Though it’s not surprising, Time Out has named Penang as the number one best street food city in Asia, beating out cities in Vietnam, Singapore, India and Thailand.
Taking into consideration that Asia has the world’s best street food, they shared their list of the top 10 best street food cities in Asia, with Penang coming up at the very top spot. The Pearl of the Orient was closely followed by Hanoi (Vietnam), Singapore, Mumbai (India) and Chiang Mai (Thailand).

This image is for illustration purposes only.
“When asked to choose one place to eat street food for the rest of my life, it’s Georgetown, Penang – hands down.”
“A cultural mix of Malay, Chinese, Peranakan and Indian, there’s a laundry list of specialities to try here, including Char Kuey Teow, Assam Laksa, Roti Canai and Hokkien Mee. Good luck asking a local where the best place to try each dish is, you’ll always get a different answer,” wrote Time Out writer Katie Lockhart.
A standout dish
She suggested that, should someone decide to try only one dish in Penang, it should be Char Kuey Teow. She also highlighted 2 specific Char Kuey Teow spots that people should try out, namely Goggles Man Char Kuey Teow and Left-handed Char Koay Teow.
For reference, here are the top 10 best street food cities in Asia, as shared by Time Out:
- Penang, Malaysia
- Hanoi, Vietnam
- Singapore
- Mumbai, India
- Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Tainan, Taiwan
- Osaka, Japan
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- Chengdu, China
What do you think about this? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
Also read: This Cosy New Pizza Spot in PJ Serves Bold Flavours That Will Make You Go ‘Why is This So Good?!’

