Vegan Food

I arrived in Penang having heard a lot about its cuisine. But a walk through Jalan Alor in KL just 2 days before made me wonder if George Town would have much to offer a vegetarian like me.

Turns out it does!

First Steps

My first proper food stop in Penang was Pinxin (map), conveniently located close to where I was staying on Jalan C.Y. Choy. 

I was curious whether a vegan restaurant could capture some of the flavors I’d come to Penang for, rather than simply serving generic Western-style plant-based food. This was the place that made me realize I didn’t need to think of vegan eating as a compromise here.

Choosing what to eat was surprisingly easy. Pinxin has a handy pamphlet featuring its top 10 customer-favorite dishes, so we decided to let the recommendations do the work. Pinxin Nasi Kandar and Prosperous Hokkien Noodles soon arrived at our table, and we certainly didn't regret the decision.

What stood out was the balance between taste and price. The dishes we tried here were priced around RM20, making it one of the best-value meals of our trip. The food felt substantial and flavorful without being overly expensive.

We liked it enough to come back the very next day and try two more dishes. Both were just as enjoyable.

A Night Walk

We spent much of the evening walking through George Town, along Beach Street and Chulia Street. Between the shophouses, cafés, and narrow lanes, we kept coming across the city's distinctive steel-rod wire sculptures. Many are part of George Town's famous public street art trail that I had been wanting to explore.

As we wandered on, the walk eventually turned into another food discovery on Lebuh Acheh: Plant A Seed (map).

Compared with Pinxin, Plant A Seed felt a little more modern and polished, with contemporary lighting and seating and a wider variety of dishes to choose from. It was slightly pricier too, with the dishes we found averaging around RM25, but still quite reasonable for the quality and variety on offer.

We ordered ramen noodles and enoki tempura. The combination gave us something quite different from our meals at Pinxin, and it was a nice reminder that plant-based food in Penang isn't limited to one particular style of cuisine.

Sweet Closure

After a long day of traveling, walking, and eating, we decided we deserved a little treat before heading back to the hotel. We ended the day at Oh My Bingsu. It's not a vegan spot, but it has an amazing selection of bingsu flavors!

Some places I’d love to try on my next visit are Neko Vegan Cuisine on Ah Quee Street (map) and Kommune on Victoria Street (map). We only managed to pass by them this time, but they caught my attention and have gone straight onto my list for the next Penang trip.