Soul Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in George Town

Although not the fanciest restaurant in Penang, it absolutely has the best food , service and ambiance that I have experienced since my stay here for more than a year.

I am American, and a former executive flight attendant on private jets, and our standards are high. I find Penang to be substandard when it comes to service and cleanliness for too many restaurants. For that reason, I never return.

I must say, that I was surprised to find a restaurant (Soul Cafe) in Penang that was clean, the wait service impeccable and friendly, and the food absolutely comparable to many high end restaurants for the price. The Soul Cafe has it all.

We were acknowledged by the restaurant owner immediately when we entered, who made us feel quote comfortable. I find that MOST Penang restaurants make me feel that they don't want me there by the unfriendliness and laziness of the staff. I feel that all they want is my money. This is much different. Not only did I feel wanted, the staff kept busy and they didn't rush us out when we finished knowing that there was a line of hungry customers outside waiting to get in.

The prices were a little high for the Penang area, but considering the service and food quality, it was definitely worth every cent.

Finally, I discovered a place that I can return to over and over...

Fusion cuisine done expertly well. I've a personal preference to my pasta, where I prefer if every strand of pasta is well seasoned and flavourful (leaving none tasting like boiled noodles). And I'm giving a very satisfactory 5 stars to the food because boy did they deliver !

I ordered the carbonara with bacon, the portion is medium, just enough pasta and 2 long strips of bacon. But the star was a carbonara sauce that made me salivate for the next scoop. ⭐

For service, very rarely do people get a moderately decent dining service on the island of Penang, but Soul gave me and my partner customer service worthy of the service tax we're being charged at almost every other joint. Memorable and definitely appreciated, thanks guys. ⭐

For the atmosphere, it's a dimly lit restaurant with some classy vibes with abstract wall artwork that's perfect for a romantic special occasion. It's very cosy and the waiters were friendly and beyond helpful. ⭐

Overall, Soul is the type of 'must experience at least once' kinda place that me and my partner both enjoy discovering.

P.S, I didn't take any pics of the interior because I was too busy...

Very cozy environment, liked the chill cafe music, prices are reasonable. A bonus for anime and photography lovers, as the area is great for photos, and anime posters are plentiful.

I stopped by to chill out after a meal, and ordered rose latte and tiramisu. Not a coffee lover, but the latte was pretty okay.

However the tiramisu was AWESOME. Not too much alcohol so the whole thing tastes like rum cake, and not too sweet so that it becomes overpowering after a while. The flavour is well-balanced, and satisfies both the sweet and non-sweet tooth (me and my companion). On top of that the strawberry and blueberry that came with it was surprisingly sweet too!

Business is good. Even on a late Monday morning, the café was busy with customers. Seats weren't hard to come by though, as turnover was pretty quick. Staff were friendly and quick to serve. Overall great service!

I would greatly recommend everyone and anyone to stop by this cafe for either a meal, coffee or dessert. Do make a reservation if possible though, as mentioned in other reviews, seats are limited and it would probably be more crowded on weekends or other...