I’ve been coming to serai since 2016 when it used to be in Logan square. This place is seriously SO good. I’ve never had a bad dish here.
Matthew Ho
It seems Serai closed and reopened, and now shares a location with Kapitan, so I guess this is a review for both restaurants. Interesting.
Anyway, my friend and I came last Thursday for dinner -- really big (and no-frills) restaurant and it was not very busy. Our server was friendly and helpful with our questions, and service was prompt and efficient.
We ordered the kaya toast and roti canai as appetisers. The kaya toast was yummy (and honestly a bit rare to find in the US), but I think the portion size was definitely a bit small for the price. Roti canai was yummy -- I loved how fluffy and flaky the roti was -- and the curry was delicious, if not a bit too salty.
We also ordered the mee goreng, which was a bit more disappointing. The underlying flavour of ketchup was really just too strong and drowned out all the other (sweet or savoury) sauces. The noodles were also too soft / soggy, but I thought the other ingredients (veggies, tofu) were good.
Finally we had the curry laksa (the serai recipe - apparently the toppings are different), which I would definitely recommend. The egg noodles were very well-cooked to a great chewiness, and I really liked the variety of tasty toppies it came with (loved the chicken and char siu, and the fish balls were soft and very flavourful). I wish there were more broth because the noodles did get dry very quickly.
Overall a pretty good meal -- I'd be keen to come again :)
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Judy Smith
My first time at Serai: excellent! Each dish was delicious, and our waitress could not have been more attentive and pleasant. It’s easy to miss the restaurant (I’ve driven past many many times without seeing it) but there’s ample street parking and room for large groups. A++
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Diane
We enjoyed the interesting and unique food. We had a very good experience dining with our family at Serai.
Alice
The best Asian fusion dishes in the city! New location, but the 5-star quality travelled well!
Amber Lenstrom
Food seemed authentic according to my friends but just not really my favorite flavors. The service was excellent and they do have an expansive menu- so I would go again and order something different.
The Pad Thai and drunken noodles both tasted quite different than their traditional flavor elsewhere.
Odd layout in the restaurant. Good for groups and families. Not a great date spot
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 5
Sandrine Chew-Eifert
Authentic Malaysian food & teh tarik(froth milk tea). A must order for us is the roti canai & satay chicken. My 11yr old favorite dish is oyster omelette & my 14yr old enjoyed the Malaysian oxtail soup. I loved the Hokkien Char & hubby had lamb shank rendang. Highly recommend Serai!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Matthew Davis
Came here and ordered pork belly, crab rangoon, and roti with potato curry with some beers during happy hour. Our bill together was < $40 and we were full. Excellent place: must come here before seeing a movie
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brett Kramer
My friends Khoon and Victor do a phenomenal job recreating Malaysian dishes you simply cannot miss. Don't worry if you're not familiar with Malaysian dishes, (I'm not), they fall somewhere between Thai and Chinese, with a unique twist, nothing is too hot/spicy. Portions are pretty large, so look forward to having somethings to take home. Service is second to none, you'll love this place!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roti Pratha, Coconut Pudding, Three Chili Chicken, Mee Goreng, Noodles
Amanda
Very flavorful food and large portions. Highly recommend the paratha appetizer and the bbq (grilled) short ribs. Drinks were good too and for $14 (which is cheaper than the $18 I paid for a basic margarita at another establishment!)
Amazing!! We got the Roti canai, Mee Siam, and Nasi Lemak Rendang Lamb. Everything was cooked excellently. The flavors were well developed and each dish was unique. Such an underrated restaurant. The best Malay food I’ve had outside of Malaysia.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
JakeD
Food was top tier and it came out rather quick. I ordered the 3 chili chicken and was pleasantly surprised. Also the satay skewers were a hit too.
Jacob Philip
I can say with confidence this restaurant is one of the best I have been to in Chicago. We had the beef rendang (phenomenal) and chicken curry. Portions were great and the food even better, an exceedingly rare combination nowadays. The coconut pudding alone is reason enough for me to bring a party of friends here soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pudding for Dessert
Anastasiia Ilkiv
Horrible servise, we were waiting really long for everything ( to order, food, drinks, receipt) they even provide us with wrong receipt. Were sitting next to some art "painting" it was all in dust.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Jim Tuohy
Great takeout! Tons of chicken in the panang curry, yummy pad Thai and love the Roti Pratha app and crab Rangoon. Pickup at the new location super easy!
I’ve been coming to serai since 2016 when it used to be in Logan square. This place is seriously SO good. I’ve never had a bad dish here.
It seems Serai closed and reopened, and now shares a location with Kapitan, so I guess this is a review for both restaurants. Interesting.
Anyway, my friend and I came last Thursday for dinner -- really big (and no-frills) restaurant and it was not very busy. Our server was friendly and helpful with our questions, and service was prompt and efficient.
We ordered the kaya toast and roti canai as appetisers. The kaya toast was yummy (and honestly a bit rare to find in the US), but I think the portion size was definitely a bit small for the price. Roti canai was yummy -- I loved how fluffy and flaky the roti was -- and the curry was delicious, if not a bit too salty.
We also ordered the mee goreng, which was a bit more disappointing. The underlying flavour of ketchup was really just too strong and drowned out all the other (sweet or savoury) sauces. The noodles were also too soft / soggy, but I thought the other ingredients (veggies, tofu) were good.
Finally we had the curry laksa (the serai recipe - apparently the toppings are different), which I would definitely recommend. The egg noodles were very well-cooked to a great chewiness, and I really liked the variety of tasty toppies it came with (loved the chicken and char siu, and the fish balls were soft and very flavourful). I wish there were more broth because the noodles did get dry very quickly.
Overall a pretty good meal -- I'd be keen to come again :)
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
My first time at Serai: excellent! Each dish was delicious, and our waitress could not have been more attentive and pleasant. It’s easy to miss the restaurant (I’ve driven past many many times without seeing it) but there’s ample street parking and room for large groups. A++
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We enjoyed the interesting and unique food. We had a very good experience dining with our family at Serai.
The best Asian fusion dishes in the city! New location, but the 5-star quality travelled well!
Food seemed authentic according to my friends but just not really my favorite flavors. The service was excellent and they do have an expansive menu- so I would go again and order something different.
The Pad Thai and drunken noodles both tasted quite different than their traditional flavor elsewhere.
Odd layout in the restaurant. Good for groups and families. Not a great date spot
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 5
Authentic Malaysian food & teh tarik(froth milk tea). A must order for us is the roti canai & satay chicken. My 11yr old favorite dish is oyster omelette & my 14yr old enjoyed the Malaysian oxtail soup. I loved the Hokkien Char & hubby had lamb shank rendang. Highly recommend Serai!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Came here and ordered pork belly, crab rangoon, and roti with potato curry with some beers during happy hour. Our bill together was < $40 and we were full. Excellent place: must come here before seeing a movie
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My friends Khoon and Victor do a phenomenal job recreating Malaysian dishes you simply cannot miss. Don't worry if you're not familiar with Malaysian dishes, (I'm not), they fall somewhere between Thai and Chinese, with a unique twist, nothing is too hot/spicy. Portions are pretty large, so look forward to having somethings to take home. Service is second to none, you'll love this place!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roti Pratha, Coconut Pudding, Three Chili Chicken, Mee Goreng, Noodles
Very flavorful food and large portions. Highly recommend the paratha appetizer and the bbq (grilled) short ribs. Drinks were good too and for $14 (which is cheaper than the $18 I paid for a basic margarita at another establishment!)
Restaurantji Recommends
Amazing!! We got the Roti canai, Mee Siam, and Nasi Lemak Rendang Lamb. Everything was cooked excellently. The flavors were well developed and each dish was unique. Such an underrated restaurant. The best Malay food I’ve had outside of Malaysia.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was top tier and it came out rather quick. I ordered the 3 chili chicken and was pleasantly surprised. Also the satay skewers were a hit too.
I can say with confidence this restaurant is one of the best I have been to in Chicago. We had the beef rendang (phenomenal) and chicken curry. Portions were great and the food even better, an exceedingly rare combination nowadays. The coconut pudding alone is reason enough for me to bring a party of friends here soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pudding for Dessert
Horrible servise, we were waiting really long for everything ( to order, food, drinks, receipt) they even provide us with wrong receipt.
Were sitting next to some art "painting" it was all in dust.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Great takeout! Tons of chicken in the panang curry, yummy pad Thai and love the Roti Pratha app and crab Rangoon. Pickup at the new location super easy!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roti Pratha
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