Chowrasta Market

Chowrasta Market has been a beating heart of George Town since the 1890s — its name means 'four crossroads' in Hindi, a nod to its role as a meeting point. The ground floor is a classic Penang wet market and food stop: come in the morning for nasi lemak, assam laksa and freshly griddled roti canai, and don't leave without a bag of jeruk (preserved fruit and the famous buah pala nutmeg pickles). In the alley beside the market, a multi-generation ais tingkap stall pours a cooling 'window sherbet' drink. Upstairs is a nostalgic maze of second-hand bookshops and clothing stalls, some trading for over 50 years.