We continued with our hunt for Malaysian food in Australia and dined here for dinner one night. It was a popular casual spot and filled up quickly. The menu had all the Malaysian food we were familiar with. Orders were placed and paid for at the cashier in the front. Tap water, utensils and napkins were self serve at the front. The sequence of our order was a little different with the entrees first and the roti last. The laksa was full of chicken, bean sprouts and thin noodles. I just got regular and it packed enough heat from the soup for me. However I was expecting more flavors out of this laksa based on past experience. The seafood CKT had a good mix of shrimp, squid, mussels and fish balls but seemed a bit on the smaller side. The smokiness of the wokhei was good and the overall dish had the right amount of oiliness. The roti was disappointing as it seemed overly fried and difficult to pull apart. The side of sauce tasted like the laksa soup but I detected an older oil taste when chewing it. Definitely not one I'd order again. Dishes were cleared by the staff after our meal and the next customer waiting inside quickly took over table. Overall a mixed bag for us. read more

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Fantastic Malaysian cuisine in Hobart! We were craving some Asian cuisine at this point and was happy to come across this spot not far from our hotel. The noodles and roti were excellent! read more

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Even though there are a lot of Malaysian restaurants in Sydney, I was surprised to find one in Hobart. Came across this eatery as I walked around the Hobart CBD one evening and decided to give it a try for lunch a couple days later. The restaurant is quite casual. It isn't a huge place, but it has a moderate number of tables. The setup here is that you order and pay at the counter. Once your meal is ready, it is delivered to your table if you are dining in. There are condiments at the table including sriracha, but you need to grab your own utensils so service is minimal. The menu is rather brief as it is listed on the front and back of an one page printed menu. But it has all of your favorite Malaysian items like char kway teow, chicken rice, laksa and nasi lemak. Prices are affordable as they topped out at under $14. It was winter in Hobart when I visited, so it was quite chilly outside. To warm up, I decided to get the seafood laksa ($12) and an order of crispy spring rolls (3 for $3). The spring rolls are the same ones that you find at Chinese restaurants and they were pretty good as they were nice and crunchy. Douse them with sriracha if you like. As for the laksa, it was just what I wanted. It was warm and filling. The broth had the right amount of spice as it wasn't overpoweringly hot. And there was an array of seafood toppings including fish ball, fishcake, shrimp and squid. I believe this may be the only Malaysian restaurant in Hobart, though there is a Singaporean restaurant down the street from here. Even though that is the case, I thought the food was good and the prices are very reasonable for a meal in the area. read more

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We really enjoyed our dinner here - we tried the chicken wings, roti canai, char kway teow and nasi lemak and it was all good. The flavours were authentic and the prices were almost Malaysian too. BYO with free corkage was a bonus. read more

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What a nice surprise on a cold Tasmania day. Good service and priced right I'll be back to tryout the rest of the menu read more

Sawak Cafe - Seafood laksa - Malaysian Near Me - Hobart, TAS

Very quaint malaysian restaurant/cafe in the middle of the business district. We had the vegetarian curry and laksa and both were delicious. The owners made everything fresh, so it took a while. read more

Had trouble getting a reservation at Urban Greek or Shamrock, so our friends and us decided to introduce ourselves to Malaysian food at Sawak. Our party of 4 ordered Nasi Lemak with Sambal Squid, Nasi Lemak with Sambal Fish, Spicy Black Bean Rice, and Satay Noodle with Chicken. This is a very casual Asian diner; order at the register and they will they bring you the food when it is ready. The staff were very friendly and happy to help us learn the basics of Nasi Lemak (mix all the separate ingredients together with the rice), and recommend that I try the Sambal Fish. It was delicious and I would highly recommend Sawak if you want to try something out of the ordinary, but delicious! read more

Sawak Cafe - Half the menu - Malaysian Near Me - Hobart, TAS

Amazing Seafood Char Kwai Teo! Me and the family love this dish and order it everywhere. The team at Sawak killed it! Soo good! It was a good balance of ingredients and a really good chat/caramelisation. Great price, super friendly staff and food was on the table within 5 minutes on a Friday night! Get on it! read more

Cheap and tasty food. Cafe style atmosphere. I had Beef Rendang, perfectly cooked . Can get busy at times

The food was decent but nothing to extraordinary. If you are too tired from a long day of exploring and want decent food that is cheaply priced then go ahead and dine here, but don't expect too much. read more

They had great variety for all spicy to mild tastes! I am vegetarian and they still made it according to my taste spicy and vegetarian! Going there more often. read more

Fast service. Really nice traditional Malay. Easy place to grab a meal. The rendang was great and the kids noodles were devoured.

I absolutely love this place! Not only is the food amazing, fast and fresh, the service and chefs are friends and welcoming. We have never had to wait longer than 5minutes for our takeaway to be created! read more