Whether it is the sauce, the noodles, or the feeling of dining somewhere foreign, wanton mee in Johor Bahru hits differently. Fortunately for Singapore residents, eating it requires just a quick jaunt across the causeway. When you are on your next JB trip, here is where to find the best wanton mee in town.
Wanton mee in JB and Singapore became part of the culinary landscape when migrants from Guangzhou, China settled in the region. Despite how close the two cities are, they each developed their own style.
In Singapore, equal treatment is given to the components of noodles, sauce, and char siu. In Johor Bahru, more weight is given to the egg noodles, and the best wanton mee places in JB make them themselves. There are also more sauces to choose from. The white version is made with sesame oil. Black wanton mee has a savoury dark dressing. Occasionally, diners might also come across tomato wanton mee, which hails from Pontian, a town 90 minutes away from JB.
Ho Seng Kee is an easy and reliable option for diners looking for wanton mee near the causeway. Located inside City Square, the restaurant makes the noodles with duck and chicken eggs and blankets them with lard. Jiao Wo lets diners customise the dish with five different flavours and three types of noodles.
Chin Chin is a wanton mee JB institution. Despite its location in Skudai, fans flock here for its duck egg noodles and char siu with morsels of fat. Yit Foh is another stalwart. Opened in the 1970s, their wanton noodle recipe calls for whole eggs and char siu that is freshly roasted every day. Fortune Pot offers Japanese-inspired twists on the dish, and HW stays open into the early hours for your late-night wanton mee fix. Check them out below.
(Hero and featured images credits: @jackietan995 / Instagram; @yumikoleng / Instagram)
Where to find the best wanton mee in JB
1 /10
Fortune Pot lets diners try the classic range of wanton mee from white to tomato base, as well as tom yum. The restaurant also has Japanese-inspired creations like a ramen-wanton noodle hybrid.
From RM12.90 (~S$3.90)
Daily, 8am – 10pm
(Image credit: 福鼎记 Fortune Pot / Facebook)
2 /10
Grandpapa Tee only uses duck eggs in the noodles to get a tight bouncy texture. The Ah Hua Special Wan Tan Mee adds minced meat to the classic toppings, and the laksa comes with fried wantons.
From RM8 (~S$2.40)
Daily, 7.30am – 9pm
(Image credit: @chrothan / Instagram)
3 /10
For most Singaporean day trippers, a visit to JB involves passing through City Square. Ho Seng Kee inside offers an immediate wanton mee fix by the causeway. The brand was founded as a street stall in 1936, and although it has since evolved into a restaurant, it continues to make the noodles using both duck and chicken eggs, and uses it in dishes like the Good Old Days Mee with sunny-side-up eggs and pork lard.
From RM15 (~S$4.50)
Daily, 10am – 8.30pm
(Image credit: @chrothan / Instagram)
4 /10
HW offers a late-night wanton mee fix by opening until the witching hour. Only white and dark varieties are available here, which come with a crispy tofu skin.
From RM8.60 (~S$2.60)
Wednesday – Sunday, 6pm – 3.30am
Closed on Monday & Tuesday
(Image credit: @winelevigrub / Instagram)
5 /10
Jiao Wo’s strength is its variety. The stall lets diners customise the wanton noodles with five different flavours, including mala, and four kinds of noodles like kway teow and mee pok. Is it wanton mee? According to the stall’s Chinese name, it is.
From RM10 (~S$3)
Daily, 12.30am – 11.30pm
(Image credit: @nakedchefcrazyhair / Instagram)
6 /10
Kip makes everything in-house, from the springy noodles to the pickled green chilli. Diners can choose between egg noodles and mee pok for the base, either red, white, or black sauces, and have it with the silky dumplings, homemade, of course.
From RM8 (~S$2.40)
Tuesday – Sunday, 7am – 4pm
Closed on Monday
(Image credit: @love.justbeingwithyou / Instagram)
7 /10
Chin Chin is one of the stalwarts in JB’s wanton noodle scene. The restaurant makes the noodles in-house with duck eggs, and the char siu has juicy morsels of fat. The braised chicken feet are also a crowd favourite.
From RM8 (~S$2.40)
Friday – Wednesday, 6.30am – 2.30pm
Closed on Thursday
(Image credit: @jt6263 / Instagram)
8 /10
Yit Foh opened during the 1970s, and the eatery still faithfully follows the wanton mee recipe laid down by founder, Lee Yok Kiong. Whole eggs are used in the noodles to give them a more elastic texture, and the char siu is freshly roasted daily. Yit Foh has another outlet at Taman Daya.
From RM8.50 (~S$2.60)
Tuesday, Friday – Sunday, 7am – 1am
Wednesday, 7am – 9pm
Closed on Monday & Thursday
(Image credit: @yitfohnoodle / Instagram)
9 /10
The draw of DS’s wanton noodles is the char siu, which is roasted every morning until juicy and deeply caramelised. The handmade dumplings are also hefty with a soft crunchy texture. For those who like a generous amount of pork lard, the eatery lets diners help themselves as much as they want.
From RM5.80 (~S$1.80)
Friday – Wednesday, 7.30am – 8pm
Closed on Thursday
(Image credit: @yoshiko_lifeistravel / Instagram)
10 /10
Tampoi Ah B is run by a hawker who started cooking at 16 years old with his father and has over two decades of experience making wanton noodles. His claim to fame is noodles made with a whole egg to make them richer and springier, which are tossed in a luscious dark soy sauce and finished with a heaping of crispy lard cubes and scallions. The stall has a Singapore branch on Upper Bong Keng Road.
From RM8 (~S$2.40)
Daily, 7am – 5pm
(Image credit: @xiaodao99_official / Instagram)