5 Popular Char Kway Teow Stalls in Penang (We Love Siam Road CKT!)

Penang is Malaysia’s undisputed street food capital, offering an array of scrumptious eats at every corner. One of their famous street food dishes is Char Kway Teow! As compared to our Singaporean version which is covered in black sauce, Penang’s iconic white char kway teow tends to be lighter, with a good balance of savoury, sweet and spicy flavours. We visited Penang’s best-known street vendors, and bring you the best char kway teow here.

Siam Road Char Kway Teow

Labelled as Penang’s “Char Kway Teow King”, this old uncle whips up aromatic plates of char kway teow (6.50RM) from a pushcart located at the corner of Siam Road and Anson Road. His son helps to take orders. We reached exactly at 3pm, and the coffee shop was already full house. Do expect at a waiting time of at least an hour.

The old uncle mastered the art of imparting wok hei into each plate of char kway teow. He cooks the noodles over hot coals to achieve maximum wok hei. The rice noodles are smooth, while the cockles are large and juicy. The seasoning and spice levels are just right. Moreover, each crispy cube of pork lard added layer after layer of flavours to the dish. This is one of the best, or perhaps, the best plate of char kway teow in Penang! I’m hoping that the old uncle won’t retire soon.

Sisters Char Kway Teow

Sisters char kway teow is a stall that’s frequented by many Singaporeans. The original sisters who used to run this stall have passed the reins over to their younger family members. They top delicious plates of wok-fried noodles with shreds of fresh crabmeat. This gives the dish a unique sweetness. The hawker is very generous with the ingredients, and you can find fresh prawns, cockles, waxed Chinese sausages, and bits of crunchy pork lard too. If you love chilli, you will love the spicy punch from the freshly ground chilli paste. A plate of medium char kway teow here costs 6RM.

Ah Leng Char Kway Teow

There are a number of outlets for “Famous Ah Leng Char Kway Teow” in Penang, and the one we patronised at Tong Hooi Cafe is run by Ah Leng’s children. A regular-sized plate costs 8.50RM, and we recommend going for the one with duck egg (top up 1RM). The creaminess of the duck egg gives this plate of char kway teow a unique edge. The kway teow here is also “wetter”, with water added in towards the end of the frying process. Don’t worry, the water doesn’t dilute it at all. It’s still a very flavourful plate of noodles.

Red Hat Aunty’s Char Kway Teow

This stall has been around since the mid-70s. Madam Soon, the woman in the red hat, is the one handling the wok. While watching her cook, we were astonished by how low she actually holds the metal spatula. Perhaps, her hand is already immune to the heat, but we can imagine how painful it actually is. She controls the heat really well, and each plate consists of beautifully balanced flavours and textures. Be warned though – the sambal chilli will make you perspire through your meal. Each plate starts from 9.50RM.

Chulia Street Night Hawkers Char Kway Teow Stall

There’s a ton of good food along Chulia Street in the evening, but one of the stalls with high human traffic is the char kway teow stall. The price ranges from 4.50RM to 6.50RM per plate, and you can choose to have it cooked with chicken egg or duck egg. The latter accentuates the flavours of the dish, and makes it more aromatic. What’s more, this stall is conveniently located at the heart of Georgetown. So, if you’re craving char kway teow and don’t want to travel too far, just head to Chulia Street.

We’ve also heard about other well-known char kway teow stalls such as Sin Wah Char Koay Teow at Pulau Tikus night market and the stall helmed by the man with black goggles. We didn’t get to try those this time round, but we definitely will in the future. Do share your favourite char kway teow stall in Penang with us, so we can update this list!

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visits and paid its own meals at the stalls featured here.

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news! Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to the stalls listed above. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!