Jawi House is a peranakan restaurant in George Town, Penang.
Editorially verified August 27, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: Nasi lemuni, Beef berempah
Tip: Try the nasi lemuni with butterfly-pea rice, then browse the gallery upstairs; the building tells the family story.
Address: 85 Armenian Street, 10200 Georgetown, Penang
Fashion designer Richard Rivalee cooks his grandmother's pork-free Nyonya recipes in an antique-filled Macalister Lane shophouse in central Penang.
Signature: Kari kapitan, Gulai tumis
Tip: The kitchen is pork-free, which makes this the rare heritage Nyonya menu Muslim friends can share; book for dinner.
Du-An plates traditional Malaysian cooking with cafe polish on Beach Street in Penang; the skin-on mutton curry is the 2026 Michelin guide's pick.
Signature: Skin-on mutton curry, Nasi lemak
Tip: Everything is halal certified, so this is the Beach Street stop that works for every group; order the mutton curry.
Thara brings a Thai chef's seafood-first cooking to a lofty Lorong Prangin shophouse, one of two Thai kitchens holding a Penang Bib Gourmand.
Signature: Grilled river prawns, Tom yum talay
Tip: Seafood is the strong suit; order the grilled river prawns and a som tam rather than defaulting to pad thai.
Il Bacaro pairs an Italian couple's handmade pastas with Venetian cicchetti inside the Campbell House hotel, Penang's most personal Italian room.
Signature: Handmade tagliatelle, Cicchetti
Tip: The owners also run the hotel upstairs; ask what fish came in from the jetty market before choosing your pasta.
Fashion designer Richard Rivalee cooks his grandmother's pork-free Nyonya recipes in an antique-filled Macalister Lane shophouse in central Penang.
Signature: Kari kapitan, Gulai tumis
Tip: The kitchen is pork-free, which makes this the rare heritage Nyonya menu Muslim friends can share; book for dinner.
Nyonya Willow hides in a Bayan Lepas commercial row far from tourist Penang, feeding local families northern Nyonya cooking worth the drive south.
Signature: Jiu hu char, Curry fish head
Tip: It sits near the airport side of the island; pair it with a Snake Temple or factory-outlet stop rather than a special trip.
Du-An plates traditional Malaysian cooking with cafe polish on Beach Street in Penang; the skin-on mutton curry is the 2026 Michelin guide's pick.
Signature: Skin-on mutton curry, Nasi lemak
Tip: Everything is halal certified, so this is the Beach Street stop that works for every group; order the mutton curry.
Thara brings a Thai chef's seafood-first cooking to a lofty Lorong Prangin shophouse, one of two Thai kitchens holding a Penang Bib Gourmand.
Signature: Grilled river prawns, Tom yum talay
Tip: Seafood is the strong suit; order the grilled river prawns and a som tam rather than defaulting to pad thai.
Sardaarji cooks Punjabi tandoor food under colourful drapes at the edge of Little India, the Bib Gourmand answer to Penang's South Indian majority.
Signature: Fish amritsari, Butter chicken
Tip: Skip the usual thali instinct here; the fish amritsari and tandoor breads are what the Michelin inspectors singled out.
Il Bacaro pairs an Italian couple's handmade pastas with Venetian cicchetti inside the Campbell House hotel, Penang's most personal Italian room.
Signature: Handmade tagliatelle, Cicchetti
Tip: The owners also run the hotel upstairs; ask what fish came in from the jetty market before choosing your pasta.
