40 cheap eats places in Penang, editor-picked. the best low-budget spots in Penang: the places editors actually return to. All Penang food.
Siam Road Char Koay Teow ★ 4.8
george-town · 82 Jalan Siam, 10400 George Town, Penang
Siam Road Char Koay Teow fries one dish over charcoal to a Bib Gourmand standard, the pushcart plate Penang queues an hour for without complaint.
Tip: Founder Tan Chooi Hong's son now works the wok; join the queue before 12:00 or expect a 45-minute wait for a plate.
Deens Maju Nasi Kandar ★ 4.5
george-town · 170 Jalan Gurdwara, 10300 George Town, Penang
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.
Tip: The queue moves faster than it looks; go earlier in the service for the full spread of curries before favourites sell out.
Ghee Hiang ★ 4.5
george-town · 95 Lebuh Pantai, 10300 George Town, Penang
Ghee Hiang has baked tau sar pneah since 1856 and presses sesame oil to match, the Beach Street institution every Penang visitor carries home.
Tip: Buy the small tau sar pneah in the round tin; they keep about two weeks and survive flight luggage intact.
Penang Road Famous Jin Kor Char Kuey Teow ★ 4.5
george-town · Joo Hooi Cafe, 475 Jalan Penang, 10000 George Town, Penang
Jin Kor has fried char kuey teow inside Joo Hooi Cafe for over 40 years, the Bib Gourmand Penang Road stall celebrities queue beside tourists for.
Tip: Pay the small upgrade for a duck egg; it fries fattier and clings to the noodles better than the standard hen egg.
Wan Dao Tou Assam Laksa ★ 4.5
pulau-tikus · 1 Jalan Gottlieb, 10350 George Town, Penang
Wan Dao Tou simmers its Bib Gourmand assam laksa from a 50-year-old family recipe on Jalan Gottlieb, Penang's benchmark bowl outside Air Itam.
Tip: Third-generation owners still make the broth daily; ask for extra hae ko prawn paste and stir it in gradually.
Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul ★ 4.5
george-town · 27 & 29 Lebuh Keng Kwee, 10100 George Town, Penang
Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul has shaved ice over pandan noodles since 1936, the Keng Kwee Street stall that defines cendol for all of Penang.
Tip: Eat standing at the lane stall like the locals rather than the air-conditioned shop; the ice melts into the gula faster.
Ravi's Famous Apom Manis ★ 4.5
pulau-tikus · 319 Jalan Burma, 10350 George Town, Penang
Ravi's has griddled apom manis in claypots over charcoal on Burma Road since 1920, crisp-edged coconut pancakes now carrying a Penang Bib Gourmand.
Tip: Sold out by 09:30 most mornings since the Michelin listing; come before 08:00 and order a dozen, they vanish.
Moh Teng Pheow Nyonya Koay ★ 4.5
george-town · Jalan Masjid, off Lebuh Chulia, 10200 George Town, Penang
Moh Teng Pheow has steamed Nyonya kueh since 1933 behind Lebuh Chulia, the Bib Gourmand workshop where Penang buys its angku and rempah udang.
Tip: Go before 15:00; the twenty-odd kueh varieties are made once each morning and the best trays empty by mid-afternoon.
Hameediyah ★ 4.4
george-town · 164A Campbell Street, Georgetown, Penang
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.
Tip: Order the murtabak from the front griddle plus one curry over rice; the air-conditioned annexe a few doors down has seats.
Toh Soon Cafe ★ 4.4
george-town · 184 Lebuh Campbell, 10100 George Town, Penang
Toh Soon Cafe grills kaya toast over charcoal in a Campbell Street alley, the Penang kopitiam breakfast locals have queued for since the 1950s.
Tip: Order the set: charcoal toast with house kaya, two half-boiled kampung eggs and a Hainanese white coffee.
Penang Road Famous Laksa ★ 4.4
george-town · 5 Lebuh Keng Kwee, 10100 George Town, Penang
Penang Road Famous Laksa ladles a sardine broth of unusual depth on Keng Kwee Street, the Bib Gourmand partner to the cendol queue next door.
Tip: Do the classic double: a bowl of laksa here, then a cendol from the stall a few steps away on the same lane.
Ali Nasi Lemak Daun Pisang ★ 4.4
george-town · Sri Weld Food Court, 19 Lebuh Pantai, 10300 George Town, Penang
Ali Nasi Lemak wraps banana-leaf parcels of coconut rice and sambal at Sri Weld Food Court, the halal Penang breakfast the Michelin guide flags.
Tip: The pyramids sell out in waves from 07:00; anchovy with hard-boiled egg is the classic pick of the six fillings.
Sister Yao's Char Koay Kak ★ 4.4
george-town · 96 Lorong Macalister, 11400 George Town, Penang
Sister Yao's fries Teochew rice cakes with egg and preserved radish on Macalister Lane, a morning-only Bib Gourmand stall begun by their father in 1963.
Tip: Plates start at RM4, one of the cheapest Michelin-listed breakfasts in Penang; ask for extra crisp edges, they will oblige.
888 Hokkien Mee ★ 4.4
jelutong · 67-A Lebuh Presgrave, 10300 George Town, Penang
888 Hokkien Mee has stirred its deep-red prawn broth on Lebuh Presgrave for 30 years, the evening bowl that anchors Penang's Hokkien mee argument.
Tip: Add the loh mee gravy swirl, the mix locals call lam mee; roast pork and prawn add-ons turn it into dinner.
888 Hokkien Mee ★ 4.4
jelutong · 67-A Lebuh Presgrave, 10300 George Town, Penang
888 Hokkien Mee keeps its prawn broth going until midnight on Lebuh Presgrave, the Penang supper bowl at the end of a night on Beach Street.
Tip: The last hour still gets the full topping list; ask for extra pork lard crisps to finish the broth properly.
Jit Seng Hong Kong Roasted Duck Rice ★ 4.4
george-town · 246 Lebuh Carnarvon, 10450 George Town, Penang
Jit Seng roasts duck for barely three hours of trade a day on Lebuh Carnarvon, the Penang shop the Michelin guide caught locals queueing for.
Tip: Arrive at 12:30 sharp; by 14:00 the char siew and roast pork sides are usually gone and the duck follows soon after.
Toh Soon Cafe ★ 4.4
george-town · 184 Lebuh Campbell, 10100 George Town, Penang
Toh Soon Cafe grills kaya toast over charcoal in a Campbell Street alley, the Penang kopitiam breakfast locals have queued for since the 1950s.
Tip: Order the set: charcoal toast with house kaya, two half-boiled kampung eggs and a Hainanese white coffee.
Roti Canai Transfer Road ★ 4.4
george-town · 110 Jalan Transfer, 10050 George Town, Penang
Roti Canai Transfer Road has flipped flaky flatbread at its roadside stall for around half a century, Penang's definitive curry-flooded breakfast.
Tip: Ask for banjir, flooded with curry, and add a curried egg; go before 11:00 because the gravy pots empty first.
Line Clear Nasi Kandar ★ 4.3
george-town · 177 Jalan Penang, 10000 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.
Tip: Point at three curries and let them flood the rice; the mixed gravy, called banjir, is the whole point here.
Hot Bowl White Curry Mee ★ 4.3
george-town · 58C Jalan Rangoon, 10400 George Town, Penang
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.
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.
Bee Hwa Cafe ★ 4.3
george-town · 10 Lebuh Dickens, 10050 George Town, Penang
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.
Tip: This is where Muslim travellers get proper char kway teow; the chicken-and-seafood version sells out before 14:00.
Air Itam Duck Rice ★ 4.3
air-itam · Air Itam Wet Market, Jalan Pasar, 11500 George Town, Penang
Air Itam Duck Rice braises duck with soy, anise and cinnamon beside the wet market under Kek Lok Si, Penang's Michelin-listed reward after the temple climb.
Tip: Self-service style: take a tray, queue, and point at the braised pork belly and eggs too, not just the duck.
Bridge Street Prawn Noodle ★ 4.3
george-town · 533 Lebuh Pantai, 10300 George Town, Penang
Bridge Street Prawn Noodle serves its Bib Gourmand Hokkien mee mornings only at the far end of Beach Street, Penang's old-time daybreak bowl.
Tip: Order the ham ban, half Hokkien mee and half loh mee in one bowl; it is the combination the stall is known for.
Line Clear Nasi Kandar ★ 4.3
george-town · 177 Jalan Penang, 10000 George Town, Penang
Line Clear Nasi Kandar never closes its alley off Jalan Penang, which makes it Penang's undisputed default answer to hunger at three in the morning.
Tip: The 02:00 crowd is half taxi drivers, half clubbers; curries thin out overnight so take whatever the ladler suggests.
Super Star Koay Teow Soup ★ 4.3
george-town · 78 Lebuh Kimberley, 10100 George Town, Penang
Super Star Koay Teow Soup works Kimberley Street's night shift until 23:00, the Bib Gourmand cart lighting Penang's classic supper lane since 1960.
Tip: Kimberley Street is at its best after 21:00; do this bowl, then browse the neighbouring dessert and duck stalls.
My Own Cafe ★ 4.3
george-town · 2 Lebuh Cannon, 10200 George Town, Penang
My Own Cafe simmers a Bib Gourmand assam laksa steps from Khoo Kongsi on Cannon Street, the family-run counter Penang quietly keeps to itself.
Tip: Order the crispy spring rolls alongside the laksa; the pairing is the house move and both are gone by late afternoon.
Pitt Street Koay Teow Soup ★ 4.3
george-town · 183 Lebuh Carnarvon, 10100 George Town, Penang
Pitt Street Koay Teow Soup has made eel fish balls daily for over 60 years, the morning Penang bowl the Michelin guide tracked to Carnarvon Street.
Tip: The sea-eel fish balls are the reason to come; order an extra side bowl of them because the soup portion is modest.
Super Star Koay Teow Soup ★ 4.3
george-town · 78 Lebuh Kimberley, 10100 George Town, Penang
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.
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 ★ 4.3
george-town · Lorong Baru, off Jalan Macalister, 10400 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.
Tip: Start with the chee cheong fun and koay kak carts near the Macalister end, then work down the lane as it fills.
Rasa Rasa ★ 4.2
george-town · 59 Gat Lebuh Chulia, 10300 George Town, Penang
Rasa Rasa keeps daytime hours on Chulia Street Ghaut, pairing pandan nasi lemak sets with Bib Gourmand prices rare even by Penang standards.
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.
Tho Yuen ★ 4.2
george-town · 92 Campbell Street, 10100 George Town, Penang
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.
Tip: The best baskets go early; before 09:00 is the only way to see the full spread.
Fatty Loh Chicken Rice ★ 4.2
tanjung-bungah · 21 Jalan Fettes, Tanjung Bungah, 11200 George Town, Penang
Fatty Loh Chicken Rice is a third-generation Fettes Park shop whose poached birds and chilli sauce set the chicken-rice standard for north Penang.
Tip: Order chicken by the half or whole for a table; the springy-skinned poached version beats the roast for first-timers.
Goh Thew Chik Hainan Chicken Rice ★ 4.2
george-town · 338A-338B Lebuh Chulia, 10200 George Town, Penang
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.
Tip: The house chilli sauce is the differentiator; ask for extra and spoon it over the chicken-oil rice, not the meat.
Duck Blood Curry Mee ★ 4.2
pulau-tikus · 223B Jalan Burma, 10050 George Town, Penang
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.
Tip: The duck blood is optional; ask for it on the side the first time and add the roast pork either way.
Kheng Pin Cafe ★ 4.2
george-town · 80 Jalan Penang, 10000 George Town, Penang
Kheng Pin Cafe is the morning kopitiam on Jalan Penang whose loh bak stall, five-spice pork rolls fried in beancurd skin, draws half of George Town.
Tip: Claim a table with drinks first, then order loh bak from one stall and wanton mee from another; come in the morning, it winds down by 13:30.
Rasa Rasa ★ 4.2
george-town · 59 Gat Lebuh Chulia, 10300 George Town, Penang
Rasa Rasa keeps daytime hours on Chulia Street Ghaut, pairing pandan nasi lemak sets with Bib Gourmand prices rare even by Penang standards.
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.
Penang Famous Samosa ★ 4.2
little-india · 45 Lebuh Queen, 10200 George Town, Penang
Penang Famous Samosa fries mutton, chicken, sardine and vegetable parcels at pocket-money prices on Queen Street, Little India's Michelin-listed snack stop.
Tip: The mutton samosa is the flagship; grab a mixed bag and eat them hot walking Little India's sari row.
Fook Cheow Cafe ★ 4.2
pulau-tikus · 122I Jalan Hutton, 10050 George Town, Penang
Fook Cheow Cafe ladles morning-only koay teow th'ng with mackerel fish balls on Hutton Lane, a Penang local secret listed in the Michelin guide.
Tip: The broth runs out around noon; come by 09:00 and take the deep-fried garlic topping without hesitation.
Ghee Lian ★ 4.2
george-town · Lot 39, Kompleks Makanan Medan Renong Padang Kota Lama, 4 Jalan Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah, 10200 George Town, Penang
Ghee Lian ladles a green tom yum found almost nowhere else at the Esplanade food court, Penang's Bib Gourmand hiding in plain sight by the sea.
Tip: Choose the fried fish version; the crispy skin holds up in the sour-spicy green broth better than prawn or sotong.
Padang Brown Food Court ★ 4.2
george-town · Medan Selera Padang Brown, Jalan Dato Keramat, 10400 George Town, Penang
Padang Brown Food Court gathers Penang's locals-first hawkers by the Dato Keramat padang, led by a seafood popiah stall over sixty years old.
Tip: Find the popiah stall first, order, then browse; the crab-meat rolls are made in batches and the queue outruns supply.