Steamboat in Cameron Highlands: what it is and where to eat

Are steamboat and hotpot the same thing?

Yes, steamboat and hot pot are the same dish: hot pot is also called steamboat⁴. You cook raw ingredients in soup or stock kept simmering in a pot on the table⁴.

Here’s how a steamboat dinner works:

• The pot of soup sits on the table and stays hot through the meal.
• You drop in your own meat and vegetables¹ and cook them yourself.
• Everyone eats from the same pot, so it suits a group or a family.

Steamboat makes more sense up here than in the lowlands. Nights in Cameron Highlands can drop as low as 12 °C¹, so a bubbling pot at dinner is welcome.

Where to eat steamboat in Cameron Highlands

You can eat steamboat at a Chinese restaurant in Tanah Rata or as a resort dinner. The table compares the places the sources name for it.

Restoran Mayflower, Tanah Rata

Restoran Mayflower is the town option. It’s listed as a good place for steamboat and Chinese food¹, and the travel guide cameron.com.my also calls it a Chinese steamboat restaurant in Tanah Rata⁵.

Tanah Rata is 6 km from Ringlet⁶. If you’re staying in Ringlet in Cameron Highlands, it’s an easy trip into town for dinner.

Resort steamboat: Gonbei and The Lakehouse

Gonbei, the restaurant at Cameron Highlands Resort, serves shared hotpot in a semi-alfresco pavilion², according to the resort. Book this one if you want to sit outside with your pot.

At The Lakehouse, dinner comes as either a steamboat or a classic English dinner³, the resort says. You pick one or the other, so agree on it as a group before you book.

Restaurants on the map

The table below lists places to eat around the plateau from their map listings, with hours, alcohol and a map link. Check a place’s own menu before you go if steamboat is the plan.

Places to eat and drink

Place	Area	Type	Hours and season	Google rating	Map
The Lord's Cafe Tanah RataPhoto: Google Maps	Tanah Rata	Cafe	Mon–Fri 10:00–18:00; Sat 10:00–17:00; Sun closed	4.1 (1,889 reviews) on Google Maps, checked October 2026	Map
KHM Strawberries & JamPhoto: Google Maps	Tanah Rata	Cafe	Mon–Thu 08:00–17:00; Fri–Sun 08:00–18:00	4 (2,229 reviews) on Google Maps, checked October 2026	Map
Pizzarella & Misokimchi @Tanah Rata - Halal Western, Japanese, Korean, Steamboat, Vegetarian Restaurant & Catering ServicesPhoto: Google Maps	Tanah Rata	Eclectic restaurant	Mon–Fri 11:00–22:00; Sat–Sun 10:30–22:00	4.8 (3,021 reviews) on Google Maps, checked October 2026	Map
Cameron Valley Tea House 2Photo: Google Maps	Tanah Rata	Tea house	Mon–Thu 08:30–18:30; Fri–Sun 08:00–19:00	4.2 (7,091 reviews) on Google Maps, checked October 2026	Map
AyahMan Strawberi Cameron HighlandsPhoto: Google Maps	Tanah Rata	Malay Restaurant	Mon–Fri 08:00–15:30; Sat–Sun 07:30–15:30	4 (516 reviews) on Google Maps, checked October 2026	Map
Jasmine CafeHousePhoto: Google Maps	Tanah Rata	Restaurant	Mon–Sun 12:00–20:30	3.9 (453 reviews) on Google Maps, checked October 2026	Map
BARRACKS CAFE CAMERON HIGHLANDSPhoto: Google Maps	Tanah Rata	Restaurant	Mon closed; Tue–Thu 11:00–20:00; Fri–Sun 11:00–22:00	4.2 (1,175 reviews) on Google Maps, checked October 2026	Map
Nasi kerabu lemak bakar Mek Timah Ayah ManPhoto: Google Maps	Tanah Rata	Malay Restaurant	Mon 08:51–16:00; Tue 08:52–16:00; Wed closed; Thu–Sun 08:00–16:00	3.6 (65 reviews) on Google Maps, checked October 2026	Map
Highland Steamboat Cheese & Grill 2Photo: Google Maps	Tanah Rata	Hot pot restaurant	Mon–Sun 17:00–00:00	4.3 (1,138 reviews) on Google Maps, checked October 2026	Map
OK Tuck Restaurant Brinchang Cameron HighlandsPhoto: Google Maps	Brinchang	Restaurant	Mon–Sun 11:00–22:00	4.8 (7,479 reviews) on Google Maps, checked October 2026	Map
Rasa Soya Cafe Cameron HighlandPhoto: Google Maps	Brinchang	Dessert restaurant	Mon–Sun 08:30–17:00	4.3 (270 reviews) on Google Maps, checked October 2026	Map
Y.A.Z Steamboat N” GrillPhoto: Google Maps	Brinchang	Restaurant	Mon–Sun 16:30–00:00	4 (592 reviews) on Google Maps, checked October 2026	Map
The Smokehouse Hotel & Restaurant By The Golf Course Cameron HighlandsPhoto: Google Maps	Brinchang	Hotel	–	4.1 (2,061 reviews) on Google Maps, checked October 2026	Map
Mummy Steamboat & GrillPhoto: Google Maps	Brinchang	Restaurant	Mon 16:30–00:00; Tue closed; Wed–Sun 16:30–00:00	4.4 (55 reviews) on Google Maps, checked October 2026	Map
HOUSE OF SCONEPhoto: Google Maps	Brinchang	Restaurant	Mon 10:00–22:00; Tue closed; Wed–Sun 10:00–22:00	4.8 (449 reviews) on Google Maps, checked October 2026	Map
Cado cafePhoto: Google Maps	Brinchang	Coffee shop	Mon–Sun 10:00–22:00	4.3 (910 reviews) on Google Maps, checked October 2026	Map
Kensington Western Restaurant (Cameron Highland)Photo: Google Maps	Kea Farm	Western restaurant	Mon–Sun 11:00–23:00	4.6 (397 reviews) on Google Maps, checked October 2026	Map

Listings come from Google Maps (via DataForSEO), checked October 2026; the order is not a ranking by rating, and no place paid to be on this list.

Is steamboat in Cameron Highlands halal?

Not automatically: restaurants at major hotels serve alcohol and aren’t certified halal, so ask before you order. Apart from Chinese restaurants, hotel restaurants generally don’t serve pork⁷, but that isn’t the same as certification.

If steamboat doesn’t work out, you won’t go hungry. The plateau has many Malay, Western, Indian and Chinese restaurants¹.

Steamboat in Ramadan and on market weekends

The calendar matters less for steamboat than for most meals, but a few things help you plan:

• Ramadan: most Chinese stalls and restaurants stay open during Ramadan⁷, so a Chinese steamboat dinner is still possible.
• Weekends: the night market in Brinchang opens on Friday and Saturday nights, and every day in holiday season and on public holidays¹. It has many vegetable and food stalls⁸ if you want a change from steamboat.
• Evenings: daytime temperatures seldom go above 25 °C¹, and evenings are cooler still, so steamboat is a dinner dish here.

For everything else on the plateau’s menu, from noodle stalls to the food court and other places to eat, see the hub guide.