post

While most cafés these days go for the sleek Instagram-perfect polish, Liku-Likoo Bukit Bintang, located behind Berjaya Times Square, eschews that cookie-cutter look for something raw and rustic. The three-story building had sat abandoned for years before it was reincarnated as one of KL’s most individualistic cafés.
Instead of whitewashing the interior, Liku-Likoo doesn’t just preserve the ghost of its past but also doubles down on the vintage inspiration. Walls are kept bare, and in some cases, with gaping holes left untouched. Tables have been fashioned out of salvaged wooden beams, while doors and railings are actual retro pieces rescued from old houses in Penang. Elsewhere, beautifully preserved traditional medicine cabinets from the proprietors’ family business line the feature wall. It’s a bit of a Frankenstein, no doubt, but the entire space has an unpretentious, deconstructed Malaysiana vibe.
It’s not all atmosphere, either. Liku-Likoo Bukit Bintang lives up to its DIY concept by roasting its own coffee beans and brewing kombucha on-site—the latter being yet another offering that sets it apart from the usual KL cafés. Five flavors, including lemongrass, passion fruit, and pineapple, are available on tap, and these fruity fermented teas make the perfect refreshments in the tropical heat.
Food-wise, there’s a good variety to choose from: pastas, house-made sausage buns, plus local favorites such as nasi ulam (aromatic herb rice), nasi lemak (rich coconut rice with sambal), and nasi dagang (curry rice from Peninsular Malaysia’s East Coast). Notably, this is quite possibly the only city-center café that stays open until 2 a.m. (and 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays). —<a href="https://destinasian.com/contributor/lim-chee-wah" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lim Chee Wah</a>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/liku_likoo/?DestinAsian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">instagram.com/liku_likoo</a> 
+60 11 6281 5355 
<a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/2u8WUjSc3TPssNr96" target="_blank" rel="noopener">56, Lorong 1/77a, Off Jln. Changkat Thambi Dollah, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia</a>

An aerial shot of the interior of Liku-Likoo Bukit Bintang in Berjaya Times Square, Kuala Lumpur.

Liku-Likoo Bukit Bintang: Vintage Cafe