Kin Kin Chili Pan Mee Review

Every Kuala Lumpur (KL) food list tells you to eat chili pan mee, and then the questions start. Which shop? Dry or soup? And how much of that jar of chili flakes are you supposed to add?

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In this guide 9 sections

Cream and I went looking for the best chili pan mee in KL during our three months living in the city, and the locals we asked all pointed us the same way: Kin Kin, the original shop in Chow Kit. So one morning we went, ordered both versions plus a spread of sides, and set out to find out whether it lived up to the name.

It did more than that. This is the bowl I've called the best noodle dish in the world in our must-eat foods in Kuala Lumpur guide, and this is our full Kin Kin review: dry versus soup, the sides worth adding, what we paid, and when to go.

Watch Our Kin Kin Chili Pan Mee Taste Test

Cream does the tasting on camera, from the first mix of the dry bowl to the side-by-side with the soup version:

Is Kin Kin Chili Pan Mee Worth It? My Quick Answer

Yes. Kin Kin's dry chili pan mee is the best bowl of noodles we've ever had, and our score is 10 out of 10. The noodles are fresh and chewy, the runny egg turns everything into a sauce, and you control the heat yourself. Order the dry version, go in the morning, and bring cash: the two of us ate two bowls, three sides, and two teh tarik for RM57 (about $13).

What Is Chili Pan Mee?

Mee means noodles, and pan mee is a Hakka Chinese noodle dish. The name means "board noodle," from the old way of cutting the dough into strands against a wooden board.¹ The classic version is served in soup.

Chili pan mee is the dry, spicy version, and it was invented right here in Chow Kit.¹ The noodles come topped with minced pork, crispy fried anchovies, fried onions, and a poached egg, and you add dried chili flakes to taste. You'll often see it spelled chilli pan mee on signs and menus. Kin Kin has been making it since 1985,² and it's still famous for that one dish.⁴

Arriving at Kin Kin: What to Expect

Kin Kin is an old-school noodle shop in a row of shophouses, under a bright yellow sign. Nothing fancy, and that's part of the charm.

We went in the morning and there was no line at all. We were the only people there, and a few more customers only started trickling in as we were wrapping up. That's our usual trick for famous food spots in KL: go early, and you get the place to yourself.

What We Ordered at Kin Kin

We ordered a little of everything: the dry chili pan mee, the soup (wet) chili pan mee, fishcake, fried bean curd skin, fried dumplings, and two teh tarik. Here it is, from the bowl you have to order to the side I'd skip.

1. Dry Chili Pan Mee // The Best Noodles We've Ever Had

The dry bowl arrives with the noodles underneath and everything piled on top: minced pork, crispy anchovies, onions, and a soft poached egg that's still runny inside.

The first job is the chili. There's a jar of dried chili flakes on the table, and the bowl itself isn't spicy at all, so you decide how hot it gets. Cream added one spoonful, which gave it a gentle, even heat that never got overwhelming. If you love spice, keep going.

Then you mix it hard. This is where the magic happens: the egg coats the noodles and turns into a glossy sauce, and all the minced pork and anchovies cling to every strand. That's why I compare it to an Asian carbonara. It's rich and creamy without any cream.

Cream's first bite: "Whoa. These noodles are just incredible." The noodles are fresh with a real chew, and the anchovies give a crunch against the soft noodles. It looks like a simple bowl, but as Cream put it, "You can't even describe how much flavor is in this bowl."

The dry version comes with a small bowl of clear soup with leafy greens on the side.² Don't ignore it. A sip between bites cleanses your palate, so every forkful of noodles tastes like the first one.

2. Soup Chili Pan Mee // Good, but a Different Dish

The wet version has the same toppings, plus leafy greens, all in a broth. Once Cream mixed in the chili and the egg, the broth went from clear to creamy.

It tasted completely different from the dry bowl. The toppings don't cling to the noodles the same way, so the flavor goes into the broth instead, and you taste the anchovies a lot more. The noodles were just as fresh and chewy.

It's good, and if you're two people, it's fun to order both and compare. But if I can only pick one, it's the dry bowl every time. Next time, that's all we'll order.

3. Fried Dumplings // The Side to Get

These were the side we were most excited about, and they delivered. The thin edges of the fried shell are crispy, and the middle is light and airy, with a meat filling inside. Order these with your noodles.

4. Fried Bean Curd Skin // Long, Flat, and Chewy

Bean curd skin (fu chuk) is the thin sheet that forms on top of soy milk as it's heated, and here it's fried. It was Cream's first time trying it. The pieces are long and flat with a light soybean flavor and a little chew, and they reminded him of tofu.

5. Fishcake // An Interesting Try

The fishcake surprised us. It came as a sliced block that looks more like tofu than fish, with a spongy texture and a slightly salty taste, but you can tell it's fish right away. It comes with a little tub of sauce, which adds some spice and makes the fish taste even fishier.

It's a unique bite, but it's the one side I'd skip if you're ordering for two.

6. Teh Tarik // The Drink to Go With It

Teh tarik means "pulled tea": black tea with milk, poured back and forth until it's frothy. It's a little sweet, it's refreshing, and it goes perfectly with a bowl of chili pan mee. You'll find it everywhere in Malaysia, and you have to try it at least once.

What We Didn't Love

Nothing was a letdown. If I'm picky, ordering every side was more than we needed. The noodles are the reason to come, the fishcake wasn't for us, and the soup version is good but no match for the dry. Next time we're keeping it simple: two dry bowls, fried dumplings, and teh tarik.

Who Kin Kin Is For, and Who Should Skip It

Go if you love noodles, you want a real local breakfast or lunch in an old-school shop, or you're nervous about spice, since you add the chili yourself.

Skip it if you eat halal (the noodles come with minced pork, and the shop is not halal), or if you need air conditioning. KL is hot all year, as our guide to the best time to visit Kuala Lumpur explains, so a morning visit is more comfortable anyway.

Prices, Hours, and Getting There

• What we paid: RM57 (about $13) in cash for two in 2026, for a dry and a soup chili pan mee, fried dumplings, fried bean curd skin, fishcake, and two teh tarik.
• Menu price: a February 2026 review lists the dry chili pan mee at RM12 (about $2.80).³
• Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily, according to two early-2026 reviews.²³ Older listings give earlier closing times, so check Google Maps before going late in the day.
• Where: 40, Jalan Dewan Sultan Sulaiman 1, Chow Kit, 50300 Kuala Lumpur.³ It's the original Kin Kin. There are other branches, including one in Pandan Indah, but this is the one we'd send you to.
• Where to stay: Chow Kit is a short Grab from Bukit Bintang and KLCC, where most visitors stay. See places to stay in Bukit Bintang.
• Payment: we paid cash. Bring some to be safe. Our guide to cash or card in Kuala Lumpur covers when you'll need it.
• Halal: no. The chili pan mee is topped with minced pork.⁴

Restoran Kin Kin, 40 Jalan Dewan Sultan Sulaiman 1, Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur

This map comes from Google Maps.

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Our Verdict on Kin Kin Chili Pan Mee

The best noodles we've ever had, for about $2.80 a bowl. Go in the morning, order the dry chili pan mee, add as much chili as you dare, and mix that egg in well.

Next Steps for Your Kuala Lumpur Trip

• The 13 best restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, ranked by our scores.
• The must-eat foods in Kuala Lumpur, with chili pan mee at number five.
• The best time to visit Kuala Lumpur, month by month.
• Is Kuala Lumpur good for digital nomads? What three months of living there was like.
• Is Kuala Lumpur worth visiting? Our honest verdict after three months.