Penang Street Food Bucketlist | Pulau Pinang

Leave your diet aside and get ready to travel by your stomach when you visit Penang!

Penang Hokkien Mee

The tried and true 888 Hokkien Mee stall at Lebuh Presgrave (三条路) have been cooking prawn mee in a flavorful spicy thick broth for 3 decades!

Order sides like meatballs, pork innards, and crispy pork if you get there early! And get the ice kacang or cendol next door to end your meal!

Location: 67-A, Lebuh Presgrave, George Town, 10300 George Town, Penang Island

Opening Hours: 4pm to 12am

Closed On: Wednesday and Thursday

Curry Mee 

Somewhere along Rangoon Road is a reputable curry mee shop. Penang curry mee is different from most other curry mee in Malaysia.

The star ingredient is coagulated pigs blood! Along with some seafood and beancurd. If it’s not spicy enough, you can top up the chili paste!

Location: 58, Jalan Rangoon, 10400 George Town, Penang Island

Opening Hours: 8am to 3pm

Closed On: Monday

Mee Goreng

Out of all the other stalls at the open-air Esplanade Park, Hameed Pata Mee Sotong is the most popular!

Customers come to try this version of mee goreng that incorporates squid strips into the sambal.

Have it either dry or with gravy. The beverage stall just beside happens to serve amazing cendol, coconut shake or ais kacang too!

Location: 5, Esplanade Park, Lebuh Light, 10300 George Town, Penang Island

Opening Hours: 11:30am to 8pm (They open later on Fridays at 12:15pm)

Teochew Chendol

This brand may look familiar to you if you’ve been in the Klang Valley long enough! There are outlets in Klang Valley and even in Ipoh!

But Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul’s humble beginnings began from this very stall at Penang Road.

Location: Jalan Penang, 27 & 29, Lebuh Keng Kwee, George Town, 10450 George Town, Penang Island

Opening Hours:

  • Weekdays from 10:30 am to 7 pm
  • Weekends from 10 am to 7:30 pm

Penang Assam Laksa 

Arguably one of the best laksa in Penang, Air Itam Laksa has been in operation for over 6 decades! And still going strong!

They use mackerel and tamarind as their soup base with toppings of sliced cucumber, chili, mint leaves, Bunga kantan onion, and a sweet prawn paste, ‘hae ko’. Not too spicy or sour either!

Location: Jalan Pasar, Paya Terubong, 11500 George Town, Penang Island

Opening Hours: 10:30am to 7pm

Closed On: Wednesday

Char Koay Teow

Equally as famous as Penang laksa, you must save some room in your stomach to try Penang koay teow!

The elderly man behind the stall at Siam Road still uses the traditional charcoal method to fry the dish!

His char koay teow got so famous (world-famous, in fact) that he had to take a break for a few months to rest from the never-ending crowds! Prepare to wait at least an hour and a half to try it yourself!

Location: 82, Jalan Siam, George Town, 10400 George Town, Penang Island

Opening Hours: 12pm to 5pm

Closed On: Monday and Sunday

Penang Rojak

After a queue of at least 30 minutes by the roadside, exposed to sunshine and potential bird poop bombs:

You can have a bowl of on-the-spot rojak at Hock Seng Rojak stall.

The key to their 40-year success is the thick home-made sauce. Topped with crunchy peanuts and dried shrimp!

Location: Gat Lebuh Cecil, 10300 George Town, Penang Island

Opening Hours: 3pm to 8:30pm

Closed On: Monday and Tuesday

Loh Mee (卤面)

Lor mee is not as joint as it used to be. However, one long-standing stall at Restaurant Joo Huat at Perak Road serves this classic savory dish initially hailed from Fujian.

Penang’s take on this braised noodle dish is thick oily-looking brown soup with herbal egg, bean sprouts, pig skin and intestines and chicken feet! Accompanied by vinegar-garlic sauce and chili, of course!

Location: 336, Lintang Slim, Taman Desa Green, 11600 George Town, Penang Island

Opening Hours: 7am to 4pm

Closed On: Thursday

Oyster Omelet / Oh Chien (蚝煎) 

Fresh plump oysters with a sour-ish chili sauce complete the omelets that draw locals over to Burmah Road at Bee Hooi Restaurant.

Oyster omelets (oh chien) can be crispy or starchy – the one at Bee Hooi is the latter but pleasantly so!

Location: 415, Jalan Burma, Pulau Tikus, 10350 George Town, Penang Island

Opening Hours: 8am to 11:30pm

Closed On: Tuesday

Koay Teow Soup (粿条汤)

You have to wake up early for this one! Their MSG-free duck, pork and anchovy broth with rice noodles has many fans among the locals!

Sliced duck meat pairs well together with the noodles and soup so be sure to order that too!

Location: 13, Jalan Perak, George Town, 10400 George Town, Penang Island

Opening Hours: 7:30am to 11am

Closed On: Thursday

Penang food will satisfy the tummy of any foodie! But the numerous options will baffle a first-timer to Penang. It’s a challenge to try everything in a few days, let alone one day!

So note down the foods that you really want to try from this trustworthy list!

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