Nasi kandar
Penang's most famous Indian Muslim dish.
CEphoto, Uwe Aranas — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Deepak-nsk — CC0 · Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Renek78 — CC BY-SA 4.0
A lively quarter in the heart of George Town, fragrant with spices and incense and filled with Indian film music, around Market Street and Queen Street. It is lined with shops of saris, silk and cotton, spices, gold and jewellery, and colourful Indian sweet shops, among nineteenth-century shophouses. The quarter holds Penang's oldest Hindu temple, and at its edge stands the Kapitan Keling Mosque built by Indian Muslims. What matters most to Arab visitors here is the food: the Indian Muslim restaurants famous for nasi kandar, rice with an assortment of curries poured over it, and roti and teh tarik, most of them halal. Wandering is free and always possible, with shops open from morning to evening. The quarter is crowded and hung with lights at the Indian festivals. Come hungry and try nasi kandar at one of its well-known restaurants, but note that some eateries are vegetarian or not halal, so ask or look for a halal sign. The quarter is a few steps from the Kapitan Keling Mosque, Khoo Kongsi and Fort Cornwallis.
Penang's most famous Indian Muslim dish.
Silk, spice and gold shops.
At the edge of the quarter.
Lebuh Pasar and Lebuh Queen, George Town
Pinang Peranakan MansionA green mansion on Church Street built in the late nineteenth century by Chung K3 minutes walk4.6
Kapitan Keling MosqueFounded by Muslim traders from South India in the early nineteenth century, a fe4 minutes walk4.7
Clan Jetties (Chew Jetty)Villages of wooden houses on stilts over the sea, linked by narrow boardwalks, b5 minutes walk4.2
Khoo KongsiYou enter from a narrow lane and suddenly face a wide stone square with the most5 minutes walk4.3
Acheen Street Mosque (Masjid Melayu Lebuh Acheh)One of Penang's oldest and most storied mosques, built in 1808 on land given by 6 minutes walkNasi kandar first, rice with a mix of curries, then roti with pulled tea, teh tarik. The Indian Muslim restaurants here are mostly halal, but check the sign.