Rasa Rasa is a peranakan restaurant in George Town, Penang.
Editorially verified August 27, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: Pandan nasi lemak combo, Nyonya kuih
Tip: It is a lunch room, not a dinner one; come before 14:30 and add the day's kuih to whatever combo you order.
Address: 59 Gat Lebuh Chulia, 10300 George Town, Penang
Line Clear Nasi Kandar has ladled curry down its famous alley off Jalan Penang since the 1940s, Penang's round-the-clock nasi kandar rite of passage.
Signature: Nasi kandar with ayam ros, Sotong curry
Tip: Point at three curries and let them flood the rice; the mixed gravy, called banjir, is the whole point here.
Deens Maju is the nasi kandar Penang locals queue for, a midday-opening Jalan Gurdwara canteen where the ayam goreng line often wraps the block.
Signature: Ayam goreng nasi kandar, Bendi curry
Tip: The queue moves faster than it looks; go earlier in the service for the full spread of curries before favourites sell out.
Hameediyah has served nasi kandar on Campbell Street since 1907 and holds the Malaysia Book of Records listing as the country's oldest, a Penang icon.
Signature: Murtabak, Kari ayam nasi kandar
Tip: Order the murtabak from the front griddle plus one curry over rice; the air-conditioned annexe a few doors down has seats.
Restoran Kapitan keeps its tandoors lit around the clock at the Chulia Street corner, four decades into serving Penang's benchmark claypot briyani.
Signature: Claypot chicken briyani, Tandoori chicken with naan
Tip: The claypot briyani takes time; order it before your tandoori so both land together, and finish with almond milk.
Tho Yuen steams old-school dim sum on Campbell Street, the veteran Penang teahouse where the first baskets land not long after six in the morning.
Signature: Siu mai and har gow, Fish porridge
Tip: The best baskets go early; before 09:00 is the only way to see the full spread.
Line Clear Nasi Kandar has ladled curry down its famous alley off Jalan Penang since the 1940s, Penang's round-the-clock nasi kandar rite of passage.
Signature: Nasi kandar with ayam ros, Sotong curry
Tip: Point at three curries and let them flood the rice; the mixed gravy, called banjir, is the whole point here.
Deens Maju is the nasi kandar Penang locals queue for, a midday-opening Jalan Gurdwara canteen where the ayam goreng line often wraps the block.
Signature: Ayam goreng nasi kandar, Bendi curry
Tip: The queue moves faster than it looks; go earlier in the service for the full spread of curries before favourites sell out.
Hameediyah has served nasi kandar on Campbell Street since 1907 and holds the Malaysia Book of Records listing as the country's oldest, a Penang icon.
Signature: Murtabak, Kari ayam nasi kandar
Tip: Order the murtabak from the front griddle plus one curry over rice; the air-conditioned annexe a few doors down has seats.
Restoran Kapitan keeps its tandoors lit around the clock at the Chulia Street corner, four decades into serving Penang's benchmark claypot briyani.
Signature: Claypot chicken briyani, Tandoori chicken with naan
Tip: The claypot briyani takes time; order it before your tandoori so both land together, and finish with almond milk.
Woodlands Vegetarian Restaurant anchors Penang's Little India with North and South Indian meat-free cooking and a sweets counter facing the street.
Signature: Masala rava dosa, Vegetarian thali
Tip: The masala rava dosa outclasses the plain version; grab Indian sweets from the front counter on your way out.
Tho Yuen steams old-school dim sum on Campbell Street, the veteran Penang teahouse where the first baskets land not long after six in the morning.
Signature: Siu mai and har gow, Fish porridge
Tip: The best baskets go early; before 09:00 is the only way to see the full spread.
