One of Johor Bahru’s biggest draws is nostalgia. Our mission objectives may be hunting cheap-and-good food and massages, but the yearning for a simpler, happier past still hums in the subconscious. It’s a blessing for Singaporeans that older sibling Malaysia next door is a window to “the way we were”.
There isn’t the sort of Melaka- level conservation push in this basic border town of few museums but the surfeit of both physical and political space here allows for plenty of pockets of authenticity.
In the absence of museums, kopitiams (literally “coffee shops” in a Malay-Hokkien mashup) are the preserves of the good ol’ days. Many, aware of their role, proudly proffer their credentials with murals, curios and “About Us” webpages (particularly the new wave of Nanyang kopitiams celebrating our heritage).
We’ve rated 12 notable heritage kopitiams on four criteria. The first two, “kopi” and “food”, are straightforward. “Ambience” covers the comfort and cleanliness of the interior and surrounding area. Finally, we’re going with “ahpek-ticity”, a nod to ah peks (literally “old uncle” in Hokkien), which refers to gritty authenticity, whether there are genuine old artefacts and if old-timers still frequent the shop.
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