I've been going to Serai for years, which makes this review especially disappointing to write. I'm not sure if there has been a change in management or the kitchen, but this was by far the worst experience I've ever had here. The food was completely underwhelming, and when we shared our concerns with the staff, nothing was done to address them. The service was equally disappointing. Our server spent much of the time sitting on her phone while we waited for basic service like water refills, being asked about drinks, and receiving the drinks we ordered. We repeatedly had to get up and find someone just to receive attention. As for the food, the gyoza was bland and tasted like unseasoned pork. The lemongrass beef stew curry, which was highly recommended, arrived cold, had an odd texture, and lacked any real flavor. Most shocking of all were the drunken noodles. I've ordered them countless times over the years and always considered them among the best in Chicago. This time, I couldn't get past a single bite. Every dish was left unfinished. We didn't finish a single plate and didn't take any leftovers home--something that never happens for us. Between the poor service and incredibly disappointing food, this was an awful dining experience from start to finish. Unfortunately, after being a longtime customer, I won't be returning. read more

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First time here and it was completely dead. The service was amazing! The food was delicious and flavorful. Before we left the guy working asked if I liked the food and that's what sets this place apart from other fast food places. Definitely coming back read more

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Serai is now at Kapitan. The shared space has plenty of seating. The staff is nice. I had their Roti Canai and Nasi Lamak. Both dishes were super flavorful and had such depth. They probably have the best Malaysian food in the city. I highly recommend you give them a try! read more

Serai - Roti - Malaysian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Ordered through door dash for the drunken noodles and have ordered 3 times since already, lol. Amazingggg food, flavor, quality chicken, and spice. Best $12 ever spent. The crab Rangoons are AMAZING as well, which says a lot because I have tried at least 30 in the city. These are top 5. Lastly, beef chow fun was okay. It didn't have much flavor and the beef was tough/hard to bite through so not a fan of that. read more

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Finally found a place that sells typical Singaporean and Malaysian dishes! The staff here are super friendly and attentive. The food was pretty good, especially since there aren't that many Singaporean/malaysian restaurants in the city. I will say some of the dishes like rojak weren't exactly what I've had in Asia, but this is a good place to go to if you have any cravings. read more

Serai - Malaysian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Was shocked at the low amount of reviews until I found out that this is the new address for Serai, which has accumulated a lot more reviews in their old yelp page. As mentioned, Serai now shares the same locale with Kapitan, since their merge around January 2025. A little confusing, since the staff offer you menus from both restaurants and a certain dish could have different prices. Anyway being Malaysian, I was super excited to try my first Malaysian restaurant in Chicago. For appetisers, we ordered rojak merah, a kind of salad with bite-sized pieces of chopped pineapple, jicama, cucumber, crushed peanuts, and green apple topped with a sweet and spicy sauce. This was really good - refreshing, a little bite from the sauce that usually pairs well together. I found the sauce however a little too much, too thick, even though I asked for the sauce to be set aside in a little bowl so I could control the amount. This unfortunately meant that the sauce overpowered the fruits etc. Another dish we ordered was chee cheong fun, a kind of rolled up rice noodle cut into chunks and topped with fried onions, sesame seeds, and a savory sweet gravy. I really missed this dish back home, especially the Teluk Intan version where my father grew up. I was deeply disappointed to find that the noodle rolls were too thick and not soft and delicate at all. I really don't mean to sound mean, but I found it inedible. Definitely not worth 10 dollars. Things finally looked up when the char kuay teow arrived--fried flat rice noodles with generous portions of shrimp, calamari, bean sprouts and spring onion. The noodles were a little soft and overcooked, but the flavour was delicious! Definitely a dish worthy of Malaysia. Kudos needs to go to whoever decorated the interior. While a little haphazard, the wall art and showcase of native crafts really lend a warm charm reminiscent of Malaysian hospitality. For drinks, we ordered iced Milo, a malt drink nearly every kid grew up with. It certainly hit the spot. Huge appreciation to our wait staff Flo for being so sweet and attentive to our needs! The new Serai is worth at least a visit. There are still a lot of other dishes I really want to try next time, such as the soft shell crab fried rice, a beefed-up elevated version of a Ramly burger (I remember how thin these roadside vendor burgers were!), and turmeric fried rice. read more

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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 :) read more

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We've been regulars at the old and new Serai locations for years. A few weeks ago we ordered our favorite dish - multiple orders of Roti Prata. The quantity thatwas delivered was less than half what it should be (has been over the years.. and we've ordered this maybe a hundred times so we know the quantity well). .. The order was delivered by the restaurants own delivery. While we've seen inconsistent quantity before but never before was it anywhere near this little so never called to complain... we ignored it becasue we liked the dish. Called to tell the restaurant about it this time and the person who answered the call was apologetic but had me email the restaurant's official email. Two emails and a month later theres still no response. The true quality of an establishment is seen in how they handle problems. Wont ignore it any longer, this restaurant is off our places to go to. read more

Serai - Malaysian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Everything! Went amazing the food the service the employees the manager amazing just absolutely fun and delicious all the food is so good, first time I would order the "Serai Burger" read more

Serai - Menu and counter - Malaysian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Tried this South Asian spot recently and while the flavors were enjoyable, the portions felt a bit small for the price. The menu pricing also didn't fully match what we were charged, which was a little confusing. That said, the service was truly on point--warm, attentive, and welcoming from start to finish. With a bit more consistency on portions and pricing, this place has a lot of potential. read more

Serai - Malaysian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Serai has the best curry in town. The large portion is like a warm hug. It's filled to the brim with okra, potatoes, tofu, and a blend of spices that will make you melt. I went with a girlfriend of mine and we dined in. The decor is fine, and the service is okay, but the highlight (which makes up for everything) is the quality and flavor of the food. I'd highly recommend Serai if you are a fan of Malaysian food! read more

Serai - Curry Vegetable: with green beans, potatoes, okra, eggplant, and a savory and delicious curry sauce. - Malaysian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I go here once a week lol Food is always soooo so good!! Service is good! I highly recommend hainanese chicken, panang beef curry and the calamari other dishes we've tried have been so good too but these are my go-to's The place is sooo big and there is never a wait read more

I love Serai! So many delicious options for both vegetarians and non vegetarians. Prices and service are beyond reasonable. Definitely worth checking out!! read more

I really enjoyed the satay and rendang chicken and they were both very flavorful but the drunken noodles tasted really burned and I had to stop eating them. read more

Amazing food and service! The backyard is really lovely on summer evenings! I'm really surprised that there aren't more reviews bc this place is very popular! read more