Out of these cafes, we hope you find one that whets your appetite! Many of them operate until late at night, with some until midnight!
With refreshing drinks and air-conditioned settings, these venues serve as oases after a hot day exploring Penang! Most of them focus on western cuisine with a local touch.
Take a look!
1. Ome by Spacebar Coffee
Tucked away in a quiet alleyway, this minimalist café has exposed bricks walls, timber furniture, cement floor, and natural lighting. It is quite cramped in here, but the café is the perfect Instagram setting!
Their fresh cakes and bread are baked every day in-store! Olive oil and zucchini cake is worth trying, in our opinion. Although their other cake flavors are just as unusual.
Espresso coffees are especially popular here! Check out the art exhibition upstairs too!
You might have to wait awhile for a table if you have a large group with you and if you’re visiting on a weekend. It might be easier to walk or take an e-hailing service too since there are not many options for parking around here.
Note: No mains here, just light meals.
- Opening Hours: Daily from 7:30am to 4pm (Closed on Thursdays & Fridays)
- Contact: +6019-6908259
- Must-try: Olive oil zucchini cake, specialty coffee and vegan apple crisp
2. Lunabarcoffee
Lunabarcoffee is along a main road (Jalan Clove Hall) and it takes residence in a corner lot house. You might not notice it is a café because of its exterior. Which is overrun with lush greenery. This carries into the front atrium of the café as well.
And further inside is an equally cozy and quiet space with a mix and match of solid wood furniture and more plants. There is counter seating as well as little tables to gather round with a small group of friends.
We find that the staff is extremely welcoming here. Pricing is a little high, but you can expect good coffee (especially the drip sort and espresso) and cakes!
More pictures of Lunarbarcoffee.
- Opening Hours: 8am to 4pm (Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays), on weekends, they open from 9am to 5pm.
- Specialty: Filtered coffee and cakes
3. Norm Micro Roastery
The new location of Norm Micro Roastery is not far from Pinang Peranakan Museum. Fans of industrial and minimalist interiors will love the new look of the café.
High ceilings give the café a spacious and bright appearance that is very photogenic. It took us a while to locate the hidden entrance of this café though.
And depending on when you visit, the menu may have more or less food options. At night, the menu has less food options.
Price-wise, it is easy to spend about RM50 per person for a meal, drink and dessert. But we think it is still worth going here at least once. Not just for the unique interior of this café, but for the food and service too!
Read more about Norm Micro Roastery (more photos).
- Opening Hours: Daily from 9am to 7pm (Closed on Wednesdays)
- Contact: +6016-5276273
- Specialty: Coffee, Tiramisu (With Alcohol), Risotto
4. Macallum Connoisseurs Coffee Company
Macallum Connoisseurs occupies an immense space in a former warehouse! In fact, this is still the most spacious café we’ve ever been to in Penang. We like the industrial vibes too.
The space is a start up by coffee enthusiasts. It is suitable for large group meet ups as they have ample parking spaces and seats!
Their menu offers a great selection of mains, beverages, and desserts! Make sure you try out the specials, especially the Coffee Spaghetti!
We do find their food tasty, but notice that they do use some MSG.
- Opening Hours: Daily from 9am to 10pm
- Contact: +604-261 3597
- Cuisine: Western fusion
- Must-try: Spaghetti (various flavors), savory croissants and smoky duck breast
5. Kopi Hutan
There’s no need for air-conditioning at this café atop Penang Hill. Kopi Hutan utilizes its natural environment as much as possible.
Their low cement tables and stools weave among ferns and other greenery in their outdoor space. There are some tables (with their own terrariums) that you can sit at if you prefer a roof over your head.
Apart from being very camera-friendly, Kopi Hutan also serves up decent coffee (we recommend ordering a pot to share among your group).
They have sandwiches and a few different cake flavors to try if you feel a little hungry.
Dining here gets you a free shuttle trip back to Penang Hill Upper Station to take the funicular train back down too.
We really enjoyed our time here. You can read about our full experience at Kopi Hutan.
6. Le Café
We only came here for drinks on a hot afternoon. The air-conditioned café is narrow, but they have some seating outside and upstairs as well.
The interior is appealing. It has a rough industrial look softened by many indoor plants and the use of wooden beams (we like their wooden sliding door at the front).
While we enjoyed our iced coffee and hojicha latte, the service here could use some improvement. The staff give off unfriendly vibes.
Their specialty are their savory sandwiches but since we were on the way to dinner, we thought it best not to order any.
- Closed on: Wednesdays
- Specialty: Sandwiches
Conclusion
Take advantage of Penang’s vibrant café scene in between sightseeing.
There are many newly opened ones, each with their own quirkiness! From aesthetically designed interiors to original food creation to aromatic coffees!
Our personal favorite is Lunarbarcoffee for the ambiance, drinks and especially warm service!
Other cafes that we would like to try next time:
- Constant Gardener Coffee
- Dolce
- China House
- Black Kettle
- The Alley, 5 Stewart Lane
- Joies Sourdough Bakery Cafe
- Chapel Street Cafe
- 2F+ Coffee Roastery Relau
- Fuku Eatery & Dessert
- Matcho Café
Breakfast in Penang
Cafes can be a great breakfast option in Penang but if you want more affordable food, or just want to have breakfast earlier, than we have more suggestions in this post.
Love Lane in Penang
There are many cafes at Love Lane and you might want to read more about this area and see if it’s up your alley. Because there are heritage and cultural attractions within walking distance from this lane.
