Chahaya Malaysia

Always sooo tasty and delicious. Not another place to get authentic Malaysia in Ottawa like it. The chef's special tofu is something I think about often.

Aboslutely the best
can’t believe Ottawa has such authentic malaysian food
My favorite is the fried noodle (mee goreng), the wetness of the noodle and the flavour is exactly how mee goreng would taste in malaysia
And the ais kacang, their homemade pandan syrup is so so so delicious

The food was good with the exception of the soup but one dish doesn't make or break a restaurant. The chefs special was the best dish of them all!

I have been dining regularly at this family owned restaurant for the past decade, and let me tell you what an amazing experience it always is! The food is exceptional. Always fresh and so tasty. Their Malaysian tea is to die for. The best.

Food was great, the tofu was especially savoury and delicious. Noodles had right amount of kick. Only complaint would be having paid 20$ for 8 pieces of jumbo shrimp and veggies. Recommend staying away from the shrimp dishes unless you wanna be robbed.

Superb taste, felt like I was having the best meal of the month, we ordered take away and it truly lived up to our expectations, as we were waiting for our order to get ready, we were served some delicious prawn chips with a small portion of sauce, which was great.lovely ambience, fully packed at 8pm, amazing packaging, which kept our food hot until we reached home and really enjoyed the taste of various dishes, it was worth paying for the meal, and not to expensive for a family of 5.

I was craving for Malaysian food and I really wanted to like it and had high expectation. As a Malaysian eating here I can say the food was not authentic Malaysian food. The sambal is spicy without any taste just spicy. Food extremely pricy. Only thing I liked is the coffee.

Great place for authentic hot (spicy hot) and halal food.

This place was a pleasant surprise for me. The price is quite reasonable. The ambience is homely and calming. The crew are welcoming. And, the food is tasty.

I need nothing more to relax for a few hours from the life's hustle.

Superb Malaysian food with knowledgable and efficient service. It is well worth the price. If you're wanting outstanding Malaysian food, go here. If you're wanting to drink beer, go to a bar.

Some of the best food I've eaten a long time. I'd never eaten Malaysian good prior to this visit. The food was so carefully prepared and flavourful. The spice levels were just right and best of all we felt fantastic afterwards. We got a second meal to eat the day following. Will definitely repeat! Also our server was wonderfully attentive and knowledgeable.

The food here is AMAZINGG! So flavourful & vegetarian friendly too! Love the restaurant & have been eating here for the last 6 years, will be back for more!

Amazing food, all dishes were well seasoned and full of flavour. We tried the Jumbo Shrimps in Coconut Milk (#33), Bali Beef (#43), Traditional Rice (#55), and Malaysian Fried Noodles (#57). These dishes were all perfect for my lower spice tolerance, and they also offered to bring some of their spicy sauce to the table so others could individually adjust the heat level on their plate. Great customer service and experience overall. I would recommend a visit

Food, atmosphere, service, everything at Chahaya Malaysia was amazing. Every dish we ordered was delicious, from appetizers to dessert. Prices were also Very reasonable and the portions were big! Hope to be back soon!

Excellent service and very generous portion sizes. If you’re looking for Southeast Asian comfort food, you can’t go wrong with this restaurant.

This place is AMAZING. Have been here quite a few times and always go back. We ordered about 8 dishes and thought it was too much food but cleaned up everything. Their fried rice and Malaysian noodles were out of the world. The five star chicken was amazing but very very spicy. Make sure you have a good spice tolerance but even if you dont their Ais kacang will definitely make it worth it.

Some of the best food you’ll find in Ottawa. No question. If you want something different to the typical mass-produced takeout/restaurant food then check this place out. Service is great. Food is great. Unpretentious vibe is great. This place is just great all round.

The food and service is always fantastic. If you are not sure what to order the staff are able to make some great suggestions.

Wonderful staff, acommodated us even though we came in late. The customer service was superb. I was not a fan of the Malaysian style Tom Yum soup however the chicken curry and the noodles were delicious. Great portions they were generous with us. I will definitely come back for the curry and the excellent customer service!

Very friendly and attentive staff. They were kind enough to help us with ordering portions as it was our first time. Absolutely delicious food, have a wide variety of options; everything from vegetarian, to seafood, to meats (they even had my fav lamb). Keep up the great work.

THIS PLACE IS AMAZING! We went and Margaret was so incredibly kind to us. The customer service is great. The food is also very delicious, and if you like spiciness, you will LOVE this place. They are also quite flexible with their spiciness (you can change the amount of spiciness freely). Also, the food came quickly which is a nice bonus. (As a tip) : If you pay with debit or cash, you could win a free dinner for 4 people (it is a draw). Great restaurant!

Food was excellent and well balanced. Service was very friendly, especially considering we had zero experience with Malaysian food.

Brilliant food, brilliant hosts and always a great experience. We order extensively and everything is always great. In particular the lamb dishes. Make sure to get the tea at the end, it is outstanding!

I’ve been going here for years now and it is my go to place. The food is absolutely amazing and the quality has never changed. Always amazing food, staff and service. Highly recommend!

One of our favorite restaurants in Ottawa. It take us ~1h round trip to come here and its always been worth it.

Used to come here as a teenager with my parents, and now I eat here with my own kids. Food was phenomenal today, as was the service. Looking forward to our next visit already.

Decent Chicken with garlic sauce. It’s milder than the hakka Chinese cuisine but still the food was good. The prices were on the higher side for this type of food. Spring rolls were just okay.

I was recently in Ottawa and visited this restaurant. It is a family business where the husband is the chef and the wife looks after the customers. And this couple pours their heart and soul into satisfying their guests. The food is tailored to requirements of the customer. The menu is extensive and cooked to perfection. Thank you to this wonderful little restaurant in Canadas capital. I hope I get a chance to eat their again.

The food was very tasty. It is not very authentic to the Malaysian tongue but I have to give it them, it is yummy!

But why only 2 stars? The older lady owner was just rude. I notice that there were reviews about the lady owner being rude about a year ago. That lady should not be a waitress.

Secondly, the younger man told us how to eat our food in a condescending tone: "you usually use your hands to eat that". We are Malaysian, don't you dare tell us how to eat Roti Canai. And why does it matter what utensils people use to eat their food? People can eat anything however they want. If you said this to a non-malaysian, they would probably feel embarrassed and would feel like they did something wrong! Which is not the case.

I understand that your intentions were not bad. But as an experience for a customer dining it. It was unpleasant.

Went there twice and will definitely be going more often. Food is very delicious, the service was great and the environment was very welcoming. The portion size to price is very good, the food comes out pretty quickly and the quality is very good, could be a little oily but compared to other locations it is not that oily.

Amazing flavours! Have been eating at Chahaya Malaysia for over 25 years from the time that they were on Bank Street.

Great tasting food with a lot of flavor. I personally love the spicy fish soup and the fish coconut curry. Amazing spice! I would also recommend the Bali beef, it's a can't miss. We'll definitely be ordering again!

Super friendly staff. Amazing, delicious Malaysian food! I highly recommend trying Chahaya Malaysia.
Their Spring Rolls (#4) and Shrimp Rolls (#6) are the best I've ever had. We really enjoyed the Jumbo Shrimps in Coconut Milk (#33), Singapore Fried Rice (#56) and Bak Mee Goreng (#60). Also, it is important to note that their spiciness is one of the hottest I've tried so far - be sure to choose the level of your preference, and be aware that their very spicy is on a whole other level!

A lovely down-to-earth restaurant serving fresh and flavourful dishes. Staff are knowledgeable and friendly. Will be going back!

Great family owned restaurant offering some of the most authentic Malaysian food in Ontario (If not Canada)! Sambal, Satay, Mee goreng, spring rolls were all amazing! The owners and staff were so kind and the portions were very generous! Excellent service. Margaret went above and beyond to make sure everything was amazing!

Good customer service and good quality. If you want to try Indonesian or Malaysian food this is the place you go to in Ottawa

Just ordered takeout today and the food is amazing! We live in the area and didn't know this lovely tiny gem existed. We ordered a lamb curry and the bali beef, both were delicious. The service was quick and friendly, can't wait for the pandemic to be over so we can go and dine-in here. Lovely tucked away spot!

Great to see such an authentic menu in Ottawa! I tried the rendang which was very flavourful and they don't shy away from making it really spicy which the recipe calls for. It was probably slightly above my spice limit but I enjoyed it nevertheless! Will have to come back and try out more items from their generous selection.

Drove across town to pick up dinner last night and it was well worth it! We had beef rendang and a chicken noodle dish. I couldn't tell you which one I enjoyed more. Will definitely go back!

Best Malaysian food I've every had, hands down. And one of my favourite restaurants in Ottawa. They have a number of unusual, interesting and delicious dishes that you won't find in many places in North America. Don't let the trek to the East End put you off. These people know what they're doing and they are warm and welcoming. I've been a client for nearly 30 years.

I just ordered 1 noodle and 2 curries. 1 beef tendang, the curry was very small portion in the big take away container with a strange taste and am not sure if the beef was still fine to eat. And my other curry was kurma lamb with absolutely no taste. I feel like I wasted my money and am def not coming back.

Edit. I forgot to add that I am a big fan of Malaysian food, having lived there for four years, then being part of the Malaysian community in London, UK, I have am more than familiar with what spices goes in and what it should taste like. I just wised my critics would make for a reason to improve.

My friends and I have gone there multiple times in the past and the food has always been great! It is halal for those who care about halal food and it is a wide variety of choices. Met the older gentleman who's the owner and he is very friendly and well-mannered.

Our issue has been once again the lady owner, it is unfortunate that I do not want to go back there just thinking about the poor customer service we may experience again. I found her to speak in a condescending manner and just lacking good customer service attitude. In my opinion, she should not be customer-facing and only then I would consider returning.

Great food. Large portions. Love this place and would visit again and again.

I really request the owners to keep this place open for business every day of the year. Me and my family had plans to dine here on the 25th Dec. Unfortunately this place was closed. The restaurant is so good it should not be allowed to close for a single day. That may disappoint some valuable customers.

Good luck. I will come back soon.

This place is very unique. Totally Malaysian and well worth a visit for eating something off the board. Lots of different meal options but you'll have to spend to eat here. The level of spiciness is quite high. I've heard of a guy who fainted in the bathroom downstairs from how spicy it was. At 2.5 stars spice level you may get tears. The taste is good but sometimes overshadowed by the spice. You could say it even gives you a slight high afterward.

Chahaya is fantastic. The owners are incredibly friendly people and the food is excellent. The Mee goreng and chicken curry in particular were so flavourful. This is also one of the few places in Ottawa where they serve truly spicy foods, both in the senses of aromatic and heat. For that alone I deeply appreciate Chahaya.
The only thing that keeps it from being a full five stars for me is the lack of two mainstay Malay dishes: roti canai with kari, as well as curry laksa. Other than that, Chahaya is a delight and if it weren't so far away I'd be here far too often!

Food was not bad. But the Lady owner is very rude and doesn't know how to respect customers. Average service. When asked for a takeaway box she got annoyed.also, Was told they prefer cash or debit.and when I gave cash without a hefty tip and said keep the change, the response was NO YOU KEEP IT. YOU NEED IT MORE THEN ME in a angry and rude way.like seriously. We are never going to go there EVER and will make sure all our friends and acquaintances do the same. We feel insulted and humiliated.

Food was fantastic service was as well, it can be a little move newbie friendly with recommendations to more "generic" dishes. Place was surprisingly clean.

Food was so cold and not fresh. Shrimps were literally soggy. Fried rice was cold. This place used to be good not anymore tho.

What a great surprise! Came here with no expectations; didn't know I'll find this gem. Now on my list for regular visits

Amazing restaurant! My husband and i love going here! I've been coming here as a kid with my family and now go ALL the time with my husband.the food is sooo good, authentic and flavourful. The price totally worth it and reasonable. And Buddy is such a nice man. I highly recommend this place.

One of the best restaurants in the city. The food has an amazing home cooked feel and is super filling.

One of the best dining experiences in the city. Simply delicious. Great service. Feel at home experience. Quantity and quality is excellent.

I have been going to this wonderful restaurant for the last 20 yrs and hands down by far the best quality food in Ottawa. The Owners are very hospitable, friendly and definitly make the enviroment comfortable and enjoyable. I was just here this evening with a friend and the Owner and his wife made our continued trips to Chahaya Malaysia a wonderful experience. Thank you both and your staff for all the hard work and hours youve put into make this place a Gem in Ottawa. The food quality has always consistantly been the same and the best! A great place for spicy food:)

The best place to eat in Ottawa, no question about it. I wish they would franchise so we'd have more of them closer to where I live!

This is by far my favourite place in the city. If you are far away. IT'S WORTH THE DRIVE. They are a wonderful family and the food is amazing. Beef Rendang and the Eggs in Tomato Sauce! I am sure everything is excellent on the menu, but many years ago I tried that and I can't not have it! I went to Amsterdam and tasted many yummy things, but happy to be home. It is still my favourite restaurant.

The host was very knowledgeable and helpful! We had the chef's special chicken and Malaysian noodles. Both dishes were flavourful and very tasty! I recommend especially if you are looking for a different flavour profile!

Excellent food at reasonable prices and wonderful atmosphere and service. This place has the best spicy food in the city, and a lunch buffet that's actually worth the ticket price. If I could afford it, I'd eat here every day.

This is overpriced mall food. I ordered Singaporean fried rice and it was full of peas as the main item! Also, my friend ordered Javanese chicken which was a little dry chicken breast on almost raw cabbage. The gentleman owner was friendly. The other lady (his wife) seemed to focus more on old customers as she kept telling us to go to the back of the restaurant to sit. It felt controlling. Another request would be to not harass people who may not leave a good comment. You have to earn it!