Self serve and order first at the counter. Minimum $15 CC spend. Laksa comes in two sizes! I got the small chicken curry laksa. It was quite flavorful and the chicken was just so tender!!!! Good amount of meat in the small. I almost finished the creamy broth but controlled myself. The soft shell crab isn't as good though. They put way too much batter! read more

Laksa Bar - Curry laksa with chicken (small) - Malaysian Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Laksa Bar is a humble eatery that makes one of the most stunning laksa in Melbourne. The location was a little hard to find, away from the bustling CBD restaurant scene, tucked at the corner street of Little Lonsdale, and more precisely next to the famous "The League of Honest Coffee". I came in for a late lunch and the atmosphere of Laksa Bar will definitely take you to the comforting atmosphere of the eating street food in Singapore/Malaysia, from the Southeast Asia ornaments, old nostalgic posters and memorabilia as well as on wall screen projectors that depicts short scenes from the past. This is a self-served restaurant, where we order directly to the cashier first, given a number, get your own utensils/water and choose where to sit. There are many interesting selections of Malaysian classics as well as street nibbles, such as house curry, nasi lemak, satay and etc. But of course, we tried their signature dish, and that is Soft Shell Crab Laksa. The soft shell crab laksa come in a drool worthy presentation - with a generous portion of fried wonton, fish ball, and a flour battered soft shell crab. Taste-wise, expect a robust flavor that will jolt your taste buds. The laksa was a perfect balance of creamy, salty, spicy and savory goodness, and the crispy soft shell crab just adds a touch of yum to the already scrumptious dish. On other occasions, I tried their nasi lemak with soft shell crab as it looks so damn tempting, but sad to say, it was such a let down; stale toppings and flavorless rice.. Clearly, this is not their strength. In all, Laksa Bar is such a precious spot for those who enjoy the richness of Malaysian cuisine. The service, food and price point are all on point. Definitely a spot that's worth many return visits! read more

Laksa Bar - Nasi lemak with soft shell crab. - Malaysian Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

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we visited the laska bar last year, the soft shell crab laska was our best meal in melbourne. Looks like they're using about 1/4 the amount of crab this year (I've provided photos from both years). still, the dish was absolutely delicious, so why the two-star review? We spent the whole meal chasing away fruit flies from our drinks and laska. yuck...I'm afraid we won't be back. read more

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Okay... Gurl... I was dragged here by my friend. My spirit wanted sushi, but he wanted laksa. I had no idea what the hell laksa was (silly plebeian I am). With that being said I am so glad that he was a persistent nag and got me to go this place. The food was absolutely fantastic! I MEAN REAL F-ING GOOD! I had the soft shell crab laksa, and I'm here to tell you that it's the stuff of dreams, fantasies, and witchcraft. Upon the first mouthful my eyes preceeded to roll in the back of my head and I was transported to my mother cradling me as a baby. IT'S THAT GOOD! It was flavorful and pretty damn addictive. I'm gonna be the nag next time and drag all my friends to this place. I'm officially a fan. Yass! read more

Laksa Bar - Soft Shell Crab Laksa. - Malaysian Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Whenever I go to a Malaysian restaurant, I always get some type of stir-fried noodle dish. But since I heard so many great things about the laksa here, I decided to give that a try. It also happened to be my first time trying laksa ever. I had the seafood laksa ($15.90). I liked the broth because it flavorful but not overly salty or spicy. But the shrimp didn't have any flavor to it. It's not even that it was bland, it just didn't even taste like shrimp. Our table also ordered a few appetizers to share - the satay tofu and the fried soft-shell crab. I really liked the peanut sauce (?) that was on top of the tofu. It went well with the bed of bean sprouts and cucumbers. The soft-shell crab was fried to perfection - it didn't taste too greasy like a lot of fried foods might. It comes with this sriracha-mayo type dipping sauce. Everything is self-serve at Laksa (except for the food). You order and pay at the counter, grab your own utensils, plates, and water, but they'll bring the food to you. Not sure if that's a Melbourne/Australia thing but it was weird. Not that I'm above setting the table, I just wasn't used to that since we don't do that in the States. I guess Americans are just lazy. I would recommend the laksa - just stay away from the seafood one. read more

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Laksa is a damn delicious cure for Melbourne's weather-induced blues and Laksa Bar is one of the most convenient places in the city to stop in for a big bowl. Coming here with the sole goal of scoring a big bowl of chicken laksa, I failed by getting distracted by their noodle menu and ordered some Char Kway Teow (for which I have a bit of an obsession with), but my husband got a regular bowl of laksa. The Char Kway Teow looked pretty promising when it arrived - a big plate of dark, rich, sticky noodles. Unfortunately it was just ok. Not Singapore good. The prawns were tasty. I added a side portion of chilli to give it some oompf which definitely improved the flavour. So I had to watch in envy as my partner happily devoured his laksa. Thankfully the regular sized bowls prove too big for one person (even for a big eater!) so I got to share. The broth and chicken were excellent, this would definitely be my pick coming here again. It's a laksa bar, order the laksa. They also have a small size offering which I think is more than enough for a lunch serve. Overall a nice meal for under $15. read more

Laksa Bar - Char kway teow and laksa - Malaysian Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

The laksa broth is amazing here. So much going on! Another plus is that they also sell beer and beer food sized asian goodness. It's a bit pricey here but I suppose cos it's located in the city they have to maintain their upkeep somehow! It's hard for me to compare to laksa king in Flemington - they are both equally as good and both have a unique flavor. I guess it comes down to location and convenience - if you're in the city come here. If the city is out of the way then Goto laksa king! Tips - sit down and browse the menu, then go up and pay. Also self serve water and cutlery in the middle ! read more

Laksa Bar - Soft Shell Crab Ramen - Malaysian Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Not sure why the reviews of this place so low! I had the soft shell crab laksa and warm soy milk, it was delicious with reasonable price. Perfect for a rainy cold day in Melbourne! read more

Laksa Bar - Soft shell crab laksa - Malaysian Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Laksa Bar is a busy venue for office workers during lunchtime. You order and pay at the counter and then try to find a seat. The waitstaff are very helpful at finding you a seat. You also need to grab your own cutlery. Though it is called laksa bar, it also sells nasi gorgeng, mee goreng, salads, various beers and soft drinks and other dishes. It is quite overpriced with a small bowl of laksa ranging from 11.90 (vegetarian and tofu) to 15.90. You can choose between the small and large sizes (with the large size costing a dollar extra). My colleague and I got the soft shell laksa for 15.90 each. She asked for the normal curry laksa with mild version, whereas I got the skinny version (same as the normal curry laksa but they use light coconut milk instead) with extreme spice levels. Food arrived quite quickly and the laksa looked delicious. It contained two kinds of noodles - hokkien and vermicelli. Also, contained chinese cabbage, a massive portion of soft shelled crab (deep fried), some wonton crackers, fish tofu, fried egg, and tofu. I also got a side of sambal (chilli). My laksa itself was not spicy at all. So, when you ask for spicy, they just give you a side of chilli. There was quite a lot of stuff in it - ie noodles and tofu, with very little laksa soup which was quite disappointing. The taste of the laksa was average. It was the right consistency in terms of thickness but just lacked flavour. Pros Quick service. Friendly staff. Cons Overpriced. Average taste. read more

Laksa Bar - Soft shell crab laksa - Malaysian Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Soft Shell Crab NASI LEMAK... WIN! So we stumbled in to the Laksa Bar after a night of caffeine finished by beer from the friendly staff at League of Honest Coffee. It wasn't our first choice I will admit but they had really good heating and plenty of tables. I almost happened to recall Laksa Bar has extensive Nasi Lemak options which is always win in my head. As you can see from my photos the Soft Shell Crab Nasi Lemak looks amazing and it tasted great as well. They key for me was the great sambal, the rice was not over powered with flavour which is just how I like it and the anchovies and peanuts were separate and very tasty. Will come back for this dish again! read more

Laksa Bar - Soft shell crab Nasi Lemak - Malaysian Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

We had been craving laksa all week and a friend told us we wouldn't find a decent laksa in the city. We discovered this place on our way to Chinatown and from the moment we walked in and could smell the spices we knew it would be a good feed. A serve of spring rolls to start us off was proved to be the best spring rolls either of us have ever eaten, followed shortly by a laksa so full of flavour we both ate too quickly. The only thing we would have liked would have been a big more vege in the laksa. read more

Laksa Bar - Malaysian Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Pretty decent laksa, expect to wait 10 mins for table, then another 30 before you get your food. They put a variety of ingredients into the laksa -a fishball, a crabstick, a fried egg. Would recommend to try the soft shell crab laksa. Also, it's not spicy even when I ordered extra spicy. Places starts to ease up after 8.30pm. read more

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This was my soft crab laksa. Looks and smells awesome. Probably abit tepid when it arrived. Service is good here, the menu looks like it's worth another visit. read more

Laksa Bar - Malaysian Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Really good laksa! I had the east Malaysian laksa, just to switch it up, and I was in the mood for just rice noodles. I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but given that, it was better than I expected! The broth was super flavorful, and a spoonful will tell you that much time and many ingredients had gone into making that soup perfect. The chicken was also so soft and tender. Heads up though--it's a big bowl, and very filling. Only con was the noodles were slightly over-cooked. But I didn't mind it too much. Plan to revisit for the other laksas in the future. read more

Laksa Bar - East Malaysian laksa with just rice noodles - Malaysian Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

This place had me with soft shell crab. I got the soft shell crab laksa and thoroughly enjoyed it. The broth was fragrant and rich - good balance of spice and coconut flavor. And that soft shell crab was just gooood, a perfect match. After you get seated, pick out what you want, then go to the cash register to order and pay. Sometimes I see a few people waiting for someone to take their order...but you gotta do that at the register. read more

Laksa Bar - Soft shell crab laksa - Malaysian Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

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Great tasting laksa!! The soft shell crab had too much flour though. Still good and at only $15.90, it's a grab. Oh, and their tofu with satay sauce is tdf! Satay sauce was so tasty. Must try. Teh tarik wad meh though. read more

First time trying out this place and was immediately hit with the fantastic smells that filled the room. We had crab and praw spring roll starters which were terrific followed by a great version of the Malaysian classic rendang beef. This place is now my goto Malaysian restaurant well worth making the effort. read more

I love Malaysian food and my favourite has to be the curry laksa - so in my pursuits for a good laksa, I first landed at the laksa bar at chapel street. Loved the seafood laksa there. Turns out they are second of the franchise, and the more popular one is this one in the city. In comparison, this place is packed and almost a hole in the wall. But my word, the laksa is great. I have tried the seafood, chicken and vegetarian versions. My favourite is gotta be the seafood, followed by the veggie. I haven't tried a lot of the other fare, but by the reviews, looks like I may have to pay them a little visit soon !! read more

Laksa Bar is a refreshing little place on Little Lonsdale, clearly reminding me of typical noodle shops in Malaysia / Singapore with stools for seats, wooden tables and pleasant "incomplete style" decor all round, stacks of drinks boxes lined along the counter and random objects around the place. But of course the objective of checking out this place was to try their laksa. So I politely ignored the other parts of the menu (note: wide selection of rice dishes and wok fried noodles) and went straight to ordering the Soft Shell Crab Laksa. As I have not tried every laksa available in Melbourne, I can't say the Soft Shell Crab Laksa is the best around, but it's definitely one of the best and was pretty EPIC. Not only was the presentation excellent, the crabs were fried perfectly, noodles were done just right (using the typical yellow and rice noodle mix) and the laksa soup was flavoursome, thick and a bit chunky. In addition, the laksa also contained an egg (a good surprise inclusion), crispy fried wonton skin, beanshoots, fish balls and a small piece of crab stick (which I didn't think was necessary in a soft shell crab dish). The only thing I would suggest is to ask for extra spiciness if you're into spicy food. They even do a small sizes for those with smaller stomach capacities or perhaps prefer a not so heavy meal (regular size is quite generous..). If you're into laksa, and in the city hunting for a nice bowl of laksa to cure that laksa itch, definitely drop by this place and have a go. Delicious, simple, straight forward Malaysian laksa awaits you... read more

Good place to have curry laksa in Melbourne CBD,they have different options to add fried chicken and fish,seafood in the noodle(even the noodle they also have thin rice noodle and or normal),good curry and chili especially in a cold day read more

Laksa Bar - fish curry laksa - Malaysian Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

The problem with this place is that everything just sounds so damn good. Normally I judge a Malaysian restaurant by their Nasi Lemak, but this evening I decided to branch out. I went for the East Malaysian Laksa and I was not disappointed. The flavours were just bursting and I was more than happy with my choice. I'm pretty keen to return to try all the other laksas on the menu, as well as of course the Nasi Lemak! read more

Nasi Lemak Merah: not-so-fragrant coconut rice - quite plain in stead. The paste is interesting, not really spicy. It's a but weird to see pickled vegetables and pineapple in this dish. Chicken laksa: less spicy and more meat than Paparich. I kinda like laksa here. read more

For $20, including a beer, you can eat like a king. Laksa is their specialty, and it will not let you down. Soft-shell crab traditional is probably the go-to favourite, washed down with a cheeky Tiger beer. Their customer service can be hit or miss, but mostly hit. They do always have a smile. One warning: use your debit or credit card for under $20 and they will sting you with a fee. This stops me from giving them a 5. This is 2016, and therefore unacceptable. They can be busy during the office lunchtime crush though... be prepared to wait - but it's worth it. read more

I am a big nasi lemak fan and Laksa Bar has one of the best in Melbourne. I usually order the Nasi Lemak Kampong - delicious coconut rice with dried anchovies, peanuts, acar acar, with a choice of fried chicken, beef or vegetable curry. The restaurant is super-efficient - you order at the counter, grab some cutlery and watch your meal being prepared via the huge window into the kitchen. I have never had the laksa - but friends who have ordered it were very happy with it and it does look good. Cheap and cheerful - and very very tasty. A really good spot for a quick lunch. read more

Despite a fellow asian advising of the lack lustre of Laksa Bar, I found myself there one night after Miss Chu was too full my stomach was eating itself from the lack of food in it. Ordered the laksa, as you do at a Laksa Bar. Decided to go for a small seafood one. (There are MANY different options) When it came out, it was literally filled to the brim, a little hard to attack at. Stock was pretty tasty. Seafood was good - didn't seem to come from a packet so that's always nice. We also ordered some crispy chicken and when we ordered, I was expecting wings or drummets but we got whole breast pieces. Interesting. It wasn't super tasty. All in all, not too bad. Might try other places before returning to this one. read more

Yummmmmmmy! Crowded but it's understandable - delicious laksa! Service was friendly and fast. They even offered my friend and myself a bib so that we didn't splash any soup on ourselves. I was quite surprised with that as I've never been offered that in any restaurant in Australia or overseas! I didn't want to stand out so I turned down their offer, however when it was time to leave I noticed a few customers were wearing them, so you might want to give it a try. If you're in this part of the CBD and want a quick and tasty meal, head here. Generous serving sizes makes it excellent value too ($11.90 for a "regular" size chicken laksa, less for "small" size - which is what I should have ordered. I couldn't finish mine despite it's deliciousness!). read more

Before the review proper, I am sure the opening hours reflected on yelp is incorrect, it does not operate from 1130-0900. So I have ordered the soft shell crab laksa, the laksa gravy is good but that is pretty much about it. The batter on the crab was way too heavy a coat, imagine what is left after a good soak. As the soup depletes, you find slices of fish cakes and mock crab meat, the appearance of half a fried egg killed my appetite, (while I am sure it was not dropped in by accident) replacing it with half a hard boiled egg would have made a less tragedy out of it. Maybe something else if this place gets a second chance. read more

Delicious authentic Curry Laksa, with rice noodles and hokkein noodles, in a coconut spicy broth, add ins, Soft shell crab, fish, chicken, vege with tofu! if you want a few less calories, ask for the skinny version! read more

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Sorry, but I have to say that this has been the WORST LAKSA SOUP or even the WORST SOUP that I have had in my whole life. I took my boyfriend's parents to eat here so they could try it, we all have similar choices and two laksa soups (two different kinds of laksa), and I bearly could eat mine. I did, just the half, but was awful. Tasted like fermented fish, and worst like that, the whole place smelled like that, like a farm-zoo odor. AHHGGGgg... can't even think about it. I've tried a lot of laksas and I loved them, but after this has been very difficult to eat them again, thanks to this awful place. Please, don't go. read more

By far the best curry I've ever had. I tried their Chicken Laksa and it was so good I ordered the same thing two days in a row. Their chicken was really tender and their curry was so rich in taste. Food comes out really fast and their prices are quite reasonable. It's about $11 or $12 for a bowl? And their portions are quite generous. I've never had Malaysian food before so I don't have much to compare it to, but I would definitely miss this particular dish from Laksa Bar when I leave Melbourne and head back to San Francisco. read more

A great place to pop in for a cold Melbourne day. The laksa will warm you up and the prices will keep some pennies in your pocket. read more

Laksa Bar - Soft shell crab laksa, the name says it all... - Malaysian Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

I am a big fan of laksa and asian food in general I had herd about this place and was exited to try it out. I met my friend there on a Saturday afternoon the was no waiting for a table we walked in and got seated straight away. I ate the house seafood laksa and it was great. The coconut broth is to die for full off spice. Just bring cash as they charge 50cents to use eftpos if your order is under 20. Considering a big bowl of seafood laksa is only $15 read more

Fantastic Laksa! Authentic flavors. One couldn't go wrong with any of the Laksa choices! Had Fish curry Laksa and totally enjoyed it! Will be back here next time in Melbourne! read more

Laksa Bar - Malaysian Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Ordered with Deliveroo. House Laksa - not impressed. Taste is lacklustre to say the least. Chinese Broccoli Stir fry - not impressed. It is not a stir fry but a stir water. It tastes like it was cooked with hot water and soy sauce. They seem to have stir fry with water which is a huge boo boo when it comes to stir frying chinese style. Crispy Chicken - not impressed. Soggy and salty. TL;DR: Don't bother. Neither authentic nor good. read more

The laksa stock is very flavorful especially with the laksa leaf flavor, with good portion of the ingredients. On a separate evening had the char kuay tiao, moist and really nice texture. Both dishes taste better than many places in Malaysia. read more

Food is great. Bugbear is self serve cutlery. Is it too hard for staff to bring a spoon when delivering your food also?

This was surprisingly good. I am a Malaysian who loves to cook and was not expecting much from this place. But I was surprised.

Great veggie laksa. I didn't check for sure whether it was free from all animal products but it was darn tasty, filling and just the right thing for a cold night. read more

Mmmm yummy delicious favour and fulfilling, nice size bowl. Friendly staff and this place looked clean definitely will return again. Thanks

It's a win when Laksa bar happens to be one of the only decent places open on Good Friday. It's another win when it serves relatively affordable tasty and filling meals. Of course there are meals here, but when coming to Laksa bar, it's a tad odd not to order after what the restaurant is famed for. In effect the same as heading a few steps up to Gami and forgoing on the chicken. East Malaysian Laksa is always a great starting point, and is tasty with the combination of noodles, prawns and chicken. It's a welcome change from other noodle soups, but my favourite continues to be Pho. Easy no fuss meals, that are nutritious. I'm sure this place will become a blessing during the colder months. read more