Where to Eat in Gurney Drive & Pulau Tikus: An Area Food Guide

Gurney Drive and Pulau Tikus are next to each other, just north-west of George Town's heritage core. Gurney is the seafront road with the malls and condominium towers. Pulau Tikus is the older neighbourhood inland, around the market on Jalan Pasar and the stretch of Jalan Burma (Burma Road) that runs through it. Gurney Drive's own address is in Pulau Tikus, and our food directory files most Pulau Tikus places under Gurney, so this guide covers both.

The two areas suit different meals. Gurney is for the evening: the seafront hawker centre and the restaurants in and around the malls. Pulau Tikus is for the morning: the wet market and the old coffee shops on Burma Road, where the best-known stalls sell out by mid-morning.

Best for:

If you only have one meal here, make it dinner at the Gurney Drive hawker centre. If you have a morning, come to Pulau Tikus before 9am.

People staying in Gurney, Pulau Tikus or Tanjung Tokong; anyone who wants a hawker dinner by the sea; early risers after a proper Penang breakfast away from the George Town crowds.

The Gurney Drive hawker centre

The hawker centre on Gurney Drive is the one most visitors know. Its stalls cover the standard Penang list: char kway teow, Hokkien mee, oyster omelette (oh chien), laksa, pasembur and rojak. It is an evening place. Most stalls trade from late afternoon into the night.

Its location is changing. In May 2026 the Penang state government told the state assembly that the 93 traders at the Anjung Gurney hawker site, plus 12 temporary hawkers around the Gurney Drive roundabout, will move to a new Gurney Bay Hawker Centre. The new centre is planned to have 127 hawker stalls, 7 drinks stalls, 17 shop units and 43 mobile kiosk lots, and was due to be finished in the first quarter of 2027. Construction was 4.16% complete when this was announced (Free Malaysia Today, 14 May 2026). Until the move happens, the hawkers stay at the current site. If you are visiting in 2027 or later, check where they are trading before you go.

Gurney Drive Hawker Centre in our directory →

How to order

Hawker centres here work by table number. Find a seat, note its number, order at each stall and give the number, then pay when the food arrives. Drinks are ordered from the drinks stall, which usually comes to your table.

Gurney Drive: other places worth knowing

Bali Hai Seafood Market

90 Persiaran Gurney

This is a live-seafood restaurant on the Gurney seafront and is included in the MICHELIN Guide. You choose your fish, shellfish or crustaceans from the tanks by the entrance and say how you want them cooked. It is a sit-down dinner for a group, not a cheap hawker meal. The Michelin listing describes it as a moderate spend.

Bali Hai Seafood Market in our directory →

Wan Dao Tou Assam Laksa

1 Jalan Gottlieb

This stall is about a 10-minute walk inland from the Gurney seafront, on Jalan Gottlieb. It holds a Bib Gourmand in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide. According to the guide, the third-generation owner cooks to his grandparents' recipe, which is about 50 years old (MICHELIN Guide). If you want Penang assam laksa without crossing the island to Air Itam, this is the bowl to try.

Wan Dao Tou Assam Laksa in our directory →

The malls

Gurney Plaza and Gurney Paragon both have restaurant floors with chains and air-conditioned food courts. They are useful in heavy rain or with young children, but you can eat the same things anywhere. Opening hours and tenants change, so check each mall's own directory.

Pulau Tikus: market and Burma Road breakfast

Pulau Tikus Market (Pasar Pulau Tikus)

Jalan Pasar

This is a working neighbourhood wet market. It is busiest in the early morning, when people come to buy fish, meat and produce. Later in the day, a makeshift hawker centre sets up along Jalan Pasar. Timothy Tye's local guide lists Hokkien mee, koay teow thng, chicken rice, curry mee, sar hor fun, mee goreng, mee rebus, laksa, lok lok and satay there, and says the koay teow thng is the dish regulars recommend (Penang Travel Tips, May 2024).

Pulau Tikus Market in our directory →

Kedai Kopi Swee Kong and Ravi's Famous Apom Manis

Corner of Jalan Burma and Solok Moulmein

Swee Kong is an old coffee shop on the corner of Burma Road and Solok Moulmein, a few steps from the market. Two of its stalls are why people come:

Ravi's Famous Apom Manis has a Bib Gourmand in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide. The stall has been making apom (a pancake with crisp edges and a soft, puffy centre) in claypots over charcoal since 1920. The Michelin listing tells you to come early (MICHELIN Guide).
Lean Huat Hokkien Mee has long been the coffee shop's best-known noodle stall. Timothy Tye says to arrive well before 8.30am, because the stall usually sells out by about 9am (Penang Travel Tips).

Kedai Kopi Swee Kong in our directory →

Further down Burma Road, towards town

About 1 km south-east of the market, at 223 Jalan Burma, there are two more MICHELIN Guide Bib Gourmand stalls. Green House Prawn Mee & Loh Mee has served Hokkien prawn mee and loh mee for more than 30 years (MICHELIN Guide). Next door, Duck Blood Curry Mee makes a white-curry base with coconut milk, prepared fresh each day (MICHELIN Guide). Both are technically outside Pulau Tikus, but they are easy to add to a Burma Road breakfast walk.

Duck Blood Curry Mee in our directory →

When to go

Pulau Tikus: early. The two named Swee Kong stalls are known for selling out in the morning.
Gurney Drive hawker centre: evening. Most stalls trade from late afternoon into the night.
Bali Hai: lunch or dinner. Check its current hours before going, since Michelin lists it as not taking reservations.

We don't list exact opening hours for individual hawker stalls, because they change and stalls close on their own rest days. Treat any time you read online as approximate.

Getting there by bus

Rapid Penang Bus 101 (Weld Quay – Komtar – Teluk Bahang) stops on Jalan Burma by Pulau Tikus Market and again at Gurney Drive and Gurney Plaza. It is the simplest route from George Town. Bus 102 (from the airport) and Buses 103, 104 and 304 also serve the Pulau Tikus and Gurney area (Penang Travel Tips route list). See our Bus 101 guide for stops and fares. A Grab from the heritage core is a short ride.

Sources and how we checked

Every place named in this guide has a current listing in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide, or a dated local source, or both. Those sources are linked where each place appears. The hawker centre relocation details come from the Penang state government's statement to the state assembly, as reported by Free Malaysia Today on 14 May 2026. Stalls change hands, move and close. If something here is out of date, tell us through the contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Gurney Drive Hawker Centre moving?

Yes, but not yet. In May 2026 the Penang state government said the hawkers at the Anjung Gurney site, and the temporary hawkers around the Gurney Drive roundabout, will move to a new Gurney Bay Hawker Centre. It was expected to be finished in the first quarter of 2027. Until then they trade at the current site.

What is the best time to eat in Pulau Tikus?

Early morning. The neighbourhood is known for breakfast. Ravi's apom and the Lean Huat Hokkien mee stall at Kedai Kopi Swee Kong both have a reputation for selling out by mid-morning.

Is Gurney Drive or Pulau Tikus better for food?

They do different jobs. Gurney Drive is for an evening hawker dinner by the sea or a seafood restaurant meal. Pulau Tikus is for a local breakfast at the market and the Burma Road coffee shops. They are about a 15-minute walk apart, so you can easily do both.

How do I get to Gurney Drive from George Town by bus?

Take Rapid Penang Bus 101 from Weld Quay or Komtar. It runs along Jalan Burma past Pulau Tikus Market and then along Gurney Drive.

Are there Michelin-listed places near Gurney Drive?

Yes. Bali Hai Seafood Market on Persiaran Gurney is in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide. Wan Dao Tou Assam Laksa on Jalan Gottlieb and Ravi's Famous Apom Manis on Jalan Burma both hold a Bib Gourmand.