Pisang Goreng (banana fritters) is probably the simplest yet most popular street snack in Malaysia. It can be found almost everywhere, either at a hawker stall beside the road or at a coffee shop. Banana fritters are made of 2 main ingredients: the banana and the batter. The banana has to be fresh, and the type of banana used has to be sweet, while the batter has to be made of high-quality flour to make the fritters crispy when deep-fried. Some Chinese vendors like to mix rice flour with wheat flour to make the texture even crispier! Jom! Let’s go and explore some of the best pisang goreng in town! (The restaurants are listed in no particular order. Some of the establishments below are not halal.)

1. Brickfields Pisang Goreng

Located in front of One Sentral Coffee Shop opposite YMCA, this humble stall in Brickfields is one of the most famous and oldest pisang goreng stalls in KL with more than 30 years of history! The stall is always surrounded by customers who are waiting for their banana fritters to be freshly deep-fried on the spot. They insist on using only Pisang Raja to prepare the pisang goreng, because Pisang Raja is not only big in size, but also very sweet when deep-fried.

2. SS2 Pisang Goreng

Parked under a big tree in front of Nasi Kandar Pelita, SS2 Pisang Goreng is a food truck that has been around for 34 years. The food truck is so popular that they have opened another branch at 1U shopping mall, offering the same delicious pisang goreng and kuih bakul. A wide variety of fried items are available here, including banana popcorn, mashed banana ball, fish ball, curry puff, fried yam cake, tapioca cake and many more. Same as the famous stall at Brickfields, only top-quality Pisang Raja is used to prepare their signature banana fritters.

3. Imbi Kuih Bakul

Nestled in Mei Sin Kopitiam, this hawker stall is famed for both kuih bakul and pisang goreng. All the items, including kuih bakul, sweet potato, yam, banana and sesame ball, are deep-fried on the spot using a very huge wok. The freshly deep-fried goreng pisang is simply awesome. It is crispy on the outside and meltingly soft on the inside. The kuih bakul, on the other hand, is sandwiched between a piece of yam and a piece of sweet potato. When deep-fried, the gold cake will melt and give the fried kuih bakul a crispy yet soft texture.

4. Azmi @ Shah Alam

Ask anyone in Shah Alam for the best Pisang Goreng, they will surely point you to Azmi, which is a 30-year-old pisang goreng stall hidden at a housing area not far from Shah Alam KTM station. There is always a long queue in front of the stall, as most of the customers are waiting for their best-selling Pisang Awak to be ready. Pisang Awak is smaller in size if compared to normal bananas, but very sweet, which makes it an ideal banana to be deep-fried. 5 pieces of Pisang Awak are only priced at RM1, what a steal! Apart from Pisang Awak, they also offer Fried Pisang Nangka and Fried Pisang Tandok.

5. Seapark Pisang Goreng

Start operating in the early 1970s, this humble stall at Seapark, PJ is probably the oldest pisang goreng stall you can find in PJ. About 9 different fried items are offered here, including kuih bakul, prawn fritter, fried bean curd, curry puff and so on. The goreng pisang is also made using top-quality Pisang Raja, which is coated with batter that is made of a mixture of rice and wheat flour to make the skin crispy when deep-fried. Their kuih bakul is prepared using homemade glutinous rice cake, which is softer and more fragrant.

6. OUG Pisang Goreng

Looking for pisang goreng at Old Klang Road? Head to this humble bicycle food cart located beside Double Nine coffee shop, where you can find lots of tantalizing fried items, including pisang goreng, kuih bakul, banana ball, sweet potato and yam. The food cart has been operated by an old couple for 3 decades. Many customers drive all the way to OUG from outstation just to savor their delicious pisang goreng, which is deep-fried to perfection with crispy skin and soft banana.

7. The Gorpis @ Kota Damansara

Originated from Indonesia, Pisang Goreng Cheese is getting more and more popular in KL and PJ. The Gorpis (a short form for "Goreng Pisang"), located at a car park beside Tune Hotel, not far from The Strand Mall, is one of the most popular stalls that specialize in Pisang Goreng Cheese. What’s special about Pisang Goreng Cheese is that the banana fritters are topped with shredded cheese while they are still hot, adding a creamy and cheesy flavor to the fritters. Start operating at 1:30pm, their goreng pisang is often sold out (or fully booked) by 5pm, so make sure you go there early to avoid disappointment.

8. O & S Pisang Goreng @ Taman Paramount

O & S Coffee Shop at Taman Paramount is famous for their Penang hawker foods, such as Assam Laksa, Prawn Paste Chee Cheong Fun, Char Kway Teow and Prawn Mee. After enjoying the Penang delicacies, you might want to “da pao” some delicious banana fritters (only RM1 each) as tea time snacks. All the items that are sold here are freshly deep-fried to ensure they are served hot and crispy. Both pisang goreng and kuih bakul are very popular among patrons. Satisfy your cravings for pisang goreng today at these amazing eateries! Click here for the Chinese version of this article.