Ipoh White Coffee
Roasted over charcoal with palm margarine, no sugar in the roast. Served kopi-c with evaporated milk, the way it's been poured here since 1958.
RM3.20
Ipoh · Est. 1958
The white coffee your grandfather queued for.
Same corner of Jalan Bandar Timah since 1958. Still roasted over charcoal, still poured by the third generation of the same family. Come before 9am if you want a marble table.
The reason people drive here
What we're known for
Everything is made on site each morning. When it's gone, it's gone until tomorrow.
Charcoal Kaya Toast
Bread grilled over charcoal until the edges crack, thick pandan kaya, and a cold slab of salted butter that hasn't been reduced in fifty years.
RM4.50
Curry Mee
Ah Kong's recipe — coconut broth cooked from 5am, cockles, prawns and shredded chicken. Sells out most Saturdays by 11am.
RM9.50
Menu
What's on the wall
Same board, hand-painted, repainted twice. Cash and DuitNow only.
Kopi & Teh
- Kopi (black)
- Charcoal roast, thick
- RM2.80
- Kopi-C
- With evaporated milk
- RM3.20
- Ipoh White Coffee
- The one people come for
- RM3.20
- Teh Tarik
- Pulled to order
- RM3.00
- Milo Dinosaur
- For the kids, and everyone else
- RM5.50
- Barley, hot or iced
- RM2.80
Breakfast
- Charcoal Kaya Toast
- Pandan kaya, cold salted butter
- RM4.50
- Half-Boiled Eggs (2)
- White pepper, dark soy
- RM3.00
- Set A
- White coffee, kaya toast and two eggs
- RM9.90
- Steamed Bread with Kaya
- RM3.80
- Peanut Butter Toast
- RM4.00
Noodles & Rice
- Curry Mee
- Cockles, prawns, shredded chicken
- RM9.50
- Kai See Hor Fun
- Ipoh chicken and prawn broth
- RM9.00
- Nasi Lemak Bungkus
- Until sold out, usually by 10am
- RM4.50
- Wantan Mee, dry
- RM8.50
Take Home
- Coffee Powder 500g
- Ground or whole bean
- RM24.00
- Pandan Kaya Jar
- 350g, made that morning
- RM14.00
- Gift Set
- Coffee, kaya and two enamel cups
- RM68.00
Prices include SST. Curry mee and kaya toast sell out most weekends — come early.
About us
Three generations, one corner, one recipe
Wan Seng opened in 1958 when Lee Wan Seng arrived in Ipoh with a charcoal roaster and a rented shopfront. His son took over in 1984. His granddaughter Mei Ling runs it now, and still roasts on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Very little has changed, on purpose. The marble tables are the originals. The kaya is still cooked in the same copper pot, which is why we run out of it by mid-afternoon. We don't take card, we don't do oat milk, and the wifi is deliberately bad.
- Charcoal-roasted on site, twice a week
- Kaya cooked fresh every morning
- Original 1958 marble tables
- Back room seats 30, by arrangement
Our work
The shop
Jalan Bandar Timah, most mornings before eight.
Regulars
What people say after they've queued
“Been coming here since I was at school in the eighties. Table by the door, kopi-c and two eggs. Nothing has changed and that is entirely the point.”
“Drove up from KL specifically for this. Got there at 7:30am and the queue was already out the door — worth it. The kaya is a completely different thing to the supermarket stuff.”
“Curry mee finished by the time we arrived at 11:30 on a Saturday. Came back Sunday at 8am and understood why. Go early.”
1958
Opened
3rd
Generation
Charcoal
Roasted on site
4.7★
1,240 Google reviews
FAQ
Questions we get asked a lot
What time should I come to avoid the queue?
Before 8am on weekdays, before 7:30am on weekends. Between 9 and 11 on a Saturday you should expect to wait 20–30 minutes for a table.
Do you take card?
Cash or DuitNow QR only. There's a Maybank ATM two doors down if you need it.
Can I book a table?
Not for normal mornings — it's first come, first served. The back room seats 30 and can be booked for functions with at least three days' notice.
Do you sell coffee powder to take home?
Yes, 500g bags of our own charcoal roast, ground while you wait or whole bean. We also post within Malaysia if you WhatsApp us.
Where can I park?
Street parking along Jalan Bandar Timah, or the open lot behind Jalan Sultan Yussuf, about a two-minute walk. Both fill up by 8am on weekends.
Find us
Corner of Jalan Bandar Timah
No bookings for ordinary mornings — just turn up. WhatsApp us for the back room or a coffee order to collect.
- Opening hours
-
- Monday 7am – 5pm
- Tuesday 7am – 5pm
- Wednesday Closed
- Thursday 7am – 5pm
- Friday 7am – 12:30pm, 2:30pm – 5pm
- Saturday 6:30am – 6pm
- Sunday 6:30am – 6pm
- Service areas
- Ipoh Old Town, Ipoh New Town, Gunung Rapat, Bercham, Menglembu