13 Local street food in Petaling Jaya and Subang Jaya (Kuala Lumpur) for afternoon snacks or late night makan with the gang!

Written by Nadia Crowe
Co-written and edited by Candice Neo

Most of us Malaysians know that street food and roadside stalls are 100% better than anything in the world. There’s so much more than meets the eye when it comes to our beloved street food, and arguably the best part about them all is that they tend to operate into the wee hours of the night!

Late night binges whilst watching football with the gang is a common occurrence; seeing a simple makeshift kitchen accompanied by a bunch of plastic chairs and tables is enough to make any Malaysian squeal with glee!

There are so many different places to eat in Kuala Lumpur’s Petaling Jaya and Subang Jaya, you’ve got Instagrammable cafes, proper nice restaurants, endless rows of bubble tea shops along SS15, and of course our favourite roadside stalls.

Thanks to recent events (2020 you’ve been a jerk!), many roadside stalls are suffering at the hands of social distancing, so it’s worthwhile to pay these places a visit and support your favourite stall uncles and makciks as they do their best to earn an honest living and serve you fresh hot delicious food!

Important note: During this RMCO period, dine-in is not possible at many of these roadside stalls, but you can take away or opt for delivery options if available. Do support them!

Read More:

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12 Affordable Muslim-friendly restaurants in KL that serve Korean, Chinese, Western cuisine and more! (Some halal-certified!)

10 Local restaurants in Kuala Lumpur where you can get iconic Malaysian local food delivered to you

Dessert-hunting in KL: 11 Most Instagrammable and unique desserts you can find in town

1. One of the best nasi lemak in KL hidden in an alley!: Nasi Lemak Bumbung Seapark

Everyone knows that the grimiest looking stalls on the outside always have the best tasting food, it’s just common sense. Nasi Lemak Bumbung is hidden away in a back alley, and once you get past the idea of dining next to air vents and longkangs, you’ll actually realise that this place is clean and has a nice vibe with fairy lights and plants!

Take a seat and order up their famous nasi lemak, which some of us feel is more delicious than other famous stalls in KL! Their rice is fragrant thanks to the coconut milk and pandan, chicken is uniquely spiced, and their sambal is just the right amount of spicy, feel free to order extra sambal more than a few times!

Service is pretty fast too even during crowded dinnertime!

2. They say this is the best Ramly burger in town!: Brader John

It’s an unspoken rule that the greasier, messier, and juicier the burger, the better it is! Brader John is said to produce the best Ramly burger in town (but of course we welcome your feedback if you’ve tasted better ;))! Each bite of their monster burgers comes with sauce dripping out the bottom, so forget about keeping your hands or face clean, just try to keep your clothes clean!

With generous helpings of sauce and vegetables, you’ll be completely stuffed with greasy goodness by the end of the night. This place usually opens late at night past midnight, perfect for a post-bar crawl snack, but during the post-lockdown period it’s only open from 5pm to 11pm. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for updates!

3. Chicken burgers are not to be outshined!: The Burg Awesome Burger Place

Usually there’s hype around beef burgers, Australian beef, rib eye or bladiblah, you never really see chicken burgers getting in on the trend but The Burg Awesome Burger Place has completely changed that! Unique flavours come with crispy fried chicken such as salted egg, buttermilk, tom yum, and more!

Prices are low anyway, but with only just an additional RM 1, you can make your meal a set by adding french fries, and for just RM 7 you get double the protein, how juicy! A humble tent is all you need to look out for, but maybe the line that usually comes along with it will give you a bit more of a clue as to where it is!

4. Perfect for a hot sunny day!: Cendol & Rojak SS15

As a kid, going to eat cendol was rarely a pre-planned event, more often than not my Mom and I would be in the car on the way home and spot our favourite purple cendol truck on the side of the road. A cheeky look to the side and all plans would be immediately put on hold for a shaded respite from the heat and a refreshing bowl of cendol to quench our thirst.

Cendol & Rojak SS15 is 100% worth the planning, thanks to the long queues you’ll see here constantly, to get a taste of this perfection will need some time and patience. Safe to say it’s almost as though the waiting makes it even better! After standing in a hot line for a few minutes, that shaved ice is even more refreshing!

The Rojak is not to be outshined though! Perfectly cut pieces accompanied by thick and delicious sauce is exactly the type of mid-afternoon snack that you should get behind. Definitely no qualms about it here!

5. Monday nights just got a whole lot more interesting!: Pasar Malam SS2 (Monday)

Pasar Malams (night markets) are a fantastic experience, they appear on certain days of the week, and you can spend almost an entire evening strolling along the road sampling different delicacies! While some of the stalls aren’t Muslim-friendly, there are plenty of options for my Muslim brothers and sisters!

The black stinky tofu comes highly regarded, and the asam laksa is a lovely slice of Malaysian cuisine that everyone knows and loves. Popiah is the perfect appetizer (we loved it; order the original!) and finish things off with a favourite sweet treat – durians!

By the time you come to the end of the market you’ll be full, happy, and buzzing in anticipation for next monday!

6. Fragrant notes from the Middle East: Nasi Briyani Liza SS15

Nasi Briyani is one of those rice dishes in Malaysia that almost everyone loves. It’s filled with spices and fragrant onions, garlic and so much more, and its orange and white colouring are distinct!

Nasi Briyani Liza is a humble roadside stall with big servings, some fortunate enough to be able to compare have said that it’s reminiscent of traditional Pakistani biryani which certainly is rare in Malaysia!

You have to be early as people often find that the fan-favourite chicken runs out fairly quickly! If you do miss it though, don’t hesitate to change to their mutton option which is just as juicy and just as fragrant!

7. The hype is right: Seventy Thirty Burger SS17

If you’ve ever heard of someone queueing for almost an hour to get a roadside burger, you’d think they’re insane and you’d probably vow to never be as crazy. I bet you’d do it though. Seventy Thirty Burger specialises in their ‘smashed’ burgers which allows the outside to fully get crispy while letting the juicy insides remain as such.

They have classics such as (beef) bacon, lettuce and tomato which outdo your regular McDonalds run, and they also have many more unique creations from peanut sauce to Korean Fried Chicken! One trip may not be enough for you to try all 10 of their delicious combinations, so make sure to come early so you don’t have to wait so long!

8. Did you say salted egg and nasi lemak?!: Fat Joe Shack SS17

Salted egg has been making the rounds as a flavour, we have salted egg chips, salted egg fish skin, salted egg donuts, and even salted egg ice cream! We’d have never thought of putting salted egg and nasi lemak together though!

At Fat Joe Shack in SS17, they bring the salty taste of salted egg with the sweet undertones of soft shell crab and the spicy flavours of the sambal together all in one dish, and it’s absolutely wonderful! You’re unlikely to find a dish like it anywhere else in the world.

If you’re more of a salted egg squid kind of gal, you’re in luck because they also serve that too! Nasi Lemak is a childhood favourite, bringing this modern twist into it is a stroke of genius that will satisfy all your dinner cravings!

9. 40 years worth of history into one childhood snack: Fried Buns Stall SS2

Yau Char Kwai and YouTiao are both incredibly simple dishes, but boy do they stir up a bunch of memories for us Malaysians. Biting into a freshly fried piece, whether dipped in your favourite sauce or just by itself is pure bliss! Crunchy on the outside, while soft and fluffy on the inside, there’s no better snack for afternoon tea!

Enduring 40 years on the side of the road, witnessing generations come and go, this little fried buns stall in SS2 is considered one of the best! Not only do they have delicious food, they ensure that their hygiene and safety is of top priority too.

Despite the constant long line to wait for your little fried buns of goodness, it’s completely worth it! I bet that once you get a taste, you’ll be willing to brave the line again and again!

10. Hawker centres are a quintessential experience: SS2 Selera Malam

Don’t you wonder why there don’t seem to be very many hawker centres around KL anymore? They are such a quintessential part of Malaysian culture, and more often than not their food just tastes different thanks to the heavily charred woks that give it that extra oomph (we call it “wok hei” in Cantonese, which means wok fragrance)! The hawker centre vibe is always comforting, filled with laughter and happy noises.

The kuey teow is super yummy, especially because there’s no lard so it’s perfect those of us looking for Muslim-friendly food. Another great option is the Thai food stall! Their fragrant tom yum and delicious pad thais just call out to you!

11. Extra char please!: Bob & Family

Mee goreng is a classic, there’s nothing better than a nice hearty serving when you’re craving for an afternoon snack. The salty notes accompanied by the slight sweetness of the soy sauce and of course the carbs make for the ultimate meal! At Bob & Family, they do something a little different – they cook their mee goreng and pasemburs in charcoal fire!

This gives it an extra kick in flavour from the smoke over the fire. Big portions will make sure that you don’t leave unsatisfied and you’ll be able to tell everyone that you ate at this super hyped-up place!

12. Your search for the best curry has come to an end: ATS Curry House

Lamb curry, chicken curry, and so much more! Their most popular dish is mutton curry, for which you have to come early as it sells out quickly. Pair it with some briyani or even white rice so you can really taste all the different spices and truly appreciate the different flavours.

For more than 10 years, ATS Curry House has been serving up their famous thick sauces and pleasing all those who love spicy food. With that kind of track record, pretty much nothing could go wrong! It’s not just curry in here, they also have an amazing take on fried chicken which is cooked with curry leaves and some crispy squid that’s both juicy and crunchy!

13. A twist and combination between our best two!: Nasi Lemak Goreng Chef Fauzey

Sitting down at a mamak and seeing both Nasi Goreng and Nasi Lemak on the menu always brings about a certain spark of joy and a certain feeling of dismay. How on earth do you choose? Chef Fauzey says no more having to choose! By some miracle, they have managed to combine the two into a creation that every Malaysian will rejoice over!

Their Nasi Lemak Goreng is extremely fragrant, fried chicken is super crispy yet juicy, and their sambal is both really spicy and to die for! Once you have a taste of this combination, you might never want to go back to your regular nasi lemak or boring nasi goreng; it will steal your heart and curse you at the same time!

Special Mention: The golden goose of butter chicken: Gold Chilli SS15

We came here for a quick meal and boy were they efficient! In just 5 minutes, we were served our Buttermilk boneless chicken set (we opted for boneless as I personally feel it’s just so much more convenient, but you can order their regular chicken too!) – with around 7 pieces of chicken drenched in a generous serving of buttermilk sauce, a bowl of rice, soup and an iced tea.

The buttermilk sauce is very savoury – that’s really what made the otherwise ordinary chicken special. And I guess we were starving!

Overall it’s a good place for an affordable, tasty and quick lunch especially if you are in SS15, but I personally wouldn’t come specially for this, unless I’m also here for boba (yes this is located right along bubble tea street!).

The best local food are often mamak stalls and street food, so the next time you’re in Petaling Jaya and Subang Jaya area, go on a street food hunt and #supportlocalhawkers!

PLEASE NOTE: All the above information is correct at the date of publication. If you come across any changes or updates, please let us know and we will update the information accordingly. Thank you! Tell us

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