Best Places To Eat In Cheras

Dishing out yummy tai chow at reasonable prices, Hee Loy Fatt makes a choice locale to treat business partners or even friends to a tasty lunch without breaking the bank. It's the same reason the restaurant is a hit amongst workers in the vicinity. The highlight of your meal should be the Mixed Fish Head Curry (from RM42) that provides plenty of fish head pieces, taufupok, vegetables and aromatic gravy to go with rice. Tastemaker Brian Leow also vouches for their Claypot Kangkung (from RM9), packed with dried chillies for a boost of spicy-savoury flavours. Despite being a less popular dish, the Stir-Fried Intestines With Dried Shrimps (RM19) is worth ordering. Those who dislike the often overpowering pungence of intestines can rest assured that here, it is skillfully prepared to have a fragrant finish.
Avg Price: RM20
Photo by Burppler Trisha Toh

Earning a place on a list of top 10 chicken rice in a nationwide poll by The Star newspaper, Suki's Hainanese Chicken Rice (RM6) is a winning recipe. The street stall adheres to stringent standards when it comes to the sterling dish. Free-range chicken is poached to achieve gleaming chicken skin that reveals tender slivers of meat beneath and the rice, slightly browned from its cooking time with chicken stock, packs flavour in every grain. Up your order with Beansprouts (RM3) for a better balance. The stall also offers an unlikely but top-notch drink with the dish — sock-strained Hainanese Kopi (RM2). Patrons have the elderly owner, the man regulars affectionately call 'Suki' (it means 'mate' or 'friend' in Hainanese), to thank for this delicious combo. Although he has now tasked workers to do the heavy lifting, the passion of his early days still breathes life into this old-school joint. Pro tip: Coffee is only available when the owner is around to make it!
Avg Price: RM10
Photo by Burppler Emily Choong

From operating a small hawker stall in Meng Shiang kopitiam, Yulek Wan Tan Mee has beaten the odds to now occupy an entire shoplot serving their claim to fame — Wanton Noodles (RM6) with irresistible char siew. The business is family-run, a young son (perhaps grandson) tosses noodles with dexterity while Ah Ma wields the cleaver to slice thick cuts of barbecued pork. Constantly bustling with diners, this is a spot to dine solo without ever feeling alone. Expect springy noodles covered evenly in the aromatic dark sauce and topped off with an absurdly generous heap of char siew. The meat's brilliantly roasted for a charred finish and it's on the leaner side, so don't feel too bad about wiping this plate clean.
Avg Price: RM10
Photo by Burppler Trisha Toh

Here's an idea for a weekend date: take a drive down to Balakong for Chiun Yi's heavenly roast meats! The sights of the uncle and aunty cheerfully running the business together will set the right mood, even if the setting is a little rustic. Then of course, the Roast Duck (RM28 for half) will do its job of wowing your partner — the crispy duck skin coupled with moist meat within is nothing short of fantastic. Equally good is the Char Siew (from RM14) that boasts dark, delicious edges with just the right amount of translucent fat. Pro tip: Come before the noon lunch rush, lest your roasts of choice run out.
Avg Price: RM15
Photo by Burppler Trisha Toh

2008 is flanked by many other snow beer eateries but this open-air restaurant commands a better crowd than most, thanks to its tastier eats. Make this unconventional venue your next watering hole with colleagues or friends, and order the Taiwanese Snow Beer (from RM11) — chilled beer of your choice poured into a frozen glass to achieve a slushie-like effect. If you're not a drinker, have this icy drink with the mellower Somersby or Tiger Radler instead. Almost every table here orders identical dishes, so don't be surprised if the attentive waitress finishes your sentence. A method known to help retain moisture, the Salt-Baked Tilapia (RM38) offers incredibly juicy, tender flesh and the signature dish takes 20 minutes to prepare. In the meantime, order the Salted Pork (RM22) and Yin Yong Kai Lan (RM15) that make great snacks with the snow beer.
Avg Price: RM35

By noon, hordes of loyal customers will fill the spaces at A. Hassan for an attractive array of nasi campur-style dishes. Grab a quick lunch at this frill-free restaurant located at the local Velodrome in Cheras. The specialty here is the Ayam Kampung Goreng (RM5). The dish of fried free-range chicken is so delightful, you should seriously consider doubling your portion, especially as free-range chickens are known to be less meaty. To complete your mid-day meal, scoop up some Paku-Pakis or wild fern shoots (vegetables are charged depending on portion) and finish with a drizzle of chicken curry gravy. The restaurant knows all too well that the heat gets to you, especially when fried chicken is involved, so quench the thirst with their Soursop Juice (RM5) or even better, the unique Ciku Juice (RM5)!
Avg Price: RM15
Photo by Burppler Trisha Toh

Dragon Door Inn's authentic charcoal steamboat wins the approval of both celebrities (who pose in photos that fill the walls) as well as regular people like us. Take your partner out for a rainy night dinner here! Their Pork Bone Soup (RM20) teems with fragrant flavour while the Spicy Soup (RM23) hints of tongue-numbing Szechuan spice — get both with the yin yong (mixed) option. Since the pot is fuelled by smouldering charcoal, the soup boils at a slower pace and that gives you plenty of time to customise your dipping sauce. Do as the sauce guide instructs and mix together a spoonful of each condiment, but our advice is to finish off with an extra spoonful of chilli sauce for more kick. Finally, order fresh ingredients from the a la carte menu and you're all set to huddle over the hotpot! We recommend a combo of Special Pork Slice (RM15) and Fish Maw (RM15).
Avg Price: RM50
Photo by Burppler Shirleen Tan

While known for being a pocket-friendly steakhouse, live band performances and laidback vibes are what make Kaki Corner a real catch. 'Kaki' is a Malay-Hokkien slang to mean 'companions', so make sure to bring yours. The outdoor seats are choice for hanging out with your friends whereas inside, the quiet sets a better ambience for family night outs. Order their Australian Sirloin Steak (RM22.90). Served humbly with a side of fries and coleslaw, the strip is seasoned well and the portion is meaty for its price. Alternatively, the Mushroom Chicken Chop (RM15.90) is also a simple yet pleasing dish that presents juicy grilled chicken thigh doused in creamy sauce. The restaurant opens till 1am so feel free to linger after dinner and enjoy the night breeze with a song request (most bands here take them!).
Avg Price: RM25
Photo by Burppler Jessica Lau

Nestled in Pandan Indah, this traditional dessert parlour is the perfect pitstop to combat the torrid weather. Soon Kee's menu features a variety of ingredients, including the lavish names in Ginseng and Snow Frog or frog fallopian tubes (RM12) and Cordyceps and Snow Frog (RM14). If you haven't had the chance, this is the time to attempt the more exotic picks as these highly nutritious bowls are not widely sold in KL. There are also plenty choices for the conservative — the Herbal Jelly (RM8) is known to soothe the throat, while Longan Taufu (RM4) remains the shop's bestseller for its light sweetness. Desserts here are made fresh daily, and you can choose to sit in for a quick refreshment or take off with their readily packed containers to enjoy the cooling treat back home.
Avg Price: RM10
Photo by Burppler Emily Choong

For a restaurant located within temple grounds, Tian Xia delivers surprisingly delicious meat dishes! Heed the advice of regular patron Tastemaker Brian Leow and round up your family to lunch on their Braised Pork Knuckle (RM39). Striking a balance between fatty skin and supple meat, this gargantuan dish redolent of vinegar flavour is good to share between four to five people. Also recommended is their Steamed Catfish with Soy Sauce (RM46), which relies on the sheer freshness of the fish to delight. For a third hit, don't miss out on the restaurant's famous Ginger Chicken (RM30). If you don't sight ginger, don't send the dish back — its flavour has sufficiently seeped into the sauce. With the medley of meat, rejoice that for only RM1 per person, white rice will be served in a free-flow vat.
Avg Price: RM25
Photo by Burppler Trisha Toh

When You Lee closed, its time-honoured hawker stalls moved to 33 Kopitiam down the street, and this is where to bring colleagues to impress them with your foodie knowledge. Head straight for the famous Dai Be Steamed Fish Stall. For RM27, the signature Steamed Fish Head with Soy and Ginger hits the spot with a sizeable, fleshy fish head that can feed three to four. White rice is available, but the other hawker stalls tempt with choices for carbs. How about some tasty Fish Ball Noodles (from RM5.50), sesame oil-fragrant Hakka Noodles (RM5.50) or piping hot Claypot Chicken Rice (from RM8)? If you happen to swing by early enough to catch the chee cheong fun uncle in action (it usually sells out by 10:30am), be sure to get in an order of slippery smooth Chee Cheong Fun (RM2.50)!
Avg Price: RM15

A sister branch of famous Yang Kee in Peel Road, Yang Mooi's excellent beef noodles has been a Cheras-favourite for decades. The signature Claypot Beef Mix (RM10) is a conversation-starter, so perhaps bring a newly acquainted friend to bond over this deeply flavoured stew. Beef noodles come in both soup and dry versions, but at Yang Mooi, the dry Beef Mix Noodle (from RM7.50) fares better with tasty minced beef sauce over egg noodles. The beef mix, including tripe, beef balls and sliced beef, is served swimming in a small bowl of coriander-fragrant soup. The trick is to ladle a couple spoonfuls of soup into the noodles before mixing — this helps to loosen up the slightly thick meat sauce.
Avg Price: RM10
Photo by Burpple Tastemaker Brian Leow