‹ 25 small cities with big food › No. 24
Small city, big food · No. 24 of 25
George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Photo: Vnonymous, CC BY-SA 4.0A UNESCO old town of shophouses where Chinese, Malay and Indian cooking meet at plastic tables. Char kway teow over charcoal, assam laksa, nasi kandar at 2am.
Char kway teow and assam laksa
Where to eat in George Town
1A photo like it
Siam Road Char Koay Teow
Get: Char koay teow, extra prawns and cockles, spicy
A street stall on Jalan Siam that people queue for. (Chef Amazing)
2
888 Hokkien Mee
Get: Prawn Hokkien mee, add braised pork ribs or roast pork
A street stall on Lebuh Presgrave. (Chef Amazing)
3A photo like it
Auntie Gaik Lean's Old School Eatery
Get: Nyonya home cooking
A Michelin star (2025) for Peranakan cooking. (Chef Amazing)
4A photo like it
New Lane Hawker Centre
Get: Pork intestine porridge, chee cheong fun, apom manis, roast chicken wings
The night hawker lane. (Chef Amazing)
Plan the trip
- When to go
- December to March is driest; Chinese New Year is the big food festival.
- Getting there
- Penang airport (PEN), 30 minutes; nonstops from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
More for George Town
Why it's on the list
Asia's best hawker city.
Next small city
Places checked November 14, 2026; hours and menus change. "A photo like it" is the same kind of food, not from that place. Nobody pays to be on our lists.
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