3 Best Restaurants in Sandakan, Malaysia

Up on the eighth and top floors of the 60s-era Nak Hotel, the bistro serves classic European comfort food. It's heavy on the meat and potatoes, with burgers and fries, meatballs and potatoes, chicken and chips, and some hearty seafood pasta dishes and salads. A popular brunch (7 am–5 pm) includes all the usual suspects: pancakes, sausage, eggs, etc., for those who like their breakfast at any time of the day. A big draw are inventive fresh juice cocktails and better-than-average coffee, not to mention the spectacular wrap-around terrace with sweeping ocean views.

Don't let the bustling and rather pungent fish, meat, and produce market on the first floor put you off—the hawker food stands on the market's second floor offer a mix of authentic Malay, Indonesian, and Chinese fast food and the best prices in town. It's a good choice for breakfast or lunch and a touch of local flavor. Stands close mid-afternoon.

A throwback from the colonial days, this prim setting beautifully recreates the upper crust experience: sprawling main house with wraparound terrace, manicured croquet lawn, and afternoon high tea on wicker lawn chairs with a lovely view of the bay. For lunch and dinner you'll find a melange of British stalwarts—fish and chips and shepard's pie—Malaysian-influenced dishes, vegetarian choices, and large salads. For dessert, try the "comforting British pudding."