Top 10 Malaysian Night Markets (Pasar Malam) in 2026

Operating every Wednesday evening along a two-kilometre stretch of road in Cheras, Taman Connaught's night market is the largest pasar malam in Malaysia — a sprawling market of over 700 stalls selling everything from freshly grilled seafood and handmade dim sum to affordable fashion, electronics, and pets. At its peak it draws an estimated 50,000 visitors in a single evening.

Multiple night markets operate across Penang on different days of the week, with the markets around Pulau Tikus, Farlim, and Paya Terubong offering the most authentic local experience — fishball noodles, Penang laksa, apam balik pancakes, and fresh durian surrounded by a clientele that is entirely Penang resident rather than tourist-facing.

Kepong Baru's Saturday night market in northern KL is a magnificent Chinese-Malaysian night market where roast duck, char siu pork, Hokkien prawn noodles, and freshly made yong tau foo attract families from across the Kepong area. The market's no-frills atmosphere and outstanding pork-centric Chinese food stalls make it a favourite among KL food connoisseurs who bypass the more tourist-visible markets entirely.

The day and night markets of Kuala Terengganu's Pasar Payang are the finest expression of east coast Malay food culture — nasi dagang cooked in bamboo, keropok lekor fish crackers deep-fried to order, nasi kerabu with rainbow-blue rice, and freshly grilled ikan keli catfish that represent flavours virtually impossible to find in Peninsula Malaysia's west coast cities.

Every Sunday morning, Kota Kinabalu's Gaya Street closes to traffic and fills with vendors selling Sabahan food specialties — Kadazan-Dusun wild boar curry, hinava raw fish salad, bamboo-grilled rice, and beautifully woven Sabahan craft textiles that give this market a distinctly Bornean character unavailable anywhere else in Malaysia.

Kuching's famous weekend market near the Sarawak River brings indigenous Iban, Bidayuh, and Penan vendors from the interior jungle to sell fresh jungle produce — wild boar, bamboo shoots, fiddlehead ferns, and the extraordinary diversity of jungle fruits that make Sarawakian food culture so distinctive from Peninsular Malaysian cuisine.

The Monday night market in PJ's SS2 neighbourhood is one of the Klang Valley's most beloved and best-established — a well-organised market where specific stalls have operated from the same positions for over 20 years, serving grilled chicken wings, curry puffs, tau fu fah soybean curd, and fresh fruit that a loyal weekly clientele regards as essential weekly provisions.

The weekend night market in Ipoh's old town concentrates Perak's finest street food alongside vintage clothing, local handicrafts, and the distinctive white coffee culture that Ipoh has exported to coffee chains across the world. The old town's colonial streetscape provides a backdrop that makes this one of Malaysia's most photogenic night market settings.

The Thursday night market in Wangsa Maju is a genuinely multicultural KL night market where Malay nasi lemak bungkus stalls, Indian-Muslim murtabak vendors, and Chinese economy rice counters operate side by side in a market that reflects the demographic reality of this mixed-race northeastern KL neighbourhood. It is exactly the kind of unselfconscious, neighbourhood-serving market that defines Malaysia's street food culture at its most authentic.

Operating every Wednesday evening along a two-kilometre stretch of road in Cheras, Taman Connaught's night market is the largest pasar malam in Malaysia — a sprawling market of over 700 stalls selling everything from freshly grilled seafood and handmade dim sum to affordable fashion, electronics, and pets. At its peak it draws an estimated 50,000 visitors in a single evening.

Multiple night markets operate across Penang on different days of the week, with the markets around Pulau Tikus, Farlim, and Paya Terubong offering the most authentic local experience — fishball noodles, Penang laksa, apam balik pancakes, and fresh durian surrounded by a clientele that is entirely Penang resident rather than tourist-facing.

Kepong Baru's Saturday night market in northern KL is a magnificent Chinese-Malaysian night market where roast duck, char siu pork, Hokkien prawn noodles, and freshly made yong tau foo attract families from across the Kepong area. The market's no-frills atmosphere and outstanding pork-centric Chinese food stalls make it a favourite among KL food connoisseurs who bypass the more tourist-visible markets entirely.

The day and night markets of Kuala Terengganu's Pasar Payang are the finest expression of east coast Malay food culture — nasi dagang cooked in bamboo, keropok lekor fish crackers deep-fried to order, nasi kerabu with rainbow-blue rice, and freshly grilled ikan keli catfish that represent flavours virtually impossible to find in Peninsula Malaysia's west coast cities.

Every Sunday morning, Kota Kinabalu's Gaya Street closes to traffic and fills with vendors selling Sabahan food specialties — Kadazan-Dusun wild boar curry, hinava raw fish salad, bamboo-grilled rice, and beautifully woven Sabahan craft textiles that give this market a distinctly Bornean character unavailable anywhere else in Malaysia.

Kuching's famous weekend market near the Sarawak River brings indigenous Iban, Bidayuh, and Penan vendors from the interior jungle to sell fresh jungle produce — wild boar, bamboo shoots, fiddlehead ferns, and the extraordinary diversity of jungle fruits that make Sarawakian food culture so distinctive from Peninsular Malaysian cuisine.

The Monday night market in PJ's SS2 neighbourhood is one of the Klang Valley's most beloved and best-established — a well-organised market where specific stalls have operated from the same positions for over 20 years, serving grilled chicken wings, curry puffs, tau fu fah soybean curd, and fresh fruit that a loyal weekly clientele regards as essential weekly provisions.

The weekend night market in Ipoh's old town concentrates Perak's finest street food alongside vintage clothing, local handicrafts, and the distinctive white coffee culture that Ipoh has exported to coffee chains across the world. The old town's colonial streetscape provides a backdrop that makes this one of Malaysia's most photogenic night market settings.

The Thursday night market in Wangsa Maju is a genuinely multicultural KL night market where Malay nasi lemak bungkus stalls, Indian-Muslim murtabak vendors, and Chinese economy rice counters operate side by side in a market that reflects the demographic reality of this mixed-race northeastern KL neighbourhood. It is exactly the kind of unselfconscious, neighbourhood-serving market that defines Malaysia's street food culture at its most authentic.