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We don't have Indonesian restaurant in Chicago so the first thing we do after we get into Philly is to eat Indonesian dish. Food - Everything were so good and delicious. Even my picky eater kids love the food. Price wise is definitely worth it. Service - we are a party of 7 and the food came out super fast. The restaurant itself has lots of tables. I love the fact that the restaurant is clean. We will probably stop by here for take out before we head out to Chicago
Sky cafe is nestled in a little Asian strip mall. I love that there's a parking lot here! We stopped by for dinner and ordered Nasi Padang, Kwetiaw goreng, and Nasi goreng spesial. Inside is cozy with dim lighting. And service is friendly. When we sat down we were given a hot tea which was perfect for a cold winter day. Nasi padang: this dish was a spread of 6 different little dishes with a side of rice. I enjoyed sampling all of the different things and particularly liked the coconut spinach dish and the coconut curry chicken. Unfortunately food got cold pretty quickly because of the small dishes w/poor heat retention. Kwetiaw goreng: fried wide rice noodle dish. Peanutty and savory. Great with hot sauce! As someone unfamiliar with Indonesian food, I would say this dish was pretty much like drunken noodles and pad Thai combined! Nasi goreng spesial: really great fried rice. Had some Chinese sausage, egg, fish cake...sweet, smokey, not too greasy, overall a very well done fried rice
The noodles for mi go reng is more like lo mein. It has chinese sausage, shrimp, and not a lot of veggie. The curry noodle soup is very coconut-y and a little spicy. I don't like the rice noodle that is used. The toppings have fried tofu, fish ball, tofu skin, potatoes, not really any 'meat'. Chicken satay is tender but too much sauce.
They seated us on entry and it's not that crowded on a holiday. The interior was really beautiful. On the wall, they showed a map with some history facts about Indonesia. Very cute. The food was amazing. Everything we got was very delicious, Very flavorful, and all in all just great. skewers with peanut sauce - must try, delicious Probably the best skewers with peanut sauce I ever had. They were very generous with the peanut sauce and it was very savory and delicious. Curry noodles - not too spicy and we're very savory. It had a nice flavorful soup base and felt like a very cozy warm meal. TLDR - everything super savory and flavorful,
Some of the best, casual dining in all of Philly! We went early on a Saturday and it was PACKED but we were seated immediately! The sound level was lively but you also notice some were quiet as people happily ate full tables of food! A great sign! Someone standing outside made a comment "this is my FAVORITE spot in all of Philly. The #23 (nasi bungkis) is the best thing I have ever eaten" and dang they were right! We wondered the #22 and #23 and devoured as much as we could... but the servings were MASSIVE and we had a good amount of leftovers! The flavors of each part of the dish hit everything you want, fresh, rich, salty, meaty, fatty, crunchy, soft... and more!! Can't wait to go back. Love love love everything!
Indonesian food isn't easy to come by so Sky Cafe is a very special place! It has similarities to Malaysian and Thai food so if you like either you should give this a try. Sky Cafe is a homey place that has pretty simple decor and service like a lot of low-key Asian restaurants, but it gets the job done and the food is the main point at these kinds of spots anyway. Note that there is a 4% fee for credit cards, but the menu is very transparent about this and even separately lists the cash and card prices. The prices are super affordable anyway so it doesn't even amount to much. I've been here a couple times both in pairs and with a larger group and enjoyed each time. The coconut rice dishes are very popular here, coming with a big scoop of fragrant rice, a portion of a selected entree (beef rendang is a classic), and some sides that altogether make a very filling meal. Another go-to here is the satay - the chicken satay are PERFECTLY grilled and I could just drink that peanut sauce. My most recent time, I decided to get the kari bihun since I'm a sucker for curry noodle soups in other cuisines. This one hit the spot, packed with a variety of proteins like fish cakes and tofu and deep-fried egg, and a delicious broth that I couldn't finish but took home with me because I couldn't bear to waste it. Overall, Sky Cafe offers really interesting, flavorful, and filling food at reasonable prices. It has a big menu I've barely even dented so I will definitely be back to try more!
Hole in the wall kind of vibe. Has a smell of lots spices, can be off putting to some . Lady was super nice and explained the type of food to order. We got the R22 and traditional Indonesian salad. If you want to have a sampler type of meal order the S22. Careful the shrimp is super spicy.
WOW. Everything was delicious. We came on a Monday evening and were sat and eating by the 20 minute mark. Amazing customer service with even more amazing dishes. I can't wait to come back.
Located in the "Vietnamese strip mall", this place offers a change to "pho" and other Vietnamese dishes. Sky cafe offers decent Indonesian food. We started with the chicken satay which tasted pretty good since it was covered in peanut sauce. I do wish the chicken satay had more of a charcoal taste. I had the spare rib. The spare rib was so tender it fell off the bone. The sauces accompanying the spare rib were so spicy (both the red one and the green one). Not picture is the Spicy Chicken Rice Platter. Even though it was only one chicken leg, the chicken looked like it was good quality. The hard boiled egg in the dish was topped with spices. I didn't feel like it was very spicy even though the dish was marketed as such. They charge 3 percent if you use a credit card but they do offer Venmo as an option.
Excellent Indonesian food in Philadelphia! The chicken satay has a perfect charred texture with nice savory and acidic notes. The fried wontons are super crispy, similar to a crab rangoon. The entrée itself was good. I thought the chicken was a little dry and could use some sauce, but the coconut rice and sides were delicious. Service was extremely good and friendly. The appetizers came out within five minutes of ordering. The Wing Phat plaza is a bit hard to find parking in, but making a stop is always worth it. Plenty of seating inside, and clean interior.
Sky Cafe is a relaxed restaurant that serves delicious Indonesian food. The dining space is rather small, but it makes for a cozy environment. It can get packed, but the service is good and the servers are really friendly! I ordered the Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng (Sky's Coconut Rice with Fried Chicken). The fried chicken was crispy and juicy! I ate it with the rice, which did not taste like coconut, but it did come with some sort of fried onions on it that gave the rice some flavor. There was also a red paste that arrived with the dish and that worked well with the fried chicken and spicy egg! The dish also had pickled vegetables, but since I am not a big vegetable person, I only ate a bit. But it was still pretty good and pickle-y. There were anchovies that came with the dish but I did not see them. I think it may have been the fried pieces on the side which helped add flavor to the already delicious meal! My friend and I split the Ground Chicken Fried Wonton which I was not a big fan of as it felt like the chicken should've still been cooked. Overall, I enjoyed my experience at Sky Cafe and I would go back again to try something else!
This was my first experience having Indonesian food, and I really enjoyed it. The staff was great and the inside of the restaurant was quite cute - they have handwritten food facts/tidbits on the wall which was cool. We ordered pempek (appetizer) to share - it was chewy but slightly crispy on the outside, there was egg wrapped inside, and the vinegar sauce was great! I got R17, and the portion size was good and worth the price. I was extra hungry so I ate the whole thing, but I typically would have leftovers for another meal. The chicken wasn't dry, the sambal had a good kick, and the potato (I think) side on the plate was really good. I was expecting the veggie curry to be thicker, but it was still good over the rice. I look forward to coming back! (Bring cash).
11 years ago
I really wish I can give a 10 star review for this new location of Sky Cafe! I used to patronized the old Ritner location and gave it a 5-star. I had few pet peeves about the Ritner location such as not much seating space, hard to find parking, and closed too early on Saturday night (8pm). All of those pet peeves are history with this new location since it's slightly bigger/more seats, located on a strip mall so parking is no biggie, and it was still busy serving & lining up people on the waitlist by the time we left around 8pm on a Saturday night. I dare you the nasi uduk is still the best and most fulfilling $5 meal you can ever find in the entire United States. Mi komplit is definitely a must try! It reminds me of the Medan-style bakmi back home. And even though it's not on the menu, their grilled fish is awesome as well and definitely worth-asking! Cash only still. read more
The perfect definition of a hidden gem, hole in the wall restaurant nestled inside a shopping plaza. Great service and tasty food! It was most of our first time and we went as a group of 9 and absolutely loved it. I ordered a noodle dish which came with a chicken soup on the side and the spicy sauce was one of the spiciest sauces I have ever tasted. The sauce made me sweat a bit and cry a little more, but it had so much flavor I could not stop. The rest of the party liked the foods as well. I cannot wait to go back. This is a must try for Philly's restaurant scene. read more
5 years ago
7 years ago
Since there is no Indonesian restaurant in my area, Sky Cafe is the closest thing I have to be the best Indonesian restaurant two hours away. The food is delicious and cheap and very tasty. Service is usually fast, but the free parking in the shopping center is hard to get. My usual orders are the Mie Ayam (noodle soup with chicken, mushroom and sweet soy sauce) and the oxtail soup (so good!). They also sell a variety of Indonesian snacks and cookies. I would highly recommend this place. read more
If you're looking for an authentic, delicious, flavorfull Indonesian food, this IS the place! Everything is original and tasty! Service is always great, owner and staff are super friendly and attentive. Most of the food are priced below $9, and generous portion. I think they are most known for their homamade noodle. Mu favorite is Mie Komplit (Complete Noodle). It has browned egg, minced bbq pork, veggies and comes with a soup with fish ball and beef ball. I tried most of them on the menu and they never dissapoint! And now they have better location with plenty parking space! Let's go!!!! read more
7 years ago
Love the variety of food to choose and they are fast, great servers and feel homey and of course food are delicious read more
Indonesian cuisine is not something I have access to where I live. So, when I knew I needed to go to Philly today for other reasons I looked at what was new and exciting in the areas I was going to be in. I found Sky Cafe in my search and decided THIS was going to be TODAY'S place, irregardless of other establishments that are on my list of places I want/plan on going to. Sky Cafe sits, almost hidden, in the Wing Fat Asian Plaza on Washington St. in South Philly where numerous other Asian businesses exit including other eateries, grocery, and various other non-food related ventures. The dining room is very small and packed. My party was told there would be up to a 45 minute wait, but since I live 2 hours away I agreed to the wait. My name and phone number were taken and they called when the table was ready! The restaurant is small, very busy, and looking to expand. Glasses of water were already filled before being seated. Staff were friendly, ready to answer questions and make recommendations, and available to refill water or be called upon when needed. The ambience is loud and patrons are seated closely. The menu mainly consists of noodle and rice dishes. Appetizers, drinks and desserts are also offered. The food is good. The dishes I ordered provided a variety of things to eat and each bite was as satisfying as the next. Everything I saw arriving at others' tables looked great and probably was judging by how good the dishes I had were. I recommend Sky Cafe and I may consider taking the 4 hour round trip just to go there again. read more
5 years ago
Everything was bomb as hell to the point I am immediately writing this in the car on the way home. Great prices, good portions, chill atmosphere. We got the ground chicken wontons and chicken satay to start. Both awesome. For the entrees we got the beef ribs and bbq meat platter. They come with sides of soup which I love. Everything had amazing flavor and all the meat was tender. Definitely try this place if you like fried rice/noodles, grilled meats, and Asian flavors in general. read more
4 years ago
8 years ago
6 years ago
This sky cafe locationso much better than their NYC location. The foods are delicious and they are consistently good regardless how many times we come in here. We love their nasi campur medan - this is a rich dish with bbq pork, egg, pork sausage, etc. The batagor and nasi goreng special are tasty. This restaurant basically serve the Indonesian food from North Sumatra island cuisine. The food tends to be on the salty side instead of sweet side. read more
4 years ago
7 years ago
I was Originally going to try the pho restaurant on the corner, but then I realized I've never had Indonesian food. I came in with a friend on Friday night and was blown away by the different items on the menu. We ordered R22 and R23 The flavors of the food were phenomenal! I will definitely be coming back. read more
9 years ago
Grilled fish and lamb satay are must! So good! Lamb satay is grilled and comes with sweet soy sauce and peanut sauce. I go to this place at least once a week for my dinner and grocery shopping next door. It is hidden in this little crappy mall. The people next to the restaurant also always cook something delicious in the hallway. I don't know how they grilled the fish and what they put on it, but it is so good. Tasty and crispy outside and tender inside. SO DELICIOUS! I have also tried a few other stuff but these two are my favorite! read more
9 years ago
Great taste of ikan bakar i have ever had!! Fantastic and friendly servive as always. I don't mind driving for 2 hours from Maryland once a week for the great food !! Batagor for appetizers and sop buntut is a must read more
6 years ago
One of the most authentic Indonesian food I've ever tasted. I highly recommend the nasi bungkus dish (which literally means "rice wrap") because the curry sauce on top of the rice was so good. It came with vege, sambal and boiled egg as well.I ordered with beef rendang in it which was moist and very flavorful - everything was still steaming hot. The longtong Sayur was also very delicious with a little more spicy/kick then what I normally tasted for this dish but I love it. The sauce and curry were addictive. Lamb satay was a bit on the dry side but flavorful. I'll definitely return next time I visit Philly! read more
While I usually come to this strip mall on Washington Ave to eat at Pho 75, I've also discovered that this small, largely unbeknownst Indonesian restaurant tucked away inside the shopping center has some of the best cheap eats in the city. You have to walk inside the mall to find this very unassuming restaurant. The actual interior is cozy and well decorated with what has to be Indonesian art and trinkets. They can probably seat 30 people at any one time. We came here at 7 on a Saturday night to a full house, but tables got turned around quickly so we only waited 5 minutes before sitting down to eat. The servers are very welcoming and are willing to explain anything on the menu if you're unfamiliar with this sort of cuisine. The food here is absolutely delicious. I think Hardena still has the most authentic Indonesian food in Philly but Sky Cafe has made this cuisine more approachable for first timers. They have a variety of starters but we decided to get the batagor. It featured hard boiled eggs, fried tofu squares and fried fish cakes, swimming in a delicious pool of peanut sauce. The sauce is a little more ginger-y than other places but just as good. My favorite dish here is the N1 noodle soup with roast pork, chicken and wontons. The noodles come covered in sauce and toppings, with a bowl of chicken(?) stock and meat/fishballs on the side. The sauce covering the noodles is the star of the show: before you pour the soup into your bowl, try the noodles by themselves. I couldn't really notice the chicken as much as the roast pork but I didn't mind one bit. Without a doubt, that bowl of noodles is one of the best in town. We also ordered the spicy chicken rice platter. We received a large fried chicken thigh covered in green chili sambal, rice, spicy eggs, coconut curry soup and shrimp chips. The fried chicken was super crisp and juicy. The sambal definitely gives it a nice kick. Our meal had us stuffed by the end. I don't have a single negative thing to say about our experience here. The prices here cannot be best for the quality of the food you're getting: our whole meal for two was probably around $26-27 after tax and tip. Definitely come find this hole in the wall next time you're in South Philly for a phenomenal meal. read more
10 years ago
Sometimes, I like to seek out foods my family cannot or rarely make. At first glance at Sky Cafe, I am thinking the food is too simple and I was afraid it would be like eating food in Hawaii, stuff you could make it home. However, I really appreciate the simple, comfort and tasty food here. They definitely have their own kick to things even with the hot sauce, which looks harmless but can throw in a punch. I really recommend Sky Cafe. It is something different. Lastly, service here is super friendly, so it should really be different from the rude services, many complaint about Asian restaurants. read more
I came here with my Dragon Boat Team on Sunday very hungry and with high expectations (one of my teammates raved about this place), and Sky Cafe delivered. We came in as soon as they opened (11am) and so didn't have a wait, but it seems like if you come in post 12/1pm you might be standing around for a bit. In our group of 11, five people got the Nasi Goreng Special, three people got the Mie Komplit, and three others decided to venture away from the pack and try something different. (The staff aided us in the decision making process with tons of great recommendations). I split fried wontons, the Nasi Goreng, and the Mie Komplit with my sister, and even in our post-practice hunger we couldn't finish our meals (yay leftovers!) The portions are HUGE (but also very reasonably priced.) The Nasi Goreng was great but could have had a bit more spice. Also, the sunny side up egg we asked for came fried =(. The Mie Komplit had tons of really flavorful meat, egg, and veggies, but the noodles were a bit on the bland side so we had to add a few things to add flavor. The fried wontons were AWESOME. My teammates were also really happy with their orders (R16? N16? chicken satay, passion fruit juice, the pink drink with avocado). I tried the pink drink and it was a little too sweet/bubblegummy for my taste, but the three people who got it all loved it. read more
7 years ago
Honestly, I would never have found this place if it was not for yelp. Great place, great authentic Indonesian food. There is always a crowd, and it is worth the wait. read more
This place should be the pedestal that other hole in the wall restaurants look to. It is hidden inside a shopping center so might be a little hard to find. Once we tasted the food, we knew the reviews were no joke. It's as good as everyone claimed it to be. We ordered the Mie Komplit and the beef rendang. Both were extremely tasty, homey, and cheap. I loved that the soup came on the side and you can have it separately or put some in your noodle dish if you choose. Definitely give this place a try next time you're in the neighborhood. read more
8 years ago
I love this place. Great price, great food. I'm sorry I can't be very specific this time but try any soup you can. I returned and picked something random and was still great. And one more time: prices are great! read more
5 years ago
The Food We ordered empek empek and it is delicious. But the sauce is nothing like what the authentic empek empek should be. It is thicker, which is a bit weird, but tasted the same. We ordered nasi lemak and nasi campur for entrees. The food came out delicious and it is good, but not authentic enough, I guess compared to the ones i tried at "Indonesia Restaurant" although they both served different type of indo food. The owner speak "hokkien" so I would suggest getting like nasi campur anything that is pork related. We ordered the batagor, mie ayam and sate babi to go and the batagor and mie ayam was not as good as we were expecting. The sate was good but not deliciously good. I had a mixed feeling about this restaurant. But it is definitely a different side of indo food. I would suggest getting like kwetiao siram, nasi campur, bakmi komplit those that are related to "hokkien" food. Atmosphere The place is small but it is still do-able for big groups of 10. Service Service was very friendly Overall Experience I had a mixed feeling whether to come back or not. The good side that there is parking, but I would not mind coming back and try their other food on the menu. P.S. BRING CASH WITH YOU. CASH ONLY! read more
8 years ago
The foods are cheap and delicious. Friendly services! Went there when I just moved to the area a few weeks ago and been back like 4 times! Love this place. read more
9 years ago
I think my standard for indonesian/malaysian food is too high after visiting asia recently. For a business that has 4.5 stars average review, my expectations were set really high. I left content, but not enough to warrant my review for more than 3 stars. Food: Some of my favorite indonesian food are nasi lemak ayam goreng and satay. We ordered the lamb satay and pempek for apps. The lamb satay itself was cooked well and was not dry. I was hoping for more of the soy sauce, sesame oil flavor, and etc. , but the flavor was mild. Overall not bad for a skewer, but I've had better in the city. Pempek was a good dish. Pempek is an egg yolk wrapped inside a fish cake doused in a sweet and savory sauce. The fish cake had a great texture to it, it was chewy and reminded me of a korean rice cake texture. The sauce gave the fish cake its flavor and while good, it was too sweet for me to consider this dish amazing. I had mixed feelings about the nasi lemak. The chicken was very good. It was fried without a batter and the skin was crispy. The meat was tender and there was a good natural and savory flavor from the meat. However, the rice was below my expectations. My gf said she tasted a hint of coconut, but I could not taste the flavor at all in the rice. The rice was also on the dryer side and not fluffy and moist like some of the other nasi lemaks I've had. The anchovies, onions, and crispies were a nice touch and added a crunchy texture to the rice. The sambal lacked the punch in flavor that I am used to. I didn't really taste the chiles or citrus flavor in it. Price: Pretty cheap compared to other places in the city.I think I paid ~$32 for 2 apps and 2 entrees which is good even for an asian place. read more
5 years ago
11 years ago
Very glad to have Sky Cafe reopen at this new location. Though new, they have not lost a beat with the consistency of great tasting Indonesian food. We had the Chicken/Pork Satay, Kwetiaw Goreng, Fried Tofu, Gado Gado and Mie Komplit; well prepared with very minimal wait time. I'm glad we did not struggle to find street parking. However, now you'll be fighting for a spot in the large parking lot that is shared with some very popular Vietnamese restaurants and an Asian supermarket. The restaurant can seat about 30 people, so if you show up for lunch on a weekend, plan on waiting for a few minutes. The new location also adds some more flair to the decor and menus. Overall, I'm glad the great food has returned and prices remained the same. We'll definitely be back. read more
7 years ago
Let's just start off with OMFG WHY HAVENT I DISCOVERED THIS PLACE EARLIER?! THIS PLACE IS SOOO GOOD! I actually walked pastes this place and I wanted to try this place out. This place reminds me of cafe saigon. It's small, cheap, and good asf. When I got the menu, I have no idea what 90% of the menu was. The menu was complete foreign to me. So I took like 10 mins to order. But I managed to survive and ordered. For my apps, I got some sort of tofu, fish cake, and dumplings with some kind of curry sauce. It was very delicious! The curry sauce just mmmmmmm! Then my second dish came and I was just. WHAT! Its soo good. The meat is tender asf, it had off the bone action and it was just...... I had no words to say. It was just good. I later questioned my existence. Everything was just sooo good. I was literally in heaven. But with all of that, I'll give sky cafe, a rare 5/5 rating. read more
6 years ago
9 years ago
8 years ago
More info about Sky Cafe
1122-38 Washington Ave
Ste B
Philadelphia, PA 19147
Bella Vista, Passyunk Square
Directions
(215) 271-1983
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https://www.skycafephilly.com
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