Joo Hooi Cafe is a street food budget eat in George Town, Penang.
Editorially verified August 27, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Tip: Seats are scarce at lunch; claim a marble table with a drink order first, then collect dishes stall by stall.
Address: 475 Jalan Penang, 10000 George Town, Penang
New Lane Hawker Centre lines Lorong Baru with twenty-odd evening stalls, the after-dark hawker parade Penang locals rate above the seafront rows.
Try: Char koay teow, chee cheong fun, sar hor fun
Tip: Start with the chee cheong fun and koay kak carts near the Macalister end, then work down the lane as it fills.
Sri Weld Food Court feeds Beach Street's office crowd from a shaded row of stalls, the weekday Penang lunch defined by Ali's nasi lemak queue.
Try: Nasi lemak, beef koay teow
Tip: Come before 13:00 on weekdays; the beef koay teow and deep-fried tofu make the best supporting order.
Goh Thew Chik has carved Hainanese chicken on Chulia Street for over 70 years, Penang's old-guard benchmark for every newer chicken-rice shop.
Try: Hainan chicken rice
Tip: The house chilli sauce is the differentiator; ask for extra and spoon it over the chicken-oil rice, not the meat.
Super Star Koay Teow Soup has run its Kimberley Street cart since 1960, a third-generation Bib Gourmand bowl that keeps Penang dinners under RM10.
Try: Koay teow soup with braised chicken feet
Tip: The braised chicken feet are the sleeper order; get them as a side even if the koay teow soup is your main.
New Lane Hawker Centre lines Lorong Baru with twenty-odd evening stalls, the after-dark hawker parade Penang locals rate above the seafront rows.
Try: Char koay teow, chee cheong fun, sar hor fun
Tip: Start with the chee cheong fun and koay kak carts near the Macalister end, then work down the lane as it fills.
Gurney Drive Hawker Centre gathers the seafront's night stalls into a covered court off Persiaran Gurney, Penang's most tourist-friendly hawker hit.
Try: Rojak, fried oysters, laksa
Tip: Peak service runs 19:00 to 21:00 when every stall is firing; locals rate New Lane higher, but the rojak here holds up.
Sri Weld Food Court feeds Beach Street's office crowd from a shaded row of stalls, the weekday Penang lunch defined by Ali's nasi lemak queue.
Try: Nasi lemak, beef koay teow
Tip: Come before 13:00 on weekdays; the beef koay teow and deep-fried tofu make the best supporting order.
Goh Thew Chik has carved Hainanese chicken on Chulia Street for over 70 years, Penang's old-guard benchmark for every newer chicken-rice shop.
Try: Hainan chicken rice
Tip: The house chilli sauce is the differentiator; ask for extra and spoon it over the chicken-oil rice, not the meat.
Penang Famous Samosa fries mutton, chicken, sardine and vegetable parcels at pocket-money prices on Queen Street, Little India's Michelin-listed snack stop.
Try: Samosas
Tip: The mutton samosa is the flagship; grab a mixed bag and eat them hot walking Little India's sari row.
Super Star Koay Teow Soup has run its Kimberley Street cart since 1960, a third-generation Bib Gourmand bowl that keeps Penang dinners under RM10.
Try: Koay teow soup with braised chicken feet
Tip: The braised chicken feet are the sleeper order; get them as a side even if the koay teow soup is your main.
