In the morning this is a market where the locals have started their days for decades. In the afternoon it's a hot spot for people working around the market to come and get a delicious lunch.
Going here is somewhat of an art form, as stalls vary from opening times and days, but also the weaving in and out of aisles to find the stall you were looking for is an adventure itself.
So get ready to order a kopi, mark your table, and walk around grabbing multiple dishes and treats that appeal to you because if you aren't eating from multiple stalls, I believe you aren't experiencing Cecil Market to its full potential.
If you want to see other eats in Penang, make sure to check out the video below!

Video here!

Kap Chung

Fried dough incasing glutinous rice and topped with sesame seeds.

Not sure if a Penang specialty or not, but this was the first time I came across this delightful fried treat.

By far my favorite (I do not say this lightly) thing to dip in my kopi in the morning.

Their glutinous rice is ooey and so darn gooey. Like stick to the roof of your mouth level of gooeyness.

The rice has a touch of sweetness that balances well with the heavily fried dough. And yes, it is fried very heavily, this will clearly leave those iconic grease stains on the paper bag, but I like to think they are just beauty marks.

Absolutely yummers.

My biggest tip though? Skip everything here but the Kap Chung, as it is just not near as good.

Open: Closed on Tuesdays, open during the mornings.

Seafood Popiah

Now, I will be honest, I debated putting this one on my list. However, I am going to put it on here, but only recommend it under certain circumstances.

If you are crunched for time and trying to eat as many Penang dishes as you can (props to you), I would try this popiah so you do not have to make the extra trip later on, which may cause you to miss other Penang dishes.

Order one up to share, take a couple bites, and experience Penang’s iconic seafood popiah. Will this rock your world and convince you this is the ultimate popiah that rules all other popiahs?

No. It’s just nice.

But, you can say you have tried it without really wasting stomach space and the extra couple rignnit that could buy you a teh tarik to go with your nasi kandar.

Open: Morning and afternoon

Roasted Pork Belly

Easy to know what to order here. When I visited this stall the Auntie trying to sell to me offered the Siu Yuk about 10 times in 5 minutes.

Not really sure what was going on, her weirdly rhythmic and continuous repetition seem to put me in a hypnotized state as I ordered the siu yuk and headed out.

I opened up my bag and was surprised that the siu yuk was proportionated perfect.

I took my first bite, my tastebuds were suddenly awoken by salty, roasted, pork. Oh and those proportions? Yeah, they give you crunchy, melt in your mouth fat, and lean roasted pork meat all at once.

A textural sensation.

Next thing I knew, I was walking and murmering to myself…

“This roast pork belly is really delicious”

“Why didn’t I buy more”

Open: Mornings until sold out

Duck Kway Teow Th'ng

Pronounced like Duck Kway Teow Deng, this one is a no brainer as any food blogger that has gone to Cecil Market has blogged about this dish.

And I’m hopping on that band wagon as this dish is absolutely delicious.

A duck meat and offal loaded bowl, with flat rice noodles, and a flavor packed broth.

Somehow balancing decadent, light, and aromatic all in one big pink bowl.

My only tip would be to try and avoid the weekends, I mean, unless you like to queue.

Open: Mornings and afternoons; however, I would recommend coming the morning

Pasembur

There are two types of Pasembur you can encounter while in Penang. A spicer Indian version and then what we have here, a sweeter Chinese version.

A creamy sweet potato gravy flooded over an assortment of ingredients such as: julienned jicama and cucumber, bean sprouts, tofu, and the best part, fried up prawn crackers.

Grab your plate, sit down, and dig in to those prawn crackers first. Fantastic when crunchy, as they are a beautiful compliment to the sauce, yet just like nobody enjoys soggy chips with their nachos, nobody likes soggy prawn crackers with their pasembur.

The other ingredients are refreshing and give you the much needed relief from the gravy’s intense sweetness. While the sugar powers this dish, a few subtle flavors of garlic, shallots, and other spices can be tasted as well.

Nonetheless, this dish is loved by many, which can be seen by coming mid afternoon. You cannot find a table that doesn’t have one or multiple plates overflowing with pasembur sauce.

Open: Afternoons

Char Kway Teow

Siam Road, Tiger, and etc. This uncle doesn’t get the love he deserves for his Char Kway Teow.

Cooking it the right way over open flame charcoal with an intense amount of heat.

A plate wafting with that char kway teow aroma and smokiness.

A few shrimp and a couple slices of Chinese sausage, a major helping of beans sprouts and a touch of chives round out this char kway teow.

Overall, a solid Penang style char kway teow as it hits all those flavor and aromatic notes. While the noodles are coated with just enough oil to have a glisten, but not make the dish too heavy.

The duck egg…need I say more? A must order for me, as it is a real treat to eat.

The only real complaint I had?

I would have enjoyed a couple more tosses of chives in mine, but I am sure Uncle would have done so if I would have asked. He is a very friendly man, yet all business when handling that wok.

Oh, I didn’t mention the best part. You practically steal a plate of Char Kway Teow as the duck egg and seafood version sells for RM 5.

Open: Starts around mid morning, would recommend around 11am

Kueh

Two stalls set up next to each other, but I don’t think one does better kueh than the other.

This is a true kid in a candy store moment.

Except, this is way better because most kueh contain the the holy trio.

Coconut, pandan, and gula melaka.

If you havn’t experience this flavor combination, have you really come to Malaysia?

Since taking one piece is perfectly acceptable.

Get in there and get as many varieties as you can, as there is only one way to find out which is your favorite, trying them all.

Perfect for snacking while trying to find something to eat, taking a break from eating, or eating after your meal.

Open: Starts setting up around 9am

Cendol

The most expensive cendol I bought in Penang at RM 3.60, but if I was to do a volume of cendol versus how much I paid, this would be the best bang for your buck.

Not that this one is overly massive, I just found the ones on Penang Road to be really small.

But back to this cendol.

Heavy addition with the beans, creamy coconut milk, a good shave on the ice, with a quality gula melaka, then a generous amount of rice flour jellies.

Come earlier than later, especially if the day is hot, as they are known to sell out.

And trust me, as I will speak from experience, nothing is more depressing than finding out their cendol is sold out and realize the next good cendol is a 20 minute walk across town.

While I still believe the best Cendol resides in Malacca, I also believe that on a hot Malaysian afternoon (Yes, that is every day), any cendol is better than no cendol.

Open: Starts around noon

Here it is! As always I still have more stalls I would like to try before this is final. I want to apologize as I wish I knew the exact hours and days of operation for each stall, but I was unable to obtain that information.

I think for best results what you could do is make it a half day relaxation/ food hunting trip. Go around 9-10am, early enough to still get food from the morning stalls. Eat, drink, relax and then the afternoon stalls should start opening around 11am allowing you to get the best bang for your trip.