Wonderful service with excellent food. Staff members are friendly and the owner is an exceptionally friendly down to earth guy. Happy to see a fellow Malaysian doing well and promoting Malaysian cuisine to the west. A must go place!
Omg Malaysian and Singaporean food is my favorite. This did not disappoint!!! Kway teow and Hainan Chicken Rice flavors had me feeling nostalgic. Great authentic, tasty food. I found my new spot!!!
We came between lunch and dinner, the service was fast and friendly. The food is authentic and amazing, and it's great to have vegetarian options.
Quite a unique place with authentic Malaysian food. Comfortable dining accommodations and the friendliest staff that I've seen in a while
Amazing food, great service, reasonable prices, and a charming bar tender. Does it get any better?
Excellent food and service! They took the time to explain their menu, made recommendations and made adjustments to spiciness if required. Will be back as often as I can. Love love this place �
I had the best food last night. We Malaysians really miss our food and I was so excited to find Serai! Just moved to Chicago and found them on google. My American friend wasn't so sure about the "weeds with fish sauce" (Kangkung belacan) Aiyoyo!
Some of the best Southeast Asian food I've ever had. The seasoning is impeccable. We typically order for delivery, but decided to dine in this time. I had the Rendang and my girlfriend had the Char Koay Teow, both truly outstanding. Personable, attentive service and now serving booze! Highly recommended.
Chance Harrison Stockman
+5
That rendang lamb is my favorite. The mango chicken is no slouch either. And the patio is nice in the summer. Hope Serai stays open for a long time.
Their Char kway teow, Nasi lemak rendang lamb and sambal terasi are worth the distance from Indiana!! Definitely will come back!
The absolute fantastic food ever. Took me home from the very first bite! Highly recommended especially the Hainanese Chicken Rice!
Michelle Shavaughn Hill
+5
Great food and terrific menu options. Mango Shrimp is delicious and the restaurant is very classy.
Teh Tarik is so good!!!! Hainanese Chicken Rice delicious and the chili is very close to back home....satisfied!!
Christine Dziubinski Jordan
+5
Fantastic food, delicious flavors. Will be back for sure!
A great selection of nyonya food and authentically prepared. Beef Rendang was perfect, just the right amount of coconut milk in it. Can't say enough of their koewtiaw. All dishes we ordered were spiced up well and we love it.
Friendly, accommodating staff & amazing food!!
excellent Malaysian food in a wonderful atmosphere.
10/21/23 An off the beaten path gem of a restaurant. We ordered steam dumpling, Rangoon, rendang shrimp. Beef rendang, and panang beef curry. All dishes were exceptional. It's a Saturday night. The place was busy and the servers were busy. The restaurant could use a refresh but, I came here for the food and it did not disappoint. That's why I gave it a 5 stars.
Serai in Chicago offers an authentic Southeast Asian dining experience. The vibrant atmosphere complements the diverse menu, featuring well-executed dishes from Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. Standouts include the fragrant rendang, flavorful serai curry laksa , and the perfectly balanced Indonesian fried rice. The attentive service and inviting decor make Serai a top choice for those seeking a culinary journey through Southeast Asia in the heart of Chicago.
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Quite enjoyed lunch here! Malaysian food options in the city are very limited sadly, but this does a pretty great job of satisfying this space. The service was good, though we were the only ones around I think at the time we went. The space is fine, but I don’t think you come here for the ambiance, you come here for the food! Looking forward to coming back and trying more options!
Highlights were the nasi lemak and roti paratha. Both the beef rendang and the ayam merah were delicious for the nasi lemak. The roti paratha is buttery and wonderful and the chicken curry it comes with was rich and flavorful—we really really liked that. I would probably go with the ayam merah or the chicken curry with my nasi lemak next time, both were delicious. The beef rendang is also a solid option for those who prefer beef. Be aware it is a little fatty.
Cumin lamb skewers were good but pretty straightforward in flavor. Also a small serving.
We enjoyed both the dessert options, but they weren’t exceptional. Pulut hitam is on the watery end of a rice pudding type of dish, but with a deeper rounder sweetness than a typical rice pudding. I had never had something like this before and glad I tried it. The coconut pudding had a lighter and sweet flavor, with a delicate consistency served inside a coconut. I’d recommend both, but if you’re in the mood for a more robust dessert option these may not fully satisfy.
Serai was a nice surprise. The menu covers many Asian cuisines. When I dined, there was a decent crowd for a Thursday night. Service was attentive. The food was very good. The Sersi martini had a nice Asian twist. I would definitely return.
Delicious Malaysian food. I’d go there just for the Roti Canai (Protha) alone. That curry gravy and bread was absolutely delicious.
All the entrees and meals were good too.
The outside patio has a really cool vibe.
Prices were quite reasonable.
I’m from Singapore and this place has such high quality, authentic-tasting Malaysian/Singapore dishes that rekindled my memories and made me homesick (in a good way)! The chicken satay, beef rendang, laksa and wonton noodles were so well-done, rich, generously portioned for the price and had the authentic local taste. Can’t believe I didn’t come here earlier. Great job, chef!
Serai has some homey food from where I come from! I’d say the kway teow was good although the noodles were over cooked. Flavor was there! Fried calamari was my personal fave. My non Asian friends enjoyed their laksa and mango chicken!!
Excellent curry laksa and pork char kway teow, a.k.a. char koay teow! Difficult to find parking, not easy to find restaurant on Google maps (drive slowly as you get close to the restaurant). The food is totally worth it. And they have ice Milo as well!! Excellent service. Relaxed, chill atmosphere. Highly recommended for the food. It's quite rare to find a place that has pork char kway teow as well as ice Milo, the two basic ingredients required to pass the Singaporean-Malaysian restaurant authenticity test. Highly recommended!!!
My friends from out of town wanted to check this place out so we came on a Saturday around 6:30pm. We were able to grab a table for 6 people outside. Sounds like the indoor seats are all reserved. We ordered the Serai Curry Laksa, beef rendang, nasi goreng, Hainanese chicken, sambal shrimp. We LOVED everything except the shrimp. I can’t eat spicy food and the curry laksa had a kick to it but it was tolerable for me. The bowl of rice that came out with the Hainanese chicken was also delicious! Will definitely come back to try the other dishes!
You don't know how good you had it until it's gone. Order this food anytime you can!
Serai was our go to takeout spot. Anything we ordered was absolutely delicious and delivered super fast. Anytime we had guests and ordered serai they would always praise it and always request it when they'd be back in the area. Now that we are out of the city we absolutely miss this place and cannot find anything even CLOSE to the flavors this place provides. Will be driving into the area just for a visit to Serai. It's worth it.
The overall of the food is good but the service is average. I love their tofu claypot. The tofu is very soft. I think their tea tarik and Malaysia ice tea have weird taste with little spice in it. Their coconut pudding is very good too.
We went back to Serai recently and I asked the waitress for a curry recommendation. She suggested the green chicken curry, and said she regretted waiting to try it for so long. I feel the same way! It’s soooo good - probably it my favorite from them so far. The spicy Margarita is also excellent, as are many of the other dishes.
In the past, we’ve ordered the shrimp and bacon puff and some curries. The gado-gado salad is great and we’ve also tried beef rendang, and Mee goreng.
Really really yummy. The Satay chicken is unbelievably tender. The various sauces are so flavorful. I cannot have enough of the mee goreng.
Recommended by our Malaysian friend. The meal that we ordered were also recommended by him. Please order their Koay Teow and their laksa. They are phenomenal!! Don't miss this restaurant! You will regret!!
Absolutely delicious except the Tom yum ramen, which was blend and soggy. The Hainanese chicken is extremely tender and flavorful. The portion of calamari is small for its price but the seafood is very fresh. If you love coconut, definitely try the coconut pudding, it's really really good!!
We ordered takeout and it was still really good. We're looking forward to dining in. The beef rendang was comforting. The chili chicken was fresh and not oily like you typically see in chili chicken dishes. The paratha roti was also very fresh and comforting. Would love to dine in some day.
Great authentic flavors. Liked the roti paratha but portion size pretty small. Recommend the Serai curry laksa and the lamb rendang, both very delicious. Love the fresh coconut as well. The nasi lemak lacked coconut flavor in the rice, and the beef rendang was a little bit dry. Overall the food is not quite as good as Penang Malaysian Cuisine Arlington Heights, however the restaurant is the only Malaysian food in the Chicago city limits and will satisfy your cravings.
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