Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
Skewers of turmeric and lemongrass marinated chicken, beef or mutton grilled over charcoal and eaten with a sweet, chunky peanut sauce, cucumber, onion and ketupat rice cakes. An evening food in Kuala Lumpur.
Satay is grilled, spice-marinated meat on bamboo skewers, a dish shared across maritime Southeast Asia and made a Malay street staple in the peninsula. The meat is rubbed with turmeric, lemongrass, galangal and coriander, threaded onto thin sticks and turned over charcoal while the cook fans the embers, then served with peanut sauce, raw onion, cucumber and pressed rice cakes. Kajang, south-east of Kuala Lumpur, is known nationally as the satay town, but the capital has its own stalls: Kasim Satay grills at Pasar Sentul's evening food bazaar, and the grills on Jalan Alor run late into the night.
2 editor picks for Satay in Kuala Lumpur, ranked by editorial score. All Kuala Lumpur signature dishes · Satay across every city.
Also in: Singapore.
Jalan Alor Food Street in Kuala Lumpur is a full block of open air kitchens in Bukit Bintang, with tables spilling onto the road well past midnight.
OrderGrilled seafood, char kway teow, satay and claypot dishes from the whole strip
TipArrive by 18:30 for a table before the after-work crowd fills the strip.
Kasim Satay grills chicken and beef satay at Pasar Sentul in Kuala Lumpur, where the wet market turns into an evening food bazaar, from about RM0.90 a stick.
OrderBeef satay and chicken satay with peanut sauce, by the stick.
TipIt takes bulk orders, 10 to 100 sticks at a time, so call ahead to avoid a wait for a large batch.
Satay makes more sense with someone from Kuala Lumpur explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
4 hours
Explore the lively Kajang Night Market and enjoy a delicious satay dinner at the famous Haji Samuri Satay restaurant on this guided evening tour from Kuala Lumpur.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Immerse yourself in Malaysian culture with a cooking class in a local home. Visit a market, learn to cook classic dishes, and enjoy the meal you've prepared with your host.
5 hours
Explore a bustling morning market and discover the secrets of Malaysian cuisine. Cook a three-course meal in a local chef’s home and enjoy a shared lunch.
