Penang is a vibrant city with plenty of tourist attractions. Its renowned street food has garnered worldwide fame and has become as equally popular, if not more so, than the city’s UNESCO heritage status. This article is about our journey to hunt for the best food in Penang, not just the famous street food; it will include some of the restaurants we visited during our recent trip to Penang.
I understand that taste is subjective; therefore, I’ll provide an honest review of our experiences and leave it to you to make the final judgment when you are there.
We have visited several food courts and restaurants recommended by local friends in George Town. Below is a summary of the places we visited and the food we sampled. I hope this article provides insight for your next Penang holiday and helps you find the best food to savor.
1. Gurney Drive
Gurney Drive is the first place we want to visit because it evokes many nostalgic feelings. Many years ago, when we studied in Penang, we sat at Gurney Drive, which was lined with numerous food stores. Things have changed; they operate in the nearby food court opposite the road.
There wasn’t much difference when we visited two years ago, except that Gurney Drive Esplanade is now partially opened on the reclamation land.
We ordered Pan Mee, but when we received it, it didn’t look like it; instead, it looked more like prawn noodles (Hokkien Mee). I believe the owner heard our order wrongly. The taste was alright, but there are better ones in other places in Penang.
Then we had grilled sotong (cuttlefish). The standard was maintained for this dish, which was very satisfying.
The char koay teow with duck egg was so popular that there was a long line to order it. The taste was good, but I think the one at Chulia Street is even better.
Grilled sotong (must be consume immediately or else it will turn rubbery), sotong with kangkung, and rojak (a sweetened local fruit salad) are all quite good, and we shared them with the local friends who came along. Thanks to their company, we could order and try many different varieties of food together.
For a more balanced meal, we ordered some Satay. The taste was okay, and the gravy was fine, but it’s nothing much to shout about. We also ordered Muar Chee and Assam Laksa. They were all moderate in terms of taste and standard.
Overall, the food at the Gurney Drive food court is not impressive compared to many other places in Penang, which I will describe later.
Click here to get the directions to Gurney Drive
2. Fisherman’s Wharf Penang
We had dinner at Fisherman’s Wharf Penang, located at Karpal Singh Drive. I visited this place two years ago during our trip to Penang when our local friends brought us there. I love this place because there is a huge parking space right in front of the giant food courts, and since we were self-driving, it was very convenient for us.
Here, you should be able to find any Penang street food you want. If you are short of time in Penang and want to try all the street food in one place, this will be one of the best options.
We ordered Asam Laksa and prawn mee. Although it is not the best we’ve ever tried, it is above average. The good thing about this place is that you not only have a choice of local street food but also other stores that sell a variety of foods from across Asia. At the far end, you will also find a seafood restaurant.
Click here to get the directions to Fisherman’s Wharf Penang.
3. Chulia Street Char Koay Teow
After having dinner at Fisherman’s Wharf Penang, we decided to head to Chulia Street for supper, specifically targeting the famous Char Koay Teow.
The store I used to visit on the main Chulia Street has now been moved to the side road, called Carnarvon Street.
One of the major problems when coming to this place is finding a parking spot. We had to park our car on another road nearby, which took us about seven minutes to walk at night.
When we arrived, this place looked like a carnival, full of locals and tourists.
Since we already had dinner, our sole purpose was to look for the Char Koay Teow. And it did not disappoint us. We had to wait in a queue since the store is on the fiev-foot way of one shop lot. There were only a few tables, and we had to wait for our turn to sit.
I noticed that many people eating here were tourists, which initially made me a little skeptical. However, as I tasted it, the perfect combination of seasoning, the charredness of the noodles, and everything else was harmonious and well-balanced. It is one of the best ones I have tried in Penang. Highly recommended.
I also realized that the uncle who fried the noodles used a gas stove, which surprised me as I initially thought charcoal would taste better. However, it didn’t make a significant difference at all.
Click here to get the directions to Chulia Street Char Koay Teow.
4. Ivy’s Nyonya Cuisine
Ivy’s Nyonya Cuisine is just a five-minute walk from our hotel. We were excited to experience it because it had been awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand Award.
The restaurant has recently moved to a new address, a traditional heritage-style building with four shop lots. It is a two-story building, with the first floor featuring a stage and sound system suitable for holding functions.
Most diners prefer to sit on the ground floor close to the kitchen. The restaurant specializes in traditional northern Nyonya cuisine, and the owner, Ivy, still cooks in the kitchen daily.
The recipe was passed down from Ivy’s parents and then improved and standardized to meet the most stringent requirements from guests, gastronomes, and food critics. The food not only meets Michelin standards but has also received numerous accolades, including recognition from TripAdvisor.
Two robots are now being used to deliver food to improve service efficiency.
The interior and exterior of the restaurant are well-decorated with traditional Nyonya architecture and decorations.
We ordered a set meal, which included Joo Hoo Char (mixed vegetables), Assam Fish, Kapitan chicken (curry chicken), Hae Bee Sambal, and black glutinous rice with coconut milk for dessert.
After trying numerous street foods in Penang, which primarily consisted of carbohydrates, it was particularly satisfying to dine at the Ivy’s Restaurant and enjoy a proper meal of Nyonya cuisine, complete with a balanced diet of protein and vegetables.
Click here to get the directions to Ivy’s Nyonya Cuisine.
5. Air Itam curry laksa
After visiting Kek Lok Si Temple at Ayer Itam, we planned to have curry noodles at the famous Air Itam Two Sister Curry Mee. Unfortunately, the shop was closed when we arrived.
However, an elderly lady we met there suggested another better store within walking distance. It is located at the Annex Pasar Air Itam.
We found a curry mee stall run by a middle-aged Chinese lady. The local lady’s recommendation was precise. It had the traditional taste of Penang curry mee we were looking for, and the price was extremely reasonable: a bowl of mee cost only RM6.
Click here to get the directions to Annex Pasar Air Itam.
6. Pusat Penjaja Lebuh Cecil
We had breakfast on the third morning in Penang at Cecil Market, a huge food court. I was pleased to find that it was reasonably priced, clean, and hygienic.
Our main focus was to look for one of the most famous stalls of duck Keoy Teow Th’ng (flat rice noodle soup) in Pulau Pinang. It’s a specialty of Penang and a must-try if you’re here. When we were here two years ago, the queue had at least 7 to 10 people. We were fortunate not to wait this morning because we came earlier.
In addition to that, we also ordered a bowl of Penang Laksa, which turned out to be far better than the one we had at Gurney Drive the day before. You can find most of the best street food in Penang here.
Click here to get the directions to Pusat Penjaja Lebuh Cecil.
7. Restaurant Deens Maju Nasi Kandar
Restaurant Dean’s Maju is one of the halal restaurants we know about, but we failed to visit it on our last trip due to our schedule. Today, we made it a point to have lunch there and purposely arrived slightly before 12:00 as we knew there would be a huge crowd during lunch.
As anticipated, there weren’t many customers there yet. The staff recommended trying the lamb shank, but we preferred other dishes, especially their dhal rice.
We ordered some chicken and fish, and once we entered the interior, we were surprised by how huge the restaurant was. If I’m not mistaken, three or four shoplots are lined with tables and chairs. Not very long after, we found that most of the seats were occupied, which shows how popular this restaurant is.
The chicken I ordered was good and not very spicy, so I think it will suit everyone. Also, the price is very reasonable, which I believe is another crowd drawer.
I need to mention that the toilet is exceptionally clean, considering it is in a row of traditional old buildings. Looking closely at the decoration, you will notice this is a heritage building.
I highly recommend you try this restaurant, rather than only focusing on the Penang Chinese street food, as this represents another aspect of Penang food.
Click here to get the directions to Restaurant Deens Maju Nasi Kandar.
8. First Genting Cafe, Island Glades
We decided to try it out because one of our relatives around here recommended it as one of the best in the area. So, here we are.
The First Genting Cafe is not a Western cafe; it’s a modernized hawker center. You can expect to find the same kind of food mentioned several times in this article.
We arrived at about 9:00 a.m., and the shop was full of customers. We managed to get a table, which we shared with another gentleman.
We ordered char koay teow and Penang-style Chee Cheong Fun (flat rice noodles). The Chee Cheong Fun stall at Cecil Market was closed when we were there, so we are glad to find it available here and hope it will be as good as that.
We also ordered duck meat Koey Teow Th’ng. All the items we ordered were quite good.
The hawker stalls are run and cooked by the locals. I understand that Penang has a regulation that foreigners are no longer allowed to cook at street food stores. This is causing a shortage of people to work, but there is no doubt that the authenticity of these street foods is maintained and preserved.
Click here to get the directions to First Genting Cafe.
9. Restaurant White Curry Mee
As the name suggests, this shop’s special dish is the White Curry Mee. It’s a unique dish in which the curry is served separately from the noodles, giving the broth a clear appearance.
We had to add the curry mixture to the noodles based on our preferred level of spiciness. Besides, we noticed that almost every customer ordered the poached chicken with rice, which is equally delicious despite not being the restaurant’s signature dish. We also ordered the five-spiced lor (five-spice pork rolls) bak. The restaurant has also received the Bib Gourmand status from the Michelin Star guide.
That’s all the street food courts and restaurants we tried during our recent trip to Penang.
Which one is the best? You be the judge. The best way to find out is to visit Penang and try it yourself. As I mentioned, taste is subjective, so there’s no better way to decide than trying it firsthand.
Click here to get the directions to Restaurant White Curry Mee.
10. Ghee Hian Bakery
Ghee Hiang is a renowned bakery in George Town, Penang, with a rich history dating back to 1856. Originally established by Chinese immigrants from Fujian, China, Ghee Hiang has become a significant part of Penang’s cultural heritage. It is particularly known for its traditional pastries and sesame oil.
Ghee Hiang’s pastries, often called biscuits, are handmade and baked fresh daily. The bakery emphasizes quality, using traditional methods passed down through generations. It also produces the Baby Brand Pure Sesame Oil.
We visited the showroom of Ghee Hiang and purchased some Tau Sar Pneah and the famous sesame oil before concluding our trip to Penang and heading back to Kuala Lumpur.
Click here to get the directions to Ghee Hian Bakery.
What else can you do in Penang Island?
We have lived here for four years while studying at the university. Afterward, we revisited Penang several times. Besides food, we will be writing a series of articles about Penang. Meanwhile, please refer to our articles about Kek Lok Si Temple and Penang Hill.
🎞️ Watch the video shot during our trip
Please watch the video we made for our trip on YouTube. As below:
