Hawker food In Penang is plentiful and delicious, and some stalls are very successful.
Many humble pushcart hawker stalls serve iconic specialty hawker food in the state.
Most roadside stalls are allowed in the city or big towns under license to operate from local authorities.
You can find hawker food easily in the many Kopitiam, Food Courts, and Hawker Centres around George Town and shopping malls.
Delicious hawker food in Penang is easily accessible from pushcarts.
Many specialty hawker stalls in Penang are the only operators selling a unique dish in Kopitiam.
These local favorites are so popular that they have their clientele – some eat there daily.
Visitors flock here to eat the food from original 50- to 60-year-old traditional recipes.
Eventually, they either take over the other stalls in Kopitiam or have their own business in the shop.
These are Smart Dory favorites, atmospheric hawker fare specializing in just one noodle or rice dish.
The owner is the cook, and family members help to prepare their iconic hawker food in Penang.
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Hawker Food in Penang For Under RM10?
Welcome to George Town, Penang, where eating is a local pastime.
For visitors, you will be amazed that Penangites will ply you with food offers.
They discuss lunch, tea, snack, dinner, or planning a seafood buffet for the weekend as you eat breakfast.
While other nations have heated debates over football, it’s about the origins of the best food for Malaysians.
If you want the best hawker food in Penang, it’s not at the hotel buffets.
But if you want to sample the island’s offerings, an international buffet is the best place to try local dishes.
You can try a taste to see if you like it before making the trip to seek recommendations from Penaingtes.
Eating Specialty Hawker Food In Penang
Usually, Penang hawker food is served in melamine wares, with chopsticks, and without a napkin.
Patrons sit at big metal or plastic foldaway tables surrounded by plastic stools.
There is nothing fancy when it comes to hawker food in Penang.
You won’t find a waiter offering you a menu.
Most of the time, the menu is the price list stuck to the stall or on the tiled wall of the Kopitiam.
How Many Stalls Of Hawker Food In Penang?
There are hundreds of street food stalls spread throughout Penang island.
Instead of bouncing around from Kopitiam to Kopitiam or street to street, you can go to a hawker center.
You can try all the best street food in one place.
The challenge of going to a food court or hawker center is that it’s super overwhelming.
With up to 30 stalls, each cooking a couple of different dishes, you will be stumped to select from at least 150 options.
What Type of Hawker Food In Penang To Order?
Check out these mom-and-pop eateries in Penang for the simple one-item menu.
Let’s look at where these stand-alone Penang hawkers are and what they sell, making eating there so popular with Penangites.
The Specialty Hawker Food In Penang is arranged alphabetically.
Ah Boy Koay Teow Th’ng
Ah Boy Koay Teow Th’ng specialty used Older Hens and Unlaid Eggs harvested after slaughter.
In addition to these, the Th’ng Teow Th’ng is served with many types of Fish Balls and Pork Tendon Meatballs.
Extra orders include Chicken and Bean Sprouts garnished with spring onions and fried garlic.
Ah Boy Koay Teow Th’ng
L to R: Extra Orders include Unlaid Eggs, Chicken and Bean Sprouts, Fish Balls, and Pork Tendon Meatballs
Ah Boy Koay Teow Th’ng
Address: Lebuh Clarke, George Town, 10050 George Town, Penang
7.00 AM to 2.00 PM (Closed Tuesday)
Bib Gourmand: good quality, good value cooking
Ah Koo’s Hokkien Mee @ Classic Cafe
Ah Koo’s Penang Hokkien Mee is a favorite among regulars.
They serve the best soups with the thickest, full-bodied shrimp aroma.
Go early and be prepared to wait at least 30mins during peak hours.
The stall is tucked in Classic Cafe and operates in the morning only.
Ah Koo’s Hokkien Mee @ Classic Cafe
Ah Koo’s Hokkien Mee @ Classic Cafe
Address: Jalan Perak, 10450 George Town, Penang
Operating Hours: 8 AM – 11. 30 AM (Closed on Tuesdays)
Chok Kee Porridge Cafe
Formerly known as Cintra Street Chee Cheong Chok, the stall is famous for the popular Pork Intestine Porridge.
The superb porridge is smooth and flavorsome when paired with the deep-fried pork intestines and Char Siew.
You can order Century Egg Porridge and Peanut Porridge if you don’t like pork.
Chee Cheong Chok is not commonly found at Penang Hawker Centres or Food Court.
Three types of porridge are available. Pork Intestine Porridge, Century Egg Porridge, and Peanut Porridge.
Chok Kee Porridge Cafe
Address: Lebuh Kimberley, George Town, 10200 George Town, Penang
Operating Hours: 8.30 AM to 2.30 PM Daily
Dannok Hokkien Mee
Dannok Hokkien Mee has a rich in prawn in the soup base.
You can add prawn, fish ball, egg, pig intestines, etc.
The owner is very generous.
Best of all you can ask for extra soup
Dannok Hokkien Mee
Address: 41, Jalan Seang Tek, George Town, 10400 George Town, Penang
Operating Hours: 8.00 AM – 2.30 PM (Closed Thursdays)
Goh Thew Chik Hainan Chicken Rice
Goh Thew Chik Hainan Chicken Rice is family-friendly and suitable for groups, offering fast service and pocket-friendly prices.
Try the combo with Black (Roasted) and White (Poached) Chicken, an order of Chicken Gizzards, and Chicken Liver and Boiled Chicken Intestines.
Clockwise: Chicken Gizzards, Chicken Liver and Boiled Chicken Intestines, Chicken Rice and Combo Roasted and Poached Chicken.
Goh Thew Chik Hainan Chicken Rice
Address: 340, Lebuh Chulia, George Town, 10200 George Town, Penang
Operating Hours: 10:30 AM to 5.00 PM (Closed on Wednesday)
Jian Jian Vegetarian Food
Jian Jian Vegetarian is very popular with Penang vegetarians. It is at the corner of Lebuh McNair and Lebuh Tye Sin.
The hawker fare menu rotates daily with regular items.
Go early to avoid the lunchtime rush.
SmartDory Tip: Go on Wednesday for the Vegetarian Laksa.
Delicious filling Penang Hawker Food RM4 with Kopi RM1
Jian Jian Vegetarian Food
58, Lebuh Tye Sin, George Town, 10300 George Town, Penang
Operating Hours: 7.00 AM to 2.00 PM
Johnny Junior Nasi Lemak @ Jin Hoe Cafe, Pulau Tikus
Only a handful of the real deal Nyonya Nasi Lemak in Penang exists.
This stall is for you if you crave authentic Nyonya steamed Nasi Lemak.
The rice is “cukup lemak.”
You get to customize your Nasi Lemak with extra Assam Prawns, Assam Fish, Fried Chicken Drumstick, Fried Egg, and even Otak Otak.
Best of all, this dollop of sambal brings everything together!
Starting in the eighties, Jin Hoe cafe became an icon in Pulau Tikus.
Assam Prawns, Assam Fish, and Sambal Belacan are a great combo.
Johnny Junior Nasi Lemak @ Jin Hoe Cafe
Address: 48, Jalan Cantonment, Pulau Tikus, 10350 George Town, Penang
Open 9.00 AM to 12.00 PM (Closed on Sundays)
Kedai Kopi Bee Hong 美鳳茶室 (Porridge & Dishes)
The Squatting Teo Chew Porridge is appropriately named due to patrons ” squatting” on a small stool above a long bench.
After eight decades of serving ordinary folk a delicious and cheap meal, the last remaining “squatting” Teochew porridge stall closed in February 2021.
The stall was a popular lunchtime spot for regulars living near the busy Magazine Road.
The daily scene of patrons squatting to enjoy their meal will become a mere memory for many.
You must master the Asian Squat to enjoy the Penang Teochew Porridge at Kedai Kopi Bee Hong.
Kedai Kopi Bee Hong 美鳳茶室 (Porridge & Dishes)
93, Jalan Magazine, George Town, 10300 George Town, Penang
Operating Hours: Permanently closed.
Kimberley Street Duck Kway Chap
A top Specialty Hawker Food In Penang, the Kimberley Street Duck Kway Chap is very popular from the stall opening until closing.
Both braised duck meat and innards are tender and thoroughly soaked in the rich flavor of the broth.
The rice noodles called Kway are thick, chewy, and curl up like a smile.
If you want to be served promptly after order without any queues, go around 5 PM on weekdays!
An extra serving of braised duck meat and innards with a bowl of Duck Kway Chap.
Kimberley Street Duck Kway Chap
Address: 97-143, Lebuh Kimberley, Georgetown, 10100 George Town, Penang
Operating Hours: 3.00 PM to 10.00 PM (Closed on Thursday)
Hainan Lor Mee @ Hai Beng Coffee Shop
Lor Mee’s birthplace in Penang is in a Kopitiam across the road (Stewart Lane) from Kuan Imm Teng (Temple of Goddess of Mercy).
The Hainanese style Lor Mee broth is less gooey and does not coagulate.
Having vinegar, garlic sauce, and chili sauce on hand can heighten the piquant and subtle spiced taste.
Hainan Lor Mee @ Hai Beng Coffee Shop since 1957
Hainan Lor Mee @ Hai Beng Coffee Shop
Address: 32, Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, George Town, 10200 George Town, Penang
Operating Hours: 8 AM to 4 PM (Closed on Wednesdays)
Lor Mee @ Kedai Kopi Lean Thye
Similar to most Hokkien dishes, the use of dark soy sauce is prevalent.
The noodle dish is a slurpy, messy bowl where tissue is needed after every slurp.
Like most Hokkien dishes, dark soy sauce is prevalent.
The thick, spiced, flavorsome broth is ladled over yellow noodles and topped with braised meats, eggs, and a sprinkle of fried scallions.
Extra braised Duck Eggs make this a filling meal!
Lor Mee @ Kedai Kopi Lean Thye
Address: 4, Lebuh Ah Quee, George Town, 10300 George Town, Penang
Operating Hours: 7.00 AM to 10.00 AM (Closed on Sundays)
Lorong Selamat Char Koay Teow
Not everyone will tolerate long waits, rude Penang hawkers, and dirty conditions with the Health Department’s closure, no matter how good the food tastes!
You may find some snooty Penang hawkers with a bad attitude and inflated prices.
Some specialty hawkers seem to thrive despite their notoriety.
The CKT here is not cheap, and it is expensive.
Nevertheless, you have an option not to patronize the outlet.
Lorong Selamat Char Koay Teow
Address: 82, Lorong Selamat, George Town, 10400 George Town, Penang
Operating Hours: 10.00 AM to 5.00 PM Daily
Nasi Lemak Liverpool Cafe Penang
Just like its moniker, this is THE place for Liverpool football fans.
You get to enjoy the Nasi Lemak while watching live matches.
The cafe is painted in club colors, and you can find Liverpool memorabilia on the walls.
A must-order is the Ayam Goreng Berempah, which is fried on the spot.
The hot from the frying wok Ayam Goreng Berempah is a must-order.
Nasi Lemak Liverpool Cafe Penang
Address: 92, Jalan Tan Sri Teh Ewe Lim, Jelutong, 11600 George Town, Penang
Open 2.30 PM to 10.00 PM (Closed Tuesday)
Yik Kheng Kee Cafe (Hainanese Char)
Most of us know and love Hainanese Chicken Rice, but few people outside of Malaysia know about Hailam Mee.
Hailam Mee is a simple stir-fried yellow noodle served in rich, thick gravy with chicken, prawns, or beef and vegetables.
The pale-colored fried noodle dish is a wet version of Char Mee with slightly thick gravy.
Good Hailam fried noodles is a dish that s pretty hard to find in Malaysia.
Another place renowned for good Hailam food is Hai Onn Restaurant.
Hailam Mee is not easily available at Penang Hawker Stalls.
.Yik Kheng Kee Cafe (Hainanese Char)
Address: 161, Lebuh Kimberley, George Town, 10100 George Town, Penang
Operating Hours: 9.30 AM to 5.00 PM (Closed Wednesday)
113 Duck Meat Koey Teow Th’ng
113 Duck Meat Koay Teow Th’ng is one of the very old Koay Teow Thng hawkers in George Town.
The specialty hawker stall in Penang has the most add-on choices.
The duck meat Koay Teow Th’ng has a strong flavor, and more importantly, it is delicious.
You can find pig intestines, green vegetables, braised chicken feet, fish balls, fish cake, duck meat, duck liver, duck intestines,
A delicious extra would be crunchy duck intestines served together with bean sprouts.
They also have a delicious Koay Chiap on the menu.
113 Duck Meat Koey Teow Th’ng
Address: 111, Lebuh Melayu, George Town, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Operating Hours: 8.00 AM to 2.30 PM Daily
With Such Amazing Good Food At LOW PRICES, You Will Want To
Book Your Hotel For Your Next Vacation In Penang Today!
Food Hunt To Find Under RM10 Specialty Hawker Food In Penang
Before you head out, you ask a few friends along so you get to order and eat more.
Remember to plan your routes to maximize your eating trip from Getting to Penang.
SmartDory suggests that you park and walk. You’ll get to exercise a little, and you’ll be ready for more delicious Penang Hawker food!
If you have your favorite that I want to include in this handy list, leave a comment on the blog.
Thanks for stopping by. Happy food hunting and happy eating!
Photo Source: Facebook Page of Outlets.
