Swatow Lane Ice Kacang — Restaurant in George Town

The blurb on the signboard says "Since 1923", making this an almost 100-year-old establishment. However, the face that graces the signboard is still alive and kicking, sometimes seen hanging around the shop, looking no more than 60 years old.

The reason for this is because the shop has been in the same Lee family for 4 generations now. Starting as a humble lone hawker selling ice-kachang along Swatow lane, it gained popularity in the 60's and 70's. By the time the 80's came about, other hawkers had cashed in on their popularity and started selling their wares alongside it outside the walls of the current New World Park which was closed.

The 90's came about with a redevelopment of the Park and the hawkers were moved into it, with the Ice Kacang stall having the most prominent shop at the front of the new New World Park.

This institution of Penang has since grown into other branch outlets in Kimberley Street, JJ Food Garden in Tanjung Bungah. They all serve this icy treat just like the mothership.

In the old days, choices were limited to ice kacang only - today, not only are you given the choice to add more ingredients, fruits, ice cream and more in to the sweet mix of shaved ice, kidney beans, sweetcorn, syrup and evaporated milk.

There's also the rojak fruit salad as well - plus, there are also dishes that you can order to eat. While the purists see the addition of food as a bastardisation of the original shop, I have seen some people enjoying snacks along with their icy treats.

The taste has remained the same throughout the 40 odd years I've eated this, and remains a firm...

Came here because of the high rating in google but was truly disappointed as it is overly rated.

The ais Kacang is nothing special..nothing near to any normal penang hawker stall standard.

Services is extremely bad. We asked for additional sticks & some ground peanuts for the fruit rojaks as there were 4 of us but the waitress was very rude insisted that we pay only she will bring additional that we requested.

However, once paid, we were given the additional sticks only didnt give us the ground peanuts and the waitress purposely avoided us.

Unless you have alot of patience to deal with this kinda services otherwise I would suggest that there is other plenty of ais Kacang was much better...

So I went to order Chendol. Kindly my fellow chendol lovers; correct me. I have been enjoying chendol since I was a kid. Basic chendol comes with beans. I went to order the chendol with corn, (you can look at the picture someone has already post on her chendol options). She tells me that is does not come with beans. Best case scenario, she is nickel and diming all her customers because, they have become famous. Or worst case scenario she mistook my accent to be not local and decided she can con me. I walked away. In the 2 weeks I have been in Penang I had Chendol 8 times at several other locations, some even famous or should be; less expensive, tasted great with beans...