Chow Kit Wet Market (not for the faint-hearted)

The wet market at Chow Kit is famous for great fruit and veg and for the spectacle of all the fresh meat.

Actually, the fresh meat section of the market might be too much for some people, but if you’re game, I recommend walking through to take a look at a few things that you probably won’t find in other parts of the world.

Chow Kit market location

The market at Chow Kit is located about 200m south of the monorail stop at Chow Kit on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.

As the bird flies, the position is around 1.5km’s to the northwest of the Petronas Twin Towers (about a mile).

Chow Kit wet market opening hours

The Chow Kit markets are open from 5am until 6pm every day.

The first time I tried to visit the wet market I came in the evening and they were already closed.

If you arrive after the wet market closes for the day you can still walk around and check out the Chow Kit night market which begins just outside from the wet market location.

Chow Kit market shopping

They sell a wide variety of fresh meat, fish, fruit and vegetables at the Chow Kit market.

You can also find a good selection of spices, seeds and nuts and a small number of stores selling clothes and fake flowers.

How to get to the Chow Kit market

The best way to get to the wet market by public transport is to take the monorail to Chow Kit station and then it’s only about 200m away to the market.

Alternatively, you could take the LRT to Kampung Baru station, and then from there, it’s about a 10-minute walk to the market.

Of course, you could also just take Grab directly to the market from wherever you’re staying too.

A good day out would be to visit the wet market and then grab some delicious nasi lemak from Wanjo or Antarabangsa near the LRT station at Kampung Baru on your way home.

Chow Kit market parking

Parking is available next to the Chow Kit market for 2rm per hour.

The entry is located just before you arrive at the market when heading south on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.

Is the Chow Kit market a good place to buy fruit & vegetables?

Yes, the Chow Kit market is a great place to buy fresh fruit and vegetables.

In fact, the wet market might just be the place to find the freshest fruit and vegetables for the lowest price in all of Kuala Lumpur. I’d heard locals talking about it for almost a year before going to check the place out for myself.

I used to think Lulu hypermarket (supermarket) was the cheapest place to show for fruit and veg, but now I think I’ll have to reconsider and put the Chow Kit wet market at the top of that list.

I found delicious mango susu for 6rm per kilogram. I got a big Malaysian dragon fruit for 6rm (per piece) and tasty little coconut cakes for 0.70rm per piece.

I know coconut cakes aren’t a type of fruit or vegetable, but it was nice and super cheap, so I wanted to mention it here!

Is the Chow Kit market a good place to buy clothes?

No, not unless you already know that you can find something specific at one of the shops there.

There are only a small number of shops that sell clothes. The market at Chow Kit is most famous for the fresh produce.

If you want to buy clothes, fake handbags or watches etc, you’re probably better off to go to the market at China Town, near Pasar Seni station.

What are some of the strange things they sell at the wet market?

Fresh cow heads and cow feet are some of the strange things that they sell at the Chow Kit wet markets.

I guess it depends on what you consider to be “strange”. This wet market was the first time that I’ve ever seen an entire cows head available to purchase, so that’s pretty strange for me.

In case you’re wondering how much a cows head costs, apparently, you can get one for around 200rm.

Final word on the Chow Kit market

The market at Chow Kit is worth a visit if you’re interested in checking out some unique kinds of fresh meat and witnessing the hustle and bustle as the locals do business with one another.

It’s also worth a visit if you want to browse or buy some fresh fruit and vegetables and try a few local cakes and snacks while you’re there.

You could probably get from KL Sentral or the Twin Towers and back in about 3 hours, with more than enough time to stroll around and look around.

You’ll probably get a few strange looks if you head home on the LRT or monorail with a fresh cows head though.

Safe travels!