itinerary Penang breakfast crawl: 5 stops on foot
5 stops · 2.3km on foot
Five breakfasts inside a 2.3km walk through George Town, nothing over RM 20 a head. Distance is not the problem here, timing is: the koay teow th'ng shuts at noon, and the char koay teow does not start until 09:30. Go in the order below and everything is open when you reach it.
1 07:30 to 14:30 · shut Monday
Photo: Joseph Reid via Google Maps Everyone arrives at Weng Kei Wantan Mee for the noodles and leaves talking about the roast meats. So order the char siew and roasted pork. The noodles hold their own too, made in house with duck eggs only.
2 08:00 to 12:00 · 102m from the last stop · shut Monday
Photo: Vera via Google Maps Get the eel balls at Pitt Street Koay Teow Th'ng. They come soft and bouncy, nothing like a standard fishball, and the handmade pork fillets carry a hard peppery kick. The coffee here is better than a noodle stall's coffee has any business being.
3 06:30 to 18:30 · 467m from the last stop · shut Sunday
Photo: Ahmad Abdul Halim via Google Maps A whole duck leg in curry is not standard nasi kandar, and it is what Ramzan Restaurant is known for: tender, full of spice, not oily. If that is too much before nine in the morning, take the chapati with sardine curry instead.
4 06:00 to 13:00 · 793m from the last stop
Photo: Aziz Firuz via Google Maps At Roti Canai Jalan Argyll the flatbread is really just the vehicle. What you are there for is the spiced beef curry or the lamb korma. Staff push the meat add-ons hard, so it is fine to keep saying no.
5 09:30 to 17:30 · 896m from the last stop · shut Tuesday
Photo: Lorong Selamat Char Koay Teow via Google Maps There are two frying stations at Lorong Selamat Char Koay Teow, one gas and one charcoal. Watch which one your plate comes off, because the charcoal side is where the wok hei is. Ask for the duck egg. Bring cash, and expect a queue.