Street Food In Penang: 18 Amazing Local Delicacies You Just Have To Try!

Street Food in Penang is legendary. Everywhere that you turn, you will find that there are loads of things that you should try and indulge in. The question is what do you try first and where should you try it? The easiest way to figure out the street food in Penang is to head where the locals go. 

One popular way is to head to the popular hawker locations and then just visit the busiest stalls. Another way is to make a list of the best hawkers in the city and tick them off one at a time. Even better, make a list of what you want to eat in the city and visit local street food vendors that are famous for them. That’s what we did. 

So instead of just listing the iconic hawkers, I’m going to take you through each item of street food in Penang that you should try and the best places that you should head to if you want to eat it.

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Street Food In Penang: Table Of Contents

• Roti Canai
• Roti Bakar
• Char Koay Teow
• Nasi Kandar
• Lok Lok
• Fried Oysters
• Apom Manis
• Cendol
• Asam Laksa
• Hokkiem Mee
• Dim Sum
• Mee Goreng
• Nasi Goreng
• Penang Rojak
• Curry Mee
• Oyster Omelette
• Penang Char Kway Teow
• Nasi Lemak

1. Roti Canai

The iconic Roti Canai is one of the top breakfast items that people in Penang love. That means that you will find it across the island and Georgetown has a lot of places that are popular for this. Roti Canai is a flatbread which has Indian origins which is probably why it resembles the Indian parotta so much.

The Roti Canai is served with egg or a meat curry. It is delicious and I highly recommend it. If you don’t like spice or aren’t sure how much spice you can handle, ask them to place the curry in a separate bowl for you. We chose to have our bowl dunked in the gravy. The kids loved it as did we!

Best places to eat Roti Canai in Penang:

We’ve written a whole article on the best places to try Roti Canai in Penang but if I was to name just a few locations then it would be the following.

• Roti Canai Transfer Road
• Roti Canai Gemas Road
• Roti Bakar Hutton Lane

2. Roti Bakar

Best places to eat Roti Bakar in Penang

• Roti Bakar Hutton Lane: The speciality of this place is that the bread is toasted on a charcoal fire. Highly recommended!
• Toh Soon Cafe: Don’t go by the name. The local street vendor became so popular that he set up a cafe. We went and ate at the original spot.

3. Char Koay Teow

Char Koay Teow is a fascinating item and rather famous when it comes to street food in Penang.

Char Koay Teow is a flat noodle dish that is fried at high heat. You will see the hawkers with these huge woks tossing the noodles in. It is an iconic sight when you are exploring the street food in Penang. Cockles, prawns, clams and eggs are added to the dish to give it its signature flavor. 

A local tip which was shared with me is to swap the chicken egg with duck egg since it gives a richer flavor to the dish.

Best places to eat Char Koay Teow in Penang:

• Siam Road Char Koay Teow
• Charcoal Seafood Char Koay Teow at Lorong Baru

4. Nasi Kandar

Nasi Kandar is one of the must have street food in Penang. The iconic dish is a feast to the senses. You’ll find the vendors with loads of curry based meat dishes and vegetables in front of them. They’ll load up your plate with rice and then they’ll douse the rice with all the curry options you select.

I must admit that I was a skeptic. It sounded like a recipe for disaster but it was by far one of the best things that I tasted in the city.

Best places to eat Nasi Kandar in Penang

• Deen’s Maju Nasi Kandar
• Nasi Kandar Line Clear

4. Lok Lok

Lok lok is a fun street food that is loved by both kids and adults alike.

By far one of the most interesting things to eat in Malaysia is Lok Lok and Penang has a great deal of hawkers selling this. It took us a while to figure out how to eat this dish and figuring it out was half the fun.

Lok Lok is a wide variety of meats and vegetables that are skewered and kept. You pick up the ones that you want to eat and immerse them in a pot of boiling water for some time. The cooked lok lok are then dipped in sauce and eaten hot.

We ate this on one of the rainy days in Penang and we enjoyed it. Some call it the Malay version of fast food. 

Best Places To Eat Lok Lok In Penang

• Lok lok stall at Chulia street

6. Fried Oysters

Best Places To Eat Fried Oysters In Penang

• 3888 Fried Oysters next to 888 Hokkien Mee
• Oh Chien at New Lane Hawker Centre

7. Apom Manis

Apom Manis definitely caught our attention. We had tried a couple of apoms in Sarawak when we used to head to Miri from Brunei. To us however, apoms will always be a specialty. Apom Manis is a small Indian crepe (for lack of a better description). It is not very sweet but it is made up of sugar, coconut milk, eggs and flour. 

When you are served a apon manis you will notice that it has a characteristic bowl like shape. This is because of the way that they are prepared. Depending on the hawker stall that you visit, these apom manis can be made either in a tiny wok or in a clay pot. These are then rolled and served.

Best Places To Eat Apom Manis In Penang

• Lebuh Chulia Apom

8. Cendol

Cendol is one of the top desserts when it comes to street food in Penang.

My kids call this Malaysia’s special ice cream. Cendol is a desert that is popular across the island and is amazingly refreshing after a hot day. You’ll find this desert has iconic green noodles, kidney beans, coconut milk and palm sugar all mixed together on top of shaved ice. I know it doesn’t sound like the best mix but it does taste amazing when you dig into it!

Best Places To Eat Cendol In Penang

• The food court at Penang Hill Upper Station

9. Asam Laksa

The laksa broth is filled with noodles and a variety of other items which include shredded fish, onions, lettuce and some delectable chili oil. I really need to figure out all the ingredients because this is one dish I would really love to whip up at home!

Best Places To Eat Asam Laksa In Penang

• Penang Road Famous Laksa
• Laksalicious
• Bee Hooi Restaurant
• Air Itam 

10. Hokkiem Mee

You can however customize your noodles and add in a lot of other stuff from squid to oysters! Yes, the hokkiem mee here is really fishy and delicious!

Best Places To Eat Hokkiem Mee In Penang

• 888 Hokkien Mee
• Ah Koo’s Hokkien Mee
• Mu Tong Hokkien Mee

11. Dim Sum

Best Places To Eat Dim Sum In Penang

The best spots to catch dim sums are in the night markets of Penang. If you really want to indulge your senses with the best dim sums in town then head to Tai Tong Restaurant.

12. Mee Goreng

Mee Goreng is one of the most delicious street food in Penang that you will taste.

Mee Goreng loosely translates into fried noodles. This stir fry dish is really popular. Don’t confuse it with the equally popular Hokkiem Mee.

Hokkiem Mee is very soupy in comparison. Mee Goreng is dry and even uses different noodles. Popular ingredients in this dish include garlic, onion, shallots, prawns, chicken, beef, chinese cabbage and egg. 

Each hawker stall will make mee goreng differently and every one has their own preferences. You can even customize your order. While I was in line to catch my fill, a local explained to me that many people choose to use duck egg instead of chicken egg because it gives the dish a richer texture. 

Best Places To Eat Mee Goreng In Penang

• Mee Hussain Mee
• Famous Penang Bangkok Lane Mee Goreng

13. Nasi Goreng

Nasi Goreng is not just a popular street food in Penang but also in Malaysia.

Nasi Goreng is nothing but Malaysian fried rice. It is absolutely delicious and is one of the cheap eats when it comes to street food in Penang.

You will find hawkers making nasi goreng everywhere. Not only is it one of the items of choice when it comes to street food, it is also insanely popular in all the local restaurants and even in the five stars in the city. 

This much loved dish is made with rice, lots of vegetables, eggs and a variety of meat. Like the mee goreng, this dish is usually also customized according to an individual’s preference. We however went nuts and just ordered everything that we could get in ours. Sounds like a recipe for disaster? Nope! It was delicious!

Best Places To Eat Nasi Goreng In Penang

• Nasi Goreng Ali Mamak
• Seong Huat Coffee Shop

14. Penang Rojak

Rojak was probably one of the most interesting things that we tasted when it came to street food in Penang. I know that many people call it a desert but the Penang rojak had my tastebuds really confused. 

The Penang rojak is essentially a bowl of fruits that are topped off with a thick malt syrup. It is a really gooey mix and can include tiny grilled shrimp. Yup! That’s what had my tastebuds confused. 

It is highly popular though and even though it may sound strange, I urge you to give it a try!

Best Places To Eat Rojak In Penang

• Hock Seng Rojak
• G.P. Soon Penang Rojak

15. Curry Mee

Curry mee is another popular food item when it comes to street food in Penang. This soupy noodle preparation is in my opinion very similar to laksa. It may just be that my taste buds cannot differentiate between laksa and curry mee. The Penang asam laksa however is very different since it does not have coconut milk and is more tangy than spicy.

The Penang white curry mee phase is another reason why this particular dish made it to the top street food in Penang. Honestly, I find that the curry mee is more yellow than white. There are however a couple of places where the gravy (soup) is whiter. I personally prefer the yellow version which is spicier.

Curry mee usually has a lot of interesting meats added in. Fresh seafood however is the popular favorite. 

Best Places To Eat Curry Mee In Penang

• Tua Pui Curry Mee At Lebuah Kimerley
• Bee Hwa Café

16. Oyster Omelette 

When we were doing our research about all the street food in Penang, Shawn read about oyster omelette. Needless to say, it became his mission to find a place that served it because what could be cooler than oyster omelette?

Interestingly enough, oyster omelette is also known as ‘Oh Chien’. This dish was made with egg, a gooey batter and of course oysters. Fried to perfection, our dish was paired with a delicious spicy sambal. Now the spice may not be for everyone but as Indians, we absolutely loved it!

Best Places To Eat Oyster Omelette in Penang

• Kah Kah Oyster Omelette
• 888 Hokkiem Mee

17. Penang Char Kway Teow

Penang famous char kway teow is actually a dish that has roots in southern China. With the large Chinese population that lives in the area, it should not come as a surprise that the street food in Penang has a lot of Chinese influence.

If you go to actually translate the name, you will find that the word ‘Char’ means ‘fried’. Kway Teow on the other hand is the special flat noodles that are used to prepare this dish.  Like most of the different fried noodles in the city, you will find that you can customize your dish as you want. 

The Penang char kway teow is dark in colour which is attributed to the soy sauce used in its preparation. The best char kway teow however is prepared on a charcoal stove and the flavor that it adds to the dish is exquisite. Most of the hawker stalls will add in a lot of seafood and egg to the noodle preparation and the flavors that the meat imparts is an experience in itself.

My favorite however are the sprouts that get added in. If you get a plate hot off the wok, you will still find them crunchy. The taste however is a bit lost when you take a parcel home.

Best Places To Eat Penang Char Kway Teow In Penang

• Charcoal Seafood Char Koay Teow

18. Nasi Lemak

Nasi Lemak is a flavor packed dish that is popular as street food in Penang.

I love nasi lemak. I first tasted this amazing dish in Sarawak. If you’ve been to Malaysia, you will quickly decode that Nasi Lemak is a rice dish since the word Nasi means rice. This epic item of street food in Penang is a fragrant rice that is infused with coconut milk. 

Honestly, I’m a little hazy about the details about how it is made. I think that the coconut milk is used while the rice is actually being cooked but I may be wrong. If you are Malay and are reading this, please do let us know in the comments below. 

You will find that the Nasi lemak comes wrapped in a pandan leaf. The complete meal involves the fragrant rice, some roasted peanuts, salted fish and a spicy meat item at the side. My favorite combination is the Nasi Lemak with rendang meats. 

Best Places To Eat Nasi Lemak In Penang

• Ali Nasi Lemak
• Projek Nasi Lemak