Buntal Esplanade & Seafood Village — Kuching's Best Seafood Spot
-
If you ask any Kuching local where to get the best seafood in town, nine out of ten will tell you the same thing: Kampung Buntal.
Buntal Esplanade with Mount Santubong in the background — Malaysia TravellerLocated about 30 minutes north of Kuching city centre, this traditional Malay fishing village sits on the Santubong Peninsula. It's been a weekend seafood destination for locals for decades, and for good reason.
The 200m Buntal Esplanade walkway — Malaysia TravellerWhat's the big deal about Buntal?
The village is famous for its seafood restaurants built on wooden stilts right over the water. You're eating fresh catch from the sea while looking at the South China Sea and Mount Santubong — doesn't get much better than that.
Over on Google Maps, Buntal Esplanade has a solid 3.8 rating from 846 reviews. One visitor wrote: "Perfect spot for sunset seafood dinner. The butter prawns are out of this world!" Another said: "Been coming here for years, the quality of seafood never drops."
Lim Hock Ann Seafood — one of the most popular seafood restaurants in Buntal — Malaysia TravellerWhat to eat
Butter prawns, steamed fish, chili crabs, bamboo clams, and local clams are the crowd favourites. The village is also known for producing belacan (shrimp paste), a staple in Sarawak cooking. You can buy some to take home from the village market stalls.
A TripAdvisor forum regular summed it up: "Buntal is recommended for seafood. The village's main industry seems to be fishing — off the hook and onto your plate."
View of Mount Santubong from Kampung Buntal — Malaysia TravellerMore than just seafood
Apart from the food, the Buntal Esplanade is a 200-metre concrete walkway above the mangroves where you can watch the sunset or spot migratory birds during the right season. At low tide, locals head out to dig for razor clams and oysters on the mudflats.
The village itself has a laid-back kampung vibe. You can walk through the back lanes, watch fishermen bring in their boats, and see the daily life of a traditional fishing community.
Practical info
Address: Jln Kpg. Buntal, Kampung Buntal, 93010 Kuching, Sarawak
Best time to visit: Arrive around 5-5:30 PM for sunset + seafood dinner
Entrance: FREE — pay only for what you eat
Getting there: 30km / 35-40 min drive from Kuching city centre. Head towards Santubong (Jalan Sultan Tengah), turn right at the roundabout before Damai Beach. Grab available but arrange return trip in advance.
🦟 Bring insect repellent (mosquitoes near the mangroves)
Bring cash — some smaller stalls don't accept cardsSeafood restaurants open from around 4 PM to 10 PM. Popular ones include Lim Hock Ann Seafood, Ahsoh Buntal Seafood, and Teo Seafood.
Have you been to Buntal? What's your go-to dish there? Drop a comment below!
Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.
Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.
With your input, this post could be even better 💗
Register Login