There’s more than one night market in Penang. In fact, there is a different one every day of the week!
You can try bargain hunting and negotiating with locals while trying out different street food and drinks. There are all kinds of things for sale too. Like toys, souvenirs, handmade jewellery, electronic accessories, wooden crafts, fresh produce, apparel including fake designer goods!
Get a different perspective of the city with a visit to one of these night markets!
Schedule
Shopping in Penang is not just limited to the malls. And there’s no excuse (except for rain) not to check these out since there is a bustling night market every day in Penang!
| Day | Location |
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| Monday |
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| Tuesday |
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| Wednesday |
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| Thursday |
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| Friday |
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| Saturday |
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| Sunday |
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| Everyday |
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Monday
1. Macallum Street Night Market
IIt’s easy to spend an hour at Macallum Street Night Market. This market takes up 2 sides of Macallum Street in Pengkalan Weld. The market is about 7 minutes’ drive from the clan jetties of Penang!
You can find classic Malaysian hawker food like char koay teow and lor bak. And snacks like waffles, pickled nutmegs and popcorn!
As well as an assortment of cheap household products, toys and clothes! This is one of the best night markets in Penang for the variety of stuff you can see, and street food to try.
- Location: Google Maps
- Opening Hours: Mondays from 5pm to 10:30pm
Tuesday
2. Tanjung Bungah Night Market
Although not as impressive as the other night markets, you can still find about the same food and goods for sale at Tanjung Bungah Night Market!
There is fried chicken, sugarcane juice, char koay teow, burgers, satay, etc. Interestingly, there’re also some international snacks too! Like xioao long bao and aligot (cheese with mashed potato)!
This is the place to go during durian season if you’re looking for alternatives besides durian farms!
Note: Hard to find parking here! The night market is in the same location as the daytime wet market!
- Location: Google Maps
- Opening Hours: Tuesdays from 5.30pm to 10pm
Wednesday
3. Farlim Night Market
Plan your trip to Kek Lok Si on a Wednesday and you can partake in one of the biggest night markets in Penang!
Close to a large residential area (Farlim), the prominent night market takes place on an open field with food trucks and stalls selling more food, souvenirs, clothing, DVDs and all sorts of knick-knacks!
You can try sugarcane juice, tau fu fa, pineapple tarts, char koay kak (fried raddish cake), salted fish steamed bao, Ramli burgers, rojak, Thai BBQ pork sticks and satay, keropok lekok (dried fish crackers), assam laksa, Thai fried chicken and lok lok here!
Do prepare to stand (or just get here before the dinner crowd does) while eating though as there are not many tables and chairs available to match the popularity of this night market.
That said, prices in general at this market tend to be higher than elsewhere.
Note: For those taking the bus, request to get off at Bandar Baru supermarket, Farlim as the night market is right behind it.
- Location: Google Maps
- Opening Hours: Wednesdays from 5pm to 11pm
Thursday
4. Bayan Baru Night Market (Bayan Lepas)
Cheap local food is the highlight of Bayan Baru Night Market over at Bayan Lepas.
Kerabu rice is one of the must-try food at this night market. There’s another stall that sells yong tau fu with a spicy tomyum soup base.
Since there are many halal food stalls here, this pasar malam is popular with Malay families. Apart from Malay food, you can buy local produce too.
Do note that finding parking at this market will take some patience and time.
- Location: Google Maps
- Opening Hours: Thursdays from 5:30pm to 10pm
Friday
5. Jelutong Night Market / Pasar Malam Van Praagh
This is another well-loved market. It comprises of stalls lining Van Praagh Road and Taman Kheng Tian.
You can tell that the market provides for the local residents as there are lots of everyday items for sale!
A lot of different dishes are sold here like nasi tomato (Tomato rice), putu mayong (Indian rice noodle dish), muar chee (Chinese dessert snack similar to the Japanese mochi and usually filled with peanuts and sugar), yong tau foo, roasted pork, Hokkien mee and various Nyonya kuih.
Note: If you smell something offensive, it’s probably the stinky tofu stall!
- Location: Google Maps
- Opening Hours: Fridays from 6pm to 11pm
Saturday
6. Sungai Dua Night Market
Residents in the Gelugor area and students from the nearby Universiti Sains Malaysia like to pick up groceries from this market. It’s convenient that it’s just across from a Tesco Extra too!
The roadside market has fresh seafood, vegetables and seasonal fruit and a wide selection of Malay, Indian and Chinese hawker food.
There are stalls selling kebab, nasi lemak, ketupat (rice balls that go well with satay!), nasi biryani, assam laksa, chee cheong fun and char kway teow!
Tip: A good time to go is after 7pm! This is when most of the stalls are already set up!
- Location: Google Maps
- Opening Hours: Saturdays from 5pm to 10pm
Sunday
7. Paya Terubong Night Market
If the name sounds familiar, that’s because there is another market (at a different location) of the same name but it opens on Thursday!
Paya Terubong Night Market at Bandar Baru Air Itam has many food stalls selling local dishes like belacan fried rice (nasi goreng belacan) or street food like lok lok.
The market is not far from Kek Lok Si, a hilltop Buddhist temple with massive grounds that is popular with tourists!
- Location: Google Maps
- Opening Hours: Sundays from 5:30pm to 10:30pm
8. Nibong Tebal Sunday Night Market
This exceptionally long market occurs only on a Sunday! Stalls cater mostly to Chinese folk (i.e., not halal).
Note: This market is on the mainland at Nibong Tebal, and not on Penang Island!
Foodies will appreciate the gastronomical delights for sale at this market. These include kueh teow soup noodles, kuih sayur, nasi lemak and assam laksa!
Note: It’s better to take public transport to get here to avoid wasting time looking for parking!
- Location: Google Maps
- Opening Hours: Sundays from 7pm to 10pm
Other Night Markets In Penang
9. Kimberley Street Food Night Market
Hawker stall culture in Malaysia is eminent at this daily night market. The first step is to find a table and seat. Then order your drinks. Remember the table number and give it to your chosen food stall so they can bring the food to you!
You’ll likely notice a long queue in front of one stall specializing in duck kway chup! This is a flavorful soup with succulent duck meat and wide and flat rice noodles! One bowl can cost ~RM10.
Other food you can try here are oh chien (Omelets with oyster meat), a variety of tong sui (Chinese sweet soup desserts), chicken feet koay teow th’ng, lok lok, satay, chee cheong fun (Hong Kong style) and char koay teow!
Note that on weekdays, there may be fewer stalls to choose from. But it’ll be easier to find parking than on weekends when the market is busiest with locals and tourists!
- Opening Hours: 5pm to 11pm
10. Batu Ferringhi Night Market
At Batu Ferringhi, you’ll find another daily night market by the main road and beach!
True, most of the wares for sale among the 100 or so stalls are geared towards tourists! They even have swimwear, phone chargers and flip flops for sale!
Make sure to put those bargaining skills to good use if you spot something you like at this lively venue! Prices here are higher than other markets.
- Location: Google Maps
- Opening Hours: 7pm to 12am
Tips
- Some sellers are more aggressive than others – you can either avoid eye contact or politely say “no, thank you” whilst shaking your head no
- Beware of pickpockets
- Designate a “meeting spot” with your group members in case you get lost!
- Don’t wear any expensive jewellery
- Sellers often expect buyers to negotiate prices, so you don’t necessarily have to settle for the initial price they give you
- Use of single-use plastic is common at these markets. Avoid creating trash by bringing your empty water bottle and a container. And possibly your own cutlery.
- When buying food, try to look for those stalls that make it on the spot to avoid chances of food poisoning!
Conclusion
Night markets in Penang may not have air-conditioning but that should not discourage you from visiting them. Especially if you’ve never experienced a local night market before.
What To Buy In Penang
You can pick up some souvenirs and try some local food while you take in Malaysian night market culture. But there are also other places that you can buy gifts to take back home!
Things To Do In Penang At Night
Besides a visit to a local night market, you might want to check out our suggestions for things to do in Penang at night!
