Malaysia Hall Canteen

Reviews

• Paul C.

  star star star star star 19 July 2026

  This is the place if you want absolutely legit Malay food in London. The eating establishment (I'm not calling it a restaurant) is located about 8 minutes walk from Bayswater station. It seats about 30 persons and is furnished in a no-frills way similar to coffeeshops or hawker centers in Malaysia and Singapore. But rest assured - the place is clean, so is the food and the food handling looked appropriate. It is located in the basement of some economic accommodation hosted by the Malaysian embassy so they do specify that this is for Malaysians and their guests though they don't really check IDs. But the menu is in Malay and you do have to understand what food you are picking out as there is no printed menu or pictures so this 'advisory' makes sense.
  
  I had the nasi campur while I was there - 1 fried chicken drumsticks, a piece of egg omelette, acar, white rice and teh tarik. You had about 16 dishes to choose from. Everything looked and tasted exactly as I remember it in Singapore and Malaysia, right down to the yellow stains on the fingers from the fried chicken. It was wonderful. They also have items like nasi goreng (fried rice), Mee goreng (fried noodles), roti canai, nasi lemak rendang as well as Malaysian desserts. The prices are incredibly reasonable (my meal cost me 6.5pounds) so it must be one of the cheapest eats in London.
  
  In summary, absolutely worth a visit for Singaporeans or Malaysians craving Malay food and, for non-Malaysians looking for authentic Malay food, go find a Malaysian/Singaporean friend and go!

• Mirosha C.

  star star star star_border star_border 14 July 2026

  This place is situated in the basement of the Malaysian embassy in Hyde Park London. My first meal in London. I'm a Malaysian so when I stumbled upon this while navigating myself to the hotel, I decided I'm going here. Got up and treated myself to good ol Malaysian breakfast. This place only accepts cash. They had a typical Malaysian canteen spread and vibe. Variety of kuih, goreng and kari. I had a karipap, kuih gulung, nasi lemak and the tarik. Karipap was not great, the potatoes were in cubes inside. I'm not into that, I love a good mashed up filling. The green kuih gulung with coconut filling was good. Nasi lemak was good but not great. The sambal was a little watery for my liking so as the teh tarik. Overall still a great fix for a Malaysian living outside of motherland.
  
  Note: The staffs were great! We didnt have cash on us as we ordered, she asked us not to worry but eat first then go to the ATM afterwards. Very warm feeling that added a nice touch to our time here.

• Tamara C.

  star star star star_border star_border 13 July 2026

  This place is 100% LEGIT. Decently priced and authentic food by Malaysians for Malaysians. And sometimes Singaporeans. And their friends. They apparently have a strict pplicy that you cannot enter unless you're from Malaysia, but the last time I was there none of us were, well the one half Malaysian had nothing on her to prove it. But we had no trouble at all.
  
  We got there around 3pm and there was no roti canai left - super upsetting. I also had to wait till 3pm so they would start cooking more of their a'la carte dishes, which meant it took about 15min for my kway teow to arrive. It was tasty though so no complaints.
  
  The curry puff though were cold as they were sitting outside and they didn't heat them up which was a bit upsetting. Their Milo was also really watered down and you could tell they only put in half the amount of powder that you're meant to use....
  
  On the upside, the hot meals in the heaters were good and again, very authentic.
  
  It's worth checking out if you're home sick and from Malaysia or even Singapore, since the prices are low, but not ideal if you want a big sit down meal or to introduce people to the cuisine, imo.

• Vi W.

  star star star star_border star_border 6 July 2026

  Malaysia Canteen caters primarily for Malaysians in England. The building functions as an economical accomodation for Malaysians and the canteen, in the basement, serves some simple cklassic Malaysian dishes. The food here leans towards Malay cuisine, as opposed to Chinese or Indian fare. The menu is comprised largely of favourite dishes for 'nasi campur' - a dish with either plain white rice or coconut rice accompanied with two or three side dishes. All of these for the price of GBP 6.00 - GBP 7.50 depending on the side dishes that you choose. The price also includes a drink, 'air bandung' (which is not something I like), known as rose water, and plain chilled water. Just the tarik (GBP 1.00) for me will do.
  
  What you have to do is select your choice of vegetables, fish or meat from an array of catering trays. Apart from the nasi campur there is also roti canai, noodles and kuih-kuih, as a snack. Food which is requested from the kitchen are only served from 14:00 hours onwards. Takeaway is available here.
  
  It is self-service at Malaysia Canteen. If you have ordered any dishes to be cooked in the kitchen, you'd better listen out for your name when the dish is ready. Although I do doubt that they cooked the food fresh. It tastes more like a reheating job in the microwave.  
  
  Malaysia Canteen is not a restaurant, and it does not serve the general public. Non-Malaysians must be accompanied by a Malaysian. But, I am not sure how strict they are in adhering to the rule (this is one good reason to befriend a Malaysian).
  
  mamak mee goreng GBP 5.00 - quite disappointing. Noodles consistency was good but hardly any meat or other ingredients. It was a little too sweet.
  
  roti canai  GBP 2.50 - whenever I have had roti canai in the West I have been a little disappointed, and the offering at Malaysia Canteen is no exception. The roti was rather tough and doughy, as if it had been pre-cooked and heated to order, also I do not think that British flour really works for this dish. The dhal gravy is good, but served cold it is really not too appealing. Shame.
  
  dried fried fish with sambal GBP 2.50 - This is my typical snack when I was a child. Fried food, stirred into sambal. Ah, childhood memories! Not only that but it was good; so crunchy and spicy!
  
  Malaysia Canteen is open from Monday to Sunday, 08:00 hours to 22:00 hours. And, if you need a Malaysian friend, take me :).
  
  It is a fantastic value and if you dine here, I advise to go for the spread of dishes on the counter. Proper authentic stuff at a (very) reasonable price.

• Juan Á.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 5 July 2026

  I wish they allowed non-Malaysian people as well, it's bad business putting a sign that denies service to everyone that doesn't belong to a specific ethnicity, IMHO.