
Kopitiam Sentral Restaurant- The Hidden Wok
Quick info
About Kopitiam Sentral Restaurant- The Hidden Wok
On Upper Duke St, Kopitiam Sentral Restaurant, The Hidden Wok is a Malaysian restaurant run on a family basis, serving Malaysian Chinese dishes drawn from coffee hawker cooking. The menu runs from laksa and prawn mee to beef rendang, chicken satay, and crispy chili prawns, alongside roti canai and nasi lemak, with cendol among the desserts. Diners are given a free soup, and a dessert and condiments corner is set out for the table. Seating is walk-in, with no reservations taken. Egg fried rice, mapo tofu, and kangkong round out the wider menu alongside chicken ho fun soup noodles.
Good to know
- ReservationsWalk-in only
- ParkingPaid parking lot · Paid street parking · Usually plenty of parking
- AccessibilityWheelchair: seating
- Good for kidsGood for kids
Reviews
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention beef rendang, roti canai, chicken ho fun noodles and free soup.
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention beef rendang, roti canai, chicken ho fun noodles and free soup.
Customer Review Summary
Beef rendang emerges as the dish most reviewers return to, prized for its tender, spiced beef, though one visitor found it flavorless and wet, lacking any real spice or toasted coconut character. Close behind, the chicken ho fun soup noodles and prawn mee draw strong praise, one diner calling the ho fun "easily one of the best dishes on the table" and another rating the prawn mee among the best they'd found outside Malaysia. Laksa, crispy chili prawns, kangkong and cendol also get individual shout-outs, alongside repeated mentions of generous portions and a complimentary soup or dessert corner. Against that, a recurring thread of inconsistency surfaces: one reviewer suspected the roti canai was "ready made frozen," another described the chicken curry as bland with undercooked potatoes and unfried chicken, and a separate diner said the stingray asam pedas tasted like it came straight from the freezer. One review summed the place up as containing "gems among other subpar dishes," suggesting repeat visits to find what's good. Several also note fast, friendly service.
Customer Review Summary
Beef rendang emerges as the dish most reviewers return to, prized for its tender, spiced beef, though one visitor found it flavorless and wet, lacking any real spice or toasted coconut character. Close behind, the chicken ho fun soup noodles and prawn mee draw strong praise, one diner calling the ho fun "easily one of the best dishes on the table" and another rating the prawn mee among the best they'd found outside Malaysia. Laksa, crispy chili prawns, kangkong and cendol also get individual shout-outs, alongside repeated mentions of generous portions and a complimentary soup or dessert corner. Against that, a recurring thread of inconsistency surfaces: one reviewer suspected the roti canai was "ready made frozen," another described the chicken curry as bland with undercooked potatoes and unfried chicken, and a separate diner said the stingray asam pedas tasted like it came straight from the freezer. One review summed the place up as containing "gems among other subpar dishes," suggesting repeat visits to find what's good. Several also note fast, friendly service.
Featured reviews
- Google user
“Solid place to eat if you want some decent, authentic Malaysian-style food. Good portion size and fast service. I enjoyed it even though I was in a bit of a rush, I would go back again to curate a more leisurely experience for myself Marked atmosphere down slightly because it was quite loud at some points, however it's a testament to how popular the restaurant is”
- Google user
“Overall very big portions and good value for food. Owner were very generous and gave us free soup! Sadly not authentic malaysian restaurant, average for food. Roti canai was good. Nasi lemak sambal was not to our liking but was served with good fried chicken. Sambal kangkung was not spicy or flavoursome. I would not recommend their yuen yang - it doesn't taste anywhere like the actual dish. You could taste that the stingray asam pedas was not fresh - definitely came from the freezer. However I think it is a restaurant where you do find some gems among other subpar dishes so it's a restaurant where you would need to visit a few times to know what is good. Drinks were authentic and great options.”
- Google user
“The atmosphere was truly wonderful, and the staff were exceptionally friendly. Most importantly, the food was delicious and the portions were quite generous. I will certainly be recommending this remarkable establishment in Liverpool to everyone I know.”
- Google user
“Visited on a Friday lunchtime and it was empty, so lacked atmosphere. We had high hopes for the food but were disappointed. The roti was okay, but only as okay as the ready made frozen variety that I buy and cook at home- which I suspect is what they use. The chicken curry and beef rending were disappointing. The curry was bland, completing lacking in any curry spice flavours or creamy coconut flavour. There were a few curry leaves and lemongrass sticks evident, but they made no impact on the flavour. It was also overpriced, given it's bone on chicken (as its should be) and cheap as chips potatoes - sorry! though the portion size was good. The beef rendang was more flavourful, though lacking in any spice or heat or toasted coconut flavour, it was also very wet. Maybe the Chinese Malaysian dishes are better, but for the curry and the rendang, they'd be better off opening a packet of Brahims. Overall, the food we tried was a poor imitation of Malaysian food and we won't be back, which is a shame as we love Malysian food.”
- Google user
“The place is clean, with good lightings and the staff is accommodating. Their food is really good. Will be ordering this again when I come back to Liverpool.”
Highlights
“Authentic Malaysian Chinese cuisine inspired by traditional Malaysian coffee hawkers, all crafted to bring the flavours of Malaysia to life.”
- Popular for lunch
- Popular for dinner
- Popular for solo dining
- Small plates
Amenities
- Wheelchair accessible seating
- Paid parking lot
- Delivery
- Takeout
- Dine-in
- Good for kids
Show more amenities
- Alcohol
- Casual
- Onsite services
- Beer
- Coffee
- Quick bite
- Dining options· 4
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Dessert
- Table service
- Offerings· 1
- Small plates
- Facilities· 1
- Restroom
- Crowd· 2
- Groups
- Tourists
- Popular for· 1
- Solo dining
- Parking· 2
- Paid street parking
- Usually plenty of parking
Location
Restaurants near Kopitiam Sentral Restaurant- The Hidden Wok
- Tokyo Noodle Bar4.47700.1 mi£10–20Wheelchair accessible
large portions, overly salty food, slimy texture
- Big Bowl Noodle Bar4.51,8800.1 mi£10–20Wheelchair accessible
large portion sizes, salt and pepper chicken, crispy noodles
- 0.1 mi£10–20Vegan optionsVegetarian optionsWheelchair accessible
red thai curry, massaman curry, satay chicken starter
| Place | Rating | Distance | Price | Mentioned in reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kopitiam Sentral Restaurant- The Hidden WokWheelchair accessible · Good for kids | 4.5187 | — | £10–20 | beef rendang, roti canai, chicken ho fun noodles |
| Tokyo Noodle BarWheelchair accessible | 4.4770 | 0.1 mi | £10–20 | large portions, overly salty food, slimy texture |
| Big Bowl Noodle BarWheelchair accessible | 4.51,880 | 0.1 mi | £10–20 | large portion sizes, salt and pepper chicken, crispy noodles |
| Mee Japanese & Thai Street FoodVegan options · Vegetarian options · Wheelchair accessible | 4.6436 | 0.1 mi | £10–20 | red thai curry, massaman curry, satay chicken starter |
The 3 nearest restaurants by distance. Ratings, hours and review terms come from public business profiles.


