Penang food guide: what to eat and where

Plenty of Malaysians will tell you Penang has the best food in the country, and many of them will drive hours to prove it. The island’s mix of Hokkien, Malay, Indian-Muslim and Nyonya (Peranakan) cooking has produced a long list of famous dishes, almost all served from humble hawker stalls. Here’s how to make the most of it.

The essential dishes

Breakfast, lunch or night?

Penang’s food changes through the day, so timing matters:

• Morning: Hokkien mee, curry mee, nasi lemak, dim sum and kopitiam breakfasts of kaya toast and coffee.
• Lunch: Nasi kandar, char kway teow, assam laksa and economy rice.
• Night: The big hawker centres and street stalls come alive, with satay, oh chien, lor bak, and a bit of everything.

Where to eat

Rather than chasing individual stalls (which come and go), head to well-known hawker areas and see what’s busy:

• Gurney Drive: A big seafront hawker centre with a huge range, open in the evening. Touristy but fun.
• New Lane (Lorong Baru): A street of night hawker stalls in George Town, popular with locals.
• Chulia Street: Night stalls in the heart of the backpacker area.
• Kimberley Street: Night hawker stalls in the old town.
• Air Itam: Home to one of Penang’s most famous assam laksa stalls, near the market. Combine it with Kek Lok Si and Penang Hill.
• Little India: Nasi kandar, banana leaf rice, and Indian sweets.
• Kopitiams across George Town: For breakfast and lunch, the best food is often at whichever old coffee shop is busiest.

Nyonya food

Penang’s Peranakan (Straits Chinese) community has its own cuisine, mixing Chinese and Malay techniques. Look for perut ikan (a spicy fish-stomach curry with herbs), jiu hu char (stir-fried jicama with cuttlefish), and colourful Nyonya kuih (sweet cakes). Nyonya restaurants are the best place to try the more elaborate dishes.

How hawker centres work

• Grab a table first and note its number.
• Order at different stalls and give your table number. The food comes to you.
• Pay when it arrives (usually cash, though e-wallets are increasingly common).
• Drink sellers will come and take your order at the table. Order a drink: it’s polite, as they rent the space.

Drinks and desserts

Try nutmeg juice, a local speciality, or air mata kucing (a cooling longan drink). For dessert, there’s cendol, ais kacang (shaved ice with beans, jelly and syrups) and apom balik (a folded peanut pancake).

Planning your trip? See our Penang guide, 3 days in Penang and Malaysian food guide.