Natasha EffendyIndonesian food has to be possibly one of the best cuisines out there. The flavours are rich, passionate, and so complex. Since Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago with over a thousand ethnicities, it’s unsurprising 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
Image credit: Sari Ratu Official Website
Nasi padang 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 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 ayam bumbu goreng, gulai telur, perkedel, sayur pakis, kerepek kentang, tempe goreng, and more! Top off your meal with a tall glass of creamy jus alpukat (avocado shake) and you’re bound to slip into a blissful food coma after. Sari Ratu has various branches throughout the city, including Bukit Bintang, Subang Jaya, and Desa Pandan.
2. Restoran Sederhana
Image credit: Restoran Sederhana Official Website
Additionally, you can get nasi padang in KL at Restoran Sederhana in Chow Kit. It’s one of many Indonesian restaurants in KL. Sederhana was founded in Jakarta, but they’ve also got overseas branches in Singapore and Malaysia.
I recommend ayam pop, gulai ikan kakap, teri tempe kacang, telor dada, and sambal goreng udang. Finish off your meal with a side of emping chips, and teh botol sosro.
Also read: 12 Things to Do in Jakarta: Top Tourist Attractions, Underrated Spots & Exciting Tours
3. Taste of Medan
Image credit: Taste of Medan Official Facebook Page
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 Segambut, which serves some of Medan’s famous delicacies. Their nasi lemak Medan tasted exactly like the one at home!
The rice in nasi lemak 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 kerepek kentang, stir-fried green beans, sambal kentang, and tempe goreng. It’s filling, delicious, and comforting!
Besides nasi lemak Medan, you can also get their nasi sayur and nasi soto ayam.
4. Tetangga Kita
Image credit: Tetangga Kita Official Facebook Page
Martabak Indonesia is one of the most popular street food in Indonesia. There’s the sweet version (martabak manis), 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 apam balik, but if you were to ask me, martabak manis is more indulgent.
Then there’s martabak telor, which is on the savoury side. It’s usually stuffed with eggs and meat, and its Malaysian counterpart would be the murtabak you’d typically get from any mamak store. If any of these versions sound tempting to you, I recommend visiting Tetangga Kita at Hartamas Shopping Centre.
Their menu boasts both traditional and unique flavours that are worth trying! For example, they’ve got martabak manis filled with the Lotus Biscoff spread, Ovomaltine spread, and Milo powder! You can get the thick version (tebal, which is more indulgent) or the thin version (tipis, which is more crispy).
As for the martabak telor, they’ve got variants featuring tuna, and even Samyang, which are the infamous Korean spicy fire noodles. Crazy, right? But if neither of those flavours are up your alley, we’d recommend the original (telor) and chicken (ayam) versions.
5. The Majapahit
Image credit: The Majapahit Official Facebook Page
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 ayam penyet.
For the uninitiated, ayam penyet 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 bumbu 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
Image credit: Dancing Fish Official Facebook Page
Dancing Fish is a Malay-Indo restaurant in Bangsar Shopping Centre 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, ayam panggang, rendang daging (beef rendang), and terong 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. Kotak+
Image credit: Kotak+ Official Facebook Page
Speaking of spice, Indonesian ayam geprek is a dish packed with lots of heat. After all, the dish is basically crispy fried chicken crushed with hot sambal. At Kotak+ in SS15, Subang Jaya, they elevate their ayam geprek 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, like Geprek Mi Sedap, Soto Bedawi, Bakso, and Risoles Ayam (one of my favourite snacks!). The menu is really fun and it’s worth checking out, since there’s so much you can choose from!
8. Ole-Ole Bali
Image credit: Ole-Ole Bali Sunway Pyramid Official Facebook Page
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 sate lilit, cumi-cumi goreng, 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. Anggrek Kuring
Image credit: Anggrek Kuring Official Facebook Page
Anggrek Kuring in Puchong, Selangor serves 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 ayam kalasan, prawn satay, kerepek kentang, fried beancurd, and soup of the day. Ayam kalasan 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 à la carte dishes like grilled sotong, gulai ikan, shrimp tauco, and empal gepuk.
10. Indomart
Image credit: Indomart Official Facebook Page
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.
- Rumah Makan Cibiuk – Kajang, Selangor (Sundanese food)
- Martabak Bang! – Bandar Sunway, Selangor (martabak Indonesia)
- Restoran Nasi Padang Kg. Baru – Kampung Baru, KL (nasi padang)
- Waroeng Penyet – The Curve, Selangor (ayam penyet)
- 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 honour Indonesian cuisine!
Featured image credit: Space_Cat via Canva Pro
