chloedickensonLast Updated on 15th December 2022
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I’ve made it no secret how much I love Malaysia and, in particular, George Town. We ate some of the most insanely delicious and widely diverse food I’ve ever had in Penang and George Town, as well as experienced some of the most epic nights out so today’s post is all about the best food in Penang.
I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had as much incredible food in one place in my life as I had in George Town and Penang and I’m honestly desperate to go back, just for the food alone.
If you’re looking for insanely cheap and delicious food, as well as where to get the cheapest alcohol in George Town, then you’ve come to the right post!
If you’re looking to find the best street food in Penang and George Town, Malaysia, check out this ultimate Penang food guide to the best restaurants, hawker food stalls and bars!
The best restaurants in George Town & Penang
We spent almost three weeks in George Town and we ate at a good mixture of restaurants, cafes, Hawker Markets, street food vendors and of course, the occasional Grab takeaway, too!
Here’s a list of my favourite restaurants in George Town, Penang!
1. The Brew House
The Brew House was situated just a 30-second walk from the first hotel we stayed at in George Town and it was the first place we ate at when we first arrived there after getting the bus from Kuala Lumpur.
We also ate there on multiple other occasions which is something we very rarely do as we always try and find different places to eat.
However, The Brew House provided the goods on many occasions, for relatively affordable prices so I really can’t recommend it enough.
On the first night we arrived in GT, both Matt and I were craving some proper “pub food” so after quickly checking the reviews for The Brew House, we soon decided to head there.
I had the grilled lamb chop with fries (which I also had a second time later in the week because it was just that good!) and Matt had the Brew House signature pork chops with mashed potato.
When we returned for another visit, we decided to tuck into some scrumptious pub grub again, this time with Matt going for the fish and chips, while I opted for the sausage and mash.
While it certainly wasn’t the cheapest meal we had in George Town, we were so impressed with The Brew House that I really wouldn’t hesitate to recommend numerous things on the menu!
For our third visit to The Brew House, we noticed that they had an exceptionally good lunchtime deal so we both went for one of their specials.
I chose the spaghetti as my main, which also came with a daily special homemade soup, ice cream for dessert and a soft drink, all for less than £2.50.
Can you imagine finding a deal as good as that in the UK?!
Matt went for the braised pork belly lunch special which was exactly the same as mine apart from the main dish.
If you’re in George Town and are craving some pub food, you definitely need to head to The Brew House!
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2. Love A Loaf
Love A Loaf was undoubtedly the cheapest place we ate at in GT, yet it was still remarkably yummy and actually pretty fancy inside!
It’s a bakery unlike any other I’ve ever experienced and if you’re after some scrumptious pastries, then it definitely needs to be added to your George Town food bucket list!
There are dozens of different pastries, cakes, mini desserts and sweet and savoury items to choose from, all at insanely affordable prices.
Croissant – 3.15rm (59p)
Garlic chicken sausage – 3.25rm (61p)
As there was so much to choose from, Matt and I decided to get a few different things and just share everything.
In terms of sweet stuff, we went for the classic croissant and pain au chocolat combination; an excellent choice in my opinion! These were absolutely delightful and so flaky; just how they should be!
As for savoury goods, we choose the mini Hawaiian pizza and the garlic chicken sausage. I wasn’t too overwhelmed by the mini pizza as I’m not a huge fan of pineapple on pizza, but the garlic chicken sausage was absolutely wonderful.
Every single item was less than £1 each; that’s a bargain breakfast if I ever did see one!
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3. Junk Cafe
Junk Cafe is a remarkably cool and quirky bar/restaurant that’s renowned for its eclectic collection of weird and wonderful antiques and odd decor.
We didn’t actually eat much in here, we just shared a bowl of fries (15rm – £2.82) and then Matt got a beer (14rm – £2.63) as we’d already planned to eat at the night markets later on.
The food here did look and smell good though and there was a decent offering of burgers, sandwiches and other dishes on the menu and it came very highly recommend to us so I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to you guys too!
If anything, it’s more of just a cool and quirky place to hang out for a drink or two!
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4. The Loft – where to eat, drink & party in George Town
The picture above has no relation to The Loft restaurant whatsoever, I just didn’t have a picture of its interior so I thought I’d share a picture of a trishaw, which is a very popular way to get around GT!
The Loft is most famous for its pizza-oven-cooked pizzas, but it also sells a plethora of burgers, salads, pasta dishes and much more too.
Matt and I were both craving a proper handmade pizza and we’d heard great things about The Loft so we decided to splash out (£6 each lol) and head there one evening.
I opted for the classic pepperoni pizza which did more than a good job of sating my appetite, although I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had…
Matt chose the Hawaiian chicken pizza and again, this was pretty average in my opinion as I just don’t believe pineapple belongs on pizza (let me know in the comments what your thoughts are about pineapple on pizza!).
We both thoroughly enjoyed eating at The Loft; it’s a gorgeous restaurant inside and is a great place if you don’t mind splashing out a bit on your food.
However, there are definitely cheaper and better places to eat in GT, so it’s really up to you whether you can justify the cost or not.
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5. JK92 Cafe
JK92 Cafe was a tiny little local “restaurant” just around the corner from our first hotel in George Town and the staff spoke very little English.
However, there was plenty of choice of “typical” Asian meals including rice dishes, noodles and numerous curries too.
It’s mega cheap and the portions were decent enough for our liking. I’d definitely recommend JK92 Cafe if you want something quick, cheap and yummy!
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6. Breakfast From The Barn
Being British and having been travelling for almost seven months at the point we were in George Town, both Matt and I were desperately craving a good old fashioned full English breakfast after not having one for months on end.
We actually ordered from Breakfast From The Barn on our beloved Grab app one morning when we were feeling a little worse for wear after spending the previous evening on Love Lane (see below!).
I went for the pork sausage full English and Matt went for the lamb sausage variation (same price).
For just £3, it was absolutely delicious; I can still taste the heavenly hash brown, beans and bacon combination right now. 😍
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7. Holy Guacamole
Holy Guacamole is actually situated on Love Lane so technically it should be featured in the section below but I wanted to just talk about the food we ate there, not just the alcohol so here we are!
As the name suggests, Holy Guacamole is a small Mexican jaunt that serves both food and alcohol all day and night and we ended up having drinks there a couple of times while we were in GT.
We only ate there on one occasion however, and despite hearing raving reviews about the food, I was pretty underwhelmed with my chicken enchiladas if I’m being perfectly honest.
There was a bit too much salsa for my liking and the chicken was almost non-existent.
However, Matt really enjoyed his chicken omelette burrito and his only slight complaint was that the portion size was a little on the small side.
I’d still recommend visiting Holy Guacamole however, but I’d perhaps skip the food and head straight for the Tequila 😉
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8. The BGRG – where to eat in George Town
The BRGR is arguably the least authentic Asian restaurant you’ll find in George Town but it provides delicious and more importantly, cheap, burgers if you have a fast food craving.
Matt went for the disgustingly cheesy Oozy Woozy chicken burger which was positively oozing with melted cheese on top and inside of the burger!
It was a little too much for my liking but Matt really enjoyed his intensely cheesy burger.
I on the other hand, went for the simple chicken burger with fries which was just over £2! I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s the best burger I’ve ever had but I’d definitely eat it again and would recommend it if you’re in the mood for some truly unhealthy food!
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9. Brix and Baume
To say that Matt and I aren’t really dessert people at all, we ended up going back to Brix and Baume for their Oreo brownie cake twice while we were in George Town!
We spotted the vast offerings of cakes and sweet treats as we were walking past one day and we just knew we had to take one home and try it out for ourselves…
I think I’d go as far as to say it’s one of the best chocolate desserts I’ve ever had and Matt couldn’t get over how amazing it was (he literally never, ever has cake haha!).
I think Brix and Baume officially changed Matt’s opinion on cakes and I think we might have to fly back to GT just to eat this all over again 😉
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10. Liu Bing Shi
Liu Bing Shi was a Hong Kong /Chinese restaurant that was located on the same street as the second hotel that we stayed in.
It served a plethora of different Hong Kong and Chinese dishes including plenty of rice and noodle-based meals.
We both went for the fried nissin noodles; with me opting for the chicken variety and Matt went for the beef ones.
The portions were pretty huge and there was a great ratio of meat to noodles; something that doesn’t always happen…
I’d definitely recommend Liu Bing Shi for some yummy and authentic Asian noodles!
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11. Cheang Kee
If I’m being perfectly honest, I can’t really personally recommend Cheang Kee as I wasn’t the biggest fan of the food there and the staff were a bit too “much” in the fact that they constantly kept coming over and spent a good 5-minutes going through the seafood specials even after us telling them that neither of us liked seafood…
However, Matt’s dish was truly one of a kind so I wanted to include it in this post in case you guys were intrigued to try it out for yourself.
He ordered the pork belly hot pot which was the most highly recommended dish on the menu (after researching on TripAdvisor and Google reviews beforehand).
The waiters brought out all the food that was essentially “raw” and the idea is that you cook it yourself over a hotpot type of thing.
It was an incredibly cool concept but the ingredients were very out of our usual comfort zone and included things like tofu, fish balls and various other fish varieties that we would never, ever order.
Matt seemed to enjoy the process of adding everything to the pot and watching it all simmer away but in terms of the actual food, it wasn’t really to our taste.
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Hawker Markets in George Town – the best street food in Penang
One thing in particular that made me fall head over heels in love with George Town, and all of Asia in general if I’m honest, is the sheer amount of Hawker Markets and street food vendors there are.
Hawker Centres are usually open-air or barely-covered spaces housing a vast variety of stalls all selling incredibly affordable food.
George Town was home to some of the very best Hawker Centres we’ve experienced, which in turn meant we ate like Gods while we were there, for very little expense!
Let’s take a look at some of our favourite Hawker Markets and street food vendors where you can eat, drink & party in George Town!
12. Red Garden
Red Garden was my personal favourite Hawker Centre in GT and while it might not have exactly been the biggest or offer the greatest selection of choice, it showed me a new-found love for curry that I’ve taken with me into the rest of our travels!
There are dozens of tables set up inside the Centre, with many different stalls selling everything from Indian, to Italian, to Israeli cuisines, plus many more!
There was one particular Indian food stall that I absolutely fell in love with at Red Garden and I actually ended up ordering from here on three different occasions!
Before we started travelling, I literally couldn’t stand curries or any kind of Indian food and I would hate it whenever someone suggested we get an Indian takeaway (what about a Chinese or Dominos?!).
However, I’ve now discovered an almost-obsession with all things curry related and when you can get a delicious Biryani Tandoori chicken with a garlic naan for less than £3.40, what’s not to love?!
This food stall sits either on your first right if you enter Red Garden from Leith Street, or towards the very back and in the far right corner if you enter from the little side street entrance, just off Leith Street.
Red Garden is also home to another one of our favourite food stalls; Kimpo Famous Roasted.
This stall is actually one of the most highly recommended places to eat in the whole of George Town and we didn’t even realise that before we tried it ourselves!
On two separate occasions, we ordered the crispy pork wonton mee; a noodle dish swimming in soy sauce and served with scrumptious crispy pork pieces.
Matt also ordered the roasted duck rice for a measly £1.31 which was equally as tasty and just as cheap!
I honestly think that the food we had in Malaysia has ruined us forever; it’s insanely cheap, unfathomably delicious and there’s just so much choice and variety!
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13. Jetty Food Court – the best street food in Penang
Jetty Food Court was another fantastic Hawker Market in George Town, situated just opposite Chew Jetty and it was actually Matt’s favourite Hawker Centre in GT.
Continuing on with the streak of insanely cheap and yummy food, there are many stalls inside Jetty Food Court selling a whole manner of different dishes and cuisines.
One of Matt’s personal favourites was the sizzling pork dish that he got for just £1.31. The dish consisted of crispy pork, rice, fried egg and soy sauce, all served in a sizzling hot pot.
While I wasn’t the biggest fan of this, Matt honestly couldn’t rave about it enough and he’s said multiple times since we left GT how much he craves another one!
As well as developing a love for curries, I’ve also become utterly obsessed with noodle dishes since being in Asia so anytime I can get my hands on some roast pork noodles for just over £1, you can bet I’ll be there ASAP!
While at Jetty Food Court, we also ordered wan tan mee pork noodles but they weren’t quite as good as the ones from Red Garden.
Also, please note: different food stalls spell things differently, even if it’s the exact same dish. I’ve just copied the way each vendor has spelled it at each Hawker Centre so it’s easier for you to find!
We also ordered a pulled pork set meal to share one afternoon for a “light snack” as we weren’t hungry enough for a meal each, so we shared this between us and it was incredibly yummy! Very simply; but delicious!
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14. Jiao Sai Maggi Goreng
This place isn’t actually inside a Hawker Market, it’s literally just a little food stall at the side of the street which was just around the corner from our second accommodation in George Town.
We ordered my absolute favourite; Maggi Gorgeng Ayam, which is basically just Maggi instant noodles, fried chicken and a few different herbs and spices and if you’ve never had it, I literally cannot explain how good it is.
I think it’s my favourite dish I’ve eaten since travelling and I desperately hope I can recreate it when we eventually go back to the UK!
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15. New World Park – the best street food in Penang
New World Park was also located just around the corner from our second accommodation in GT and we frequented it a couple of times while we were there.
It felt much more of an organised indoor food market than your typical Hawker Centre but all the food stalls were very similar in terms of what they were selling.
We were pretty boring with our choice of food at New World Park the first time and just ordered chicken fried rice and pepper chicken rice between us.
It was nothing to shout home about, but considering that chicken fried rice is one of my favourite things to order from the Chinese takeaway back at home, I was pretty happy to eat this for such a low price!
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Love Lane – best bars in George Town, Penang
When it comes to places to eat, drink & party in George Town, there’s one place where you can get all three for pretty affordable prices; Love Lane.
I talked in extensive detail about how much we enjoyed Love Lane in my post about the best things to do in George Town and I’m going to continue with my praise for it in this post!
The Guitarist – best street food in Penang
On our second night in George Town, we were wandering aimlessly around the town on the hunt for something to eat and drink when we stumbled down Love Lane.
We’d already planned to “properly” visit on our itinerary for the upcoming week of our stay in GT, but we still decided to wander down anyway and I’m so glad that we did!
We ended up bumping into 50+ Aussies who were all insanely drunk and they kept buying us drinks all night (they even left a bottle of Tequila for us at one point!).
We started the night in The Guitarist which is actually where we ended up going many more times for a drink or two while we were in George Town.
They have packs of cards and Jenga towers on all the tables outside and it’s a great place to visit with friends (like we did) or just as a couple (also like we did!).
Happy hour: 20rm (£3.76) for two vodka lemonades.
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Mi Casa
The picture above isn’t actually anywhere near Mi Casa but I didn’t actually manage to take one while we were there so this will have to do!
Mi Casa wasn’t quite as lively as The Guitarist but it served cheap enough alcohol and it was also one of the very few places in George Town that we found that showed English Premier League games on the tele.
As Matt is a huge football fan, we frequented Mi Casa on a couple of occasions so we could watch the football and then head off somewhere else!
Happy hour: 30rm (£5.64) for three vodka and lemonades.
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Where to find cheap alcohol in George Town – street food in Penang
While I’ve included plenty of affordable places to eat, drink & party in George Town throughout this post, none of them compares to what you can find if you know where to look…
Antarabangsa Enterprise – street food in Penang
I talked in great detail about Antarabangsa Enterprise in my guide to the best things to do in George Town, but I also thought it deserved its own spot in this post too.
Antarabangsa Enterprise is essentially a small off-licence type shop which sells (without a doubt) the cheapest alcohol you’ll find in George Town.
You can buy bottles of rum, whisky and vodka for £4-£6 but our personal favourite cheap drinks were alcopop-style drinks called Storm Screwdrivers that cost just 75p (!!!) per bottle!
Not only is the alcohol here insanely cheap, but once the sun goes down, the whole street transforms into an electric street party atmosphere where locals and tourists gather and share drinks, stories and funny travel tales.
Our nights hanging out at Antarabangsa Enterprise are some of my favourite memories from travelling and I wholeheartedly urge you to buy a beer (or 10; let’s face it, they’re cheap enough!), sit with the locals or other travellers and enjoy one of the most fun-filled nights you can have in George Town!
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This post is now well over 4000 words long so I think I better put a pin in my fawning over street food in Penang and George Town and call it a day!
If you’re heading to George Town anytime soon, I really hope you’ve found this post useful and that it gives you plenty of inspiration when it comes to finding the best places to enjoy delicious street food in Penang, as well as the best bars, restaurants and Hawker food stalls in George Town!
Related posts:
- The Best Things To Do In George Town, Penang
- 17 Best Things To See And Do In Kuala Lumpur
- The Best Places To Eat And Dishes You Need To Try In Kuala Lumpur
- Why Kuala Lumpur Isn’t Just A Layover City
Pin for later – the best street food in Penang & George Town
Have I convinced to you visit George Town and find the best street food in Penang with this post?! Let me know in the comments or on Twitter at @imjustagirl_16.
*Prices in this post are accurate as of the currency exchange rate in January 2020.
