One of Penang’s most distinctive — and tastiest – dishes is rojak, a salad-like dish of crunchy, tart and sweet fruits and vegetables topped with a thick dressing that unites sweet, savory, and spicy, garnished with crushed peanuts and raw sugar. One of the best places to get it is this stall at a seaside, semi-open-air hawker center. It’s supposed to be open evenings but don’t be surprised if you find it closed without explanation (a frequent occurrence). If you catch it on a good day, grab a tub of the dressing to take home. [$]

Appom, sometimes known in English as “hopper,” is a crispy, bowl-like crepe of Sri Lankan origin. With a lightly tart flavor, teeming with crumpet-like holes, sporting a just-cooked egg, if you like, and served with a curry-like dip, it’s also one of the best breakfasts in George Town. This stall has no formal name nor sign; look for the blue canopy across from Express-Mart. [$]

These linked, rambling shophouses do a bit of everything: breakfast, coffee, burgers, veggie dishes, Malaysian-influenced dishes. But really, it’s all about dessert. Just try not to be tempted by the enormous table heaped with all variety of cakes, pies, and cookies. And you can’t say you’ve been to George Town if you haven’t tried the ice cream made with salted gula Melaka, Malaysian palm-sugar syrup. [$$ - $$$]

This miniscule, perpetually slammed hawker center is one-stop-shopping for two of George Town’s most famous dishes: asam laksa, udon-like rice noodles in a hearty, herbaceous, fishy-in-a-good way broth; and cendol, short, squiggly noodles in sweetened coconut milk and shaved ice. Lunch only. [$]

Ditch your boring hotel breakfast and start your day in George Town with lor bak, a deliciously incongruous mix of deep-fried bits and bobs (firm tofu, minced pork rolled in tofu skin, crispy shrimp fritters, Chinese sausage, pig’s ear) served with slices of cucumber and a sticky, savory, five spice powder-tinged dip. The aged couple at this hawker center have been serving this Chinese-origin dish for decades. Breakfast only, closed Mondays. [$]

There’s a variety of eats here, from a cart that does hard-to-find Baba-Nyonya (a mix of indigenous and Chinese cooking styles and ingredients) dishes to a decent oyster omelet vendor. But nearly everybody comes for the hokkien mee. A decadent bowl combines rice and wheat-and-egg noodles, a rich, red, pork bone- and prawn-based broth, crispy pork belly, and a generous garnish of crispy fried shallots. Evenings only. [$]

If you only have time to visit one hawker center while in George Town (note: you should make more time), make it Lorong Baru. Both in terms of its spread of dishes and its frenetic, open-air vibe, it’s the epitome of what’s fun and delicious about eating in this city. Standout dishes include otak-otak, fish curry steamed in banana leaf; smokey skewers of satay; char koay kak, rice cakes fried with egg, shrimp, bean sprouts, and chili paste; and chee cheong fun, rice noodle rolls drizzled with a savory shrimp paste-based dressing and sesame seeds.  Dinner only. [$ - $$]

Buffets usually emphasize quantity over quality, but that isn’t the case with this self-serve Indonesian restaurant. Load your plate with beef rendang, soups, spicy dips, coconut milk curries, stir-frys, and vegetable dishes, and flash it at the staff who will calculate your bill. All the options are vibrant and fresh. Lunch only. [$]

Located about two miles northwest of the city center is this busy junction of a market, food stalls, and restaurants. It’s an excellent place to grab breakfast, and highlights include a famous mee goreng, a hearty Indian Muslim-influenced dish of round wheat noodles fried with dried squid, potatoes, tofu, egg, and chili paste; and a delicious curry mee, wheat-and-egg and rice noodles in a broth made rich and spicy with a splash of coconut milk and a dollop of chili paste, and topped with cockles, shrimp, firm tofu, and steamed cubes of chicken blood. Breakfast and lunch only, many vendors here close on Mondays. [$]

Oh chien is often translated as “oyster omelet” but this is an insufficient description for this masterpiece of egg, tapioca flour batter, and barely-cooked oysters – a dish with Chinese roots that’s ubiquitous in George Town. The version served at this hawker centre is fried in lard, making it exceedingly rich, crispy, and almost bacon-like in flavor. Open afternoons only, closed Wednesdays. [$]

Every evening, on the street in front of this otherwise unremarkable restaurant, a vendor sets up shop selling rich, meaty, Muslim/Malay-style soups. Beef, quail, oxtail, and bull’s penis are among the many proteins available, but we always opt for sup kambing, goat soup, in which the gamey goat meat is buoyed by fragrant dried spices and lots of crispy, deep-fried shallots. [$]

George Town has a visible south Asian community, many of whom have origins in south India. Food-wise, this means that the the city excels at thali, all-you-can-eat, meat-free banana leaf meals, and dosai, the crispy south Indian crepe. Located at the edge of George Town’s vibrant Little India, this scruffy hole-in-the-wall is one of the better places for both. [$ - $$]

Even if you’re a casual fan of Chinese food, you’ve probably encountered char siew, fatty slices of just-sweet, oven-roasted pork. But we’re willing to posit that you’ve never really eaten char siew if you haven’t been to Wai Kei. Rich, caramelized, crispy, and smokey, the pork is served with rice, a side of greens and a  bowl of soup. Open for lunch and dinner (the latter only during weekdays), but supplies are limited, so show up early and be prepared to wait. [$ - $$]