A push cart and a signboard, 1920s
In the 1920s, Haji Marlian Athar and Hajjah Rosmah Mailu arrived in Singapore and sold nasi padang from a push cart in Kampong Glam. They brought the cooking of the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra with them: slow-cooked rendang, chilli sambals and coconut curries over rice.
A sailor friend gave the young couple a signboard reading "Sabar Menanti", Bahasa Indonesia for "wait patiently". The food drew a queue that never really shortened, so the name stuck, and it has stayed with the family ever since. The full timeline is on our story page.
From cart to shophouse, 1932 to the 1970s
In 1932 the business grew into a small restaurant at the corner of Bussorah Street, by the tip of Kandahar Street, where the family ran the nasi padang trade for about forty years. These were the streets around the Sultan Mosque, and over the decades the shop became a Kampong Glam institution.
By the 1960s and 70s, you could spot Sabar Menanti from down the street by the line of customers waiting patiently for their plate. That queue is the reason the name still makes people smile.
The next generation, 1980s to 1994
In the 1980s the founders, Haji Marlian and Hajjah Rosmah, passed on. Their children, Yusmal, Rizal, Tarmizi, Maryulis and Zubaidah, carried the recipes and the name forward.
In 1994, Maryulis opened Sabar Menanti at 747 North Bridge Road and built a following of her own. Many customers knew that shop as "Sabar Menanti 2" or "Sabar Menanti II", and some customers may still know us by that name.
Where we are now: 719 North Bridge Road
In 2022 the kitchen moved a few doors down to 719 North Bridge Road, Singapore 198687. If you remember the 747 shop, or have an old address saved in your phone, please note that 719 is our current and only address. Maryulis's son, Iszahar Tambunan, now runs the business.
The family is still very much in the kitchen. In 2024, 8 Days ran a story headlined "Spunky 12-year-old declares herself next boss of 100-year-old nasi padang shop Sabar Menanti". We are open Tuesday to Sunday, 7:00am to 5:00pm, and closed on Mondays. Directions are on our visit page.
What to look for in a heritage nasi padang stall
Age alone does not tell you much about the plate in front of you. If you are looking for a heritage stall, these are the things we would look for ourselves, at any counter.
Honesty about change matters too. In a hundred years our family's kitchen has gone from a push cart, to the corner of Bussorah Street, to Maryulis's shop at 747 and now 719 North Bridge Road, and the recipes came along every time. A heritage stall does not have to stand still. It has to keep cooking the same food.
- A family you can name. Heritage means people. Ask who started it and who cooks now.
- A history that adds up. Dates, addresses and moves that are explained openly, not a vague "since forever".
- Dishes that take time. Rendang cooked down for hours is hard to fake. Look for it dark and tender, not pale and saucy.
- A counter that changes with the day. A freshly cooked spread shifts with what the kitchen made that morning.
- Things you can check. Press coverage and reviews you can read for yourself, rather than claims on a banner.
What others have written
A century in the same neighbourhood has brought food writers to our counter. CNA Lifestyle wrote in April 2024 that our nasi padang is "literally worth the wait, from beef rendang to ayam bakar", and Seth Lui has a review of our food too.
Over the years, guests photographed at the shop have included Anthony Bourdain with Najib Ali, Joseph Schooling, Khairy Jamaluddin, Marcell Siahaan and Padu Beb. We are grateful for every one of them, and for the regulars whose names never made the papers. To see what is on the counter now, visit our menu.