Indonesian food has to be possibly one of the best cuisines out there. The flavors are rich, passionate, and so complex. Since Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago with over a thousand ethnicities, it’s unprising that Indonesian cuisine is as diverse as can be. To date, there are over 3,000 different types of traditional Indonesian recipes that you can sink your teeth into.
As an Indonesian living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, I obviously crave a taste of home every now and then. Some of you might relate to this, or perhaps you just really like Indonesian food. Whether you want to get into this cuisine for the first time or are currently craving it, here are 10 Indonesian restaurants in KL and Selangor that I personally recommend!
Also read: An Introduction to Indonesian Food
Must-try Indonesian restaurants in Kuala Lumpur
1. Sari Ratu Prima
Padang rice is a West Sumatran dish that consists of white rice served with a range of pre-cooked dishes. It’s pretty easy to find in Kuala Lumpur, but the one at Sari Ratu Prima truly deserves a special mention. With its branch operating in multiple locations (Jakarta, Surabaya, Singapore, and Malaysia), it’s one of many Indonesian restaurants in KL that’s so worth trying.
You can choose your choice of fish or meat, vegetables, and various side dishes to go with your rice. Some of the things I’ve ordered in the past include fried chicken, egg curry, cakes, ferns, potato chips, fried tempeh, and more! Top off your meal with a tall glass of creamy avocado juice (avocado shake) and you’re bound to slip into a blissful food coma after. Sari Ratu has various branches throughout the city, including Star Hill, Subang Jayaand Pandan Village.
2. Simple Restaurant
Additionally, you can get Padang rice in KL at Simple Restaurant in Chow Kit. It’s one of many Indonesian restaurants in KL. Simple was founded in Jakartabut they’ve also got overseas branches in Singapore and Malaysia.
I recommend pop chicken, snapper curry, anchovies and tempeh beans, egg breast, and shrimp fried chili. Finish off your meal with a side of chips chips, and sosro bottle tea.
Also read: 12 Things to Do in Jakarta: Top Tourist Attractions, Underrated Spots & Exciting Tours
3. Taste of Medan
Being from Medan, I’m always missing my hometown delicacies. thankfully, on my quest to find Indonesian restaurants in KL, I stumbled upon Taste of Medan in Peat, which serves some of Medan’s famous delicacies. Their Lemak rice Field tasted exactly like the one at home!
The rice in Lemak rice Medan is a little sweeter, and comes with generous portions of side dishes. Besides the usual toppings of boiled egg, sambal, cucumber slices, peanuts, and anchovies, there’s the addition of potato chipsstir-fried green beans, potato sauceand fried tempe. It’s filling, delicious, and comforting!
Besides Lemak rice Medan, you can also get their vegetable rice and Chicken Soto Rice.
4. Our Neighbors
Indonesian Martabak is one of the most popular street food in Indonesia. There’s the sweet version (sweet martabak), which is basically a pancake spread with margarine on the inside and stuffed with various fillings like cheese, peanuts, and chocolate sprinkles. This is quite similar to the Malaysian come backbut if you were to ask me, sweet martabak is more indulgent.
Then there’s egg martabak, which is on the savory side. It’s usually stuffed with eggs and meat, and its Malaysian counterpart would be the murtabak you’d typically get from any mother store. If any of these versions sound tempting to you, I recommend visiting Our Neighbors at Hartamas Shopping Center.
Their menu boasts both traditional and unique flavors that are worth trying! For example, they’ve got sweet martabak filled with the Lotus Biscoff spread, Ovomaltine spread, and Milo powder! You can get the thick version (thick, which is more indulgent) or the thin version (thinwhich is more crispy).
As for the egg martabak, they’ve got variants featuring tuna, and even Samyang, which are the infamous Korean spicy fire noodles. Crazy, right? But if neither of those flavors are up your alley, we’d recommend the original (egg) and chicken (chicken) versions.
5. The Majapahit
The Majapahit in Mont’ Kiara is another one of many restaurants where you can get Indonesian food in KL. The menu boasts an Indo-Thai menu, but you can still fix your Indonesian food cravings here. I’ve had their Penyet Jakarta, which is basically penyet chicken.
For the uninitiated, penyet chicken is a smashed fried chicken dish of Javanese origin, and something worth trying if you love meat! What makes The Majapahit’s Penyet Jakarta stand out is the generous amount of crispy spice to eat with the rice. Their chicken is well-cooked, with their crispy chicken skin being my favourite.
Also read: Jakarta to Yogyakarta by Train: An Easy Guide for This Scenic Train Journey in Indonesia
6. Dancing Fish
Dancing Fish is a Malay-Indo restaurant in Bangsar Shopping Center that offers a more upscale Indonesian dining experience. It’s also one of many Indonesian restaurants in KL. The ambience is classy and the menu is authentic, what more can I ask for? If you like smokey grilled meat, then you should definitely come here!
I recommend getting their appetizer platter, which is a mix of their bestseller items. Dancing Fish’s chicken satay is to die for! Besides that, you have to get their crispy red tilapia fish, grilled chicken, beef rendang (beef rendang), and eggplant balado. Mind you, the sambal packs quite the kick, which is great for those who enjoy spicy foods!
Must try Indonesian food in Selangor
7. Box+
Speaking of spice, Indonesian smashed chicken is a dish packed with lots of heat. After all, the dish is basically crispy fried chicken crushed with hot chilli sauce. At Box+ in SS15, Subang Jayathey elevate their smashed chicken by introducing 10 spice levels. The portions are generous, and the chicken is flavourful, especially when it’s been mixed with the rich sambal.
If you want a different kind of experience, try their Geprek Nachos, Cheesy Ayam Geprek, and Geprek Buttermilk. Kotak+ also has non-rice dishes, such as Geprek Mi Sedap, Soto Bedawi, Bakso, and Risoles Ayam (one of my favorite snacks!). The menu is really fun and it’s worth checking out, since there’s so much you can choose from!
8. Balinese Ole-Ole
Just like Bali itself, Balinese food is sensational in its flavours. When your cravings for Balinese — let alone Indonesian — food flare up, head to Ole-Ole Bali at Sunway Pyramid. It’s perfect if you want to look for Indonesian food in Selangor. The restaurant is gorgeous with its wooden, rustic furnishings and intimate lighting. But let’s get to what you should order real quick…
The Ole-Ole Trio consists of the restaurant’s signature foods. In one dish, you can sample satay wrap, fried squid, and barbecue wings. I also recommend their Tipak Cantuk, a Balinese warm vegetable salad. For the main course, get their Nasi Campur and Kambing Bumbu. Finally, take a sip out of their Fresh Lemongrass & Ginger Tea to cleanse your taste buds.
Also read: 10 Instagrammable Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants in Bali That You Have to Try
9. Curry Orchid
Curry Orchid in Puchong, Selangor freshly prepared the best of Sundanese cuisine. I recommend trying any of their rice sets, because there’s a lot in one dish. For example, their Kalasan Chicken Rice Set consists of roosterprawn satay, potato chipsfried beans, and soup of the day. lazy chicken is a notable Indonesian dish where the chicken is cooked in aromatics and coconut water before being deep fried.
On a different note, Anggrek Kuring has notable la carte dishes like grilled cuttlefish, fish curry, shrimp tauco, and empal gepuk.
10. Indomart
This is definitely not a restaurant, but it’s worth mentioning anyway. Indomart is basically an Indonesian convenience store in Bandar Sunway, Selangor. You can find tons of Indonesian snacks, like Ultra Milk (a famous Indonesian milk brand), tons of Indomie instant noodle packets, potato chips, biscuits, and so much more! Just be warned, you might get addicted.
Notable mentions
Anyway, here are more Indonesian restaurants in KL and Selangor you should also consider. Most of these are places that I have not tried as much, hence this category. Regardless, they have received reviews about how good the food was, so it’s worth adding to my list of recommendations.
- Cibiuk Restaurant – Kajang, Selangor (Sundanese food)
- Martabak Bang! – Bandar Sunway, Selangor (martabak Indonesia)
- Nasi Padang Restaurant Kg. New – Kampung Baru, KL (Padang rice)
- Waroeng Penyet – The Curve, Selangor (penyet chicken)
- The Uma Bali – Kota Damansara, Selangor (Balinese food)
- Bumbu Desa – Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur
Another way to fix your Indonesian food cravings would be to cook them yourself! There are tons of recipes online for you to try, and it’s a unique experience to share with friends and family. There are so many spices and a lot of preparations to deal with in the beginning, but I promise you, it’s all going to be worth it. now, this is how you honor Indonesian cuisine!
Featured image credit: Space_Cat via Canva Pro