Nasi Kandar A Guide To Penang's Beloved Dish | Penang, Malaysia

Originating in Penang and brought over by Indian muslims, nasi kandar is a much loved Malaysian dish.

Especially by me. To say I love nasi kandar would be the biggest understatement of the year, maybe even in my life.

Everything about this dish hits home for me.

A big pile of rice thrown in the middle of your plate.

You have options, a lot of options. I am talking options on options. So no matter what food mood you are in, there is most likely a dish for your craving.

And not to forget the main show, the curries. Ohhh, the curries. Wait, so why isn’t it called curry and rice?

That is because the name nasi kandar came about from a time when nasi (rice) hawkers or vendors would balance a kandar pole on their shoulder with two huge containers of rice meals.

You won’t see anybody carrying around the meals on Kandar poles anymore, but the name has stuck. 

My kind of nasi kandar

Now, I think we should set some rules.

Nasi kandar is very customizable so here is what I like with my nasi kandar, so you can get a better idea of what I am looking for.

Main dishes tend to change, but must haves are lady fingers, egg, and a green pepper. 

If a place has Pappadoms, it is a bonus.

And if you do not get your nasi kandar “banjir” (flooding) style, I believe you aren’t really eating nasi kandar.

All nasi kandars are paired with a teh tarik to enhance satisfaction.

Alright, it is finally time to check out Penang’s nasi kandar scene!

The fried chicken was the highlight of the meal, being juicy and tender while full of flavor.

The prawn was overcooked, while the onion and egg tasted average. I appreciate the generous flooding of the curries, yet I couldn’t help but feel as though the curries were missing that “it” factor.

All and all, it’s still an average nasi kandar with really friendly people working and a great open air atmosphere to enjoy the afternoon.

My advice would be to maybe try this place out during an actually busy period as they serve certain dishes which are “limited time” offerings, meaning they are only available during certain parts of the day.

Address: Beside 161 & 177 Penang Road, George Town, 10000 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Open: Closed Tuesday; Open 24/7

Unfortunately for me, I like to walk up to all the lauk (side dishes) and have a look. So it didn’t matter too much for me.

That being said, I had a very friendly man help me lead the way. We ended up piling my plate high with mutton curry, ayam rose, cabbage, and an onion and egg.

This was, by far, the spiciest nasi kandar I had while in Penang. Sadly, that is about all it had going for it.

Slightly funky and rich, but really missing out on the just overall taste.

I think one thing that could have kept me from enjoying this meal completely could have been the rice. I felt like it wasn’t cooked completely, which really brought my whole experience down.

By far the best addition was the ayam ros which was super spicy and the most flavor packed out of all the dishes I had. The chicken was nice and juicy, as well as, fall of the bone tender.

I would come here if you wanted a nasi kandar on the spicier side of things. As I have had many people rave about how good this place is, maybe I just came on a bad day.

Address: 49 & 51, Queen Street, George Town, 10200 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Open: Closed Sunday; Monday – Saturday 11am – 3:30pm, 6:30pm – 10pm

A fair warning, I came here for the mutton kurma, but was sadly informed that it would not be ready until closer to lunch time.

The man suggested the fried chicken and I am no person to turn down fried chicken. I kept it light and went with fried chicken, lady fingers, and an egg all banjir (flooded with curries) style.

The texture on these curries is absolutely marvelous. Reduced enough that you can taste and feel the abundance of aromatic ingredients and spices dance over your tastebuds. Rich, creamy, yet just enough oil to coat your mouth without pooling at the bottom of your plate.

The fried chicken, was very average. And the only thing I found myself wanting and it may have been due to my addiction, was more flooding of my curries as I ran dry towards the end of my meal.

A good breakfast or light lunch nasi kandar. I walked away with a smile on my face, ready to start my day, instead of feeling like I needed to go back to sleep.

Address: 1A Union Street Georgetown, 10200 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Open: Closed Sunday; 8am – 3pm

Now having renovated a few times and expanded to more than just nasi kandar, you can get freshly fried up murtabak as well.

Clean, air conditioning, and friendly staff. Not to mention the cool pictures on the wall showcasing this place’s history.

You can start off two ways here, they have your typical rice or a briyani rice from which you can choose. Since I knew I would be eating white rice with the rest of my nasi kandars, I kept the playing field equal.

They won my heart with this one, their beef rendang was recommended.

I also went with the highly recommended ayam kapitan along with some must haves: lady fingers, fried bitter melon, and an egg.

The beef rendang was reduced beautifully, having had the oils from the coconut milk release, giving you that oh so desirable texture. All while the beef was still nice and tender, and not dried out.

The ayam kapitan was flavor packed, but I felt like it could use a little more heat. The actual chicken was tender and juicy.

The lady fingers were not cooked all the way through so they were too tough to eat. Now having visited all these nasi kandar spots, I realized how much of a treat the fried bitter melon really was, so definitely big bonus points for that.

If I went back I would want to go with friends. That way we could all get a murtabak to share with our nasi kandars, using the murtabak to soak up all that extra curry.

And then waddle out of Hameediyah with our new food babies.

Address: 164, Lebuh Campbell, George Town, 10100 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Open: Saturday – Thursday 10am – 10pm, Friday 10am – 12:30pm, 3pm – 10pm

However, it would have been blasphemy to only get the ayam negro. So I made sure to pile it high with egg and onion, sotong, lady fingers, and some cabbage.

What a gorgeous plate of nasi kandar. The dark ayam negro curry sauce with all the orange and yellow makes for a stunning view on top of this light blue plate.

The ayam negro, a play on sweet heat. I couldn’t help but be transported back home to the south as this sauce reminds me of a molasses based bbq sauce. The way it starts sweet, then develops into more. It becomes slightly smokey with a kick of heat to finish it off. Not to forget, the other ingredients that tease your tastebuds. A truly unique eat, as I didn’t eat any other lauk like this in my time in Penang.

A solid sotong dish as it was meaty yet soft. I enjoyed the random pieces of squash, carrots, and more that somehow ended up on my plate. If nasi kandar didn’t already taste like a down home cooked meal, these really brought the whole experience together.

Definitely come here for the ayam negro as it was unique and a way to enjoy nasi kandar with a somewhat different taste.

Address: Chulia St, Georgetown, 10200 George Town, Penang, Malaysia

Open: Daily 24/7

The first time didn’t go so well, as I didn’t know the process, so I showed up early and still got pretty far back in the line.

When you finally arrive at the front you order by pointing or going to the side and talking to the staff. Do not try and yell through the glass, they don’t like that.

This is my plate from my second visit, as my first visit honestly, didn’t go so well.

I lucked out big time as during my wait I got into a conversation with a local who is a Beratur believer. This place is his favorite and he frequently visits here. That being said, I had him lead the way for me.

I ended up with a plate full of ayam ros, beef curry, fish eggs, cabbage, and lady fingers.

The ayam ros was delicious, as it was fragrant and tender. Much better than the fried chicken I had from the first time that made me order an extra teh tarik.

The beef was nice, I would say average. But the winner for me was the fish eggs mixed in with all the different curries.

The consistency of the curries was spot on. Nice and rich from the spices, yet not too oily. These curries were some of the most piquant tasting I had tried, which kept me intrigued and digging in for more.

The fish eggs just add texture and a wonderful seafood sweetness.

Oh and the fried shallots on top. I approve of this addition.

Make sure to scoop it all up with a pappadam.

One thing I learned while here, Beratur, is an appropriate name as the line grew easily to an over 2 hour queue.

The staff isn’t rude, but not overly friendly either.

While I do think the nasi kandar is very good, I also feel like the raving reviews are partly due to its late night opening more so than its nasi kandar.

Nonetheless, if you do not have to queue forever and you need a late night nasi kandar fix, this is the spot for you!

Tip: If you want the shortest wait time possible, come about 20 minutes early and get at the back of the nasi kandar stall that is selling until 10pm. Let people know you are there for Beratur and next thing you know, everybody will line up behind you and now all you have to do is wait for them to change stations! Enjoy!

Address: 98, Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, George Town, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Open: Daily 10pm – 8am

However, do not let it scare you away as they are used to it and before you can say “banjir” it will be your turn.

Not knowing what or if Restoran Deen has any special dishes, I went with my default setting.

Fried chicken, sotong, lady fingers, green pepper, and egg. And of course pappadam and a teh tarik.

Not really sure if I was just in the mood for sotong or if theirs is that good, but wow it hit the spot. The fried chicken was slightly dry, luckily I had plenty of curry to soak it up in.

Mysterious, that is how I would explain these curry combos. Not overly spicy or piquant, they just hit the spot. They left me walking out of the restoran on cloud nine, wondering what combination of spices could taste so dang delicious.

A little out of the way as you will have to travel to Jelutong, but that RM 9 grab ride will be the best money you will ever spend on a grab ride in Penang.

Address: 598-D & 598-E, Jalan Jelutong, 11600 George Town, Malaysia

Open: Daily 24/7

I heard it both ways,

“The ayam ros is the best”.

“Got to get the fried chicken”.

Well there is only one way to settle it, I got both.

What wins my stamp of approval is the fact you don’t have to ask for “banjir”. That is right, your plate will come “banjir-ed” up without even having to say anything.

And it was at this moment, I realized what true love is.

The best fried egg and onion I have had out of all the nasi kandar joints. Fried up over super high heat and with lots of oil, I know this may be a little too heavy for most people, but I don’t come to eat nasi kandar to eat light. Loaded with so many onions and pepper slices that you almost forget there is any egg.

And this debate? The ayam ros wins hands down. My piece of fried chicken (ayam goreng) was too dry. However, let us focus on the positive. The ayam ros was just divine. Tomato-y, rich, and full of unique spices.

I haven’t even mentioned one of my favorite parts. The addition of the caramelized onions! Oh, how I would have never known I was missing this in my life until I tried it here. Something about those sweet, cooked down, slightly charred onions that just give this plate of nasi kandar a big ole hug and brings it together.

I’m still slightly mindboggled I walked out of this place with that massive plate, pappadam, and a drink all for under RM 12.

Truly, a Penang approved nasi kandar stall and receiving a standing ovation from me.

Address: 170, Jalan Gurdwara, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Open: Daily 2pm – 11pm

While this list may only have 7 locations for now, this is just the first stage. I have a lot of nasi kandar left to try.

Wish List

• Nasi Kandar Kampong Melayu
• Restoran Sup Hameed Nasi Kandar
• Nasi Kandar Imigresen
• Cargas Cafe
• Nasi Kandar Pokok Ceri
• Restoran Mohd Raffe, Burmah Road
• Shariff Nasi Kandar Gelugor
• Nasi Kandar at Jalan Dato Keramat

If I am forgetting somewhere feel free to comment below or connect with me on Instagram here and let me know!