Shopping in Kota Kinabalu
Best Shopping & Malls in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Shopping in Kota Kinabalu
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33 places sorted by traveller favourites
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What travellers are saying
- Andrea Lehotska TravelbloggerMilan, Italy353 contributionsLarge, clean, functional.
From supermarket to branded content, local products to thai massage or Escape Room, european brands to cheaper fancy local staff.
Toilets always superclean, every 2hrs a traditional dance exhibition, big choice of unhealthy european fast food too:)
Interesting initiative of rap music and similar.
Bring a jacket as u will freeze ur a** off :)Written 8 May 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - undob0yPhilippines619 contributionsGreat variety of products. From souvenirs to insect repellants. Not a lot of food choices as those are showcased on the Night Market happening every night on the same street. The prices are relatively cheap and a lot of locals patronize it. If you happen to be in KK on a Sunday morning do drop by the market.Written 13 June 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Maree RChristchurch, New Zealand1,129 contributionsIf you enjoy markets this is a must do. We walked down to the food entrance and there is a huge variety of fruit veg nuts and such. But the BBQs smoking up with fresh seafood, chicken, skewers is where we wanted to be. Its not easy to pick a place as they all look and smell so good.Written 5 September 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Getaway37497351161Kota Kinabalu District, Malaysia2 contributionsQuite a nice selection. Maybe not quite as fancy as Imago, but pretty much the same style of a mall. Found some very affordable and cute, trendy jewellery from Bling.Written 24 July 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Wildcat7400Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia1,087 contributionsMy 3 friends & I passed the Filipino Market on the way to our 3rd destination which was the Atkinson Clock Tower. We visited the Filipino Market that night after our delicious seafood dinner at Sembulan Lobster Restaurant. Fortunately, the Filipino Market was located near our Hotel. We went through a “Pasar Malam” or “Night Market” & had to cross a road before we arrived.
Since we knew what we were looking for, we did not bother to check out the whole area. We visited a couple of shops to get a feel of the prices for the 3A Grade blue-eyed anchovies which was the best. It has been said that the anchovies of such grade will stay crispy after being fried for a long time.
Most of the traders tried their best to get us to purchase from their shops but we stood our ground & said that it wasn’t time to buy yet. But we will return in a couple of days. That shut them up but some continued to coax us. Prices were dirt cheap compared to Kuala Lumpur. They were selling at RM35.00 per kg. In Langkawi, the same grade anchovies were sold at RM55.00 per kg while in Kuala Lumpur, prices can reach up to RM70.00 per kg. We left shortly to look at some fruit stalls that were located outside the building. The fruits were fresh looking & we were tempted to get some but didn’t.
We visited the Filipino Market once again on our last day. My partner wandered off to get anchovies at a shop which offered prepacked anchovies in smaller quantities. Another friend bought anchovies together with me at the same shop. She had bought in large quantities & even added a huge salted fish to the order. The shopkeeper’s staff agreed to reduce the price per kg to RM30.00. He had packed my friend’s order into a box so she could bring it into the flight’s cabin. Since my order & a friend back home was small, they were put into a plastic bag.
Overwhelmed by the sales amount which he had garnered, he had offered a packet of “kuih cincin” to us for free. Kuih Cincin is a traditional snack of the Brunei-Malay & Bajau people in Sabah. They come in hard & soft versions & are filled with brown sugar. As a gesture of appreciation for his kindness, I ended up buying 2 additional packets at RM5.00 each. This prompted him to win me over with additional sales of other local snacks such as “amplang” which I had rejected gently. Looking back, I regretted not buying. Amplang is similar to “keropok” which is fried fish crackers. One can also find other seafood flavours such as squid & prawns.
I wanted to visit the shop again the next time I’m in Sabah. Thus, I took a photo of the shop’s banner as it showed the shop’s lot number & handphone number. The staff commented that they also accept orders from Peninsular Malaysia & will deliver the dry items to customers within 3 days. Postage price is usually RM16.00. We were delighted with such service & made a mental note to order soon.
Satisfied with our purchases, we left. However, my friend & I were followed by a girl who was trying to sell her snacks to us. We felt so bad for her that each of us gave her a donation. She went away but followed us to the car 5 minutes later & threw some of her snacks into the car, forcing us to accept though another friend said we did not want them. Not wanting to hurt her feelings, we gave in & accepted.
I relayed to my Sabahan friends about the girl during our seafood dinner on our last night in Sabah. They said she was probably from the Philippines & not local.
The Filipino Market is one of the most popular destinations in Sabah & should not be missed. It is along the city’s waterfront which includes a wet market, night market, handicraft complex & a hawker centre. The market is made of hundreds of tiny stores. True to its name, the place is managed by locals & immigrants hailing from the southern islands of Philippines. It is probably the best place to look for the best hand-crafted souvenirs & varieties of Sabah pearls.Written 15 July 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - krocchiSingapore, Singapore1,428 contributionsI can understand why this mall is very popular for locals. There are a lot of food and shops but the choices are not very fancy. Super market is big but you can’t bring a shopping bag in.Written 16 July 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- mad0scarSydney, Australia26 contributionsGreat location to view the sunset while sipping cocktails and enjoying a meal. Easy to locate and number of restaurants choices to eat. Got there just before sunset and able to get a table near waters edge with great view over the ocean to see the sun set.Written 29 December 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Alison P8 contributionsWe took a grab car to the Borneo Trading Post to buy some souvenirs - it had a good range of items and we spent quite a while browsing before buying.Written 5 November 2018This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Hilary FUckfield, UK73 contributionsWe had a really enjoyable visit to this beautiful gallery. It's easy to get out here by Grab taxi and if you have a car there is parking. The building itself is amazing and the displays interesting.
The only disappointment was in the shop where there was a very limited amount of craft for sale and they do not accept card payments - really?? Apparently you can pay by bank transfer but we trieds this with both a Wise and a Revolut card but no joy. I think that the gallery needs to buck up its ideas especially as there is such limited craft available in Sabah. They are missing a trick.
The lovely Ronsie was very helpful.Written 8 November 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - cparry29Brisbane, Australia33 contributionsSome reasonable shops but lot's are closed. Looks a little tired and needs updating.
Is a little out of the way unless you are staying at the hotels adjoining the mall.Written 9 December 2018This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Jaime KBrisbane, Australia28 contributionsIf you are wanting to purchase low grade and poor quality souvenirs, this is the place to go. All the stalls have the same thing, and are rather cheap quality. Definitely not handicraft, but if you want to pick up some touristy trinkets this is the place to go.Written 24 March 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- AChee74Kuching, Malaysia1,277 contributionsLike the all the other reviews, there was really nothing much in this mall. Saw a couple of handicrafts stalls.
Something in the past definitely.Written 8 July 2017This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - wootaekwonHong Kong, China461 contributionsA short walk from Suria Sabah, we went in and discovered there were many tour companies on the first floor! Great place to find and compare tours in Sabah!Written 30 December 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- G2KpaulyMelbourne, Australia1,891 contributionsThis mall is nice enough looking but not too many shops and some closed. I just went to look at Sports direct which is a nice shop.Written 17 December 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- StvinzSingapore, Singapore5 contributionssmall farm, nice scenery. Try their gelato. Personally love their yogurt and chocolate favors. Need to pay RM5/person, reasonable, you can take lots of photo here.Written 6 January 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions about Kota Kinabalu
- These places are best for shopping in Kota Kinabalu:See more shopping in Kota Kinabalu on Tripadvisor
- These are the best places for kid-friendly shopping in Kota Kinabalu:See more shopping for children in Kota Kinabalu on Tripadvisor
- These are the best places for couples seeking shopping in Kota Kinabalu:
- Imago Shopping Mall
- Gaya Street Sunday Market
- Suria Sabah
- Night Market, Kota Kinabalu
- Kota Kinabalu City Waterfront
- These are the best places for groups seeking shopping in Kota Kinabalu:See more shopping for groups in Kota Kinabalu on Tripadvisor
- These are the best places for budget-friendly shopping in Kota Kinabalu:See more budget-friendly shopping in Kota Kinabalu on Tripadvisor