Penang Road Famous Laksa — Restaurant in George Town

Penang Assam Laksa (Small) = RM7.00 No Service Charge

This is a Michelin Bib Gourmand Food Stall.

I'll be honest, while I've eaten plenty of Laksas and even Assam Laksas, I've never specifically eaten True Authentic Penang Assam Laksa before. This was a Small Eatery that was quite Crowded with Customers on a Monday Evening at around 5.00pm although I could still easily find a Seat as a Solo Diner.

Penang Assam Laksa is not the only thing they sell here as they also have Seafood Omelette and Char Kway Teow. From their Signboard, it seems to be established since 1970, quite a 老店 that has been around for at least 54 years already. Staffs were Friendly but they were also Very Busy running about all over the Place.

Didn't wait too long for their Famous Penang Assam Laksa as it was served up quickly in 2 Mins.

The First thing that caught my attention was how Very Beautifully Presented it was. Almost like looking at a Colourful Mini Garden like that.

The Appearance of the Broth looks like it would be Very Spicy, but is actually Not Spicy at all. The First Thing that came to my mind when I first tasted it was that it was Fruity.

And I'm not saying Fruity to describe Sourness. This is also not the Same Sort of Sourness that is imparted thru Tamarind Paste. Completely Devoid of any Coconut Milk, doesn't taste Fishy or Seafoody too.

Its Really Fruity because of a Very Distinct Taste of Pineapple. This Presence of Pineapple is everywhere. The Whole Thing is so Not Spicy, Fruity and Pineapplely that I think even Children will have no problems with this.

There's not alot of Ingredients as the Only Protein I could see are what looks like Pieces of Sardines? No Idea what fish is this actually, but to me, it has Basically the Same Texture and Taste of Sardines.

Noodles are Thick, Fat and Soft and they easily slides down the Throat. I reckon they're probably from a Package though, not Handmade.

This Whole Dish doesn't taste Very Complex. Imagine tasting a Lemongrassy Pineapplely Fruity Broth with Lots of Mashed Sardines. Thats how it taste like for me. Totally not how you would expect a Conventional "Laksa" to taste like.

The More I ate this, the more I thought this tasted more like a Pineapple Fruit Salad than a Laksa if it makes any sense. Heck I even think this has a Very Similar Taste Profile to "Yum Pla Krapong ยำปลากระป๋อง" that I've made before, which is a Thai Salad thats made with Canned Sardines. In fact, this taste so similar to Yum Pla Krapong that I think this is basically like adding Noodles to Yum Pla Krapong.

Conclusion and Closing Thoughts

At RM7.00 (S$2.10), this is Worth the Money to try because it does not taste like any Laksa I've ever tasted in Singapore or JB.

I feel people who enjoy Thai-Styled type of Fruity Fruity Foods will especially enjoy this one. Eating this is almost like eating a Fruit Salad with Noodles. This REALLY tasted like Yum Pla Krapong especially with the Sardines they used.

Very Interesting Dish. If anything, eating this convinced me that it must have a Thai Background or Influence to it. Not surprising because of how Near Penang is located to Thailand Geographically.

Just don't expect this to taste like a Conventional Laksa. This does not taste anything like a Laksa that you may be familiar with.

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Review of Penang Road Famous Laksa (Visit on 16 August 2025)

I decided to check out Penang Road Famous Laksa, mainly because they’re marketed as certified halal, which instantly caught my attention.

I arrived early at 8:45am, before their official opening at 9am and to my surprise, there was already a crowd forming outside. Do note: you can’t go in to find your own seat. The system here is simple but strict; you queue at the entrance, place your order with the person at the Laksa counter right at the front, tell them how many people are in your group, and then you’ll be assigned a table. So, here’s a tip: decide what you want to eat before you line up, otherwise you’ll be holding up the queue.

For my breakfast, I went with one of their signatures; the Char Kuey Teow with Chicken Egg (there’s also an option for Duck Egg). Just a heads-up for my Malay friends: Char Kuey Teow = Kuey Teow Goreng, not Kuey Teow Basah/Kuah ya. Hahaha. The egg isn’t fried separately, it’s mixed right into the noodles.

Taste-wise? Solid! The Char Kuey Teow really lives up to its name, good wok hei, balanced flavors, and the right texture. Honestly, sedap gila and something I can see myself coming back for on every Penang trip.

But here’s the twist, I actually came with one main mission: to try their Oyster Omelette. This dish is rarely found in halal-certified spots since it’s usually only served in Chinese restaurants. Unfortunately, I was told it’s only available after 10am. Bit of a letdown. Ironically, as I was leaving at around 9:30am, I saw them starting to serve Oyster Omelette! My tip for future visitors: if you’re here for the oysters, start asking around 9:15–9:20am instead of waiting until 10.

Overall, despite the Oyster Omelette hiccup, my first visit was a really good one. The Char Kuey Teow alone makes this place worth the hype, and now I’ve got unfinished business with that Oyster Omelette for...

Let me be clear. I don't mind waiting. However, I do mind waiting if the place has a poor organization. Maybe the stars and planets were not aligned that day but I had a suboptimal experience. I had a thirty minute Q. It was a diner themselves organized Q. I didn't see any staffs doing anything to help out till much much much later. They only came to give the menu, organised the Q and do pre ordering much later. Only thereafter the Q moved much more smoothly. This should've been done from the beginning. A sneak peak earlier showed that tables were not being cleared quickly and therefore not able to sit a new group of diners causing the Q to be slower than it should've been. All these could've been avoided if they were more efficient. I mean, they are an established place, there's just no excuse for this.

Coming to the food, it's strangely slower than what i was accustomed to. Fortunately the laksa itself was generally delicious. Personally I prefer mine to have more prawn paste and definitely less sour. The sourness level here is overwhelming but from the other flavours point of view, on point for the thickness, the umami, the spice and the saltiness. Kudos to the freshness of the ingredients though. The vegetables are fresh. The fish is incredibly cooked and yes, incredibly fresh.

Also, during my Q, I saw a couple of bowls of (presumably leftover) laksa being emptied into the drain in front of the shop and the bowl rinsed there. That's just a bit unhygienic I think.

My final opinion? If you have eaten here before, look at the Q, if it will take you more than twenty minutes and the organization looks haphazard, probably give it a miss. If it's your first time, well, no choice then, enjoy...