After a study session in the Historical Society, I strolled up to this food cart and wasn't sure what to expect, so I asked the owner what he recommended. I asked for something with tofu, to which she responded that the number 4 is good. With an empty stomach, I accepted and was impressed. Upon a fluffy bed of white rice, there was a pile of firm tofu in a creamy, peanut sauce with vegetables and a side of lightly pickled vegetables and some chips that reminded me of some shrimp chips I had as a kid. Definitely use the sauces offered on the side, one of them is sambal and I'm not sure what the other is, but they add some medium spice to the meal. Truly, a filling, but not too heavy meal that makes me want to come back for more to try the other dishes! read more

Kakilima Food Cart - Number four, delicious tofu dish! - Food Trucks Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

This is my favorite food cart in Madison. It is very delicious and it's filling but you don't feel gross after eating it. I have had a few menu items in the past, but at this point I only order the Oseng Tahu because it is so good! I'm not vegetarian, so I usually opt for meat dishes, but here, the tofu is too delicious to resist! Every dish comes with a side of acar, which is a salad made of carrots and cucumber. It's very refreshing and nicely contrasts the warm curries of the entrees. Every dish also comes with krupuk, which are tapioca chips. I need to find a place to buy these, because they're a great snack! Kakilima is cash only, so make sure you have cash on you when you go! read more

Kakilima Food Cart - Oseng Tahu - Food Trucks Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Second time to the food carts in a week and I must say that lunch is starting to become my favorite meal of the day! I've never had Indonesian food before, but everything on the menu looked so enticing I just had to give it a try. I ordered one of the two specials for today: the ayam semur, and even if I hadn't realized it when I was ordering it, it was just what I was in the mood for! The chicken is slow cooked in a sweet soy sauce and spooned over a healthy portion of white rice. The entree is also served with a side of pickled vegetables (yum!) and prawn chips (which get kind of soggy in the styrofoam carryout boxes). The serving of ayam semur I got was not as large as the portion of Indonesian fried rice that I saw someone else order (even though both are the same price and have pretty much the same ingredients), but for $7, it was enough to tide me over until a late dinner. Kakilima, stay exactly where you are. I will be back tomorrow! PS: Cash only! Remember to stop by an ATM on the way over. read more

I used to work at a fruit cart adjacent to Kakilima, and I remember the friendliness of the owner. Coming back four years later, I was ecstatic to see the cart still here! The menu has changed little, and I had to go with my old standby, the nasi goreng. I was a little disheartened to have to squint to see the chicken and egg in the dish, but aside from that, I found this dish to be as delicious as in the past. It's the best kind of comfort food. If you're a Madison food cart regular, you'd be remiss to pass this up. read more

Kakilima Food Cart - The nasi goreng. - Food Trucks Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Disappointing. I had the nasi goreng (fried rice) and although the flavor was okay, the rice was so mushy. Could hardly see any intact rice grains. This is not how nasi goreng should look like and taste like. If I wanted this standard of fried rice, I would just make my own. The tiny chicken pieces were also overcooked, dry, and hard. And the egg (or egg bits) were basically non-existent. The acar (pickled vegetables) are also bad. Hardly pickled, and not at all how traditional acar should be. I'm afraid to try anything else from this cart based on their nasi goreng standard. read more

Kakilima Food Cart - Mushy fried rice :( - Food Trucks Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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I disagree with some of the people who said the rice is "mushy" in the Nasi Goreng...its a delicious dish and one of my favorites on the menu. Love the taste of everything. I'm not a tofu eater yet I loved the tofu served from this cart. I have tried everything on the menu and its makes me think back to the times I was traveling to Padang in West Sumatra...similar taste, similar quality. Great food! Always a favorite! read more

Indonesian cuisine si quickly becoming my favorite. I'm not an expert, but flavors are not as aggressive as Chinese or That - of course it depends on the dishes you order, but something about the mellowness of Indonesian food suits my palate. And, I'm definitely awarding stars for Kakilima using organic tofu - bonus. I had cooked organic tofu + peanut sauce on bed of green (forgot the proper name). Super. I also like their hot chili sauce, too. Quite flavorful in addition to the heat. Everything I've been sampling from Kakilima has been a home run. I'm now thinking about try cooking Indonesian at home - wish me luck. read more

This Indonesian food cart is AMAZING. Not only one of my favorite food carts, but easily one of the top lunch options in the entire city in my opinion. Today I saw it outside as I went to work and it made my day! It is right in front of St. Paul's on Library Mall. I've tried both the curry tofu and the oseng tahu (candlenut tofu) and both were fantastic! They were both served with a vegetable mix and then spooned with extra sauce over a bed of fluffy, perfectly cooked rice. I would say probably a 3:1 or 3:2 tofu to vegetable ratio. -The curry tofu was coconut-based and very mild, sweet, and mellow. A large pinch of toasted coconut added some texture and heightened the complexity just a touch more. -Of the two tofus, though, I prefer the oseng tahu. It is a dish that has a bit more bite - not spicy, but that I think it strikes a less sweet note and more of an earthy one. I've never personally tried any of the other dishes, but I've heard great things about the Ayam bakar, which is barbequed chicken breast in a peanut sauce. NOTE: Be sure to take advantage of the condiments next to the forks! The hot sauce is great if you enjoy your food spicier and the sweet soy-based one is also delicious and would likely be a great accompaniment to the dishes with a thicker-looking peanut sauce to thin it out. All the entrees come with acar, which is a lightly picked vegetable salad, and krupuk, which are crunchy tapioca puffs. Both are very tasty and add a refreshing crunch. Personally, I like to pile my extra rice and sauce on the the krupuk when I am done with my tofu. The owner is super friendly, the food is tasty, and there are options for all kinds of eaters. I am *racking* my brain and I cannot think of a single reason to not send ALL of you here. Seriously, just go. You won't regret it! read more

I've just been here once, and I wasn't super impressed. The only other time I've had Indonesian food was at a restaurant in another city, and the food was extremely flavorful and pretty spicy, so that's what I thought the food here would be like as well. Unfortunately, I found the food a bit on the bland/mild side. I tried the curry tofu, which came over rice with a side of pickled carrots and cucumbers and some shrimp chips. The pickled veggies were really sweet, they almost had a relish flavor which I did not really care for. The shrimp chips were partly soggy, and I ate my meal pretty much immediately after getting it from the cart, so I was surprised at that. I really enjoyed the tofu they used, but the curry needed quite a bit more flavor. I thought it was tasty but mild and a bit too mellow. I might try a different dish from Kakilima another time, but I'm in no rush to go back. read more

This place is worth the short trip down State St. on a lunch break. Extremely friendly and fast service. I ordered the Ayam Bakar. Very tasty and full of that wonderful peanut-flavor that I love so much! read more

One of my absolute favorite food carts on library mall in Madison. This guy knows what's good. Get the ayam sepur for a sweet and savory delight. Also good vegetarian options. Be prepared to pay $7-$9... a bit higher than some of the other carts but nonetheless still a great deal for lunch read more

I love Indonesian food. Being an Asian and all that, I had just deeply exposed to this type of cuisine since I'm a little kid when daddy took me to explore South East Asian food cuisine. So when i saw Kakillima Food Cart while strolling pass, I was so excited that they may have a little bit of what I miss from my memories. I wish I could lower this barrier and try to tolerate, it's easy to say, and hard to do. If you have more of an open mind, you might enjoy their food way much more than I do. I had the nasi goreng (fried rice). I agree with another yelper that it's really mushy, not really that appealing looking too. Did it have chicken in it? or egg? I didn't see much egg in it for sure. They have some prawn crackers on the side, but they were so stale that it would be better if i was not given any of those. Lastly, and most importantly, I cannot tell you how salty the nasi goreng was, I hate to say this, but this really puts me off from going back. read more

I had the fried rice and tofu curry on two separate occasions, both are very disappointing. The acar is not well pickled, pretty much just carrot with vinegar sprinkled on it. The chips are soggy and jeez, you can buy those from Asian grocery store easily. Fried rice is nothing but rice soaked in soy sauce. Tofu curry...doesn't have curry. read more

Working nearby I sometimes take advantage of the food carts, though none usually attracts me more than once every few months. At one point I decided to randomly try Kakilima and chose the Ayam Bakar because I love a good peanut sauce. It was incredible! I've found myself eating out more often and going back to this cart so much that the owner (who is so genuinely friendly and nice to talk with) doesn't even need to ask for my order. He just greets me and starts serving up the rice, chicken, peanut sauce, etc. So fantastic! I recommend this cart to people all the time (he recently repainted so it's no longer green with yellow trim) and maybe someday I'll get around to trying the other dishes. But the Ayam Bakar is just so, so good.... read more

This was my favorite food cart in madison by far. It flies under the radar...isn't as glitzy as some of its neighbors, but it has the most comforting tofu dishes. I'm not even a tofu person but I would go out of my way to get tahu goreng or oseng tahu for lunch. Affordable prices and good portions. Haven't tried anything that quite compares. read more

Whether its the tasty Ayam Bakar or the Nasi Goreng, this cart has the best and authentic taste ever. I have visited Indonesia several times for family and this tastes so true to the street vendors and restaurants I experienced in Padang and Jakarta. Definitely a must stop on your visit to downtown Madison! read more

My favorite food cart!! I absolutely love the food and I get the Tahu Goreng or Oseng Tahu. It's flavorful and I probably get it for lunch 3/5 days out of the week. Definitely recommend. read more