Serai - Chicago

Wow! We absolutely love Malaysian cuisine, and Serai exceeded our expectations! We will definitely be returning.

The waitress forgot to send our appetizer orders to the kitchen, and after we finished our two starters, they came to our table to inform us that the kitchen had closed and apologized for forgetting our food. I was shocked by their lack of organization. While we were waiting, I noticed another customer picking up their order and complaining about a missing dish as well. It's clear that there are some serious organizational problems here. We made a special trip since the restaurant is quite far from our home, and I'm not sure when we'll return.

It was our first time dining out back on the patio — loved that and had terrific food and service.

TL;DR: Wrong order, poor service, long wait time, hidden 20% surcharge We used to love Serai and dined here frequently, and I usually do not post negative reviews. While the food was still delicious, our last experience at Serai was quite disappointing. 1) It took them 45 minutes after we placed our order to receive our food. Other tables that were seated after us received their food much more quickly. 2) Ordering food was a hassle. We ordered the sambal eggplant (one of our old favorites) and rendang shrimp. We received a shrimp dish which we thought was our rendang shrimp and after confirming with the server that it was rendang shrimp. But after eating it, we realized it was sambal shrimp. We sent it back with half a plate full so we could receive our sambal eggplant and the server said he would “fix it right away”. The eggplant never came, and we were charged for it. When we tried to get the charge removed, the server replied “well you ate it”. 3) Without telling you on their menu or website, they tack on a 20% service surcharge when you get your bill. With the long wait time, wrong food, getting charged for a dish we didn’t eat, and the 20% automatic surcharge, our favorite Malaysian restaurant sadly has now become a place we will not visit again.

This was our first indoor dining experience in over a year, and it was wonderful. The food and service were excellent. We were glad to see the tables spaced far apart and appreciated all the other measures that contributed to a safe dining environment.