Japan’s % Arabica To Open 1st Outlet In M’sia, Cafe Has Aesthetic All-White Concept

% Arabica opens first branch in Malaysia at Pavilion KL

KL has no lack of aesthetic cafes for avid and casual coffee drinkers alike to sit and chill. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t always on the hunt for new coffee shops cropping up around us for more places to visit for brunch on weekends.

A new cafe to add to that list is % Arabica – a coffee shop from Kyoto, Japan that’s well-known for their speciality coffee brewed with beans from around the world – that will be making its way to Pavilion KL in March 2021. 

New % Arabica branch set to open in KL in March

Image credit: @arabica.indonesia

% Arabica has over 80 branches spread out across 15 countries in Asia and Europe – including Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines. Malaysians will soon get to try out their cups of coffee without having to leave the country, with % Arabica set to open in Pavilion KL in March 2021.

Concept image of % Arabica’s coffee shop in KL
Image adapted from: @arabica.journal

While an official opening date is yet to be announced for their highly anticipated launch in KL, % Arabica shared on their Instagram page an image of what their first branch in Malaysia at Pavilion KL would look like once it opens. 

Their KL branch is expected to boast a clean, all-white space with live plants – not much of a departure from eye-pleasing concepts for their coffee shops found in other countries. You’ll also see pops of light brown from aesthetic coffee burlap sacks bearing their signature percentage symbol displayed above their coffee station.

Concept images of other % Arabica coffee shops around the world
Image credit: @arabica.journal

Opening in KL delayed due to the pandemic

According to an Instagram post % Arabica shared back in June 2020, their KL branch was originally set to open in December 2020. But a recent update on 4th March in another Instagram post stated that the COVID-19 pandemic affected expansion plans for coffee shops in several countries, including the branch opening in KL.

Image adapted from: @cmunfoo

Nonetheless, % Arabica is expected to open in March, this month, even though there’s no official set date yet. Excited Malaysians with eagle eyes have already been sharing photos on Instagram of the store’s location in Pavilion KL, which showed part of the coffee shop’s signature percentage symbol-bricked gates already set up back in February 2021. 

Pavilion KL also updated its directory to include information about % Arabica’s location in its shopping mall at Connection. In case you’re curious, the outlet will be located in the vicinity of Spanish tapas bar La Bodega and Cafe de Paris. 

% Arabica to open first branch in Pavilion KL in March

Many busy professionals consider coffee to be a staple pick-me-up in the mornings. But more than just a caffeine booster, it evolved into something we look forward to sipping on the weekends and our cafe-hopping excursions in KL. So we’re excited to get to add yet another coffee shop to our list, with % Arabica – hailing all the way from Japan with its vibrant coffee culture – opening soon in Pavilion KL.

Other places to check out in Klang Valley:

• Jonetz by Don Don Donki to open on 19th March in Lot 10 
• Starbucks Reserve just opened its largest outlet in M’sia at PJ
• New KL East Mall has artisanal cafes and an ice skating rink

Cover image adapted from: @arabica.journal, @heryesterdays and @arabica.indonesia