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Penang rightfully lays claim to a global reputation for amazing street food. And most of this food is prepared day and night in the wonderful Penang Hawkers. A visit to a Penang Hawker is an EXPERIENCE in itself and highly recommended. And the Hawkers that are the most popular with locals are popular for a good reason – they are amazing.
It seems like amazing street food is literally everywhere you look in Penang. All this choice can be overwhelming! In this brief guide to Penang Hawkers 2026 we will share THE BEST Hawkers, and a few of our favourite dishes. We have a strong connection with Penang – having lived there for a few years and visited many times over the years. SO we are stoked to share our secrets and top tips with you.
No visit to Penang is complete without experiencing the AMAZING Penang Hawkers – the hub of Penang street food culture.
WHY NOT BOOK A TOUR? Get off the beaten track and find some hidden gem places to eat in Georgetown with this awesome Half day Georgetown Street food tour on Get Your Guide
Don’t miss this amazing Georgetown Street food
What are Penang Hawkers?
A hawker is a collection of street food vendors with a common seating area. Some Penang hawkers are inside and some are outside. The general etiquette is to find a table and take note of the number. Order your food directly from the hawker stall (normally RM5 – RM25 depending what you want to order). They will bring the food to your table. Most places you pay at the table when the food is delivered. There are normally drink stalls as well- selling a range of refreshing drinks such as fruit juices and iced teas.
Map of Penang Hawkers
Here is an interactive map of THE BEST Penang Hawkers – click on the pins for more details.
1 New World Park Hawker centre in (Georgetown)
Open Daily 10am – 10pm
This is one of the largest and most impressive Penang Hawkers. New World Park is also conveniently located in Georgetown and has a wide range of local and international cuisine available. If you have your own car – there is a reasonably large car park outside. It costs a few ringgits to park here.
The prices at New World Park are very good and comparable to most other Hawker centres in Penang. New World Park has a wide variety of food available. Here are a few examples to wet your apetite: Laksa, Otak Otak, Char Koay Teow. You can find Indian food, Chinese food and traditional Malaysian dishes at New World Park. Some of the more unique dishes include dim sum (which is more rare to find in Penang Hawkers).
They also have somewhere serving pork burgers in black bread buns (yum yum). If you are staying in Georgetown and really want to experience Penang Hawkers but you don’t have very long, New World Park may well be your best bet.
2 New Lane open street food (Georgetown)
Opening hours 4pm – 10pm (CLOSED Wednesdays)
If you’re looking for AUTHENTIC Penang Hawkers don’t miss Newlane near Komtar. New Lane Hawker Centre maybe one of the most interesting places to eat in Penang. New Lane open street food is an outdoor Hawker Centre near Komtar in Georgetown. This is an amazingly atmospheric, fun, local food experience. Late afternoon New Lane comes to life with small streetside vendors preparing and selling an array of local dishes.
At New Lane Hawker Centre you can find a range of Chinese Malaysian food including noodle soups, chicken rice, seafood, char kway teow, char kway kak and much more. In the right season you can also find durian nearby. We absolutely love the ambiance and good vibes of New Lane. Another great thing about New Lane is that food is pretty cheap here. Most dishes cost between 5 and 10 ringgits. If you are staying in Georgetown it’s very easy to get to. You can either walk there or take a short taxi ride.
3 Gurney Drive (Gurney district)
Opening hours 4.30pm – 11pm (CLOSED Tuesdays)
Nice lights and feel good vibes captures the beautiful Gurney Drive hawkers. This is one of the more popular and well known Penang Hawkers. Located at the end of Gurney Drive – near Gurney Plaza (a large shopping mall) this lovely hawker centre serves a wide range of delicious local dishes. This is an outdoor hawker center with lovely lights and ambiance. The close proximity to Gurney Plaza makes this a great place to enjoy some local food and get a little shopping done. Gurney Drive is definitely an evening spot. The best time to visit is around 7pm – 8pm around sunset time. Parking in this area can be a bit tricky. If you need to find parking, your best bet its to use the Gurney Plaza multi-story carpark.
4 JJ Gardens Hawkers (Tanjung Bungah)
Opening hours: 7am – 11pm (CLOSED Tuesdays)
JJ Gardens is one of the newer Penang Hawkers. It is a little out of the way – located in Tanjung Bungah. As a result, it’s not commonly visited by people who are on a short holiday and Penang. JJ Gardens has a variety of foods available. We were particularly impressed with the AMAZING sushi at JJ Gardens. They also have an excellent assam laksa and also the bamboo biryani rice dishes. At JJ Gardens you can also find Thai food, Japanese food, burgers and much more.
JJ Gardens opens around lunchtime and stays open late into the evening. It is generally quite busy by around 7 p.m. and when you look at the number of locals eating here you know it’s a great place. At JJ Gardens dishes range from about 4 ringgits (for a set of pancakes) up to 25 or 30 ringgit for seafood. JJ Gardens is pretty tricky to get to unless you go by taxi or have a car rental. If you take the 101 bus which runs from Georgetown to Teluk Bahang, is it possible to get off the bus at the wet market stop and walk up the road to JJ Gardens.
5 The Penang wet market hawkers (Tanjung Bungah)
Opening Hours: Around 6am – 11am daily
Looking for a breakfast at the Penang Hawkers? Check out the wet market. If you have a little bit more time in Penang it is well worth visiting the wet market in the morning. The wet market is located in Tanjung Bungah (pretty close to JJ Gardens). It is a bit out of the way from Georgetown. The wet market sells a range of fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and fish. Right next to the wet market is a Hawker Centre which is open from early in the morning until late morning.
The best time to visit this area is around 7 or 8 a.m. We LOVE the hustle and bustle of local shopping and eating in the Hawker centre. The wet market hawker sells a range of foods including roti chennai, hokkien mee, dim sum, char kway teow, char kway kak and much more. This is a great place to experience the breakfast food culture in Penang. Make sure you get a Penang coffee or tea. This is one of the most genuinely local, authentic and fun places to eat in Penang. There is a lovely atmosphere every morning with locals chattering, laughing, eating and drinking together. If you are visiting the wet market Hawker Centre, also make sure you take time to wander around the wet market itself. Just remember but this place is normally closed up by late morning.
6 Viva – local food Haven (Tanjung Tokong)
Opening Hours: 5pm – 12am (CLOSED Wednesdays)
Viva is a Hawker Centre located in Tanjung Tokong, near the large Tesco Lotus store. The Viva local food Haven is genuinely one of our favourite Penang Hawkers. It is an indoor Hawker Centre with a wide range of incredible local food. We particularly recommend the claypot chicken rice, char kway teow and oyster omelette.
Also at Viva local food Haven you can find amazing fresh sushi and sashimi for very reasonable prices. And if you are craving kebabs there’s a place selling kebabs and wraps. Just like most local Hawker centres, Viva has very reasonable prices. Most dishes start at around 5 ringgits, however if you want to get larger dishes or something more fancy like seafood expect to pay 20 to 30 ringgits. Viva tends to open late in the afternoon and remains open late into the evening.
It’s pretty easy to get to Viva by bus, taxi or if you’re driving you can drive a rented car there. There is a small car park at Viva. If you plan to get to Viva by public transport take the 101 bus from Georgetown in the Teluk Bahang direction. You need to get off the bus just after the large Tesco Lotus store in Tanjung Tokong.
7 Astaka Hillside Tanjung Bungah
AND last but definitely not least – we are excited to introduce a relatively new player. The Astaka Hillside Tanjung Bungah (also known has Hillside View) is a lovely little hawker centre situated by the coast road in the heart of Tanjung Bungah. There is a small park and some shops nearby. This food court is open throughout the day from 7.30am – 10pm (and closed on tuesdays). Our top pick here? The Duck Rice is out of this world! We have put this in the picture above to help you find the right stall. There is also some very good biryani and the Mexican is very tasty too (this is quite unique in Penang so if you need a mexican hit this is one of the best options). The Astaka Hillside has pretty good facilities too – public toilets, baby chairs, drinks service and so on. The only downside? This hawker centre is a little bit expensive – but if you’re in the area or you’re after some roast duck – it’s definitely worth a stop. You can park on the road near the play park.
FOR MORE INSPIRATION Don’t miss our guide on THE BEST places to eat in Penang
Looking for an LUXURIOUS cultural experience?
We LOVE Penang Hawkers – BUT sometimes you just need a bit of decadence in your life. Don’t miss the AMAZING Eastern and Oriental hotel with its fine dining restaurant and WONDERFUL evening dinner buffets.
It’s not cheap BUT this was genuinely one of THE BEST meals we have ever tried. The Eastern and Oriental is a decadent luxurious colonial style hotel in Georgetown.
