News & Coffee in Kuala Lumpur
The heart of Kuala Lumpur is known for many things: packed roads and sweaty sidewalks, and the constant clamour at Petaling Street. Only a few places offer an escape from the cacophony.
Tucked away on Jalan Hang Lekir, where daily life moves more slowly than on nearby Petaling Street and Pasar Seni, News & Coffee joins the list. The pop-up newsstand from Barcelona welcomes city slickers in downtown KL to browse independent zines and magazines, order a cup of coffee, exchange a few words, and, more importantly, feel unhurried.
What is News & Coffee?
Image credit: @news.and.coffee via Instagram
Founded in Barcelona, Spain, by a group of like-minded individuals, News & Coffee is a nod to fast-paced New York City and its street culture: folded newspapers and steaming-hot coffee cups in the hands of almost every individual hurrying down avenues and streets. It is, at its core, an unpretentious newsstand that can exist anywhere, bringing indie magazines and zines, morning newspapers, and good coffee to anyone.
News & Coffee now has kiosks in cities beyond Spain, namely Paris’s 11th arrondissement and London’s King’s Cross. Its next stop is Kuala Lumpur – also its first Southeast Asia location – with a newsstand popping up in the city from 4th September to 11th October 2026.
What to expect at News & Coffee in KL
Print is not dead, and News & Coffee is here to prove that.
KL’s version of News & Coffee is housed inside a rotating pop-up space at SMTH by ELSE, across from a popular fresh flower shop along Jalan Hang Lekir. It’s not exactly a kiosk, but the air-con treatment will be welcomed in the Malaysia heat and haze.
While smaller than your neighbourhood convenience store, News & Coffee retains its newsstand charm in KL by packing it with all sorts of independent prints – magazines, zines, and books – on wall shelves and magazine racks. Some are in foreign languages, but most are in English, and all are for sale.
At the centre of it all is a coffee machine and a friendly barista, both ready to brew a lineup of speciality coffee for anyone stopping by between 8am and 6pm, from Monday to Sunday. Coffee options include Cortado (RM12), Flat White (RM14), and Latte (RM14), all carefully brewed to perfection upon order.
As an “unusual place for coffee and curated reads to-go” – the kiosk’s tagline – expect to pop in for coffee, find a new read, and be on your way to make room for the next unhurried soul.
Hit pause at News & Coffee in Kuala Lumpur
The newsstand is a novelty in KL, where newspapers and magazines are typically found at the cashier counter in a mart or the table out front at a hawker store. So if you want to experience this street culture in person, pencil in a visit to News & Coffee in Malaysia while it’s around the corner.
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Cover image adapted from: TheSmartLocal Malaysia