Via Pre Penang has been an Italian-owned business since 2012.
The mark of an excellent Italian restaurant is its Italian chefs.
Chef Luca (unmistakably Italian) heads the Via Pre Penang.
My first trip was on the eve of the last week before Via Pre moved from its original Weld Quay (Pengkalan Weld) location.
I met Chef Max and Chef Luca back then.
Chef Max had cooked a wonderfully memorable meal for me.
The photos bring back excellent memories.
Via Pre has two locations in Malaysia.
Via Pre Penang at Penang Street and Via Pre KL at Bukit Damansara in Kuala Lumpur.
Via Pre Penang
Where to find the best Italian food?
If you ask an Italian where the best food is in Italy, you almost always get the same answer.
You will find a middle-aged couple cooking on the streets with a long queue.
And the food is sold out in two hours.
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Via Pre Penang Interior
Penny: The restaurant looks proper. Better than the other place, we had dinner.
Dory: No all restaurants are created equal. The measure is in the tasting.
There isn’t anything quite as classic and arresting as a black and white checkerboard floor and wood accents in the bar and cabinets.
The old skool wooden frame slate chalkboard written with the menu and promotions adorned the walls with wines on display.
One word comes to mind; Via Pre Penang is classy.
Via Pre prides itself on other Italian restaurants through its authentic Italian cuisine.
The restaurant goes to great lengths to procure premium ingredients from cured meat to cheese, wines to coffee from Italy.
The Penang Street outlet features an open kitchen.
You can peek into the kitchen to the washrooms (yes, both are incredibly clean and have a dry floor!)
The Head Chef of Via Pre Penang is Chef Luca from Florence.
I had the pleasure of meeting Chef Luca with Chef Max way back in 2016.
Chef Luca with Chef Max way back in 2016
What I remember most about Via Pre Penang is …
Dancing!
The restaurant’s upper floor not only provides additional dining space on busy days.
Every Saturday evening, there’s salsa dancing to keep up with a live band performance.
That was how I found out about Via Pre Penang – from the Penang Salsa Spirit.
When the dancers move, the vibrant ambiance is riveting.
Party ambiance and lovely dancers from Penang Salsa Spirit.
Meals at Via Pre Penang
Over the years, I have had many meals at Via Pre.
In 2016, my first dining experience was at their outlet on Weld Quay, with the best ambiance.
If you’re looking for a nice Italian restaurant, a few on Penang Island.
Some have closed, quality dropped, or Chefs left.
Via Pre Penang has kept the same consistent good taste with Chef Luca at the helm.
It always has the same professional, friendly service and great consistent taste.
During MCO, I would order pizza from Via Pre to eat.
But the best pizza must be eaten fresh from the oven, and there’s no other way about it.
The pizzas are so good.
As for dinner, lots of happy meals and, as always, “rolling out of the restaurant,” all simply because I will wipe everything clean and overeat.
I can’t help myself.
There are tomatoes, black olives, and pesto.
Those are magical words to me.
I remembered to take photos of some of the meals at Via Pre Penang and could find them to post.
Via Pre Set Lunch Menu
Delicious food doesn’t necessarily come with a high price tag.
The Via Pre Set Lunch Menu is a steal for a full-service restaurant meal.
If you enjoy cafe-hopping, you will know that breakfast and a cup of coffee cost more than RM40.
Pizza & Birra RM29
A 9 inch Pizza, either a Calabrese or Four Cheese, Ham & Mushroom or Chicken Spinach with one drink as house beer to fresh juice.
Pasta & Wine RM39
Spaghetti or Penne in Carbonara or Pork Ragout or Pesto & Prawn gorgonzola & speck with a glass of wine (house wine) or fresh juice or coffee.
If you want to try Italian wines, this is your set.
The Combo @Via Pre Penang RM35
Via Pre’s specialty all in one meal changing daily with a choice of carbs, proteins, and fibers with Expresso or Americano or Tea
The Lunch Specials at Via Pre Penang are great deals!
The Via Pre Set Lunch Menu is one of the best deals in town, packaged so well for you to enjoy.
The selection is excellent value for money.
What’s a meal at Via Pre Penang like?
Everyone is greeted with a friendly CIAO!
That’s a warm Hello! In Italian.
Shortly after being seated, the manager brings the menu and makes helpful recommendations for your meal.
I wanted to try the set lunch but didn’t want a Pork or Chicken meal or a pizza.
The restaurant manager recommended The Combo @Via Pre, a healthy choice for a balanced meal of carbs, proteins, and Salad with Expresso or Americano.
Since I didn’t want a sweet pumpkin soup, I opted for greens.
For protein, I had Fish and Pesto Fusilli.
My eyes lit up. I have a strange feeling that the manager could read minds.
He laughed and admitted that he could make just recommendations that please the diners over the years.
BRAVO!
Amazingly he seemed to remember I dropped in for a coffee last month.
The restaurant served me a basket of bread.
The bread is complimentary with most food orders except pizzas, bruschetta, and panini.
The thing is when there’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar Bread Dip and with Focaccia, Eight-Grain Bread, and Rustic Bread.
Baked fresh every day, the bread carries an irresistible aroma from the oven, so it’s hard for me to hold back.
The best part is the bread types vary from day to day.
Some days there are Grissini Bread Sticks!
Don’t be fooled by its simplicity.
The bread is delicious and filling!
The bread basket carries an irresistible aroma from the oven and is so tasty when dipped in the EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and Balsamic Vinegar.
The Combo @Via Pre Penang
Via Pre’s specialty all in one meal changing daily with a choice of carbs, proteins, and fibers with Expresso or Americano or Tea.
If you’re not fond of Tomato Sauce, you will like the choice of Basil Pesto Sauce or Arrabbiata Sauce with your pasta.
The menu changes daily for The Combo; check with the staff if you have particular food preferences.
They are helpful and friendly.
The portions are enormous! That’s a big platter.
Coffee Culture
Few cultures know coffee better than Italians.
The coffee culture in Italy is different from what we know and drink in Malaysia, and the Italians know their coffee.
BUONGIORNO!
Mornings in Italy begin with a pastry breakfast paired with a delicious, milky coffee.
Cappuccino: Equal parts espresso, steamed milk, and foamed milk
Caffè latte: Espresso with more steamed milk and less foam
Latte macchiato: Steamed milk “marked” with a splash of espresso
Espresso coffee has “very Italian origins.”
The Expresso is the most popular drink to order at a “bar,” which means “coffee shop” in Italian.
The taste is strong with a thicker consistency and a higher acid content than drip coffee.
Buon caffè!
Even with a heavy meal, it is ideal to have a dessert and a coffee.
The liquid-ish Tiramisu and Americano were a perfect finish to my meal.
Coffee is always a welcome treat whenever I’m near Via Pre.
There’s always room for coffee and Tiramisu.
Via Pre Penang Review
The service and food quality at Via Pre impresses with flying colors.
If you want to enjoy an Italian meal other than pizza, and pasta, order from the Mains.
All the items are lovely, and the food is made with premium ingredients from Italy.
You can have your fill of traditional Pork Porchetta, Parma Ham, Buffalo Mozzarella, Italian Pork Sausages, and more on the menu.
For regulars and visitors to Penang, the restaurant is a testament to good food and friendly service that beckons you to return again and again.
Via Pre Italian Restaurant (Non-Halal)
Address: 20E, Lebuh Penang, 10200 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 04-262-0560
Business hours: 11:00am-11:00pm
Vie Pre Website
Coordinates: 5.41933 N, 100.34136 E
Directions: Via Pre Penang is located on Lebuh Penang (Penang Street) just after the intersections with Union Street (Lebuh Union) and Bishop Street (Lebuh Bishop).
You enter the one-way Penang Street just after the Chamber from Light Street if you’re driving.
On weekdays, parking is hard to come by. Best to use a Grab Car.
It is at the other end of shops from The Chambers and Penang 3D Trick Art Museum. Street parking can be scarce on weekdays.
