1.Slow Coffee Person Slow Bar
First on our list is Slow Coffee Person Slow Bar, a low-key café that only sits 14 pax and now with SOP, probably just 8 or 9! This Slow Bar serves hand-brewed specialty coffee in the heart of George Town and as the name suggests, they take their time brewing the finest cups of coffee to perfection.
Besides beverages, they serve a range of cakes and pastries such as madeleines, lemon glaze cake, chocolate brownies and our favourite, the canelé. Canelé are hard to come by in Penang, let alone ones as perfect as those served at the Slow Bar—the crust is crisp and the interior soft, moist and filled with custardy flavour.
The café interiors are Muji inspired and filled with refreshing green plants, another passion of Slow Bar’s founder Semhz Lee.
Address: 37, Church St, Georgetown, 10200 George Town, Penang
Brewing Hours : 10:30am – 6:00pm.
Closed on Tuesdays OR updates on IG Story
2.Kafka Cafe
Kafka is big on its interior—one can admire the detailed planning that went into the creative design dotted with mismatched quirky furniture and tropical green plants. Some may think it simple, but don’t be fooled—the art of mismatch is hard to perfect and no one does it quite like Kafka Café. This is definitely one for Instagram!
Food is the other big thing for this cafe. The menu is straightforward but with enough variety for everyone to enjoy and more importantly, it all tastes good!
A good caesar salad is always a plus point and Kafka serves one of the best. If you’re looking for something sweet, try the Cinnamon French Toast or the Beef Rendang Eggs Benedict for a local twist on the brunch classic. With a hearty spread of both savoury and sweet menu items, this is a top breakfast spot in Georgetown.
Address: 15, Jalan Kelawai, George Town, 10250 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Open Daily from 8:00am – 10:30pm
Except Tues 8:00am – 6:00pm
3.Boston Coffee
A cafe set in a warehouse-like space, the interior is industrial and raw. One of the newer cafes to hit the scene in Penang. From the exterior, you may not notice much about this place but get ready to be surprised once you step into this contemporary and chic space.
The coffee they serve is quite a flawless cuppa joe. Plus point, it is one of the cafes on the list which serves alcoholic beverages and has live music at certain times of the day.
Address: 257, Lebuh Victoria, George Town, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Open Daily from 9:00am – 12:00am
4.Wheelers Cafe
From the name of this cafe, can you guess its theme? Bicycles! The cafe is located on the super tourist street, Love Lane and a plus point of Wheelers is the affordable food, making it a go-to breakfast joint for many. The favourite Wheeler’s Big Breakfast comes with a generous serving of scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, chicken and mushroom jumbo sausage, hashbrown, grilled tomato, mushroom, potato, almond flakes and toasted sourdough bread with jam and butter. The coffee is good, no doubt about that and they also serve wine, draught beers and cocktails.
Address: 67, Lorong Love, George Town, 10200 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Open Daily from 9:00am – 12:00am
5.The Mugshot Cafe
The Mugshot Cafe has been around for a while; it’s one of the pioneer cafes in Penang with a classic and simple menu that can never go wrong. This is partly why Mugshot is still one of the most popular café spots in Penang. Good coffee, best bagels and homemade yoghourt is the way to go! The Cream Cheese and Smoked Salmon Bagel with a good cup of coffee hits the spot everytime without fail! To top it off, the interior is a hot pot of everything cool and Instagrammable.
Address: 302, Chulia St, Georgetown, 10200 George Town, Penang
Open Daily 8:00am – 10:00pm (Sun - Thu) & 8:00am – 12:00am (Fri & Sat)
6.Le Petite
A cafe serving artisanal French pastries with one of the best croissants in town is not to be missed. The interior is simple yet elegant, contemporary yet classic. Chequered tile flooring against cement flooring, wooden furniture and a marble countertop adds to the ambiance of a little bit of France in Penang. Besides the delectable croissants, you will find exquisite desserts including tarts, eclairs, macarons, madeleines and more. The coffee is good, leaning more to the milky side. If you have a sweet tooth, this is the place for you.
Address: 310, Lebuh Pantai, George Town, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Open Daily 9:00am – 6:00pm except Wednesday & Thursday
7.Narrow Marrow
Narrow Marrow is one of the OG coffee shops in the Penang cafe scene and recently in 2020 relocated to a new location. This place definitely gets more happening after dark, night owls can make this a must-go for coffee, cookies, cake and toddy! Equally as charming in the day, this cafe is quirky in its decor and awesome in its coffee. An eye-opener when it comes to the cafe menu, is the bevy of Toddy drinks they serve. Toddy is an alcoholic drink made from fermentation of locally-grown palm flower saps. The cakes available are definitely a must try as well.
Address: 312, Lebuh Pantai, George Town, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Open Daily 10:00am – 6:00pm except for Tuesday and Wednesday [currently closed for 1 month break]
8.ChinaHouse
ChinaHouse is far more than just a cafe. It is a multifaceted concept store that refuses to be put in a box. The spaces is made up a cafe, a bar with live music & a private dining space, an art gallery, an event space and a retail space. There is not a specific way to describe ChinaHouse except that it is a creative space wearing many hats and a destination for the artistic soul. Art is everywhere in ChinaHouse even down to the tables covered with drawing paper for you to doodle while you dine.
What is it most famous for? The wide selection of cakes it has available and let us say, every cake is delicious.
Every corner of ChinaHouse is photo-worthy, making it difficult for us to select our two for the article. Do we feature the space or the cake?
Address: 153, Beach St, Georgetown, 10300 George Town, Penang
Open Daily 9:00am – 11:30pm
9.Lunabar Coffee Penang
The best place to relax and and chill with a cup of coffee and a book has to be Lunabar Coffee. A concealed nondescript cafe filled with greens against a crisp clean background of white provides the perfect ambiance for one to absorb the calm energy within its walls. You can also pick up some house plants while you’re there which they sell in store. Lunabar is definitely one for matcha lovers if you’re not looking for coffee!
Address: 10d, Jalan Clove Hall, George Town, 10050 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Open Daily 10:00am – 6:00pm except for Tuesday & Wednesday
10.Norm Micro Roastery
Hyped as the hottest cafe in Penang, Norm Micro Roastery, sister to Norm Cafe, it definitely lives up to the status heralded. Located in what was an old shipping yard, the cafe is housed under high ceilings providing an open, spacious, bright and light ambiance. The interior is raw, industrial and contemporary.
The attraction is not just in the ambience and interior, but in the food as well. Our favourite is the all-day brunch option with several egg dishes, healthier options like the Chia Pudding and full-on meals such as risotto, pasta and burgers. The variety is great and the food even better.
Address: 13, Gat Lebuh Gereja, George Town, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Open Daily 8:00am – 6:00pm [Except Tuesdays 10:00am – 6:00pm and Friday & Saturday 8.00 am - 10.00 pm]
11.Sugar Tang
If you feel like some coffee and japanese food, head to Sugar Tang | 糖书阁, a Japanese inspired cafe. A comfortable yet super Instagrammable cafe with a Japanese sleek, clean contemporary look to its interior.
They offer a variety of tea on their beverage menu along with coffee and green tea. Their signature coffee is known as Fire Sugar where the top of the coffee is covered in lavender cream and brown sugar torched with a flame. For food, they have sushi, salad, rice don, entree dishes like gyoza and of course every cafe must have, cake!
Address: 205, Lebuh Carnarvon, George Town, 10100 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Open Daily 11:00am – 9:00pm [Except Friday - Sunday 11.00 am - 10.00 pm]
12.The Warung
The Warung is known for the unique lifestyle knickknacks it has for sale, making it different from your usual cafe.The interior provides a rustic ambiance. Consider this space a pit stop for coffee and exposure to some culture. Besides coffee and culture, one can gather with friends over some delicious food —we recommend trying the waffles!
Address: 145, Lebuh Victoria, George Town, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Open Daily 9.30 am to 8.00 pm
We hope you enjoy ticking off this list of the top 12 trendy cafes in Penang as much as we did!
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