Located off the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia, the island has just about everything you need for a relaxing holiday with family or friends, filled with an enticing array of food that will tempt your tastebuds.
It can be tough choosing which hawker fare to sample when you’re surrounded by so many delicious dishes, so here’s a list of all-time favourites that will make your visit to the island truly memorable.
Bangkok Lane Mee Goreng
Located at New World Park, Hokkien-speaking Mahboobin Zakaria has been cooking up a storm with his famous mee goreng since the 1970s, when he took over from his father.
Today, his son Sabik Ahamad, has learned the tricks of the trade, continuing the legacy of this family recipe.
Taste aside, the entire cooking process is one to behold as well.
After vigorously stir-frying the springy noodles in a hot wok, three homemade sauces are ladled in to coat each strand of noodles before generous portions of potatoes, tofu, squid and bean sprouts are added to the mix.
Regulars say tastebuds come alive with every mouthful – sweet, spicy and sour from the wedge of lime garnishing each plate.
Hameediyah Nasi Kandar
Believed to be the oldest nasi kandar restaurant around, Hameediyah has been serving up its age-old curries and freshly cooked poultry, seafood and vegetable dishes every day for years.
The mix of spices for their beef rendang, biryani, murtabak, chicken curry, kapitan chicken and dhal curry has remained unchanged for over 100 years.
Starting off in 1907, these tantalising dishes were once cooked in an open field and transported by workers using baskets balanced on either end of a single wooden pole, or ‘kandar’.
This restaurant was given the title of Malaysia’s oldest Nasi Kandar restaurant by the Malaysia Book of Records in 2020.
Ice Kacang in Kek Seng Café
When in Penang, don’t forget to visit Kek Seng Café for its thirst-quenching and super tasty ice kacang.
This old-school local dessert has many variations but one cannot stray from its original pile of shaved ice, drizzles of condensed milk and rose syrup, topped with flavoured jelly, sweet corn, red beans and grass jelly.
This café started business in 1906 and originally served pastries like cream puffs for afternoon high-tea.
However, in the 1930s, the grandfather of the current owner, Cheow Sow Lei, started selling ice-kacang and ever since, this dessert has been the cafe’s most requested.
Incidentally, this café is the only one in Penang that serves this icy-cold dessert with a rose-flavoured jelly on the side.
Bisu Laksa
Truly a hidden gem along the cramped streets of Air Itam, Bisu Laksa is run by two special siblings, Choo Siew Choo and Choo Heng Fook, who have been cooking assam laksa since their father started the stall in 1957.
With the stall taking orders from customers by 10.30am, the siblings ensure they’re at the Air Itam market by 7am to purchase all the ingredients needed for the day.
This includes mackerel, bundles of fresh mint and pink bouquets of ginger flower among a host of others.
Next comes preparing the broth from scratch, beginning with deboning each fish, flavouring the broth with chili and tamarind, and serving every single steaming bowl of assam laksa with eight different vegetables.
Siam Road Char Kuey Teow
Ranked 14th out of 50 at the 2017 World Street Food Congress, Siam Road Char Kuey Teow has become more of an institution rather than just a hawker stall to satisfy one’s craving for carbs.
Cooked over a wood-fire, Tan Chooi Hong, 80, better known to locals as Uncle Tan, and his son Kean Huat, 56, sell out their char kuey teow by 6pm every single day.
Regulars say what makes Uncle Tan’s char kuey teow different from others is its distinctively smoky flavour because of the charcoal fire used, compared to others who cook using gas stoves.
Last year, Uncle Tan’s sumptuous dish earned him the moniker ‘Humble King of Noodles’ by the BBC Travel feature ‘50 Reasons to Love the World in 2021’.