I
n the city of Kuala Lumpur, there is an abundance of chocolate stores, each of which offers a unique selection. The only thing that these stores truly have in common with one another is that they all sell chocolate that is manufactured in Malaysia and, for the most part, uses cocoa from Malaysia. In a manner somewhat similar to that of Tokyo, the majority of chocolate cafes and stores in Kuala Lumpur are located inside the many malls that dot the city. Unfortunately, there is no one location in which many may be seen grouped together in a concentrated region, such as in Seoul or Seattle.
After visiting a dozen chocolate shops in Kuala Lumpur, I can confidently say that the city is home to some very exceptional establishments, despite the fact that Malaysians appear to have a strong preference for large stores selling pre-packaged chocolates. The bean-to-bar chocolate sector in Malaysia is progressively expanding, and there are now quite a few chocolatiers producing delectable bonbons. However, I’ve also come across an astonishingly high amount of references to cacao in contexts in which it is not the primary focus of the discussion.
As an example, there is a chocolate shop in Singapore known as The Cocoa Trees that specializes in selling “luxury” commercial chocolates in the form of gift baskets. The majority of these chocolates have a negligible or nonexistent amount of cacao. In addition, there are a handful of Royce, Leonidas, and Godiva shops in KL. These stores are quite popular despite the fact that they do not offer chocolate that is produced in Malaysia. Unfortunately, almost all of the chocolate sold at KL Airport is imported; if you are simply passing through on a stopover, you won’t find any choices that are made locally.
Even though they don’t consume nearly as much cocoa as they should, Malaysians take great pride in their country’s chocolate production. However, although it may be difficult to locate good chocolate in the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, once you get into the city itself, finding it is a breeze—that is, if you know where to look.
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Malaysian Chocolate Museum
Benn’s Ethicoa Chocolate Factory
Before I start exploring the chocolate shops in Kuala Lumpur, I feel obligated to give Benn’s Ethicoa some recognition. I have been following Wilfred Ng, the proprietor, along on his path with the creation of speciality chocolates for some years at this point. He launched Asia’s first open-concept chocolate factory at the end of 2019, describing each stage of the process of manufacturing chocolate in a manner that was simple and succinct. In addition to being a museum and a paradise, the stunning factory also has a café that is connected to it.
At the chocolate shop, they sell chocolate beverages, chocolate candies, bars of single origin chocolate, and a variety of other cacao-based goods. Cacao is sourced from five different countries around Asia, including Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, and everything is hand-made on the premises. You may be able to sample chocolate that is fresh off the conching process, albeit the flavor may vary according on the origin that is currently being made. The ginger cheesecake packed with single origin chocolate mousse is without a doubt my top pick from their assortment of baked goods.
Even if there is another chocolate factory in KL (please see below), you should not pass up the opportunity to see this one. The tour of the chocolate factory is free for children under the age of 12, costs 25 ringgit for Malaysian natives, and costs 50 ringgit for visitors from other countries. The tour comes with complimentary tastings at several points along the route, as well as a complimentary pastry or beverage at the conclusion; however, if you ask very sweetly, they can give you a bonbon sampling flight instead.
Address: Lot no. 6, Jalan Cj 1/6c Kawasan Perindustrian Cheras Jaya, Batu 11, 43200 Cheras, Selangor, Malaysia
Hours: 10am-6pm, Tue.-Sun.
Bean to Bar Chocolate in KL
Seniman Kakao
This chocolate shop is friendly to vegans in general and specialized in both bars and bonbons, offering a variety of flavors and textures to satisfy a wide range of preferences. Someone came up to me within a minute of stepping in to assist me understand their choices, which demonstrates how helpful and well-trained the staff is in explaining their process. I felt that they were really informative. You can tell which of their three or four single origins was used to make each bar by looking at the back of the bar; this information is subject to change based on the availability of the ingredients. Additionally, there are samples available.
In addition to the extensive food and drink menu that is available at any one time, there are also a few dessert choices available at the bar, including a variety of bonbons, truffles, and a few other varieties of bonbons. Even though it is not vegan, their marshmallow shoot creation is incredible, and I loved the salty chocolate chip cookie, but if you can only sample one dish, I recommend that you go with the marshmallow shot creation.
It would be nice if the chairs in the area of the café that is air conditioned were more comfortable, but there is a large number of sitting options available outdoors where you can unwind while enjoying a meal or a drink. On weekdays, please be aware that the kitchen shuts at 4:30 p.m.
Address: 29, Jalan Pudu Lama, Bukit Bintang, 50200 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Hours: 8am-7pm, daily
Chocolate Concierge
Ning-Geng Ong, a cocoa grower and fermenter, is the mastermind behind the innovative brand Chocolate Concierge. Ning crafts single origin tree to bar chocolates by working with cacao farmers around peninsular Malaysia to bring out the wonderful flavors in Malaysian cacao, which he then utilizes. You may get his chocolate bars, barks, and bonbons in over a dozen different varieties here at this retail site.
After sampling his chocolates (and right after paying a visit to Harriston’s Boutique, of all places! ), I had the opportunity to speak with Ning and learn more about the conservation work he does with the indigenous communities in the area; however, let’s be honest: you’re more interested in hearing about the chocolate. At any one moment, he has between three and six unique bars of single origin dark chocolate, in addition to between six and ten unique varieties of chocolate bark.
You may order any of his chocolates on his website, including the recently launched collection of five Malaysian-inspired bonbons, which includes Onde Onde, Cendol, and Laksa; in addition, you can purchase the set. The current site is in the basement of the BSC mall; however, plans are in the works for a freestanding store to open later in the year 2020. A visit to Chocolate Concierge is a must for everyone who considers themselves a chocoholic since it is the location from where you can get some of the finest chocolate in Malaysia.
Address: Street Level of Bangsar Shopping Centre, Jalan Sena, 59000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Hours: 10am-10pm, daily
*Ben’s Independent Grocer
Even though Ben’s is not a chocolate store per se, it is a fantastic shopping destination for anyone who are passionate about chocolate. They have a wonderful range of eateries in the area in addition to a decent chocolate selection, which includes several bars of chocolate made locally by Benn’s (which are featured above) and chocolate made in Switzerland by Milkboy Chocolate. If you are short on time, you should come here since you will be able to purchase many brands all at once.
Address: Publika, Lot 1A, 83-95, Jalan Dutamas 1, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (there are various locations; we only marked this one on the map)
Hours: 9am-10pm, daily
KL Chocolatiers
Art Cacao (Le Meridien)
The chocolate store can be found inside the Le Meridien Hotel, which can be found just across the KL Sentral Bus Station. The café is located immediately in the foyer, and there is seating available for up to six people straight away, in addition to further possibilities farther out. Although Art Cacao seems to specialize in cakes and chocolate beverages, the bonbons were the main reason I visited the establishment.
During my visit, the only items that they had available were some Christmas pralinés. These included speculoos cookie milk chocolate bonbons, solid milk chocolate snowmen, and herbal mint white chocolate truffles. The staff members that assisted me were really helpful and sensitive to the haste that I was in, and the truffles were delicious (except for the plain snowmen, which were fine but boring). If I had the option to choose the kinds of truffles that went into my box, I would return without a doubt.
Address: 2, Jalan Stesen Sentral 5, Kuala Lumpur Sentral, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (inside Le Meridien Hotel)
Hours: 7am-8pm, daily
Signature Chocolate by Since 18’s
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While I was in KL, I did not get the opportunity to stop by Signature, but from what I understand, they offer couverture chocolate that has been molded into various forms. In very stunning form, some of these incorporate various implements, floral arrangements, and tobacco pipes. In addition to that, they offer soft-serve ice cream in chocolate-dipped waffle cones, complete with a chocolate spoon that you can use to eat the ice cream with and then finish off yourself. For the time being, I am unable to speak for the quality of the chocolate that is being used, but when I am back in KL, I will have to check out some of their more unusual forms.
Address: LGC-33, Mid Valley Megamall, 81, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, 58000 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Hours: 12pm-1am
Love18 Chocolate
This is the same store that can be found in Penang and just outside of the central business district of KL. Love18 is a company that is owned and operated by a family, and it specializes in producing nama chocolates, which are similar to ganaches, in both the basic and flavored versions. Additionally, the business provides customers with the option to purchase pure chocolate bonbons and truffles in a variety of flavors, such as orange, mint, and pure milk chocolate. All of the chocolate that was utilized was Belgian chocolate made by Callebaut.
Address: Lot LGC-15, LG Floor, Mid Valley Megamall, Mid Valley City, 58000 Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 10am-10pm, daily
Cocodash by Cocoraw
This company specialized in producing boxes of nama chocolate, which is essentially chocolate that has been melted with cream so that it can be consumed more easily. The display case included all ten of their varieties, with the Salted Gula Melaka and Rum tastes instantly sticking out as the most noticeable. After asking the young worker about samples, we ended up trying a couple of their varieties ourselves, and he was kind enough to answer all of our questions.
Although it seems that they had a few nama chocolates produced from “raw” chocolate, the collaborative chocolates that they offered were the ones that piqued my interest the most. They employ chocolate from Benn’s Ethicoa in Selangor and Seniman Kakao in the central business district of Kuala Lumpur in two of their nama chocolates. Both of them are darker alternatives, one of which has a 70% percentage, but they proudly display a dedication to working with local suppliers. We couldn’t get enough of their simple milk chocolate box, which, despite its sweetness, was the ideal treat to enjoy with a cappuccino from one of the neighboring cafes.
The brownie was good, but the flavoring concentrated more on the pieces of chocolate included inside the brownie rather than the flavor of the brownie itself. This resulted in a flavor that was less rich than we had hoped for. However, the handcrafted marshmallows turned out to be a pleasant bonus present to take home with you, and each one only cost 2 RM. If I have a severe hunger for sweets, I will come back to this place and get a box of the milk nama chocolate or a salted gula melaka. It is important to take note that the Cocodash online store has Seniman Kakao bars as well.
Address: 1, Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (multiple locations; this one is inside a Ben’s Independent Grocer)
Hours: 12pm-8pm, daily (opens 10am Fri.-Sat.)
Nayuta Chocolatasia
It would seem that chocolate produced in Japan is gaining popularity throughout Asia. This specific shop can be found inside the Isetan Japan department store, which can be found within the Lot 10 Shopping Center. The big kiosk that demonstrates a few steps that cocoa beans go through on their path to becoming chocolate and then presents their products leads me to believe that the establishment may be a bean-to-bar chocolate producer; nevertheless, I cannot say for certain that this is the case. Therefore, unless more clarification is provided, it will be filed under chocolatier.
The store offers many varieties of baked goods, including huge and super small chocolate bars, chocolate-covered almonds, and giant chocolate bars. They feature over a dozen different varieties of bonbons, the most of which are manufactured with Asian cacao, and offer both dark and milk versions of their single origins chocolates. The dark chocolate from the Philippines was the unanimous favorite among the bonbons that we tested, and they were all delicious.
Address: Malaysia, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Bukit Bintang, Jalan Sultan Ismail, ISETAN The Japan Store Ground Floor, LOT 10 Shopping Center
Hours: 11am-9pm, daily
Tourist Chocolate Shops in KL
Belice Chocolate Kingdom
This so-called chocolate kingdom, which was once known as Beryl’s Chocolate Kingdom, has evolved over the years into a popular place for tourists to visit. Or maybe I should say that it was constructed with the intention of luring visitors. The stores are located in a very inconvenient location, and when I visited there were at least three tour buses full of customers (mostly speaking Chinese dialects). After you have obtained your admittance sticker at the front desk, you will go inside the main shopping area.
Inside are numerous rooms filled with chocolates of all flavors, shapes, and sizes, but they all have one thing in common: palm oil is used in the manufacturing process (often blended with sunflower oil). Short descriptions of various historical chocolate facts were located at the very top of the shelves. These descriptions included references to the Aztecs, chocolate beverages, and the locations where cocoa is cultivated. Aside from that, there wasn’t much learning to be had out of any of it.
They have a “cocoa drink” that costs 5 RM and bonbons that range from sweet to somewhat intense in taste and cost 8 RM apiece (much more expensive than at the specialty chocolatiers). There were macarons in the display case as well, but I didn’t get any of them. It is in your best interest to purchase chocolates from a different retailer, since the prices will be lower and the quality will be higher.
Address: 38, Jalan Utara, Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Hours: 9am-6pm, daily
Harriston Boutique
When we arrived, there was a tour bus parked in front of the building. We were shown with samples of a drink prepared with cocoa powder that had the consistency and flavor of chocolate pudding very instantly, followed by some chocolate-coated almonds created with compound chocolate. As I walked around the exhibits at the shop entry, it became more evident than it had previously been that the tour bus that was parked outside occurs on a consistent basis. After all, this is one of the few locations in Malaysia from where one may get ruby chocolate.
Despite the fact that it is located in a nation that is consistently ranked among the best producers of cocoa in the world, Harriston Cocoa makes its chocolate coating mostly out of sugar, vegetable oil, and cocoa powder. After having a taste of the chocolate for myself, I cannot in good conscience advocate going here when there are so many other sites where you can get chocolate of a higher quality that was made locally for the same price. Compare the price of 110 RM for four boxes sold here to the price of the same number of chocolate bars sold at Seniman or Chocolate Concierge. But you are more than welcome to test all three kinds of maker and decide for yourself.
Address: Malaysia Tourism Centre, 139, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Hours: 9am-8pm, daily
Malaysian Chocolate Cafe Culture
We ended up embarking on a number of fruitless searches for chocolate businesses in KL that were either no longer in business or only open at certain times of the year. These are not included on this particular list. But neither are the many chocolate-themed eateries that can be found in and around Kuala Lumpur, of which I discovered at least a half dozen while doing research for my book. For instance, there are restaurants in Malaysia such as Molten Chocolate Cafe, Dip & Dip, and Salon Du Chocolat Malaysia, all of which provide chocolate fondues and desserts made with chocolate. However, they do not participate in the process of manufacturing chocolate themselves, nor do they provide bonbons to customers as a typical chocolatier would.
We spent a pleasant time at Chocoloco Cafe in Publika, but they do not qualify as a chocolate store since they only sell delicacies that include chocolate rather than chocolates themselves (although, for the record, I would return for that delectable chocolate crepe). In addition, there are a number of chocolate stores in Kuala Lumpur that resell pre-packaged chocolates that have been manufactured in large quantities. For those of you who may just wish to purchase chocolate manufactured in Malaysia, I’ve picked a few of the more well known and enduring ones for this list; although, shops like this seem to be a dime a dozen.
It has been brought to my notice that in the first edition of this book, I wrongly said that Chocolat World had closed when in fact, they are open and running as usual at this time. This error was brought to my knowledge in the year 2021. They provide chocolate cakes and confections prepared with Belgian couverture chocolate, in addition to various seasonal delicacies each autumn and winter. Unfortunately, I did not get the opportunity to test their chocolates during my visit, but they do offer these items. With any luck, I’ll be able to give them a go on my subsequent trip, when things will be back to a more regular state.
To our great fortune, there are still a number of delightful chocolate stores and cafés from which to select. In which of these locations in Kuala Lumpur do you believe you can get the finest selection of chocolate?
