Bidayuh Food in Kuching: A Shared Meal at AwahCafe @ DBNA
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A Kuching food day need not end with another bowl of noodles. For a sit-down meal built around Bidayuh cooking, I would take a small group to AwahCafe at the Dayak Bidayuh National Association headquarters. Rice, a vegetable dish and something to share make more sense here than everyone ordering an unrelated plate and missing the point of the table.
The association address is part of the story, not just a landmark for the driver. Awah grew from a group of Bidayuh entrepreneurs that included Peggy Naes, whose involvement with the DBNA women's wing led her into the restaurant as a shareholder. The business also created work for Bidayuh people, particularly young people. That makes this a useful place to connect a Kuching meal with the community behind it, without needing to wait for a festival.
There is a less tidy chapter too. The restaurant closed for two years during the pandemic, and its staff returned when it reopened, even though they had found work elsewhere. I find that continuity more telling than another claim to be a must-visit café: this is a food business with a team and a reason to rebuild.
For an opening order, I would ask about the day's Bidayuh specialities, then put midin and rice alongside a shared main. Midin is the local fern; here it sits alongside dishes such as fermented tapioca leaves and pork rather than being the sole token local item. Ask how the vegetables are cooked and what goes into the sauce before choosing—especially if you avoid seafood or meat. A vegetable name alone is not a promise of a vegetarian dish.
The menu gives a first-time visitor room to choose between familiar stir-fries and less familiar fermented flavours. I would add only one unfamiliar dish at first and share it, rather than order a whole table of things nobody has tried. If pork is part of your group's plan, it is served here; this is not a halal dining recommendation. Ask about current prices and portion sizes before settling the order.
Awah is a separate stop from the waterfront eating circuit, with its restaurant at the lower level of the DBNA building. I would make it a deliberate lunch or dinner destination, not squeeze it into a hurried snack break. The published regular hours are Monday to Saturday, 10am–10pm, with Sunday closed; check directly before a special trip or a holiday visit.
AwahCafe @ DBNA
Lot 964, Block 10, Jalan Kumpang, Taman Ridgeway, 93200 Kuching, Sarawak — at the DBNA headquarters, off Jalan Ong Tiang Swee.
AwahCafe in Google MapsFor me, the attraction is the chance to build one shared meal around Bidayuh dishes. Bring companions who are happy to pass the plates, and give the vegetables as much room on the table as the meat.
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