Seafood$$gurney-driveDaily 11:00-14:30, 17:00-24:00
Bali Hai Seafood Market lets you pick your dinner from live tanks on Gurney Drive, then cooks it to order; Penang's classic seafood theatre.
Signature: Steamed fish by weight, Chilli crab
Tip: Prices run by weight and species; confirm the per-100g rate before the fish leaves the tank to avoid bill shock.
Modern Australian$$$george-townThu-Tue 18:00-24:00; closed Wed
Peninsula House serves modern Australian sharing plates upstairs in 1937's India House, the handsomest dinner room on Penang's old Beach Street.
Signature: Wood-grilled sharing plates, Sourdough with cultured butter
Tip: The stairway entrance is easy to miss beside the old bank facades; look for the India House lettering and head up.
Asian fusion$$george-townTue-Sun 12:00-22:00; closed Mon
Sambal reworks Malaysian favourites with European technique at 300 Beach Street, a halal-friendly modern dining room in Penang's banking quarter.
Signature: Lap mei fun, Sambal fried rice
Tip: The lap mei fun twist is the signature; come at lunch when the set menus make the kitchen's fusion ideas cheapest.
Cantonese$$george-townWed-Fri 08:00-15:00; Sat-Sun 08:00-17:00; closed Mon-Tue
Bao Teck Tea House steams dim sum in a tiled heritage house with an indoor moss garden, Penang's prettiest room for a slow Cantonese yum cha.
Signature: Har gow with local shrimp, Honeycomb yam puffs
Tip: Weekends run longer hours but fill by 10:00; midweek at 08:30 gets you the moss-garden table and fresh har gow.
Cantonese$$george-townWed-Mon 11:30-14:00, 17:30-20:00; closed Tue
Tek Sen has run its Carnarvon Street dining room since 1965 and holds a 2026 Bib Gourmand, Penang's benchmark for wok-fried Chinese home cooking.
Signature: Double-roasted pork, Belacan fried chicken
Tip: Queues build fast at both services; arrive before 11:30 or 17:30 and order the double-roasted pork first, it sells out.
Peranakan$$$george-townWed-Sun 12:00-14:30, 18:00-21:30; closed Mon-Tue
Auntie Gaik Lean's Old School Eatery holds a Michelin star in the 2026 guide, cooking heirloom Nyonya recipes behind a Bishop Street shopfront in Penang.
Signature: Kari kapitan, Jiu hu char
Tip: Reservations for larger tables carry an RM200 deposit; parties of three or fewer join the walk-in queue instead.