Did you just google ‘Penang Street Food’ or ‘Best Street Food in Penang’? That’s what we did too and we were frustrated to not find a comprehensive list of places to eat in Penang … so we created one and used it ourselves to make sure it was spot on!!
If you’re looking for the BEST food in Penang, you’ve come to the right place.
We are foodies at heart and Malaysia is a great place to enjoy some of the best food in Asia. We love to travel and EAT! 🙂 So, after our visit to Penang recently we set out to find, eat and compile a list of the BEST places to eat street food in Penang! Its a tough gig, but we will do it … for you! 😉
In this article we show you the best street food hawker centres, cafes, restaurants and street food carts on the island of Penang. We tested and tried every one of these wonderful restaurants and carts, to make sure that they’re great!
Also, for those who aren’t sure, a Hawker Centre is an open air complex, typically found in SE Asia, that house many inexpensive food stalls and shops (and they are our favourite way to eat!)
Penang Street Food
Penang is the food capital of Malaysia. The street food Penang has to offer is some of the best street food in the world. The island is a great place for foodies to come and try new flavours, recipes and the old fashion food they all know and love as well.
Penang Street Food Locations
Penang has a wide range of street food all over the island. Once we found the best places to eat in Penang, we created our Penang street food map below to help you find some Penang street food locations near you.
Street Food in Penang
Penang has a wide variety of street food venues Some are open all day and some are only open in the afternoon/evening. We’ve divided our list into two central locations, Batu Ferringhi street food and George Town street food.
How to use this list: The food places listed at the top of each location feature street food open all through the day, and then lower down the list we have written about Penang street food open at night.
Batu Ferringhi Street Food
Here is our list of the best street food in Batu Ferringhi. Check the times carefully. Some are open from lunch time, some are only open from dinnertime onwards.
Andrew’s Kampung
Andrew’s Kampung is a great place for families to eat in Penang. The restaurant serves a wide variety of food that everyone in the family is guaranteed to enjoy.
Address: Eden Parade, Jalan Sungai Emas, Kawasan Perumahan Sungai Emas, 11100 Batu Ferringhi, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Hours: 12pm-10pm (Closed on Tuesdays)
Golden River
The Golden River is a great family friendly street food venue in Batu Ferringhi. Serving a wide variety of Malaysian cuisine, you can’t go wrong at Golden River. Although this restaurant is technically in Pulau Pinang, it was so close to Batu Ferringhi that we decided to include it anyway.
Address: 6, Jalan Sungai Emas, Kawasan Perumahan Sungai Emas, 11100 Ayer Itam, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Hours: 5pm-10:30pm Daily (Closed on Tuesdays)
Long Beach Food Court
The Long Beach Food Court is a great food court in Batu Ferringhi. Its open concept and wide number of stalls really make it worth a visit.
Address: Jalan Batu Ferringhi, Batu Ferringhi
Hours: 6pm-11pm Daily
Long Beach Cafe
The Long Beach Cafe is a great family friendly Hawker Center in Batu Ferringhi. Open from 6pm daily, and serving a wide variety of Malaysian meals, this isn’t a place you want to miss if you’re staying in or around Batu Ferringhi.
Address: 11050 Batu Ferringhi, Penang, Malaysia
Hours: 6pm-11pm Daily
Sham Street Food
Sham Street Food is a great place for families to go if they love Malaysian street food. This small restaurant in Batu Ferringhi is not something that you want to miss.
Address: Jalan Sungai Emas, Kawasan Perumahan Sungai Emas, 11100 Batu Ferringhi, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Hours: 6pm-12am Daily
Knife and Fork
Knife and Fork Restaurant is one of the best restaurants Penang has to offer. With a wide variety of food on offer, this is a great place to eat!
Address: No. 1-2B, Eden Parade, Jalan Batu Ferringhi, Kawasan Perumahan Sungai Emas, 11200 Batu Ferringhi, Penang, Malaysia
Hours: 6pm-9:30pm (Closed on Tuesday)
George Town Street Food
Here are the best George Town street food venues. Again, check the times – some are only open in the evening.
Transfer Road Roti Canai
Transfer Road Roti Canai serves a great variety of foods including its signature beef, chicken and gravy curry. As the name suggests it also serves a wonderful Roti Canai. Roti Canai, (Roti Cane or Roti Parotta) is an Indian influenced Malaysian Flatbread, and, in my opinion one of the best flatbreads in the world.
Address: 114, 110, Jalan Transfer, Georgetown, 10050 George Town, Malaysia
Hours: 8AM-11AM
The Jetty Food Court
The Jetty Food Court isn’t somewhere you want to miss next time you visit Penang. WIth a wide rang of stalls selling all diffrent foods from all over Asia, this is a must visit next time you’re in Penang.
Address: 49-F Pengkalan Weld, George Town, Penang Island Malaysia
Hours: 10am-12:30am
New Lane Street Foodstalls
New Lane Street Foodstalls is a great Hawker Center full of great food that everyone is guaranteed to love. There is something for everyone at the New Lane Street Foodstalls Hawker Center.
Address: Lorong Baru, George Town, 10450 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Hours: 4pm-11pm Daily (Closed on Wednesdays)
Chulia Street Night Hawker Stalls
If you’re looking for the best food in Chulia Street Penang, this is place to be. Chulia Street Night Hawker Stalls is one of the best Hawker centers in Penang. The venue has a HUGE variety of street food stalls that offer food from all around Asia. There really is something for everyone at the Chulia Street Night Hawker Stall.
Address: Chulia St, Georgetown, 10450 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Hours: 6pm-12am Daily
Gurney Drive Hawker Centre
The Gurney Drive Hawker Centre is a great place for families to eat in Penang. The Hawker Centre opens at 6pm and doesn’t close until 12am midnight. The centre has a wide variety of stalls with all different meals.
Address: Persiaran Gurney, George Town
Hours: 6pm-12am Daily
Presgrave Street Hawker Centre
The Presgrave Street Hawker Centre is a fantastic Hawker Centre located in George Town, Penang. Do be warned though, this is not the place for a relaxed meal, the food comes quickly and there are lots of people waiting to taste some of the Presgrave Street Hawker Centre food. This is one of the best Hawker food in Penang.
Address: 67A, Lebuh Presgrave, Georgetown
Hours: 6:30pm to 00:30am
Penang Street Food Festival
The Penang International Street Food Festival or Piff Penang is an annual 16 day event that takes place from the 4th-19th April 2020. The festival brings you an exciting experience to indulge in some of Penang’s BEST street food, such as Roti Canai, Nasi Lemak and so much more. The festival is a highlight in Penang food culture.
Website: Click here
Address: To Be Confirmed
Email: [email protected]
Penang Street Food Tour
Thinking that maybe it is all a bit too hard to figure out by yourself? Fret one – do a food tour in Penang!!
We’ve found the BEST Penang Street Food Tour there is!
Experience the rich food scene of Penang in this three-hour tour around the isaland! Meet with your English-speaking guide at the Soho Free House, and then depart n your tasty adventure. Take your taste buds on an adventure of a lifetime while you sample local foods, such as, char koay teow, assamlaksa, and cendol. Visit one of the traditional Malay-Chinese coffee shops, popularly known as the Kopitiam, to try the wonderful coffee Penang has to offer.
After your stomach has had enough, make your way to the oldest market on the island, and explore the wide range of stores and stalls. Practice your haggling skills and try to lower the price on items that you’re interested in. Finally, finish the awesome experience with a refreshing drink and dessert at your final stop.
Book your discounted Klook tickets here
Wonderfoods Museum
We loved the Wonderfoods Museum and we think it is an EPIC place to take kids who are interested in food!
The ‘museum’ houses large displays of classic foods and is split into three diverse galleries. First is the Info Zone, with over 100 popular street foods of Malaysia displayed within a glass case. The Wow Zone offers visitors the perfect photo opportunity, with plenty of giant food replicas to pose with, including curry see, char key teow, rojak, and much more. ^^^ That is us having fun in one of the photo ops (there are so many photo ops!)
Finally, the Education Zone educates its guests on various dining choices and how these choices can bring about negative effects. For example, this is clear through a display of a table with shark spread across it to showcase inhumane production of certain dishes.
Hours: Monday to Sunday (9 am to 6 pm)
Price: Adult – RM25, Child – RM15 (grab discounted tickets for Wonderfoods on Klook – click here)
Address: 49, Lebuh Pantai, George Town, 10200 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
RELATED: Check out this best park in Penang here!
The BEST Street Food in Penang
Overall, the island of Penang takes their food VERY seriously, and I don’t blame them. They have some pretty great meals, 24/7, all year round. With festivals to celebrate them, museums to honour them, and tours to explore them, there is no way to go wrong when exploring the food of Penang.
BONUS: Looking for the best things to do in Penang with kids? Click here to read our detailed article of the best things to do in Penang with kids. And if you are looking for even more things to do in Penang, check out this Penang guide here.
