Famous Food in Penang

Born & grew up in Penang, also known as Food Paradise, naturally I’m proud to introduce & recommend Famous Food in Penang.

Penang is famous for its cheap & delicious street food. It is very common for travelers to fly to Penang for a foodtrip during weekends & holidays.

Appetiser

Fried Oyster

The dish consists of an omelet with a filling primarily composed of small oysters. Starch (typically potato starch) is mixed into the egg batter, giving the resulting egg wrap a thicker consistency.

Spicy or chili sauce mixed with lime juice is often added to provide an intense taste.

1. Heng Kee Coffee Shop

Address : 67A, Lebuh Presgrave

Opening Hours : Daily 6pm to 11.00pm

Price : Approx RM15 / USD5 / SGD6 per dish

Rojak

A delicious mix of fresh fruits and vegetables like pineapples, cucumber and water apples with cuttlefish slices. Generously topped with a local prawn paste dressing.

1. Gurney Drive Hawker Center

Address : Gurney Drive

Opening Hours : Daily 5pm to 12.00am

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

Pasembur

Pasembur is a Malaysian Indian salad features a mix of deep fried items and shredded vegetables, potatoes, bean curd, turnip, bean sprouts, prawn fritters, crackers, jellyfish or other seafood and served with a sweet and spicy nut sauce.

1. Lebuh Cecil Market Hawker Center

Address : Lebuh Cecil

Opening Hours : Daily 11am to 7pm

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

Popiah

Popiah is a Teochew-style spring roll with filling that comprises grated turnip (mangkuang/hongkuak), lettuce leaf, beancurd, egg bits, grated carrot, a dash of chilli paste (huan cheo ciau) and sweet sauce (tnee ciau) and a sprinkling of fried onions.

The name popiah, which in Teochew and Hokkien means “thin wafer”, refers to the skin which is a crêpe made from wheat flour. The sweet sauce is made from soy sauce, bean sauce and prawn paste.

1. Bee Hooi Coffee Shop

Address : 415, Jalan Burmah ( Opposite Belissa Row )

Opening Hours : Daily 6pm to 10pm. Close fortnight Tuesday

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

Chee Cheong Fun

Flat sheets made from rice flour, sometimes with some dried shrimp embedded, is steamed soft then cut up and topped with sweeten sauce, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili sauce, thick black prawn paste and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.

1. Genting Cafe

Address : Lorong Delima 3, Island Glades

Opening Hours : Daily 4pm to 12.00am

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

Grilled Sting Ray

A unique traditional Malay cuisine. The sting ray is usually marinated in spices, coconut milk, sometimes stuffed with sambal, then wrapped in banana leaves and grilled over hot charcoals.

1. GoodAll Cafe

Address : Jalan Gottlieb ( Opposite Penang Chinese Girls High School )

Opening Hours : Daily 6pm to 12.00am. Closed on fortnight Tuesday

Price : Approx RM20 / USD6 / SGD8 per plate

Main Course

Char Koay Teow

Penang Char Koay Teow is the most famous dish in Penang. Definitely not to be missed! It consist of flat rice noodles stir fried with prawns, eggs, bean sprouts chili, cockles, chives and commonly served on a piece of banana leaf on a plate.

1. Siam Road Char Koay Teow

Address : Jalan Siam ( Off Jalan Anson )

Opening Hours : Monday to Friday – 3pm to 7.30pm

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

Assam Laksa

Penang Assam Laksa is made with mackerel soup and its main distinguishing feature is the asam or tamarind  which gives the soup a sour taste. The fish is poached and then flaked.

Other ingredients that give its distinctive flavour include lemongrass, galangal  (lengkuas) & chilli.

Typical garnishes include mint, pineapple  slices, thinly sliced onion, hε-ko, a thick sweet prawn paste and use of torch ginger flower.

1. Air Itam Market

Address : Pasar Road ( Beside Air Itam Market )

Opening Hours : Daily 11am to 7pm. Closed on Wednesday.

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

Nasi Kandar

Originating from the Indian-Muslim culture, the dish got its name from the way it was peddled decades ago – by balancing pots containing the rice and the curries across the shoulders using a long wooden rod.

It is basically steamed white rice served with a variety of side dishes which include a variety of thick, rich curries and vegetables.

Hokkien Mee

Penang Hokkien Mee is served with yellow noodles & bihun drenched in richly flavoured dark soup stock with prawns, pork slices, fish cake slices, and bean sprouts topped with fried shallots  and spring onion.

The stock is made using dried shrimps, plucked heads of prawns, white pepper, garlic and other spices.

1. 888 Lebuh Presgrave Hokkien Mee

Address : Lebuh Presgrave ( 2 houses away from the corner lot coffee shop )

Opening Hours : Daily 5pm to 12.00am

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

2. New Cathay Coffee Shop

Address : 425E, Jalan Burmah ( Opposite Segafredo, Bellisa Row )

Opening Hours : Daily 7am to 1pm

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

Loh Mee

Penang Loh Mee consists of rice and egg noodles in broth thickened with corn starch and beaten eggs, served with eggs (some feature duck eggs), meat slices and bean sprouts.

1. Seng Thor Coffee Shop

Address : Kimberly Street

Opening Hours : Daily 7.30am to 11.00am

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

2. Lebuh Presgrave

Address : Lebuh Presgrave ( 2 houses away from the corner lot coffee shop )

Opening Hours : Daily 5pm to 12.00am

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

Koay Chiap

Koay Chiap is flat sheets of rice noodle served in a appetizing soup which is flavored with herbs, spices and soy sauce served together with different parts of the duck and pork. The noodle or the  koay  itself is semi translucency and is slightly thicker than the koay teow and usually cut into rectangular pieces.

1. Kimberly Street

Address : Kimberly Street

Opening Hours : Daily 6pm to 10pm

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

Koay Teow Th’ng

Koay Teow Th’ng is another popular Penang hawker food of flat rice noodles cooked in clear soup and topped with slices of chicken meat, fish balls, slices of fish cakes & is garnished with garlic bits, fried pork fat and scallions. Some times minced pork is also added.

There is also a dry version called Koay Teow Ta which is equally loved by Penangnites.

1. Lebuh Cecil Market Hawker Center

Address : Lebuh Cecil

Opening Hours : Daily 7.30am to 7pm

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

2. Pulau Tikus Market Night Hawker Center

Address : Pulau Tikus Market Night Hawker Center

( Note : There are 2 stalls so dont mixed up. This one is closer to the market while the other is by the roadside )

Opening Hours : Daily 6pm to 10pm

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

Curry Mee

Curry Mee is a dish that is unique to Malaysia, usually made up of thin yellow egg noodles and rice vermicelli with spicy curry soup, coconut milk, and a choice of dried tofu, prawns, cuttlefish, chicken, egg and mint leaves.

What makes Curry Mee is a special chili paste and pig’s blood. The pig’s blood is usually coagulated, and in cubes, but can be omitted by choice.

1. Chulia Street

Address : Chulia Street

Opening Hours : Daily 7pm to 10pm

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

1. Lebuh Cecil Market Hawker Center

Address : Lebuh Cecil

Opening Hours : Daily 11am to 7pm

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

Char Koay Kak

It is rice cakes fried in thick black soy sauce, chili paste with eggs, bean sprouts and chye por (preserved vegetable bits). The bean sprouts and chye por adds crunchiness to the rice cakes.

1. Burmah Road

Address : Jalan Burmah ( In front of Union Primary School )

Opening Hours : Daily 7pm to 10pm ; Closed on Sunday

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

Mee Goreng

Fresh yellow egg noodles are stir fried with squid, vegetables, tomato ketchup and spices, giving this fried noodle dish a distinctly unique Indian flavor.

1. Bangkok Lane Mee Goreng

Address : Bangkok Lane

Opening Hours : Daily 11am to 6pm

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

Pork Intestine Porridge

The white, smooth rice porridge was very flavourful by itself – but it comes with delicious slivers of pig’s intestines (both boiled & also crisp-barbecued varieties), pig’s liver, pig’s stomach, thinly-sliced “char siew” (barbecued pork), a sprinkling of chopped green spring onions, finely-julienned ginger, and a generous dusting of white pepper.

1. Lebuh Cintra

Address : Lebuh Cintra

Opening Hours : Daily 2pm to 4pm

Price : About RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

2. New Lane

Address : Lorong Baru

Opening Hours : Daily 12pm to 10pm

Price : About RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

Char Hor Fun

Char Hor Fun is a stir fried flat, wide, rice noodles (hor fun) and vermicelli (bee hoon) served with a thick sauce consisting of prawns, pork, char siew, eggs, liver and vegetables.

1. Chulia Street

Address : Chulia Street

Opening Hours : Daily 7pm to 10pm

Price : Around RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

Tom Yum Noodles

1. Village Coffee Shop 乡下鱼头米粉

Address : 107-A, Pengkalan Weld ( before Jelutong Express Highway )

Opening Hours : Daily 12pm to 11pm. Closed on 1st & 15th Day of Chinese Lunar Calendar

Price : From RM6 / USD2.00 / SGD2.50 per person

Dessert & Snacks

Cendol

Cendol, a dessert with green noodles in coconut milk, brown sugar and shaved ice & is one of the must try dessert in Penang.

1. Lebuh Presgrave Teochew Cendol

Address : Lebuh Presgrave

Opening Hours : Daily 5pm to 11pm

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

2. Penang Road Teochew Cendol

Address : Lebuh Keng Kwee, off Penang Road

( Note : There is 2 stalls so don’t mixed up. If turning in from Penang Road, the stall is on your right hand side. )

Opening Hours : Daily 11am to 7pm

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

Ice Kacang

Ice Kacang is made with sweet red beans, seaweed jelly, barley pearls, sweet corn and fruits are covered with shaved ice, then laced with rose syrup, brown sugar syrup and sweetened condensed milk.

1. Lebuh Presgrave Ice Kacang

Address : Lebuh Presgrave ( same stall as Cendol. Remember to ask for a scoop of Peanut Butter Ice Cream on top !! )

Opening Hours : Daily 5pm to 11pm

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

Tau Sa Piah

Tau Sa Piah also known as Dragon Ball is one of the most popular Chinese pastries in Penang. The words ‘Tau Sa’ mean bean paste and ‘piah’ means pastry.

Nyonya Kuih

Nyonya kuih is very popular in Penang and comes in different shapes, colors and texture with a selection of sweet and savory taste. These mouth watering kuihs makes a nice dessert to finish off a meal or just a simple snack anytime.

The kuih are made from rice flour, glutinous rice flour, glutinous rice and tapioca, with strong flavoring of pandan (screwpine) leaves, coconut cream and gula melaka.

Apong Balik

Apong Balik is a kind of pancake filled with sliced bananas.

1. Apong Guan

Address : Jalan Burmah ( Near Union Primary School )

Opening Hours : Daily 10am to 6.30pm

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

Ban Chang Kuih ( 慢煎糕 )

Ban Chang Kuih is another type of chinese pancake filled with roasted peanuts, cream corn and sugar. This pancake texture is chewy but the sides are crispy.

1. Moulmein Road Ban Chang Kuih

Address : Jalan Moulmein ( Opposite Pulau Tikus Police Station )

Opening Hours : Daily 10am to 6.30pm ; Closed on Thursday

Price : Below RM5 / USD1.50 / SGD2 per person

Mainland Penang

Raja Uda Yam Rice

Address : Hong Keat Coffee Shop, Jalan Raja Uda (Same row with RHB Bank)

Opening Hours : Daily 10.30am to 2.30pm

Price : From RM6 / USD2.00 / SGD2.50 per person

Sri Siam Economy Rice & Curry Fish Head

Address : Hong Keat Coffee Shop, Jalan Raja Uda (Same row with RHB Bank)

Opening Hours : Daily 10.30am to 2.30pm

Price : From RM6 / USD2.00 / SGD2.50 per person

Check Out by Tommy Ooi

• Penang Hotels Review ( Coming Soon )

• 7 Must Eat Food in Penang

Disclaimer :

All the information above is correct upon published & is subject to change without further notice. Please make an effort to double check. Neither the author nor owner will be liable for any damage or lost caused.