Kota Kinabalu is a happy mix of many cultures and virtually everyone is represented with some or other restaurant.  Muslim food, in general, involves frying, and many articles have been written about how blessed Malaysians are with their cholesterol immune DNA.  

Luckily for the rest of us, choices abound and you are never far away from something you can eat.

The local Chinese are from the Hakka dialect group with strong emphasis on noodles & accompaniments, specially pork, seafood & duck. There is an increasing number of South Indian restaurants, some are open 24-hours. The local Muslim cuisine of the Bajaus/Indonesians/South Filipinos is cheap & popular and is dominant near the Sinsuran, Segama & Sulaman districts of KK.

Surprisingly, the cuisine of the dominant indigenous tribe in Sabah, the Kadazans, are hard to come by. Their unique cuisine continue to remain in the homes in Penampang district, except for a couple of selected dishes like Hinava (marinated raw seafood/fish).There is, possibly, only one place where one can find authentic Kadazan dishes for sale - a couple of stalls at the Donggongon Tamu (farmers' market) on Thursdays. Otherwise, search for cooking classes that feature Kadazan cuisine. Another way to enjoy this elusive cuisine is to stay at a homestay with a Christian Kadazan family, where pork will be a feature. You might be lucky to be invited to a wedding or birthday celebration, to boot!

Increasingly, more independent Continental cuisine restaurants have been established in KK. Italian, German, French, Spanish dishes with a local flavour are found. Japanese & Korean-styled dishes are also available outside the confines of a hotel resort. Unfortunately, most are pork-free.

Kota Kinabalu, being the near-island resort town that it is, is blessed with an abundance of seafood which is reflected in the many good seafood eateries that are littered around town.  Grab your hat and flip-flops and explore.