Location: Balik Pulau
Top Restaurants in Balik Pulau
Top Things to do in Balik Pulau
Balik Pulau Food Guide: 10 Must-Eat Restaurants & Street Food Stalls in Balik Pulau
Balik Pulau is a town and the administrative centre of the Southwest Penang Island District in Penang, Malaysia. The town is located at the southwest of Penang Island.
Things to do in Balik Pulau
1. Pedal Cafe
Overall Ratings
4 based on 7 reviews
Reviewed By bew11000 - Penang Island, Malaysia
Lovely little corner cafe on the road leading to Botanical CT, offering a wide assortment of quick meals, snacks and yummy cakes, good conversations and opportunities to experience more from the locality through the innovative work of its owner, John. Open from morning til late evening, this little gem caters for everyone.
2. BP Anjung Indah
Overall Ratings
4 based on 7 reviews
Reviewed By Gr00vyTraveller - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
9 of us ascended to this place cos our 2 cars had to make a really sharp turn to go up an even steeper slope (felt like 45deg) and ta-dah (fortunately) we were there. Oh yes, a few durian stalls were at the foot of the slope ie. save some tummy space for dessert. Back to the food.
From great to not so great...
Tomyam was fiery good - plenty of the usual seafood. Sea (not the blah freshwater) prawns, fish slices, clams, mushrooms. Must order.
Lemongrass chicken was the highlight of the meal - my cousin recommended this to the conventional pandan leaf chook. The lemongrass was shredded fine (julienned as chefs would say), coated with a light batter and fried to a crisp - excellente! Although it made the dish look kinda hairy (bits poking out all over), added great texture. The fried chicken pieces were ok. There were also some fried slices of pandan leaves but tad too tough. Must order.
Kerabu (salad) mango was zingy with plenty of birds eye chilli landmines - unfortunately portion was so small for 9 of us. Must order larger size.
Red ruby dessert - crunchy water chestnut cubes, jackfruit slices, big sago balls (like in bubble tea) swimming in coconut milk. Yum. Order.
Fried kangkung in batter was rather like tempura - looked like tiles of fried leaves... order this if you want fun food.
Green curry chicken was lacking serious flavour - colour looked right, plenty of veggies, not much chicken, tasted like chicken stew if eaten with eyes closed. Skip.
And if you still have space, durians it is during this short season.
Apparently this place is packed for dinner - diners feast their eyes on the sunset. More Seating upstairs. Else take a pic with the inhouse Rolls Royce (I kid you not).
3. Kim Seng Kopitiam
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 25 reviews
Reviewed By sand2skis - Gold Coast, Australia
At times like this, I often ponder about the double-edged sword of doing reviews and imparting precious information to others. I find that excellent reviews tend to create such an influx of tourists to a restaurant, food stall or attraction that it invariably wrecks the very thing that we enjoy.
A case in point is the ‘Penang Road Famous Teochew Cendol’. This used to be the best cendol in Penang, if not, in Malaysia. But going on our recent experience, the cendol served is a shadow of its former self. As one born and bred local said, it is “now over-commercialised akin to ordinary, mass-produced frozen food”.
So I struggle with the question of reviewing the Kim Seng Kopitiam as it is in my view one of the best places to eat in Balik Pulau, if not, in Penang. However I tend towards thinking that business owners should reap the rewards of their toil. In the case of this kopitiam and its stalls, their owners should be recognised for their success – their sumptuous food.
Firstly the Assam Laksa is divine and heavenly. As a person who has enjoyed assam laksa since as far as I can remember and who grew up with a parent and an aunt who cook the best Assam Laksa dishes, it takes a lot to impress me. While it cannot be compared to a home-cooked assam laksa, this vendor serves a dish which is superb and impressive. The depth of flavour in the soup is gloriously rich; and the soft, yet firm texture of the noodles second to none. It is very much on par (perhaps even better) than its famed counterpart at Ayer Itam. I will endeavour to taste both, within an hour, one day to establish which is superior.
The char kway teow at Kim Seng Kopitiam is also an excellent example of the dish. Truly enjoyable with the right amount of smokiness and balance of ingredients and seasoning; and served on banana leaf. I can also recommend this dish without reservation.
Finally I topped off my meal with an Ais Limau (ice lime juice). Their version of the drink includes a sour plum soaking in the juice. The sour plum enhances the flavour of the lime juice and complements it. It elevates what would have been an ordinary lime juice drink into a seriously good beverage. Sadly, more often than not, Ais Limau comes as a straight iced lime juice without the sour plum. In fact, I cannot remember any Ais Limau ordered in George Town having a sour plum. And I had quite a few! A pity.....
Thanks for Reading this review and my gratitude should you rate it as helpful. No pressure though...
4. Middle of Nowhere
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 11 reviews
Reviewed By BeirutMoores - Penang Island, Malaysia
Great setting, with off road parking, between Teluk Bahang and Balik Pulau (closer to the latter). Laksa was very good and at a reasonable 5 MYR.
5. Botanica Mansion
Overall Ratings
4 based on 14 reviews
Reviewed By John H - Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom
The Botanica Mansion is about 40 mins from George town and set in the pretty Penang hillsides.
We took a little ride out on our bike and enjoyed an Afternoon tea (served 3-5pm) for 53 Ringett for a couple. The hotel was quiet, we sat upstairs on the veranda enjoyed a slow relaxed afternoon. Wifi was fine. The afternoon tea was made up of a Sandwich, salmon baguette slice, mushroom pie, biscuits cake and of course scone, jam and cream. All very tasty.
We also got a free top up on the tea.
The staff were friendly and helpful.
This was not the best afternoon tea I have every had but it was OK.
If you are passing, or want a change from the busy George town take a drive out.
6. Balik Kampung at Balik Pulau
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By carina15 - Penang
Balik Kampung @ Balik Pulau serves many delicious hawker delicacies.
Our favorite is their authentic Belacan Fried Rice. The Belacan fried rice is very fragrant and topped with shredded mangoes, onions, pork, ikan bilis. It is served with a very delicious and appetizing sambal. They also serve very delicious green curry with rice and a sunny side up egg. Besides that the famous laksa and hokkien mee from Kuala Jalan Bahru has relocated there. Recently they have added new stalls e.g. a stall selling fried food like poh piah, yummy fried tapioca balls, and etc, there is a loh bak stall and a stall selling keropok, jelly and etc. From 2 pm onwards, they have a restaurant selling ikan bakar and other delicious dishes. Besides the food, we love the special drinks that can only be found in Balik Kampung. We usually order the blue flower with barley drink, sancha with apple and the longan drink. All not too sweet and very delicious. They have a very big compound and children can run around. Children can enjoy the paddle boat ride which is available for a minimal fee. This fun activity can only be found here in Balik Kampung at Balik Pulau. Definitely a must visit place when in Balik Pulau!
7. Jia Siang Cafe
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By RJWal - Windhoek, Namibia
We stopped here for lunch. I think we were the only overseas visitors but the place was packed. We ordered prawns and whole Pomfret and asked for them to be cooked according to their recommendation. Served with fried rice and steamed vegetables the meal was delicious.
There is a fish/seafood market behind the restaurant so it is possible to buy fish there and have the chefs prepare it for you.
This isn't a fancy place - plastic tablecloths and a room open on 3 sides with the kitchen and prep area visible but a real feel for local life. Highly recommended
8. Laksa Janggus
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 6 reviews
Reviewed By boboi - Penang
Prepare for the long queue at times even on weekdays, local laksa (thick white rice noodle served with fish bits spicy salty savory sauce). Other menus popular I also like having include pisang goreng (banana fritter) or keledek goreng (sweet potato fritter). The drinks here are so-so but I see that many people order the ais kacang or ABC (sweet ice condiments)
9. Kim Laksa
Overall Ratings
4 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By louis899 - Vancouver, Canada
Laksa stall is located in a coffee shop known as Nan Guang Coffeeshop,at 67 Main Road,11000, Balik Pulau, Penang .Business hours: 10.00 am – 5.00 pm (Wednesday to Sunday )
It has 2 types of laksa, assam laksa and lemak laksa (one with coconut milk).I tried the assam laksa which came in clear soup and was very delicious.It was not too spicy.The black prawn paste ( pronounced as hair ko ) is optional depending on your taste.I always ask for the prawn paste to be added.
Place is normally crowded but wait time is short.Street parking is a problem as road is narrow .So be prepared to park a distance away and walk to stall.There is a public car park next to stall but it is normally full.
10. Mee Udang Razak
Overall Ratings
3 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By princemafia
Had a chance to visit this humble beside the paddy field food outlet during my business trip to balik pulau recently. To be exact, the shop is beside the owner's house and the house is located in sort of island in the paddy field.
My friend a.k.a host suggested the team to had our late lunch at this shop, in the mid of paddy field but near to main road.
Guest can enjoy their meal while watching enchanting paddy field and feel the fresh wind, the shop also offer table in open air. If you come on the right time when paddy seed (rice) almost ready to be harvested, you can see the yellow ocean of paddy trees/seed around you.
I had my special prawn mee, maybe 8 big and medium size prawn in my plate, and 1 sunny side egg, and it cost me RM12 (USD3). You can see my meal on attached picture. Other menu are prawn fried rice, fried rice with squid, prawn maggi instant noodle...
I accompanied my mee with ice coffee and teh tarik. Ice coffee was nice, thick and creamy. They use local coffee. My host also suggested us to try teh tarik. Teh tarik taste good also.
The service is fast, and the owner and the staff are friendly. FYI, this shop is closed on tuesday.
