Maybe you’re passing through Kuala Lumpur on a business trip, have a lucky layover, or this is your only chance to travel in Southeast Asia. Whatever – you’re in Kuala Lumpur and so help you, durian is first and foremost on your mind.
This post is for you. These are the three places in Kuala Lumpur you are most likely to find durian any time of year. I’m warning you now: It will be expensive and you better not be picky. But it will be durian. And it will be good. (Know some where else? Help everyone out by leaving a comment).
Rob and I spent the weekend in Kuala Lumpur. It’s our first time in Malaysia when it isn’t durian season, and the city felt strangely empty.
There was so little durian in the city, even Emile wasn’t sitting below our hotel in Chinatown pedaling durian from his truck. I’d had low expectations, but I was surprised there wasn’t a single durian anywhere in Chinatown. It actually felt kind of lonely.
Durian was playing hard to get, but we enjoy the hunt. We had three days in Kuala Lumpur and so we went to three places to check out the durian scene.
The durians were expensive and had probably been artificially induced with fertilizers and horticultural trickery. If manipulation of natural processes (like flowering) makes you uneasy, maybe just wait until the main season.
But if you’re desperate, here’s where to go to sate your cravings.
Jalan Alor
Spoiler: we found durian, but did not eat durian. I would use a sad-face emoji, but Rob does not approve.
This action-packed, high end conglomeration of food carts, restaurants and tourists is a pleasant 1.5 km walk from Chinatown. On Friday evening, we set our bags down in our hotel room and took a stroll to stretch our legs.
We found four durian stalls open on Jalan Alor. This was the best concentration of open and stocked durian stalls in the whole city (in March. This would not be the case during the regular season).
I wasn’t surprised Jalan Alor had durian. It’s probably the most famous place to eat if you are a foodie in Kuala Lumpur, and was packed with people from every nationality. Lined with old trees and zigagging red and gold lanterns, the street was dazzling. It was like a carnival.
It makes sense that the street would draw whatever durian supply exists in the city. For March, there was a decent selection too. Between the four stalls we saw Musang King, D24, D99, and even Red Prawn.
We purchased none of them.
At the stall above the Red Prawn cost 80 RM per kilo. Before we could wipe the astonished look off our faces, the seller jabbed the price into calculator with a meaty finger and raised it to our blinking eyes. It read 152 RM, which equates to about $40 USD.
It was the most expensive durian I’ve ever heard of in Malaysia. Even the famed Musang King sells for less than half that. I’m still not certain if the vendor was serious or just whipping out a crazy tourist price to test our devotion.
If $40 for a durian isn’t a big deal to you, I feel happy for you. The price certainly didn’t seem to dissuade the Middle Eastern and Chinese businessmen we saw eating durian at the tables.
For us, $40 was too much, especially when there are other, cheaper options around.
If we were more desperate, we’d have bought these packets from as low as 10 RM from Ah John (photo below), who had the best prices and arguably the best smile.
But who are we kidding? We travel for durian. And we still had two days left in Kuala Lumpur to find something more tempting at a better price. If you don’t have time to hunt at leisure, Jalan Alor may be a convenient option for you to get your fix.
Call ahead for Jalan Alor:
Phang Kee Durian Shop
Tel: 016- 334-6840
No. 70 Jalan Alor, Kuala Lumpur
Chow Kit Market
Next on our hit list was Chow Kit Market. It was the first place Rob and I ever tasted Malaysian durian and, like a baby duck imprinting on the first moving object it sees, I’m attached to this market in ways that don’t make great logical sense.
I knew I’d be back at Chow Kit, durians or not. By coincidence my friend Jess was on holiday from teaching school in Myanmar, so Rob stayed home and I walked to Chow Kit alone, not sure what we’d find.
![]() |
This was one of the largest kampungs |
The pile of cempedaks near the Shell Station was gone. So were six to seven other durian stalls. I kept walking down Jalan Alang, and just as I was about to give up hope, I spotted one lonely durian stall with a rapidly disappearing inventory of Musang King, Red Prawn and Kampung durians.
We helped with the disappearing act.
After haggling over prices, we managed to snag a few petite, softball sized kampungs for 25 RM per kilo. These had to be the most expensive kampungs ever. During the season , tiny kampungs like these can sell for as little as 50 cents each. Fifty cents.
Instead, Jess and I paid 30 RM each and were happy. Because it was durian, and this time of year that’s a gift.
Call ahead for Chow Kit Market:
Sab Durian
Tel: 016-287-2115/ 010-423-0818
Facebook: sabduriansabking
SS2 Durian Station
On Saturday night Rob and I made plans to eat at Donald’s Durian, a stall of such renown that we have somehow managed to eat there only once, a very long time ago, and I don’t remember anything about it.
We were destined to avoid Donald’s Durian once again.
When we arrived at SS2, we were dismayed to see that Donald’s was closed. The stall was mummified in striped blue cloth through which, as the sun set, I could see the sparkle of white lights hanging over an empty showcase.
The huge stall on the corner, Wai’s Durian Stall, was mummified too, the parking lot strangely empty.
Getting to SS2 takes some effort, and we would have been famished and disappointed if good old King of the King Durian Stall hadn’t been there for us. I guess they really are open 365 days of the year, as promised. Still, I would call ahead if I were to go again.
They had some odd durians, like Hor Lor and Jantung, but we chose reliable D24, which at 25 RM/kilo was the cheapest option. After paying the same amount for teensie kampungs the day before, the price felt strangely reasonable.
It was so delicious I didn’t dare interfere with Rob’s scarfing to ask for a photo, so you’ll have to just trust me. Then I spotted the packets.
Unlike the miserly packed trays for sale at Jalan Alor, these were solidly filled with a fragrant durian that made my mouth water. I splurged and bought a packet of an unknown durian for 25 RM.
It was so good we ate half the packet before I remembered to take a photo.
There are times to wax whimsical about flavors and varieties, but this was not one of them. This was a time to eat durian and enjoy it. It was thick and creamy, with small round seeds and a good heft which gave us plenty to bite into. No durian snob would give it awards or write highfalutin’ reviews of its slightly mealy texture and mild flavor, but it was satisfying and hit my spot perfectly.
And sometimes, that’s all you want from a durian.
Conclusion
This is obvious, but if you can visit Kuala Lumpur during the main durian season. There will still be durian at all the places mentioned above, but there will be more of it. It will be cheaper. Most of all, it will be better.
If you can’t do that, go somewhere where it is durian season. Like the Philippines, or Australia. You can find out when and where the durian season is in our 12-month Traveler’s Guide to Durian Season. Unlike the durians in this post, the guide is very affordable at only $0.00 (it’s free).
But, if for whatever piece of luck you are in Kuala Lumpur and it’s February, or March, or April, you can totally slate your durian thirst. Call ahead, make sure to arrive early in the evening and bring more cash than you would actually like to spend. It will be worth it.
Call ahead:
Jalan Alor
Phang Kee Durian Shop.
Tel: 016- 334-6840
No. 70 Jalan Alor, Kuala Lumpur
Chow Kit
Sab Durian Stall
Tel: 016-287-2115/ 010-423-0818
Facebook: sabduriansabking
SS2
King of the King Durian Stall
010-237-7896 / 016-944-3233
Got any tips or know somewhere else? Help durian lovers everywhere by sharing your knowledge in the comments.
William says
Jalan Alor is definately over priced. This place nearby me has all year durians. Off season is a bit pricier. There are like 4 or 5 stalls by the roadside what you can’t miss and you can eat there. Some stalls do provide free mineral bottles. They sell Musang king, IOI, red prawn, Kampung durians. Some are 3 for RM50, some 2 for RM50. Musang king is around RM28/kg.
If you are driving, you had to turn into the junction, turn right into in between 2 row of shops go behind the shops. Follow the map I give you here : http://prntscr.com/ofp2rd X marks the stalls. Email me if you want me to take you there.
Jln Seri Rejang 1, Rampai Business Park, 53300 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/OUM+Sri+Rampai+Learning+Centre/@3.1963817,101.7269557,17.82z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x31cc3823c0b348b7:0x9798ca632858a99b!2sTaman+Sri+Rampai,+53300+Kuala+Lumpur,+Federal+Territory+of+Kuala+Lumpur!3b1!8m2!3d3.1965699!4d101.7338759!3m4!1s0x31cc3818ddf922d7:0x6c6c93f7c89c53e7!8m2!3d3.1966359!4d101.7271408
Stalls opens after 2pm till 2am.
Daniel Goon says
Hi Lindsay, many thanks for your durian blog, which is informative, useful and well written.
cheers,
Daniel
[email protected] says
Thanks, Daniel!
qutub says
i literally go in a coma drooling, even with the slightest thought of a Durian.
ummmmm
Me – Love – Duriaaaaannn.
Johnny Kay says
Hi Lindsay & Rob
I will be in KL from 19 June till say 22 June if your around would love to meet up with you guys.
Cheers
Johnnyk
Johnny –
Kent Hew says
Well those price are ridiculous overcharge. If you willing to travel 1 hour out of the city to the state of pahang ( where most of the durian are famous from, due to the fertile highland. ) for an example : you can get D24 for a cheap price fresh from the farm as low as rm 4.00 / kg to rm 12.00 / kg. The best timing to taste a great dutian is within 15 minutes once it fell from the tree, cause after that it will start loosing it sugar content and the creaminess of durian. Especially Tekka which is rare to find in the city had the most creaminess flesh with wine aftertaste. If you do wanna try the famous musang king ( try to find a local who knew about it) from my experience there is tons of durian stall owner tend to use other lower grade durian to replace it while maintaining the high price. Avoid buying durian during september as it is not the main season for malaysia. Normally best season where u can get cheap and more option for durian is on mid year , june to july. Or end of november to early january due to the moonsoon.
Lindsay Gasik says
Hi Ken! Yes, these prices are ridiculous. But it was March, and pretty miraculous there was durian available at all. I wrote this post for those hungry durian lovers who for whatever reason can't make a trip during the high fruiting season so at least they can sate their durian desires with something
Out of season durian is better than no durian, right? 😉
Kent Hew says
Yes, totally agree. Well if next time you re in malaysia, you can drop by at my durian orchard. I do have nearly 62 acres of durian orchards. All ages from 20 years to 50 years of tree which produce good quality fruit. It is free for everyone who visit my place, to taste freshly durian from the farm.
QuackQuack says
Hi Kent Hew, im interested to visit ur farm and pay to hv fresh durians from ur durian orchard.
Mind to provide me with ur contact ? pls email / drop me a msg at [email protected]
TQVM and hope to get ur reply soon.
angie says
Please provide me your location of your durian farm.
I can drop by anytime
janette says
I love durian, it taste like heaven to me. Thank you so much for planting the durian trees. I will visit your wonderful country by april, hoping to see you, and your lovely orchard.
janette says
Mr Kent, I will be staying in cyberjaya, how can I go to your place? Hop[ng to hear you soon.
Ben says
Hi Kent
My daughter and I love durian and we will be in KL at the end of this month . We have never been to a durian farm and I’d love for my daughter to visit one. How far are you from KL?
[email protected]. Love to hear from you. Durian lovers from Australia.
wirawan says
Mr. Kent..I will be in Kuala lumpur on 19-21 june 2018, can you inform your location address and phone number so I can get in touch with you to visit your place and taste your durian. we will be travelling of 11 persons and all of us are crave for durian. kindly email your location, address and phone number to
[email protected]
many thanks in advance.
[email protected] says
No idea what you’re talking about Wirawan….who is Kent?
Md Mahir Abdullah says
Mr Kent Hew,
Please let me know where your orchard is located and the best time to visit.
Thanks and regards.
Md Mahir Abdullah
([email protected])
Johan says
Mr Kent could you please let me know the location of your durian orchard. I may visit it if I am in KL. Tq
Kailey Paige says
Lovely post! I love your style of writing!
In y'all's experience, where is the best to be for durian in the month of September??
Lindsay Gasik says
Hi Kailey,
Thanks for the compliment! I feel all warm and fuzzy 🙂 In September you have a lot of options: Peninsular Malaysia (not Penang), Sabah, or Davao City, Philippines should all be great! Happy hunting 🙂