Where to get the best leong sui in KL and PJ to cool down

In Malaysia, leong sui is a go-to drink for keeping cool and staying healthy. Available in most kopitiams, malls, and Chinese restaurants, they’re a popular drink to sip on a hot day. If you’re looking for the best places to enjoy this age-old beverage, here’s where you can get the best leong sui in KL and PJ.

Leong Sui is a Chinese herbal tea made with traditional ingredients like red dates, ginger, lou han guo, and many others. Traditionally served hot, the drink’s flavour ranges from sweet to herby and bittersweet. With the humid weather, the brewed tea is usually served with ice in Malaysian restaurants.

Not to be confused with tong sui, leong sui has medicinal properties. It’s common for those having fever, indigestion, and fatigue to be recommended to drink it in Asian households. This is because leong sui was an ancient Chinese medicine, used by doctors as a form of consumption to ingest the medicine more easily.

Today, apart from restaurants and kopitiams, you can get leong sui in KL and PJ at legacy brands. Places like Koong Woh Tong sell herbal drinks and jellies in malls across Malaysia. Though the drinks are sold in bottles, you can also get the leong sui freshly dispensed from a large golden jug. These places are a common stop for those on the move, looking for a refreshing drink. With how hot the Malaysian weather gets, allow us to introduce the best leong sui in KL and PJ to drink to beat the heat.

Where to get the best leong sui in KL and PJ to cool down

(Hero and feature image: Facebook/Koong Woh Tong)

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A pioneer of Cantonese herbal tea culture, Koong Woh Tong presents a deeply traditional approach to leong sui, where bitter, medicinal profiles are embraced for their restorative qualities. Signature brews such as the classic 24 Flavours Tea (廿四味) and Five Flower Tea lean into herbaceous, slightly astringent notes designed to ‘clear heat’ and detoxify the body. More nuanced blends incorporate ingredients like honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, and loquat leaf, offering a gentler floral sweetness alongside benefits ranging from improved digestion to skin clarity and immune support. Even its famed herbal jelly carries a cooling, mildly bitter profile that reinforces its role as both a dessert and a functional remedy.

Operating hours: 10AM – 10:30PM

Image credit: Facebook/Koong Woh Tong

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Positioned at the intersection of traditional Chinese medicine and modern convenience, Hockhua Tonic’s herbal tea offerings are rooted in familiar pantry ingredients such as chrysanthemum and luo han guo (monk fruit). These drinks typically present a lighter, more approachable sweetness compared to older-school brews, making them ideal for daily consumption. The emphasis on freshly prepared, natural concoctions ensures that each bottle retains both flavour integrity and therapeutic value, whether it is soothing the throat, balancing internal heat, or supporting overall wellness in an urban lifestyle.

Operating hours: 10AM – 10PM

Image credit: Facebook/Huckhua Tonic

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Known globally for popularising canned herbal tea, Jia Duo Bao offers a distinctly modern, mass-market take on leong sui. Its signature drink, derived from traditional Wong Lo Kat formulations, delivers a caramelised herbal sweetness layered with subtle bitterness, making it one of the most accessible entry points into Chinese herbal beverages. Typically brewed with ingredients like mesona, chrysanthemum, and liquorice root, it is widely associated with cooling properties, particularly for relieving heatiness, after fried or spicy meals, while maintaining a flavour profile that is smooth, slightly syrupy, and easy to drink.

Image credit: Instagram/scarlettsupermarket

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Bringing a youthful, almost cafe-like sensibility to herbal drinks, My Little Herbal Tea softens the traditionally intense bitterness of leong sui through more balanced, palatable blends. Expect a spectrum that ranges from lightly sweet chrysanthemum teas to darker, earthier brews infused with roots and barks. The drinks are often tailored towards everyday wellness, cooling the body, aiding digestion, and easing sore throats, while the approachable flavour profiles make it a frequent choice for those easing into herbal tea culture.

Operating hours: 9AM – 9:30PM

Image credit: Instagram/mylittleherbaltea.msia

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Kontea makes leong sui through a contemporary, almost artisanal lens, integrating traditional Chinese medicinal knowledge with modern cafe presentation. Its menu typically spans from intensely bitter ‘cooling’ brews to more fragrant, food-based herbal infusions. Ingredients such as ginseng, goji berries, and chrysanthemum are reinterpreted into layered flavour profiles, ranging from earthy and robust to subtly sweet and floral. The result is a more curated experience, where each tea is positioned not just as a remedy, but as a thoughtfully composed beverage with specific functional benefits, from detoxification to respiratory support.

Operating hours: 8AM – 7:30PM

Image credit: Instagram/kontea2013

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Jynns represents a new generation of herbal tea brands that prioritise both efficacy and drinkability. Its formulations often blend traditional herbs with natural sweeteners and modern flavour balancing, resulting in drinks that are smoother and less intimidating than classic brews. Expect flavours that target specific concerns, cooling the body, boosting energy, or improving skin health, while maintaining a clean, refined taste profile. The brand’s polished retail presence further positions herbal tea as a lifestyle beverage rather than purely medicinal, appealing to a younger, health-conscious audience.

Operating hours: 10AM – 10PM

Image credit: Instagram/jynns.official

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Tucked deep within the back lanes of Pudu, Cheah Kim Traditional Herbal Tea remains one of the last vestiges of Kuala Lumpur’s old-school leong sui culture, an unassuming roadside stall that has quietly served generations for over half a century. Operating only late into the night, its appeal lies in both its austerity and authenticity, where herbal tea is still brewed in the traditional manner and ladled out in simple bowls at remarkably affordable prices.

Operating hours: 9:30PM – 11 PM

Image credit: Facebook/Cheah Kim Traditional Herbal Tea

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Herbal Farmer approaches leong sui with a distinctly contemporary sensibility, reinterpreting traditional Chinese herbal teas through a cleaner, more lifestyle-oriented lens. Its menu typically features a spectrum of brews that balance functionality with drinkability, ranging from chrysanthemum and goji-infused teas with delicate floral sweetness to darker, more robust herbal blends designed to dispel internal heat and support digestion. Ingredients such as luo han guo, red dates, and ginseng are frequently incorporated, lending a natural sweetness and depth while reinforcing benefits like throat-soothing and detoxification.

Operating hours: 10AM – 10PM

Image credit: Instagram/herbalfarmer_my