The International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL) is conveniently located in Ampang, one of Kuala Lumpur’s most easily accessible and vibrant districts. Well-known as an area full of embassies and high commissions, Ampang has a wide variety of cafés and restaurants, activities for families, and so much more. Only a short distance from KL’s city centre and close to arterial roads, Ampang is the preferred location to live for many expat families with children studying at ISKL.
We have plenty of choices from coffee shops, brunch cafés to local mamak eateries to start the day. If you’re a coffee connoisseur and looking for locally roasted specialty beans, head to Soul Sacrifice Cafe at Desa Pandan to enjoy a great cup of coffee and their all-day dining menu. If your kids love eating pancakes, then you should try Ra.ft on Lorong Binjai for their excellent breakfast and brunch menus. Families with young children can relax and enjoy the small play area for toddlers.
For a good selection of vegetarian dishes, check out RGB @ The Bean Hive on Jalan Damai and discover a quaint bungalow on a quiet, lovely back street in Kampung Datuk Keramat.
With plenty of places to explore, here is an insightful guide to how you can spend 24 hours in various cafés around Ampang with Danny Marzuki on KL Eastside Stories – a platform dedicated to sharing stories about all that is great in and around Ampang. Follow them on Facebook or YouTube to keep up!
On weekends, we love finding new discoveries and making day trips to explore the neighborhood (and beyond). The best time to enjoy KL city centre on bikes or scooters with the kids is during the car-free mornings on every first and third Sunday of the month where a route through the city centre is closed off to motor vehicles from 7-9 am. Alternatively, Taman Tasik Ampang Hilir is also a great location to spend Saturday mornings around the little lake with a perfect view of KLCC from afar.
For days when the kids need to let off steam (and you need some air con!), the Superpark located at Avenue K (around 2km from Ampang) is a huge indoor activity park including a small ice rink that has more than 20 activities which is great fun for the whole family. Or kids can try batik painting and adults can join in on the Teh Tarik making workshop at myBatik in Desa Pahlawan.
There are also plenty of shopping malls in and around Ampang with supermarkets, restaurants and retail stores to ensure you have everything you need. One of Ampangites favorite go-to is the Great Eastern Mall, where you can find Cold Storage supermarket, pharmacies and many eateries including Alexis Bistro which is also a jazz club on weekend nights. To satisfy those shopping needs, head to Suria KLCC where you can also find the Petrosains, a fun science centre where science comes alive.
To find out more about living in Ampang, join us on Facebook – Expats In Ampang where a community of both new and seasoned expats who live in Ampang shares recommendations and hidden gems.
About Samantha Urlwin
Samantha is a mum of three living in and loving Ampang! To share the secret gems of the neighborhood, she has created two Facebook pages: one for Expats in Ampang as a community space for sharing information and insight, and KL Eastside Stories, a page dedicated to visual storytelling about life east of the Petronas Twin Towers.
