Follow Smart Dory’s quick guide to Little India’s best Indian restaurant in Penang.
Hunt down the best dishes and eat like a local. Top tips: Bring a considerable appetite along.
South Indian cuisine is famous in Penang.
This is not to be confused with the Nasi Kandar outlets, predominantly run by Indian Muslims.
Indian Sweet Shop, with platefuls of delectable sweets, is delicious to a tee.
The milk-based sweets and desserts are made with grains, dried fruits, and buttermilk.
The names roll off our tongues like smooth silk, Badam Ka Halwa, Besan Laddoo, Barfi, Coconut Khoya Peda, and Mulpua. These are, without a doubt, my favorites.
If you’re looking for the best Indian food in Penang, this blog post is for you.
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Contents
Why do I eat my meals in Indian restaurants?
I have a rather long list of what I miss and want to eat once we return to normal after MCO.
TOP is a simple Dosa served in an Indian restaurant with its fragrance, scents, language, and bright, vibrant flavors.
I think I miss my jaunts in Little India the most.
I gravitate there whenever I’m in Penang, KL, or Singapore.
If you haven’t tried Indian food, you must.
Spices make me happiest when I dig in mounds of white rice, flooded with an excellent heady mix of creamy curries of all colors, consistencies, and textures.
Going for a Vegetarian Set Meal
Famous for its mouthwatering dishes, Madras New Woodlands has the best Indian vegetarian food in Penang.
This restaurant has both Southern and Northern dishes on the menu.
A top childhood favorite is the Chana Bhatura.
The puffed-up Bhatura pairs perfectly with a serving of Masala Chana, spicy chickpeas.
Add dishes like Masala Bendi, Aloo Mutter, and Dosa for Penang’s excellent Indian food.
Vegetarian Meal at Madras New Woodlands Restaurant, Penang Street, Penang. Photo: @yongw3iho
MADRAS NEW WOODLANDS | Vegetarian Indian Restaurant
60, Penang Street,
Penang, Malaysia
Business Hours:
10:00 am – 10:00 pm
Our first Rava in an Indian Restaurant in Penang
I will never forget my first Rava Dosa at Vello Villas.
The Rava Dosa, a crispier version of the South Indian Dosa, was unlike any other I’ve seen or had.
The Rava is deliciously fragrant with the smell of pure ghee.
The edges are crisp and almost waffle-like.
Its signature holes and blisters are on its moist side, which shows a sprinkling of ginger and carrot bits.
Curry leaf, shaved coconut, cashew nuts, crushed peppercorns, and cumin seeds are present. Rava Dosa does not require overnight fermentation like regular Dosa.
Rava Dosa is made from semolina chawal flour and buttermilk.
Eating alone is great, but drowning it in fish curry gravy works best for me.
Vello Villas has the best Rava Dosa for an Indian restaurant in Penang.
Dosa on a hot grille at Vello Villas, Penang Street, Penang. Photo: @boulangerry
VELOO VILAS RESTAURANT | Casual Indian Restaurant
22, Penang Street,
Penang, Malaysia
Business Hours:
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm (Closed from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm)
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Best Tandoori Chicken in an Indian Restaurant in Penang
A few Indian restaurants are selling this North Indian staple dish. Restoran Kapitan, which popularizes the perfectly baked succulent Tandoori Chicken, is packed every night.
The red, tender morsel, charred black on the edges, is served atop warm naan.
You can choose garlic or cheese naan bread, which costs a few dollars extra.
There is a choice of two sides of mixed curries.
If you head upstairs, the seating is on the veranda off the street or air-conditioning.
Tandoori Chicken and Briyani Set at Kapitan Restaurant, Chulia Street, Penang. Photo: @miezavsrory
KAPITAN RESTAURANT | Indian Restaurant
93, Chulia Street,
Penang, Malaysia
Business Hours:
Open 24 hours
Indian Restaurant in Penang Serve the Best Banana Leaf Rice Meals
One of the top banana leaf rice restaurants was Susila’s in the early 1980s.
When the restaurant closed, it moved to the current shop and was renamed Shusi Banana Leaf Restaurant. They have renovated it since.
Eating there is a trip down memory lane.
I expect Boss to operate the shop in his white shirt and shorts.
Back in the 80s, the banana leaf menu and prices for a Chicken Set was RM3.20!
The banana leaf rice dishes have three vegetarian appetizers, two Papadom pieces, and a hot steaming white rice mound!
Spice it up with your choice of curries, vegetarian dhal, fish, chicken, or mutton.
Of course, breakfast was an excellent fluffy dosa with last night’s fish gravy and a cuppa for RM1.
Sushi Banana Leaf Restaurant
SHUSI BANANA LEAF RESTAURANT | Banana Leaf Restaurant
71 Penang Street,
Penang, Malaysia
Business Hours:
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
4:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Lots of Meaty Mains for Curries in an Indian Restaurant in Penang
Tasty and affordable, Sri Ananda Bahwan is a popular stop for temple goers in Little India, Penang.
The sizzle of Dosa cooking on the open grill and meat roasting with Kebabs, Tandoori, and meaty curries is a draw for this Indian restaurant at the corner of Penang and China Street.
Although the menu includes many vegetarian dishes, snacks, and sweets, the meaty North Indian menu draws in the crowds daily.
The scent of Mutton or Chicken Korma, Tikka Masala, Kebabs, and Tandoori barbecue meals waft through the air as you walk by the streets.
Going further down the road, you will see another Sri Ananda Bahwan (Pure Vegetarian) – food cooked without garlic or onions.
Most regulars love to drop by Anand Bhavan Penang for Indian banana leaf rice at their George Town outlet.
A delicious banana leaf meal at Sri Ananda Bahwan Restaurant, Penang Street, Penang. Photo: sporkandbeanz
SRI ANANDA BAHWAN RESTAURANT | Vegetarian-Friendly Indian Restaurant
55, Penang Street, and 25, Penang Street,
10200 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Business Hours:
Daily 7:00 am – 10:30 pm
Best Butter Chicken Dish
You must try two dishes at Karaikudi: Butter chicken and palak paneer, which are cooked correctly.
Add Fish Tikka, and you have my favorite dishes on the menu.
The restaurant has various Naans, Pratha, Dosa, and Bread or Biryani.
Rice for your curries with a good selection of vegetarian meals.
We usually start our meal with a refreshing Triveni Juice made with Mango, Pineapple, and Ginger.
The best dishes are at Karaikudi, Market Street, and Penang. Photo: @rachelshining
KARAIKUDI RESTAURANT | Indian Restaurant
20, Market Street,
Penang, Malaysia
Business Hours:
11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Annalakshmi Temple of Fine Arts (TFA) – Vegetarian Indian Restaurant
The Temple of Fine Arts is devoted to promoting Indian fine arts. Besides music, dance, and drama, it is known as the center for their culinary arts.
Located on Babington Avenue, the premise is in a quiet bungalow within a beautiful garden.
Annalakshmi is a vegetarian Indian restaurant in Penang.
The restaurant is under the cover of an airy porch at the back of the bungalow. Volunteers run the TFA.
There is a daily vegetarian Indian restaurant buffet with coffee and tea. In the evening, there is an à la carte menu for dinner.
There is no set price.
Patrons donate their meals in line with their motto:
“Eat to your heart’s content, pay what your heart feels“.
Vegetarian Meal at Annalakshmi Temple of Fine Arts. Photo: @tvf88
Annalakshmi Temple of Fine Arts | Place of Worship
1, Lebuhraya Babington,
10450 Penang, Malaysia
Business Hours:
Tuesday to Sunday:
Lunch: 11:30 am – 3:00 pm
Dinner: 6:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Closed on Mondays
Crab Masala Banana Leaf Rice
Muthu Restaurant Chettinad Mess is an off-the-beaten-track Indian restaurant in Penang.
Only the regulars know where to find it, which is located on Acheen Street in the George Town Heritage Enclave.
This banana leaf restaurant has no signboard. So it would help if you were on the lookout for it.
The best part about eating at Muthu’s is to find out your tolerance for spices.
Can you take the heat? If you’re game, dive in the MUST EAT Crab Masala.
Lunch at Muthu’s. When you can’t afford crabs, you can get the free gravy for the rice! Photo: Doris Lim
Muthu Restaurant Chettinad Mess
143, Acheen Street,
11200 Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia
Business Hours:
Daily 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Which is your favorite Indian restaurant in Penang?
You will find many tasty Indian Restaurant in Penang Street, Penang
Let me know what I should be eating every day.
Share the location of your favorite restaurants, and I will drop by to taste them soon.
Source: Indian cuisine
