This JB Cafe Delivers Dopamine With Its Bizarre Decor And “Toothbrush” Coffee

Kirin Coffee has dopamine-boosting decor in Johor Bahru

Image credit: Nur Liyana Zainal Abidin via Google Maps

There’s a new spot at Johor Bahru’s Mount Austin that’s perfect for the gram. With its bizarre decor, wild colours, and strange menu items, your synapses are bound to fire the moment you step in. I’m talking about Kirin Coffee, a two-storey cafe that brands itself as a “dopamine concept”.

Image credit: Kirin Coffee via Google Maps

The space itself is really quite the sensory overload. Drenched in blood red, every corner of this cafe is filled with some strange artefact, whether it be surreal artworks, Ted the bear dressed in a bikini, or Superman flying straight into a wall.

Image credit: Pohfong Woo via Google Maps

As for what’s on the menu, Kirin Coffee mostly offers drinks and desserts from RM7.90, though each of them usually has some sort of twist. As you can see in the picture above, their drinks come with strange toppings such as mini croissants and, in the most extreme example, a toothbrush. Their cakes, meanwhile, may have pop culture references, such as the smiley face from Watchmen pictured above.

Image credit: @kirin.coffee.austin18

There’s also this frankly uncanny cake modelled after the aforementioned Ted character. We can’t vouch for its taste, but as far as silly, gimmicky desserts go, it may be worth the order.

Image credit: Man Hong via Google Maps

The sheer zaniness of this cafe is hard to ignore, which is why it’s been getting a lot of attention on Malaysian social media. So if you’re planning to cross the border soon and are looking for a new cafe to try, do consider Kirin Coffee!

If you’re just looking for food in the area, read our best JB Mount Austin food guide. Otherwise, we also have a guide to the best cafes in JB we’ve visited.

Address: Unit #G-03, Austin 18, Jalan Austin Perdana 3, Taman Austin Perdana, 81100 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 11pm
Tel: +60 16-912 8287
Website
Kirin Coffee is not a halal-certified eatery.

Feature image adapted from Kirin Coffee, Pohfong Woo, and Man Hong via Google Maps.

Enze Kay

Enze is a Singapore-based food writer. He enjoys noodle dishes from around the world, but local classics such as bak chor mee, wonton mee, and hokkien mee hold a special place in his heart.