Top 8 Night Markets In Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

1. Night Food Market

Find yourself feeling like a local Malaysian at this night food market. It’s quite a busy market wherein you’ll find almost everything fresh—from fruits, seafood, and vegetables. There is also exotic seafood that you won’t be able to find at your typical wet market. You can even have the ingredients you’ve bought cooked and served for your family. Aside from food, you can find a wide variety of handicrafts and souvenirs to bring home from here. The place may be overwhelming since there are a lot of shops, people, and delicacies to try, but it’s definitely an authentic experience you must try.

Night Food Market

Address: Jalan Tun Fuad Stephens, Pusat Bandar Kota Kinabalu, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Opening hours: 5:30pm - 11:30pm (daily)

2. Filipino Market

If you’re looking for the best souvenirs to bring home to your loved ones, Filipino Market should be your next stopover. Here you’ll spot good finds such as handbags, bracelets, beads, wooden handicrafts, and pearl necklaces and earrings. The place actually consists of smaller markets—such as the handicraft market, salted-fish market, vegetable market, and cooked-food stalls. Items here are quite pricey, but you can always bargain.

Filipino Market

Address: Jalan Tun Fuad Stephen, Pusat Bandar Kota Kinabalu, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Opening hours: 9am - 10pm (daily)

3. Waterfront Seafood Night Market

Get a taste of some of the best and freshest seafood in the city. The prices here are also budget-friendly—perfect for any seafood lover out there! You’ll be able to choose from a variety of seafood, and everything is surely worth every penny. There are lobsters, crayfish, crabs, giant prawns, squid, shellfish, scallops, and so much more. The venue is suitable for casual dinner with your friends.

Waterfront Seafood Night Market

Address: 401, Jalan Tun Fuad Stephen, Pusat Bandar Kota Kinabalu, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Opening hours: 4am - 11pm (daily)

4. Metro Town Night Market

Metro Town Night Market is one of the locals’ most-awaited markets every weekend! Coming here is one of the best ways to spend your Saturday night as this market has so much to offer. The local vendors are very accommodating and enthusiastic and will leave you with happy stomachs. A must-try are local snacks such as crispy pancakes, pastries, and kuih—which is a traditional delicacy made out of glutinous rice. This place would also be a great hangout spot with the people you love.

Metro Town Night Market

Address: Lorong Metro 2, 88450 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Website: Metro Town Night Market

Opening hours: Sat: 3pm - 11pm (closed on Sun - Fri)

5. Api-Api Night Food Market

This market is famous for bringing more life and energy to Gaya Street. This one-of-a-kind market solely promotes Malaysian culture by featuring local sellers only. The place has food, drinks, fruits, and handicrafts. But people usually go here because of the beauty and rich history of the street—it still has shops and buildings that were built more than a century ago. Find dumplings, fish ball, homemade curry, Korean chicken, and a variation of fruit shakes such as avocado and pineapple at the various stalls. The cleanliness of the area will also amaze you—no wonder it is considered a must-visit by tourists. Feel good with your purchases, knowing you’ve helped support small local businesses.

Api-Api Night Food Market

Address: Jalan Bandaran, Pusat Bandar Kota Kinabalu, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Opening hours: Fri - Sat: 6pm - 2am (closed on Sun - Thu)

6. Sinsuran Night Market

This market is known to be the seafood heaven in Kota Kinabalu. You’ll be surprised to see how big the sizes of the seafood are here. There are lobsters three times bigger than your hand, tiger prawns bigger than your palms, and some of the freshest and most exotic crustaceans. You name it, and the vendors have it! You can also have seafood cooked—in any way you like. You can be sure about the freshness of these ingredients because a fish landing port is located just behind the central market. While you’re exploring, don’t forget to drop by the different stalls selling traditional local snacks—best for souvenirs and munching on when you get hungry.

Sinsuran Night Market

Address: Sinsuran Kompleks, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Opening hours: 6pm - 12am (daily)

7. Segama Night Market

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

This market is located just under Segama Bridge, which is very convenient and accessible for tourists. Segama Night Market is well-known for its spectacular Chinese and Malay street food—which is a must-try when you’re here. The vendors have Indonesian staples too, such as bakso, which is a noodle soup with chicken and spices. Aside from those, you can also find the juiciest local and imported fruits, such as mangoes, pineapples, papayas, and durian. You’ll definitely leave this market satisfied and happy with your buys.

Segama Night Market

Address: Jalan Segama, Pusat Bandar Kota Kinabalu, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Opening hours: 5pm - 11pm (daily)

8. Kampung Air Night Market

This market is quite similar to Sinsuran Market, except there is no seafood here. But if ever you do get hungry and crave for seafood, you can just take a short walk to a nearby seafood restaurant. The best finds you can get at this place are gems and pearl items. This is one of the best locations to buy gifts and souvenirs for your friends and families back home.

Kampung Air Night Market

Address: Kampung Air, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Opening hours: Sat - Sun: 4pm - 11pm; Mon - Fri: 5:30pm - 11pm

Get your best finds here

People can get a lot out of visiting night markets—meet new people, understand other cultures, buy unique and cheap items, and try the best local food. The markets in Kota Kinabalu have almost everything you may need—seafood, street food, fruits, vegetables, a great ambiance, amazing people—and they’re very accessible to anyone. Most night markets here are quite close to each other, so you can visit a lot of them in one night.