Cantonese$george-townMon-Wed, Fri-Sun 09:30-19:30; closed Thu
Tok Tok Mee still kneads noodle dough with a bamboo pole at its Campbell Street doorway, serving Penang's bounciest old-school wonton mee daily.
Signature: Wonton mee, Shrimp-roe noodles
Tip: Watch the bamboo pressing at the entrance, then order the dry toss with shrimp roe rather than the soup version.
Malaysian$george-townTue-Sun 08:00-14:30; closed Mon
Hot Bowl has served Penang white curry mee since 1992, the coconut broth arriving mild with a side bowl of chilli paste you stir in yourself.
Signature: White curry mee, Bottled curry paste
Tip: Stir in the chilli paste a half-spoon at a time; the same paste is bottled for sale if you want to take it home.
Malaysian$george-townMon-Tue, Thu-Sun 11:30-19:30; closed Wed
Laksalicious puts every major laksa style under one cheerful Hutton Lane roof, the Bib Gourmand shortcut through Penang's noodle-soup canon.
Signature: Assam laksa, Laksa lemak
Tip: Order the assam and lemak versions side by side; comparing the sour and coconut broths is the point of the place.
Malaysian$george-townMon-Sat 07:00-15:00; closed Sun
Bee Hwa Cafe cooks halal versions of Penang's Chinese hawker canon on Lebuh Dickens, a Bib Gourmand family shop begun as a 1992 street stall.
Signature: Halal char kway teow, White curry mee
Tip: This is where Muslim travellers get proper char kway teow; the chicken-and-seafood version sells out before 14:00.
Malaysian$pulau-tikusMon-Wed, Fri-Sun 12:00-22:00; closed Thu
Duck Blood Curry Mee simmers its coconut white curry fresh daily inside a Burma Road cafe, the Bib Gourmand bowl Penang regulars top with cubes of duck blood.
Signature: White curry mee with duck blood, Roast pork add-on
Tip: The duck blood is optional; ask for it on the side the first time and add the roast pork either way.
Malaysian$george-townDaily 07:00-22:00
Restoran Sup Hameed ladles mutton soup and oxtail sup ekor on Jalan Penang, the mamak soup counter Penang turns to when the day needs rescuing.
Signature: Sup kambing, Sup ekor
Tip: Order sup kambing with a torn-up roti benggali dunked in; the more adventurous gearbox soup is for round two.