Calanthe Art Café Melaka (Malacca): Malaysia 13 States Coffee
There are so many cool-looking cafés in Melaka that it almost feels impossible to pick one. Every street seems to have one that begs you to step inside; I don’t think you could ever finish trying all of them, even after several visits.
And because Melaka is so hot most of the time, after walking around for a while, you just want to pop into a café to rest and have something to drink, even when you’re still full from your last meal, because Melaka always feeds you well.
That’s exactly how my friend and I ended up at Calanthe Art Café one afternoon. It was too early for us to check in to our hotel, and we were sweaty, slightly sunburned, and in desperate need of some shade. So we decided to kill time at this café that is famous for serving coffee from all 13 Malaysian states.
Calanthe Art Café is located on Jalan Hang Kasturi, a narrow lane just off Jonker Street, right in the heart of Melaka’s heritage area. If you’re walking from the main Jonker Walk entrance, it’s only about a two-minute stroll.
Look out for the sign that says “Malaysia 13 States’ Coffees” and the leafy plants spilling out from the entrance. That’s your cue that you’ve found it.
The café’s location makes it a convenient stop during a day of sightseeing. It’s close to major attractions in Malacca like the Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum, A Famosa, and the Dutch Square, so you can easily drop by for a drink in between exploring.
Despite being in such a tourist-heavy area, it somehow feels tucked away enough to give you a bit of calm, especially when you’re surrounded by all the art, plants, and antiques inside.
Operating hours: Monday – Thursday, 8:30am – 10pm; Friday – Sunday, 8am – 11pm.
First impression & ambience
Walking into Calanthe Art Café felt like stepping into your eccentric aunt’s house — that single aunt with too much time on her hand, who inherited (hoarded?) all your grandparents’ belongings, but not their rational and practical sense of house decorating.
As you look around, you’ll notice those familiar heirlooms: the ceramic vases, rattan coffee table sets, record players, and old-school wooden sofas with removable cushion seats that had likely witnessed decades of family conversations.
But when you look up, you’ll realize that the decorations get more and more unconventional. The walls are hand-painted in bright, mismatched shades. Old kettles, pots and pans, tiffin carriers, metal trays, oil lamps, thermos flasks, newspaper cuttings, and plastic and glass bottles are repurposed into wall and ceiling ornaments.
Somehow, they all come together charmingly in the creative chaos, but also low-key make you worry if your aunt is indeed not quite right in the head.
There’s a front lounge area that opens up into an airy, leafy courtyard in the middle, perfect if you prefer some fresh air (though it can get a little warm and occasionally mosquito-prone).
It’s definitely quieter and makes a nice spot if you’re planning to linger with your laptop or a book.
There’s another section that seems to be a private room with a long table for a bigger group, and that’s also where they display items for sale, such as coffee beans, curry pastes, mugs, postcards, and other merchandise.
This room looks more sensible than the rest of the place. Perhaps your aunt hasn’t got around to it yet.
The coffee concept: 13 states
Their signature idea is simple yet ambitious: they serve coffee representing all 13 Malaysian states, each with its own distinct blend or flavor profile. In the menu, there’s a short description of each state coffee, what it’s made of, how strong it is, and whether it’s medium-roasted, full-bodied, etc.
For example, the Malaccan coffee is medium and less acidic, consisting of 70% coffee beans, and 30% mix of sugar, salt, and margarine. Meanwhile, the Penang coffee is roasted superb black Robusta beans, with medium strength and a thick, slightly sourish flavor.
So even if you’re not a coffee connoisseur, you’ll still get a sense of what to expect before ordering. You can also mix and match up to two state coffees in one cup, which is a fun way to experiment with different profiles.
And if you prefer something more familiar, they also serve the good old kopi O and kopi C for those who like to keep things traditional. What’s important is that every single cup of coffee at this cafe is freshly brewed upon order. Their coffee powder is never reused, so there’s no compromise on taste.
The café also sells its own merchandise and packaged 13-states coffee beans as souvenirs.
My friend had a refreshing glass of iced Perlis coffee (intensely black, dark-roasted, full-bodied coffee with a combination of herbs to provide mental alertness and strength).
I, on the other hand, had let my curiosity get the better of me. Despite not being a coffee drinker, I decided to order a combination of Johor coffee (balanced, smooth, and aromatic medium fire-roasted Liberica beans with margarine and sesame) and Kelantan coffee (traditional wood fire-roasted Robusta beans; strong, bitter, with a charcoal-burnt flavor) in honor of my parents’ birthplaces.
The Kelantan blend was in fact the strongest of all 13 states, and the resulting concoction was a thick hot coffee on steroids. The coffee-est of all coffees I had ever tasted. It felt like my entire week’s worth of caffeine condensed into one cup. I ended up plopping a scoop of vanilla ice-cream into it and turning it into an affogato instead.
Food & other beverages
While coffee is the central draw, the menu also includes local and Western dishes, and non-coffee beverages. Some of the signature and bestselling dishes are:
- Calanthe laksa — yellow noodles or rice vermicelli in a gravy made of coconut milk, turmeric, lemongrass, dried prawn paste, and shallots. Served with tofu puffs, fish balls, fishcake slices, fried beancurd skin, hard-boiled egg, beansprouts, and grated cucumber.
- Claypot e-mee laksa — thin fried noodles in laksa gravy cooked in a clay pot. Served with almost the same toppings as the Calanthe laksa.
- Yellow nasi lemak with spiced chicken.
- Coffee-butter chicken with rice, hard-boiled egg, salad, and papadom crackers.
As we were both still stuffed from breakfast and the Nyonya kuih we’d been snacking on while walking, we had to skip the heavier dishes and just share a salted egg croissant with vanilla ice cream (which I dunked into my coffee in hopes of making it more drinkable).
The croissant was indulgent — warm, flaky, buttery, and oozing with salted egg lava (basically Asians’ favorite flavor), although I think I would have preferred it less sweet.
Apart from coffees, they also offer other beverages including fruit juices, milkshakes, and interesting smoothies like Cendol Blenz. No teas or matcha, unfortunately. Do coffee people tend to hate tea, like how dog people tend to hate cats?
Verdict: is it worth a visit?
The quirky mishmash of art, plants, nostalgic antiques, and upcycled furniture at Calanthe Art Café is right up my alley in terms of aesthetic.
I also really like the idea of featuring 13 different coffees from each Malaysian state, which is such a fun and thoughtful concept for tourists and even locals who rarely get to think about how diverse our own coffee culture is. I admit I’m not enough of a coffee person to judge if it was truly great or not, but I did enjoy the experience of choosing and sipping it slowly while people-watching in that cozy courtyard.
Apparently, the food here gets plenty of love too, but I was too full that afternoon to try any (which is very on-brand for a Melaka trip, as there’s always too much to eat). So, I’ll definitely come again next time for the laksa or their coffee butter chicken rice.
The only downside was the mosquitoes, which were a bit pesky despite the electric mosquito killer they had. So, while the Wi-Fi was strong, I don’t think I’d want to stay long without my spray-on insect repellent.
Still, all in all, it was a lovely spot to unwind and escape the heat for a while. I’d happily recommend Calanthe Art Café to anyone visiting Melaka, whether you’re a coffee lover, an art lover, or just someone who needs a cool corner to rest after a long walk through the city’s winding heritage streets.
If you’re planning a trip here, check out my Melaka Travel Guide for ideas on things to do in the city, and my Melaka Food Guide for all the delicious eats you shouldn’t miss. You can also browse the rest of my blog for more destination guides, food recommendations, and travel tips around Malaysia.
