Melaka Getaway - Capitol Satay Celup

The 2nd must try makan place for our Melaka trip is Capitol Satay Celup, this place is well known for its notoriously long queues. They have adjusted their opening hours from 5pm to as early as 4pm for dinner time, so the early birds could start eating immediately instead of hanging around at the door at 4pm.

We made our way from our hotel to Lorong Bukit Cina (a.k.a. Melaka's Little India) slightly before 4pm. We got there at around 4.20pm instead of the planned 4pm sharp (we spent time taking pictures along the way, and also sampled rice dumplings!). The shop was already opened with 3 tables occupied (total 8-9 tables), we got our table immediately upon arrival.

Many prominent notices to emphasize their original recipe and being the one & only shop selling the local specialty. There is also a price list pasted on the wall.

We knew from various food reviews that they do recycle their satay broth for subsequent patrons, so being the first batch to eat here is very important. A brand new pot of satay broth was served to us once we're seated. Then they took our orders for drinks before we start checking out the skewers spread.

The spread was indeed extensive, I tried my best to capture every item but I think I still missed out a few. All standard skewer items are priced at RM1.10 each (inclusive of GST, yes Msia started charging GST since April 2015). Premium items (RM2.20/ RM4.00/ RM10.00) are served upon request.

Our pickings for the first round.

The staffs came and replenished the broth ingredients frequently, keeping the flavour and texture consistent throughout the makan session.

I like the thick, spicy and flavourful satay broth loaded with lotsa crushed peanuts! The skewer items were fresh and of reasonably good quality too.

pig ears

When we're near to finishing the standard items, we decided to order some premium items to try. Some items in the price list weren't available on the day itself so we picked 3 from what's available.

Abalone slices & Cuttlefish tentacles RM2.20

Giant prawns RM10.00 each

We were getting rather full after having the huge and meaty prawns, so we asked for the bill. The lady boss came and counted the number of skewer sticks and coloured plates we had and advised the charges on the spot. After payment, we quickly moved out of the place as the queue had been forming since 4.40pm.

Queue at 4.50pm

Queue at 5.25pm, already spanning 4 blocks away from the shop.

This was my first time trying Satay Celup (Satay style steamboat), it is a rare find in SG (a.k.a. Satay lok lok in SG). I personally liked the idea of dipping raw and cooked food in delicious satay sauce, its quite different from the regular soup based steamboat I usually have. The satay sauce here was superb, so were the myriad choices of skewer items. However, after I've finally tried this long queue place, I would say it is not worth queuing more than 20mins in the tropical heat of Melaka. I highly recommend coming in early instead, and be the first batch to savour the yummy food here.


Capitol Satay Celup
41 Lorong Bukit Cina
75100 Melaka, Malaysia

Opening Hours: Daily from 4pm till late