A DOJO barista pulls kopi from a height under the DOJO Nanyang Kopihouse sign

Our story

A taste
of home,
kept alive

“I didn’t start DOJO just to sell coffee. I started it to preserve a taste of home.” Our founder, a third-generation Chinese Malaysian, on why DOJO exists.

The story behind every taste

Every dish
is a chapter

DOJO Nanyang Kopi House was born from a single mission: to let the flavours of Nanyang speak for our culture. We believe a meal is the most personal way to share a story, and every dish on our menu is a chapter of a shared history.

Our founder grew up with these flavours. Through DOJO he does more than serve food: he honours a family legacy, keeping the sun-drenched heritage of Nanyang alive and sharing it. Every bite is a bridge to the past, made with care.

That commitment has grown DOJO to 24 kopi houses across Borneo. Step inside, taste the richness of the dishes, and feel the heritage behind them. Welcome to DOJO. Savour the story.

How we got here

From Tawau,
one kopi at a time

2018

A first shop in Tawau

DOJO opens its doors in Tawau, Sabah, as DOJO Noodle Lab.

2022

DOJO Nanyang Kopi House

The noodle lab becomes a Nanyang kopi house, under the Big Root Legacy Group.

2024

A record year

1,128,000 cups of Nanyang Kopi Susu Kahwin sold, a Malaysia Book of Records title.

Today

24 kopi houses

Across Sabah, Sarawak and Tarakan in North Kalimantan, and still pulling every kopi by hand.

What Nanyang means

The Southern
Seas

Nanyang (南洋) is what Chinese migrants called the lands of Southeast Asia. In its port towns, Hainanese, Hokkien, Cantonese, Malay and Peranakan kitchens shared streets and swapped recipes.

The kopitiam, from the Malay kopi and the Hokkien tiam (shop), became where a town ate breakfast, read the news and settled the day’s business over a pulled kopi and a plate of toast.

DOJO keeps that room going: marble tables, tiled floors, enamel mugs, and food from every kitchen that shaped it.

The houses