Must-try stuff in Penang includes:
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Penang-style char koay teow is a must-try, with various good ones around town, e.g. the one at Kheng Pin Cafe on Penang Road which offers other good hawker food options as well, especially its “lor bak” (deep-fried meat rolls) and prawn fritters:
[Penang] Breakfast Options at Kheng Pin, Sri Bahari Road -
KTG Cafe on Lorong Selamat is another such spot, good for its fried koay teow (char koay teow), besides one of the best “ice kachang” in town.
[Penang] Hawker eats at KTG Cafe, Lorong Selamat -
Mandarin Cafe in Island Glades is another food haven, with lots of hawker food options to choose from. It’s best-known for the claypot chicken rice, nasi kandar and chee cheong fun stalls.
[Penang] Hawker food options at Mandarin Cafe, Island Glades -
One Corner Cafe in Jalan Bawasah is another very popular breakfast and lunch spot. Good for its Hokkien mee (prawn noodles soup) and koay teow th’ng (flat rice noodles in soup). But its asam laksa is also very popular, plus a plethora of other hawker food options.
[Penang] Breakfast & lunch options at One Corner Cafe -
For Penang’s iconic nasi kandar, go to either Line Clear ([Penang] Lunch at Line Clear Nasi Kandar) or Deen Maju (https://www.hungryonion.org/t/penang-malaysia-deen-maju-nasi-kandar-at-jln-gurdwara-brick-kiln-road/3918_
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For the best pastas in town (if you ever tire of Penang hawker fare), go to Jaloux on King Street:
[Penang] Lunch at Jaloux, 24 King Street -
Penang’s best-known eatery for local Penang-Hokkien Chinese eats has to be Tek Sen. Book ahead for lunch, or else join the queue for dinner (no reservations taken at dinner-time). Its roast pork stir-fried with soysauce, sugar and a bit of chopped chilis is craziliy-popular:
[Penang] Local Penang-Chinese favourites at Tek Sen, Carnarvon Street -
For Penang-Nyonya (Straits Chinese) cuisine, go to Winn’s on Irrawadi Road.
[Penang] Nyonya lunch at Winn’s Cafe, Irrawadi Road -
Another good spot to try Penang-Nyonya food is Nyonya Breeze at Straits Quay:
[Penang] Lunch at Nyonya Breeze, Straits Quay -
If you want dim sum, go to Fu Er Dai for breakfast:
[Penang, Malaysia] Best Cantonese dim sum in town at Fu Er Dai
