Saddam Nasi Kandar Review

Every nasi kandar counter in Kuala Lumpur looks the same at first: a long glass case of curries, fried chicken, and seafood, a line of hungry people, and a server waiting for you to point. With so many places claiming to be the best, it's hard to know which one deserves your lunch, and harder still to know what to ask for when you get to the front.

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In this guide 11 sections

Over three months living in KL in early 2026, nasi kandar became our favorite Malaysian food. And whenever the question of where to get it came up, one name kept topping the list as the most recommended in the city: Saddam Nasi Kandar.

So Cream and I went to see if it lived up to the hype. This is our honest Saddam Nasi Kandar review: what we ordered, what we paid, and how the counter works.

Watch Our Saddam Nasi Kandar Taste Test

Cream does the tasting on camera. Watch for the moment he says "this may have just changed my life":

Is Saddam Nasi Kandar Worth It? My Quick Answer

Yes. Saddam Nasi Kandar deserves its reputation, and we give it a 9 out of 10. The fried chicken is the reason to go, every curry on the plate tastes different, and the seafood was cooked just right. It's heavy, so plan for a slow afternoon, and our two plates with drinks came to $24.

What Is Nasi Kandar?

Nasi kandar is rice with a choice of curries, meat, and seafood, served at Mamak (Indian-Muslim) restaurants. It comes from Penang, where, according to Malaysian food writers, sellers once carried the rice and curry in two pots hung from a pole across their shoulders. Nasi means rice, and kandar refers to that carrying pole.

Today you walk up to a counter, pick what you want, and the server finishes the plate with ladles of curry. It's one of the dishes on our list of must-eat foods in Kuala Lumpur, and it's the one we miss most.

As for the name: according to The Star, the founder opened his first stall on Jalan Segambut Pusat in 1989 as Sulaiman Nasi Kandar.¹ The Saddam name came later, from a nickname his customers gave him. The Segambut shop is still the original.

Arriving at Saddam: What to Expect

We went to the Saddam on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (Jalan TAR) in Chow Kit, at early lunch. There was a small line at the counter, but it moved fast.

You order at the counter, not at the table. When it's your turn you tell the server what you want, they build the plate in front of you, and then they ask what curry you want on the rice. We said we were okay with spicy and asked them to recommend a mix, and they put together a plate of seafood and curries for us.

One small thing we loved: the server took a pair of scissors and cut Cream's squid into pieces for him right there.

What We Ordered at Saddam Nasi Kandar

We shared a mix between two plates: fried chicken, a big prawn, squid, egg-filled squid, and a curry egg, all on rice flooded with curry. Here it is, from the one you can't skip to the drink.

1. Ayam Bawang // The Chicken Everyone Recommends

We ordered the ayam bawang, fried chicken cooked with onions, and Cream went for it first.

The skin has what Cream called "this like chewy shell on there that gives it a really good bite", and you can see the spices coming through underneath it. It's a little salty and a little spicy, not too spicy, with a ton of flavor. His verdict on camera: "This is absolutely incredible. I see why everyone recommends this one."

The best part is finding the pockets in the chicken where the spices collect. If you only add one thing to your plate, make it the chicken. Saddam is also known for a second fried chicken, the Ayam Saddam, which food writers rave about, so if there are two of you, it's worth getting one of each.

2. The Rice and Mixed Curry // Every Curry Is Different

The rice is the base of everything, and at Saddam it soaks up a mix of curries. It's a yellowish rice, cooked just right, and the curry on it has a lot of spices going on. Cream thought he could taste anise, and we could see leaves in it that looked like bay leaves. It's only a little spicy, and it goes perfectly with the chicken.

What surprised us most was that every curry on the plate was different. The squid had its own curry, the egg-filled squid had another, the rice had another, and the curry we got on the side was different again. That's what makes a good nasi kandar plate so much more interesting than one curry over rice.

We also had a curry egg on the plate, the easy add-on at any nasi kandar counter. And we always had our rice banjir, which means "flooded": the server keeps ladling curry until the rice is soaked. Ask for kuah campur (mixed curry) if you want a blend.

3. Squid (Sotong) // Tender, in Its Own Curry

Sotong is squid, and it's a classic nasi kandar pick. Saddam's was tender and cooked perfectly, and Cream called the curry with it incredible. This is the one the server cut up with scissors.

4. Egg-Filled Squid (Sotong Telur) // Our Mystery Dish

This was the dish we couldn't name on camera. The server recommended it, and Cream guessed octopus because it was so tender and meaty. Viewers in the comments told us it was squid filled with its own eggs.

It tastes like squid in rich curry, very tender. If you see a squid at the counter that looks fatter than the rest, that's the one.

5. Prawn (Udang) // Worth the Splurge

We added a big tiger prawn. Cream pulled it apart with his hands ("I freed the beast," he said), and after the first bite he said it again: "This may have just changed my life." Big prawns are one of the pricier things at a nasi kandar counter, so this is the splurge on the plate, but it was a highlight.

6. Sirap Bandung // Our Favorite Drink in Malaysia

Sirap Bandung is rose syrup mixed with milk, and it comes out bright pink. It was our favorite drink in Malaysia and our go-to with nasi kandar, because the sweet, creamy milk cools down the spice. Order it iced.

Ordering Nasi Kandar at Saddam: Words to Know

The counter moves quickly, so it helps to know a few words before you reach the front. You can always just point.

Getting Saddam on Grab Delivery

After that visit, Saddam became one of our regular Grab orders, and we got it delivered a lot during our time in KL. It's the easiest way to eat it without the queue.

Delivery in KL can take an hour, sometimes two, on weekends and holidays (our KL digital nomad guide covers how we ate and lived day to day), so order before you're starving.

What We Didn't Love

• It's heavy. This meal is really hearty. Cream said it on camera: "I'm going to need a nap after this," and he meant it. Plan your afternoon around it, and don't go right before anything active.
• It's a little salty. The fried chicken leans salty. We loved it, but if you're sensitive to salt, you'll notice.

Who Saddam Nasi Kandar Is For

Saddam is for anyone who wants to try one of KL's most famous nasi kandar shops and is happy to eat something big, spicy, and messy. If you like Indian curries or Southern fried chicken, you'll feel at home with the flavors.

If you can't handle much spice, tell the server and ask for less curry on the rice, and keep a Sirap Bandung close. If you want a light lunch before a day of sightseeing in the heat (our guide to the best time to visit Kuala Lumpur explains just how hot it gets), save Saddam for dinner or a slow afternoon.

Prices, Location, and Getting There

• What we paid: $24 for two loaded plates with seafood and two Sirap Bandung drinks, in 2026.
• Typical prices: food writers reported a basic plate of rice, fried chicken, vegetables, and mixed curry at around RM12 (about $3) in 2022, and seafood plates at RM20 or more.² Prices may have gone up since.
• Where we ate: 279-281 Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Chow Kit, 50100 Kuala Lumpur.
• Other branches: the original in Segambut, plus branches food writers have listed at Odeon Walk and near Sogo KL.² Check Google Maps for the nearest one.
• Hours: check the branch's Google Maps listing before you go. Go for an early lunch to beat the biggest queue.
• Getting there: Grab is the easiest way. By train, the KL Monorail's Chow Kit station is the nearest stop to this stretch of Jalan TAR. Our guide to getting around Kuala Lumpur covers Grab, the monorail, and walking.
• Where to stay: Chow Kit is a short Grab or monorail ride from Bukit Bintang, where most visitors stay. See places to stay in Bukit Bintang.

279 Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur

This map comes from Google Maps.

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Our Verdict on Saddam Nasi Kandar

Saddam earned every recommendation we heard. Go for an early lunch, get the fried chicken and the egg-filled squid, ask for your rice banjir, and leave your afternoon free for a nap.

Next Steps for Your Kuala Lumpur Trip

• The 13 best restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, ranked by our scores.
• The 10 must-eat foods in Kuala Lumpur, including nasi kandar, nasi lemak, and roti canai.
• The best time to visit Kuala Lumpur, month by month.
• Is KL good for digital nomads? How we lived, worked, and ate there.