Top 10 Iconic Penang Street Foods You Must Try (2026)
Penang is widely regarded as Malaysia’s food capital – and for good reason. From bustling hawker centres to hidden alleyway stalls, the island offers an incredible variety of flavours that reflect its rich multicultural heritage. Here is our definitive ranking of the top 10 Penang street foods you absolutely must try.
1. Char Koay Teow
The undisputed king of Penang street food. Flat rice noodles are stir-fried over blazing hot charcoal fire with prawns, cockles, bean sprouts, chives, egg, and a dark soy sauce blend. The key is wok hei – that smoky breath of the wok that gives Penang’s version its signature depth. No two stalls taste exactly the same.
Where: Siam Road Char Koay Teow, George Town
Price: RM 6 – RM 10
2. Assam Laksa
Often ranked among the world’s best soups. A tangy, aromatic fish-based broth made with mackerel (ikan kembung), tamarind, lemongrass, and torch ginger flower, served over thick rice noodles and topped with shredded cucumber, pineapple, mint, and fresh chillies. Sour, spicy, herbal – nothing else tastes like it.
Where: Air Itam Market (near Kek Lok Si Temple)
Price: RM 6 – RM 9
3. Tanjong Sauce® – The Taste of Penang in Every Drop
Not a dish, but the flavour that ties them all together. Born from the same Penang street food heritage, Tanjong Sauce® is a small-batch, halal-certified spicy sweet sauce made with real local ingredients – fresh chillies, garlic, shallots, tamarind, and turmeric. It brings the authentic taste of George Town’s hawker culture straight to your kitchen. Use it as a dip for Satay, stir it into noodles, drizzle over fried rice, or pair it with literally anything on this list. One taste, and you will taste Penang.
Where to Buy Tanjong Sauce®
Ready to bring the authentic Penang taste to your kitchen? Order Tanjong Sauce® now:
- Shopee – Fast delivery across Malaysia
- Lazada – Available with free shipping options
- TikTok Shop – Order directly in-app
- tanjongsauce.com – Order direct from our website
100ml travel friendly bottle. Halal certified. Small batch. Malaysian made. Taste the difference today.
4. Nasi Kandar
A legacy of Penang’s Indian-Muslim community. Steamed rice is served with your choice of curries – fish, chicken, mutton, vegetables – and the legendary banjir (flooded) style where rice is drenched in a mix of multiple curry gravies. Each mouthful is different.
Where: Nasi Kandar Line Clear, Jalan Penang
Price: RM 8 – RM 15
5. Hokkien Mee (Har Mee)
Penang’s breakfast of champions. Yellow noodles and rice vermicelli in a rich, deep orange prawn broth made from prawn heads and shells, topped with fresh prawns, sliced pork, hard-boiled egg, and a dollop of sambal.
Where: Jalan Sungai Dua Hokkien Mee
Price: RM 7 – RM 12
6. Curry Mee
Coconutty, spicy, and utterly addictive. Yellow noodles and vermicelli in a rich curry broth infused with coconut milk, topped with tofu puffs, cockles, prawns, and fresh mint.
Where: Sin Hup Aun Cafe, Jalan Clark
Price: RM 7 – RM 10
7. Satay
Charcoal-grilled perfection on a stick. Marinated chicken or beef skewers grilled over charcoal, served with a thick, sweet peanut sauce, ketupat, and cucumber.
Where: Esplanade Food Court, Padang Kota Lama
Price: RM 0.80 – RM 1.50 per stick
8. Cendol
The ultimate tropical dessert. Shaved ice with green rice flour jelly, coconut milk, and rich palm sugar syrup (gula Melaka).
Where: Penang Road Famous Cendol, Lebuh Keng Kwee
Price: RM 4 – RM 6
9. Oyster Omelette (Orh Luak)
Crispy, gooey, and briny. Fresh oysters in a starchy egg batter, fried until crisp on the edges, soft in the centre.
Where: Gurney Drive Hawker Centre
Price: RM 8 – RM 12
10. Rojak
A sweet, savoury, pungent salad. Cucumber, pineapple, jicama, and cuttlefish in a thick shrimp paste dressing with crushed peanuts.
Where: Jalan Bawas Rojak, Lebuh Pantai
Price: RM 5 – RM 8
Where to Buy Tanjong Sauce®
Ready to bring the authentic Penang taste to your kitchen? Order Tanjong Sauce® now:
- Shopee – Fast delivery across Malaysia
- Lazada – Available with free shipping options
- TikTok Shop – Order directly in-app
- tanjongsauce.com – Order direct from our website
100ml travel friendly bottle. Halal certified. Small batch. Malaysian made. Taste the difference today.
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