

    If you like fried Anchovies & spice you should give this dish a try.

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Canal Street 51
New York 10002 NY US
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Tuesday, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Wednesday, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Thursday, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Friday, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Saturday, 10:00 am - 9:00 pm
Sunday, 10:00 am - 7:00 pm