Mat Toh Yau

Auntie Gaik Lean's Old School Eatery

🏮 Nyonya Food · Lebuh Bishop, George Town, Penang

🐖 Non-halalRM80–RM150

Michelin starreservations essentialair-conditioned

Order: Jiu hu char, gulai tumis, nasi ulam, pie tee

Malaysia's only Michelin-starred Nyonya kitchen, cooking Penang Peranakan recipes without shortcuts. Book well ahead.

Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul

🍧 Cendol · Lebuh Keng Kwee, George Town, Penang

🐖 Non-halalRM5–RM10Since 1936

Order: Chendul with red beans, gula Melaka and fresh coconut milk

The cendol by which all others are judged, slurped standing in the alley off Penang Road since 1936. Fine shaved ice, rich santan and dark gula Melaka in perfect balance. It is now a national chain and even went to Taiwan in 2025, but the original stall is the pilgrimage.

Penang Road Famous Laksa

🐟 Assam Laksa · Lebuh Keng Kwee, George Town, Penang

🐖 Non-halalRM8–RM15

Order: Penang assam laksa with shredded mackerel, pineapple, mint and hae ko

The bowl most people mean when they say 'Penang laksa' — decades at Joo Hooi before moving next door to Keng Kwee Street, and a Michelin Bib Gourmand every year since the Penang guide began. Sour, fishy, sweet-sticky with prawn paste; pair it with the chendol across the lane.