A quick guide to Johor Bahru’s Bukit Indah suburb: What to do and where to eat

Tony drives to Johor Bahru from Singapore via the 2nd Link fortnightly, sticking to Bukit Indah and the greater Medini area next door; he rarely ventures further east towards downtown. The retiree happily stocks up on medicines, cat food and fruit from shops in the area he’s become very familiar with.
“I feel most comfortable in Bukit Indah, not like downtown where traffic is bad. There’s no reason to go elsewhere … unless there’s a great restaurant to check out,” said Tony, who just so happens to be my dad and has intel on the area’s best foot reflexology joints.
He’s not alone. You’ll probably spot more Singapore car plates in Bukit Indah than in most other outlying townships beyond downtown and the traditional core of Tamans Sentosa, Pelangi and Desa Tebrau near the Causeway.
There’s just something about Bukit Indah – clean, green and well-planned, it feels familiar to a neighbouring country…
PLANNING AND PROPERNESS
Bukit Indah opened in 1997, marking publicly traded property developer SP Setia’s first foray into Johor. In 2001, the township won state and national landscape competition awards. The urban planning and municipal upkeep are a clear notch above that of the average JB township – there are still massive open storm drains in the centre but none of the fragrance of choking rubbish.
Most noticeably, severe congestion is rare. In neighbouring Nusa Bestari, you’ll find baffling junctions which detain drivers for up to five minutes, if ever you feel like you’re missing out on a full Malaysian experience.
Bukit Indah’s commercial zone, anchored by the popular Aeon mall and Lotus hypermart, radiates outward from an eight-hectare circular park with an 18-hole disc golf course. A small light industrial zone filled with mostly auto workshops sits south of Lotus. Gated communities take up most of the township with humbler low-density terrace houses north of the intersecting Pontian-Johor Bahru highway and in the Bukit Indah 2 expansion in the south.
Prices in Bukit Indah also tend to be 10 to 30 per cent higher for services popular with Singaporeans – such as car washes, auto workshops and spas – compared with Nusa Bestari and further afield. A good rule of thumb is the more Singapore cars you spot, the higher the prices (and the more it’ll feel like you haven’t left home).
Interestingly, you won’t find nightlife that’s not exactly family-friendly within Bukit Indah but there are spas and KTVs in Nusa Bestari and a plethora more just beyond in Taman Sutera Utama, Austin Height’s main rival. Note that getting to the cafes, pubs and clubs around Sutera Mall means budgeting 30 minutes for the 6.5km drive from Bukit Indah during rush hour; it’s not as bad as the Causeway, but still.
WHAT TO DO
Young adults may thus prefer Austin Heights, Sutera Utama or downtown, but Bukit Indah suits families just fine with its proximity to Legoland. Bukit Indah also has a huge park with three little hillocks (six hills, according to the official website) to hike or explore with an ATV, something even Mount Austin can’t boast of.
1. SIREH PARK
Opened in 2017, this huge 150-hectare park (343 hectares, according to the official website) was a quiet slice of Eden through COVID-19 before its popularity took off post-pandemic. There are now at two ATV-for-hire operators, an al fresco food square in the car park, two cafes and a glamping site.
A glamping tent rental (Google “Canopy Villas Sireh Park” as there’s no official website) will cost upwards of S$180 (RM622) a night.
Non-profit organisation The Nusajaya Natural Heritage Trust oversees the park, encouraging tree planting, running sustainability drives and a demonstration farm for school children. Best of all, a friendly flock of ducks used to humans serve as Sireh Park’s welcoming committee.
2. FOOT MASSAGE
Getting a foot massage for a JB local is like visiting the Singapore Zoo: You’ll go when you’ve got guests from out of town.
The old-Chinese-school-cool Eminent Reflexology is an unmissable presence near the entrance of Bukit Indah’s commercial zone – they not only survived the pandemic while most competitors shuttered but expanded during lockdowns.
Another enduring establishment is Lotus Foot Reflexology, a humbler operation (without a website) staffed by mostly Indonesians and is the most welcoming, in my book. You also can’t go wrong with Thai Odyssey, a nationwide chain with seven JB outlets, all in malls, and has been in Aeon Bukit Indah mall for some time.
The rest of Bukit Indah’s half-dozen spas seem to change hands often and may be hit-or-miss. There are also a dozen in neighbouring Nusa Bestari, including national chain Healthland near the Starbucks, but don’t say we didn’t warn you about the others.
3. BUKIT INDAH RECREATION PARK
If you’re staying near Aeon, the circular Bukit Indah Recreation Park is good for a stroll or jog – the circumference of the park, bounded by a ring road, is a good 1km.
There’s also an 18-hole disc (frisbee) golf course, a rare public one among JB’s half dozen courses – mind you, the Medini ones are really “courses” in overgrown, unmaintained scrubs.
4. AEON BUKIT INDAH
A good mall, with a large supermarket run by Japanese mall operator Aeon. Avoid the main car park and its baffling exit opening out to a busy junction, use the side or back car parks.
5. HORIZON HILLS GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB
One of the better 18-hole courses in Malaysia, Horizon Hills once hosted the Iskandar Johor Open golf tournament until it was discontinued in 2012 – among the winners of its six editions were Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington and KJ Choi. These days, most still rate the water-hazard heavy course and clubhouse highly, though some online reviewers note slipping maintenance standards.
WHERE TO EAT
Perhaps a feature rather than a bug of its admirable orderliness and cleanliness, Bukit Indah gets quiet after 10pm when the mall and most restaurants close. There are only two small nightlife spots near Lotus: An outlet of local pub chain Bierhaus (with a music bar next door currently being renovated) and a few bars, including Balcony, at the Wisma SP Setia office block.
The township isn’t a hotspot for trendy cafes either. Those IG-magnets for poly kids are in Taman Sutera Utama nearby.
1. PEARL SQUARE AND SMART STREET KOPITIAMS
These two adjacent down-and-dirty kopitiams (or coffeeshops), both occupying corner shoplots, offer a real honest Malaysia Truly Asia experience, which is only complete with sitting at a folding table in vacated car park lots after dark. Al fresco diners also have the option to bring over food from the other kopitiam as long as not all your orders are from the competitor.
Highlights include yau yee (it’s Cantonese name popular in Kuala Lumpur, a fast-disappearing salad dish of cuttlefish and kangkong vegetables which is rare to find these days), chicken wings barbequed on the pavement across from the al fresco tables, satay that won’t cost you and arm and a leg at RM1 a stick, kolo mee, prawn noodles, or luak (oyster omelette) and a quirky dessert stall that adds real peanuts to its ice kacang.
The Pearl-Smart Street combination is the centre of Bukit Indah 1, the township’s first phase separated from the rest of Bukit Indah by the Pontian-Johor Bahru highway. Houses here are mostly terrace and the area is wonderfully down-to-earth humble Malaysia (unlike most of Bukit Indah’s clean commercial zone and gated communities. This is where you get the best food, needless to say.
2. LAR KOPI
This modern Nanyang-style coffee shop (as opposed to trendy, IG-friendly air-conditioned cafes) serves the best coffee in JB and even Singapore (according to my father). You’ll want more than one cup – it has to be a small one, which comes in an old-fashioned, thick-rimmed cup on a saucer – of their fragrant and buttery coffee but beware the very real buzz it delivers, even for a coffee addict.
Lar Kopi is technically in the heart of Nusa Bestari, near the popular wet market-cum-wholesale centre Bestmart, which means braving terrible traffic over the 3km to get there from Bukit Indah. The food, however, is motivation enough to make the journey for even non-coffee drinkers. The chook (congee) and mee siam are recommended, but it’s the wanton mee that stands out; it’s a simple, basic and delicious without unnecessary sauces.
The coffeeshop only recently branched out to Taman Impian Emas, after about six years of operation.
3. SORELLA CAFE
Sorella is a rare oasis of chill in cafe-starved Bukit Indah and popular with residents and expats from Horizon Hills and other gated communities in Medini. They’ve been serving attractive cakes and Japanese and French-inspired pastries since 2015, with a dedicated delivery arm which helped during the pandemic.
Occupying the uncluttered end lot of a shophouse row in Bukit Indah 2, not far from Sireh Park, the row of outdoor tables on the side (amply ventilated) is a lovely morning spot for a cappuccino. Note that Johor has banned smoking from all eating establishments, though locals know to step to the curb adjacent. In Sorella’s case, the back of the building is still pleasantly shaded with potted and hanging plants.
4. TKR
Technically in Perling just beyond Bukit Indah’s boundaries, Indian-Muslim restaurant TKR facing the coastal highway has the best tandoori chicken in the area. Outdoor seating near the kitchen allows you to watch the chefs at work with an authentic tandoori oven. Add a couple of garlic naans, and you’re set.