Kakilima Food Cart

This was my favorite food cart in madison by far. It flies under the radar… isn’t as glitzy as some of its neighbors, but it has the most comforting tofu dishes. I’m not even a tofu person but I would go out of my way to get tahu goreng or oseng tahu for lunch. Affordable prices and good portions. Haven’t tried anything that quite compares.

I used to work at a fruit cart adjacent to Kakilima, and I remember the friendliness of the owner. Coming back four years later, I was ecstatic to see the cart still here!
The menu has changed little, and I had to go with my old standby, the nasi goreng. I was a little disheartened to have to squint to see the chicken and egg in the dish, but aside from that, I found this dish to be as delicious as in the past. It’s the best kind of comfort food. If you’re a Madison food cart regular, you’d be remiss to pass this up.

My favorite food cart! I absolutely love the food and I get the Tahu Goreng or Oseng Tahu. It’s flavorful and I probably get it for lunch ³⁄₅ days out of the week. Definitely recommend.

I’ve just been here once, and I wasn’t super impressed. The only other time I’ve had Indonesian food was at a restaurant in another city, and the food was extremely flavorful and pretty spicy, so that’s what I thought the food here would be like as well. Unfortunately, I found the food a bit on the bland/​mild side.
I tried the curry tofu, which came over rice with a side of pickled carrots and cucumbers and some shrimp chips. The pickled veggies were really sweet, they almost had a relish flavor which I did not really care for. The shrimp chips were partly soggy, and I ate my meal pretty much immediately after getting it from the cart, so I was surprised at that. I really enjoyed the tofu they used, but the curry needed quite a bit more flavor. I thought it was tasty but mild and a bit too mellow. I might try a different dish from Kakilima another time, but I’m in no rush to go back.

Second time to the food carts in a week and I must say that lunch is starting to become my favorite meal of the day! I’ve never had Indonesian food before, but everything on the menu looked so enticing I just had to give it a try.
I ordered one of the two specials for today: the ayam semur, and even if I hadn’t realized it when I was ordering it, it was just what I was in the mood for! The chicken is slow cooked in a sweet soy sauce and spooned over a healthy portion of white rice. The entrée is also served with a side of pickled vegetables (yum!) and prawn chips (which get kind of soggy in the styrofoam carryout boxes). The serving of ayam semur I got was not as large as the portion of Indonesian fried rice that I saw someone else order (even though both are the same price and have pretty much the same ingredients), but for $ 7, it was enough to tide me over until a late dinner.
Kakilima, stay exactly where you are. I will be back tomorrow!
PS: Cash only! Remember to stop by an ATM on the way over.

Indonesian cuisine si quickly becoming my favorite.
I’m not an expert, but flavors are not as aggressive as Chinese or That — of course it depends on the dishes you order, but something about the mellowness of Indonesian food suits my palate.
And, I’m definitely awarding stars for Kakilima using organic tofu — bonus.
I had cooked organic tofu + peanut sauce on bed of green (forgot the proper name). Super. I also like their hot chili sauce, too. Quite flavorful in addition to the heat.
Everything I’ve been sampling from Kakilima has been a home run.
I’m now thinking about try cooking Indonesian at home — wish me luck.

This place is worth the short trip down State St. on a lunch break. Extremely friendly and fast service. I ordered the Ayam Bakar. Very tasty and full of that wonderful peanut-​flavor that I love so much!

This Indonesian food cart is AMAZING. Not only one of my favorite food carts, but easily one of the top lunch options in the entire city in my opinion. Today I saw it outside as I went to work and it made my day! It is right in front of St. Paul’s on Library Mall.
I’ve tried both the curry tofu and the oseng tahu (candlenut tofu) and both were fantastic! They were both served with a vegetable mix and then spooned with extra sauce over a bed of fluffy, perfectly cooked rice. I would say probably a 3:1 or 3:2 tofu to vegetable ratio.
–The curry tofu was coconut-​based and very mild, sweet, and mellow. A large pinch of toasted coconut added some texture and heightened the complexity just a touch more.
–Of the two tofus, though, I prefer the oseng tahu. It is a dish that has a bit more bite — not spicy, but that I think it strikes a less sweet note and more of an earthy one.
I’ve never personally tried any of the other dishes, but I’ve heard great things about the Ayam bakar, which is barbequed chicken breast in a peanut sauce.
NOTE: Be sure to take advantage of the condiments next to the forks! The hot sauce is great if you enjoy your food spicier and the sweet soy-​based one is also delicious and would likely be a great accompaniment to the dishes with a thicker-​looking peanut sauce to thin it out.
All the entrees come with acar, which is a lightly picked vegetable salad, and krupuk, which are crunchy tapioca puffs. Both are very tasty and add a refreshing crunch. Personally, I like to pile my extra rice and sauce on the the krupuk when I am done with my tofu.
The owner is super friendly, clearly there are several vegan options, everything seems to be gluten-​free. I am *racking* my brain and I cannot think of a single reason to not send ALL of you here. Seriously, just go. You won’t regret it!