Car Tours
4 hours
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Recommended by 95% of travellers
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Food Tour Malaysia
Food Tour Malaysia
5
9:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Full view
About
With an epic and legendary history, Penang island is one of Malaysia’s most unique destinations. A world heritage site, a port and confluence of some of the oldest families in the country, Penang is a natural choice for visitors to have a sneak peek into being Malaysian. So hop on of our tours with an original Penang born and bred food guide. This is a small group tour with a local guide in a private vehicle. Explore with us the treats of yesteryear with the humble “Penang Lobak”, the “Appoms” and “Kuihs” found only in the Penang backstage and the Penang night hawkers. Come ready for an adventure!
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5.0
429 reviews
Excellent
368
Very good
41
Average
13
Poor
1
Terrible
6
nasima d
London, UK15 contributions
Dec 2019
What a trip! We deliberated about taking this trip for a couple of days but boy are we glad we did. We booked every last minute and FTP were very accommodating.
Our guide was Kevin who took us in his air conditioned car to 5 food stops scattered across George Town. We learnt so much about Georgetown, it's history, culture and its people through this tour and the food. Kevin was really informative and clearly loves his food - his passion for both Georgetown and the food shone.
Luckily we heeded the advice and didn't eat lunch before the trip - good job as we were stuffed after the 4th stop, but found just enough room for curry in Little India at the end.
if you do one thing in Penang then take a street food tour - you won't be disappointed.
Our guide was Kevin who took us in his air conditioned car to 5 food stops scattered across George Town. We learnt so much about Georgetown, it's history, culture and its people through this tour and the food. Kevin was really informative and clearly loves his food - his passion for both Georgetown and the food shone.
Luckily we heeded the advice and didn't eat lunch before the trip - good job as we were stuffed after the 4th stop, but found just enough room for curry in Little India at the end.
if you do one thing in Penang then take a street food tour - you won't be disappointed.
Written 4 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rocky
London, UK20 contributions
Jan 2020 • Friends
I always do a food tour in whichever country I am visiting and this is one of the best. Our guide Kevin was amazing and gave us lots of information and facts about Georgetown whilst taking us around to sample many many different delights! Georgetown has some amazing food and we would not have found most of the items we ate if not for the food tour. Kevin also showed us some of the sights which was over and above what we expected so this was great :) Kevin is a fantastic guide and so friendly and fun to be around I would definitely recommend booking into a tour with him!
Written 18 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sam Bissett
Melbourne, Australia362 contributions
Jan 2020
We travel a lot around Asia, but are always very wary of trying street food for risk of getting sick and ruining our holiday. Penang is very famous for its food, so we though this would be a great way to try some of the local specialties without fear of eating at a dodgy hawker stall.
Junie was a great guide. She picked us up from our hotel and conducted the private tour in her car, in combination with some walking. We had a few dietary requirements (two vegetarian, one allergic to shellfish), and she accommodated this very well! The food we ate was absolutely fantastic! There was A LOT of food, so go hungry! Junie was great at explaining each dish, certain special ingredients, and also a lot of the history of Penang. It was a fantastic way to gain a deeper insight into the multicultural place that is Malaysia and Penang.
We really feel like we have experienced the whole of Penang now, with a greater understanding of the culture, the people, and of course, the cuisine. Thanks Junie!
Junie was a great guide. She picked us up from our hotel and conducted the private tour in her car, in combination with some walking. We had a few dietary requirements (two vegetarian, one allergic to shellfish), and she accommodated this very well! The food we ate was absolutely fantastic! There was A LOT of food, so go hungry! Junie was great at explaining each dish, certain special ingredients, and also a lot of the history of Penang. It was a fantastic way to gain a deeper insight into the multicultural place that is Malaysia and Penang.
We really feel like we have experienced the whole of Penang now, with a greater understanding of the culture, the people, and of course, the cuisine. Thanks Junie!
Written 10 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amjad Abbas
2 contributions
Dec 2023 • Friends
5 star experience overall. Kevin is the man if you want to have authentic Malaysian culinary experience in Penang. We couldn’t ask for a better guide. His expertise and passion for Penang’s food scene was evident from the get go. He not only introduced us to rich flavours of local cuisine but also shared fascinating stories and insights that made each dish come alive.
Highly recommended for anyone who wants to explore Penang’s culinary landscape.
Highly recommended for anyone who wants to explore Penang’s culinary landscape.
Written 1 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your great review - So glad you had a good time with Kevin! Yes, our tour is
not just about the food. Revisit us soon!
Written 8 April 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Emma O
10 contributions
Jan 2020
Had a great trip with Kevin last night. He drove us around in the comfort of his car. We had five different stops and tried so many different foods and drinks. A great way to see Penang at night and to be introduced to the yummy street foods of Penang.
Written 5 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joshua P
2 contributions
Dec 2019
Neither of us had been to penang before and this gave us a great experience of the city. We were taken to places that we would've never gone to otherwise, and tried some food we would've never tried. It was well worth it, and now we have an experience we will never forget.
Written 10 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Heather W
23 contributions
Nov 2022 • Friends
Cannot recommend this tour enough! We went with Jesi and Baptist who were both so friendly, welcoming and knowledgable. Although we had mixed dietary requirements (vegan and non-vegan) they were able to accommodate both with ease. You get a variety of the local foods from dishes to finger foods to dessert. Their knowledge and passion really comes through and we had an amazing time. They sent us a full list of our dishes as well as further recommendations for our time here. Also the places were curated so that we could revisit easily on our own on our trip should we want to. They thought of everything and made the experience very special!!
Written 23 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Susan Q
4 contributions
Jan 2024 • Friends
This is my second time doing the tour. I did it back in 2015. I wanted to share the experience with my friends. It was a fantastic introduction to Malaysian food for my friends. Jesi and Baptise were welcoming, friendly and informative. It felt we learnt about much more than food. It was good to go to food centres we might not normally go to as tourists. Jesi made sure we tried everything and had more than enough. Five very satisfied people at the end of the night.
Written 13 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your great review - So glad you had a good time with Jesi and Baptise! Yes, our tour is
not just about the food. Revisit us soon!
Written 8 April 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
duckh00k
Calgary, Canada42 contributions
Nov 2014 • Couples
This is definitely a tour for foodies. The unadventurous need not apply. You'll be eating entirely from street hawkers, including things like shaved ice of unknown purity dispensed out of rickety wagons, and elbowing for a spot on a dirty plastic table set out smack in the middle of the street. Most of all, you will be eating highly spiced food made from unrecognizable ingredients that pack considerable heat. But, gawd what food it is. Our tour guide, Kevin, was not only a witty, smart, resourceful fella; he is also an ex-chef who clearly loves food with a passion and seeked out the truly best street vendors that only the locals know about. The food itself is sublime. It encompasses all of the multi-ethnic elements that make Malaysia such a polyglot society, often with the unique fusion touches that set Malaysian cooking apart from all other cuisines in the world. We are talking serious flavour here, folks, often with only the smallest nuances separating the latest local hotspot from the almost deserted also-rans beside them. Penangites know their food, know their street hawkers and know their prices. A tour such as this one will put you on the same playing field as the locals.
It is a tragedy how many Westerners make the trek to an exotic place like Malaysia only to chicken out when it comes to the food and head for the local McD to fill up on McGarbage. You can't get a real sense for a culture unless you eat what the locals eat. But for a lot of people, even the best of intentions are sabotaged by lack of knowledge. It's a shame watching otherwise adventurous folks eating the same noodle dish over and over again because they don't know what else to order. This tour is made for such folks: people who don't lack the will, only the knowledge, to open their tastebuds and their minds to the local way of life. And with Kevin and his friends, he will not just introduce you to Assam Laksa, he will take you to the best Assam Laksa in town. Cannot recommend it enough.
It is a tragedy how many Westerners make the trek to an exotic place like Malaysia only to chicken out when it comes to the food and head for the local McD to fill up on McGarbage. You can't get a real sense for a culture unless you eat what the locals eat. But for a lot of people, even the best of intentions are sabotaged by lack of knowledge. It's a shame watching otherwise adventurous folks eating the same noodle dish over and over again because they don't know what else to order. This tour is made for such folks: people who don't lack the will, only the knowledge, to open their tastebuds and their minds to the local way of life. And with Kevin and his friends, he will not just introduce you to Assam Laksa, he will take you to the best Assam Laksa in town. Cannot recommend it enough.
Written 24 November 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Goodfoodthyme
Adelaide, Australia100 contributions
Jul 2015 • Family
One of the great joys when travelling is exploring and tasting local foods.
And when in Penang on holiday we wanted to try as much street food as possible. We chose Food Tour Penang to take us on a culinary food journey through the capital, Georgetown.
I organised everything via their website and email before we left, and had excellent communication, checking with us about types of foods we like, what we've tried, and how adventurous our eight-year-old son would be!
Our group of five arrived early at the pre-arranged meeting point and our guide for the night met us there on time. I was pleased to meet Kevin, as I had read excellent reviews about him on Trip Advisor. We jumped into his air-conditioned car and headed off to our first destination.
Driving through the streets, many of which are one way, we really got a sense of the history of this place, with British colonial and Asian influences.
In 2008, this rich architectural and cultural history resulted in Georgetown being declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But unfortunately many beautiful old buildings have deteriorated, a shadow of their former beauty. This historical architecture is juxtaposed against the new modern developments; hotels, shopping complexes, apartment blocks and more.
The first place Kevin took us to is famous for its chendul - since 1936. Chendul is a bowl of shaved ice, with coconut milk, green pandan noodles, brown sugar and red kidney beans.
There are two locations where you can buy it: inside the restaurant where you can also buy other food, or outside at a street stall, which sells only chendul; when we arrived just after 5pm there was already a long line up at the street stall. Just a couple of meters away on the other side of the road was another chendul stall, but no one was buying from there! We only waited a couple of minutes for a table at the restaurant, and as this place was full of locals, you know it's a good place to eat at!
But before we try the chendul we're excited to learn we're going to have our first 'Penang' asam laksa. Most laksas I've had are coconut milk based, but this one was made with asam – tamarind paste – and is sour. Other ingredients include noodles, fish sauce, onion, pineapple, cucumber, sardine and yellow gill fish. It was sour and salty and full of flavour. Maybe not what we were used to, but quite enjoyable. Luckily we shared bowls of this - I knew we had a lot more food to come.
The chendul followed on nicely… It's cold and sweet and the noodles are soft, with the beans offering a bit of resistance. Lots of a different flavours and textures all at the same time. Kevin tells us people come from far and wide for this chendul.
We jumped back into the air-conditioned car and headed to our next stop, close by – the Chinese Clan Jetties. This area dates back to the 19th Century and there are many homes built on stilts out over the water, with their own jetty. Currently there are six clans living here and it was only in the 1950s that modern facilities were established for them.
Here we enjoyed the hospitality of the Tan Jetty, where we tried Lorbak (a pork roll marinated in five spices), prawn fritters, tofu fritters and their own special sauce made up of chilli, lime, garlic and ginger. While sitting here eating, many locals stopped by for 'take-away'; if you buy a certain amount of food you can receive a free bottle of the special sauce, which is not sold on its own.
Further down the road at another street stall we also tried deep fried yam, and sweet potato fritter with peanuts. Both a little different, but all deep fried foods – and all tasty.
Back into the car for the next destination – the reclaimed lands. Here, many locals congregate and it's a haven for some beautiful food stalls and lots of motorbikes! Here we had one of our favourite dishes for the night – apom manis. It's just like a crepe, made with flour, sugar, eggs, with coconut milk in the centre. The woman who makes them has been doing so for 30 years, using a clay pot, over hot charcoal. When cooked, the coconut milk takes on a baked custard consistency. The apom is warm and soft with a crunchy outer rim, and melts in your mouth! I could have eaten more than one, they were that scrumptious.
We also tried another couple of deep fried dishes; carrot cake and rice cake with shrimp. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside!
A sweet dish we tried was soft bean curd with brown sugar, which is served warm. This was very sickly sweet and it felt unusual eating this warm – either it should have been cold, or we should've been in a cooler climate to enjoy it.
Back into the car and off to our 'main course' - a cluster of food stalls. We had curry mee, a spicy hot noodle soup, my favourite char kuay teow, wild boar meat satays, bbq chicken wings, and pohpiah (a soft spring roll stuffed with turnip, rolled and cut into pieces). There was so much food to try and our tummies were getting full!
To drink we had nutmeg juice, which tasted like a type of cola drink, umbra juice, which was a little tart, and our son enjoyed watermelon juice. We managed to try a piece of the umbra fruit, which looked a little like cucumber, but it was incredibly bitter and I didn't like it much.
On the way to our final destination of the night Kevin pulled over briefly and grabbed us some Chinese steamed rice cake with brown sugar and coconut, to try. This is so beautiful and soft and full of coconut flavour!
Our final destination was a vegetarian Indian restaurant. First we tried pulling tea, a cold iced tea, which was very refreshing. My husband had chai, which he found to be very authentic and unlike some of the 'fake' chai he's had in cafes in Australia. We had dosa tissue, a very light crispy wafer, which we broke off and dipped into the five dips; yoghurt, dahl, fish curry, tomato chutney and spicy chutney. These ranged from cold to very hot and spicy! But all full of flavour. And finally, murtabak, a stuffed vegetarian pancake; warm and crispy.
Nineteen dishes later we were stuffed! We had a fabulous night with Kevin hosting us and explaining the foods and culture of the different areas of Georgetown. I would thoroughly recommend this tour, especially as they take you to places you wouldn’t normally try.
And when in Penang on holiday we wanted to try as much street food as possible. We chose Food Tour Penang to take us on a culinary food journey through the capital, Georgetown.
I organised everything via their website and email before we left, and had excellent communication, checking with us about types of foods we like, what we've tried, and how adventurous our eight-year-old son would be!
Our group of five arrived early at the pre-arranged meeting point and our guide for the night met us there on time. I was pleased to meet Kevin, as I had read excellent reviews about him on Trip Advisor. We jumped into his air-conditioned car and headed off to our first destination.
Driving through the streets, many of which are one way, we really got a sense of the history of this place, with British colonial and Asian influences.
In 2008, this rich architectural and cultural history resulted in Georgetown being declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But unfortunately many beautiful old buildings have deteriorated, a shadow of their former beauty. This historical architecture is juxtaposed against the new modern developments; hotels, shopping complexes, apartment blocks and more.
The first place Kevin took us to is famous for its chendul - since 1936. Chendul is a bowl of shaved ice, with coconut milk, green pandan noodles, brown sugar and red kidney beans.
There are two locations where you can buy it: inside the restaurant where you can also buy other food, or outside at a street stall, which sells only chendul; when we arrived just after 5pm there was already a long line up at the street stall. Just a couple of meters away on the other side of the road was another chendul stall, but no one was buying from there! We only waited a couple of minutes for a table at the restaurant, and as this place was full of locals, you know it's a good place to eat at!
But before we try the chendul we're excited to learn we're going to have our first 'Penang' asam laksa. Most laksas I've had are coconut milk based, but this one was made with asam – tamarind paste – and is sour. Other ingredients include noodles, fish sauce, onion, pineapple, cucumber, sardine and yellow gill fish. It was sour and salty and full of flavour. Maybe not what we were used to, but quite enjoyable. Luckily we shared bowls of this - I knew we had a lot more food to come.
The chendul followed on nicely… It's cold and sweet and the noodles are soft, with the beans offering a bit of resistance. Lots of a different flavours and textures all at the same time. Kevin tells us people come from far and wide for this chendul.
We jumped back into the air-conditioned car and headed to our next stop, close by – the Chinese Clan Jetties. This area dates back to the 19th Century and there are many homes built on stilts out over the water, with their own jetty. Currently there are six clans living here and it was only in the 1950s that modern facilities were established for them.
Here we enjoyed the hospitality of the Tan Jetty, where we tried Lorbak (a pork roll marinated in five spices), prawn fritters, tofu fritters and their own special sauce made up of chilli, lime, garlic and ginger. While sitting here eating, many locals stopped by for 'take-away'; if you buy a certain amount of food you can receive a free bottle of the special sauce, which is not sold on its own.
Further down the road at another street stall we also tried deep fried yam, and sweet potato fritter with peanuts. Both a little different, but all deep fried foods – and all tasty.
Back into the car for the next destination – the reclaimed lands. Here, many locals congregate and it's a haven for some beautiful food stalls and lots of motorbikes! Here we had one of our favourite dishes for the night – apom manis. It's just like a crepe, made with flour, sugar, eggs, with coconut milk in the centre. The woman who makes them has been doing so for 30 years, using a clay pot, over hot charcoal. When cooked, the coconut milk takes on a baked custard consistency. The apom is warm and soft with a crunchy outer rim, and melts in your mouth! I could have eaten more than one, they were that scrumptious.
We also tried another couple of deep fried dishes; carrot cake and rice cake with shrimp. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside!
A sweet dish we tried was soft bean curd with brown sugar, which is served warm. This was very sickly sweet and it felt unusual eating this warm – either it should have been cold, or we should've been in a cooler climate to enjoy it.
Back into the car and off to our 'main course' - a cluster of food stalls. We had curry mee, a spicy hot noodle soup, my favourite char kuay teow, wild boar meat satays, bbq chicken wings, and pohpiah (a soft spring roll stuffed with turnip, rolled and cut into pieces). There was so much food to try and our tummies were getting full!
To drink we had nutmeg juice, which tasted like a type of cola drink, umbra juice, which was a little tart, and our son enjoyed watermelon juice. We managed to try a piece of the umbra fruit, which looked a little like cucumber, but it was incredibly bitter and I didn't like it much.
On the way to our final destination of the night Kevin pulled over briefly and grabbed us some Chinese steamed rice cake with brown sugar and coconut, to try. This is so beautiful and soft and full of coconut flavour!
Our final destination was a vegetarian Indian restaurant. First we tried pulling tea, a cold iced tea, which was very refreshing. My husband had chai, which he found to be very authentic and unlike some of the 'fake' chai he's had in cafes in Australia. We had dosa tissue, a very light crispy wafer, which we broke off and dipped into the five dips; yoghurt, dahl, fish curry, tomato chutney and spicy chutney. These ranged from cold to very hot and spicy! But all full of flavour. And finally, murtabak, a stuffed vegetarian pancake; warm and crispy.
Nineteen dishes later we were stuffed! We had a fabulous night with Kevin hosting us and explaining the foods and culture of the different areas of Georgetown. I would thoroughly recommend this tour, especially as they take you to places you wouldn’t normally try.
Written 15 August 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Has anyone done both the day & evening tour? I’m just trying to decide which would be best. Any thoughts would be welcome.
Written 4 July 2018
Evening tour is best.Not that hot and in the evening the lights come out making the vista very nice
Written 4 July 2018
Hi, Could you please send us the details about the Penang Food Tour? My husband, two kids (6 yr old and 3 yr old) and I would like to join the tour some time in mid October. How much does it cost for adults and children? Would children of this age enjoy it? Thankyou, Beta
Written 22 September 2017
Hello! The company is just called Food Tour Penang. At the time I went (August 2017), I paid around £45 GBP for the evening tour: the company also did a lunch time tour but I'm not sure how much it is. Our guide ensured people shared portions so they didn't get too full; so this could be a great way for your children to try new food! The company were very good with their communications so it's probably best to email them and ask about specific requirements. Enjoy!
Written 30 September 2017
Hello,
Can you send us the details about the Penang Food Tour? My friend and I would like to join the tour on Apr 9, how much does it cost and does the fee include lunch/food/drinks? What time would the food tour begin?
Written 8 April 2017
Reach out to May Kuen at Jalan w/ MK on Facebook
Written 10 June 2017
Hi
Is there any dedicated food tours for cruise tourists arriving in Penang for a day from probably 7am to 6pm or shorter?
Written 17 January 2017
Hi, it's possible. Kindly email us your requirements at hello @ foodtourmalaysia . com
Written 18 January 2017
hi thank you for the food tour review can I ask you how to contact Kevin and what does the tour cost. thanks roy
Written 6 May 2015
Search for foodtourpenang
Tripadvisor entry is called Food Tours Penang-Day Tours
Costs 160MYR per person.
Written 7 May 2015
Hi I am interested to join the food tour. where can i get the details?
Written 25 March 2015
You can actually do itself ( without having a food tour guide ) for in Penang city one just need to walk around and food stalls ( mostly located inside restaurants ) are in every nook and corner. As you are from Philippines you certainly will enjoy the local foods here, trust me, marami masarap talaga.
Written 8 May 2015
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