The Best Vegetarian food – Georgetown, Penang

Finding places to eat when you’re away isn’t always easy, especially if you have any sort of dietary requirement or preference. Myself and Josh are both vegetarian and have been for three years. We did a bit of research before we left and we were faced with posts and snippets about the difficulty of finding food as a vegetarian. Drumroll… that has not been the case, certainly not in South East Asia.

Granted, it can take a bit more internet scrolling to find ‘vegetarian friendly’ restaurants and wow the excitement when you find an entirely ‘vegetarian’ restaurant – what do you mean we can eat everything on the menu?! But it hasn’t caused us any issues whatsoever.

Georgetown, Penang is known for it’s food scene and apart from the Street Art, the food was all we really liked about the place. So as a popular spot on any backpacking route through Malaysia, I thought I would put together a post to share with you a few of our foodie highlights.

Norm, 1 Gat Lebuh Macallum, The Saw Emporium, Georgetown, Penang

We stopped here for breakfast on our first day in Georgetown and our expectations were definitely met and our tummy’s happy. I went for the citrus pancakes with earl grey ice cream and Josh went for the apple crumble style waffle. This quaint little spot tucked within a former sawmill opened pretty recently. The decor is minimalist but gorgeous. Stop by for great iced coffee, waffles and shakshuka or swing by for evening cocktails.

Rainforest Bakery at Mugshot Cafe 302 Lebuh Chulia, George Town, Penang  

Now I don’t have a blog-worthy photo of this delightful little bakery. But believe me when I say that the almond croissant they serve here is the best I have ever eaten. Grab one to take away and go and hunt out all the best interactive street art spots.

Wholey Wonder, 61 Jalan Gurdwara, George Town, Penang

Aiming to oust the notion that plant based has to mean boring, Wholey Wonder serves up a wealth of delicious and nourishing vegan dishes. Whether you fancy a burger, pizza, biryani or a slice of cake there is plenty of choice. We opted for the Mad Salad and the pineapple pizza because yes, pineapple absolutely belongs on pizza!

Black Kettle, 105 Beach Street, George Town, Penang

Unfortunately, we demolished our food here without a second thought to take a photo. Says it all though? We stopped by twice for lunch. They have a wide variety of freshly baked breads, which they will slice and warm for you. The main menu doesn’t have a wealth of choice for vegetarians but the spaghetti aglio e olio was delicious.

The Safe Room, 42 Campbell Street, George Town, Penang

If you fancy trying Liquid Nitrogen ice cream, then I highly recommend the Safe Room. We tried the Salted Caramel Coffee and the Mango – both were super delicious.

Zen Xin, 42, Jalan Nagore, Georgetown, Penang

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to eat at Zen Xin as we didn’t pay attention to the opening hours and the restaurant is actually closed on a Monday. However, I have read a lot of great things about this ‘little gem’ serving up a wealth of vegetarian Chinese food including dishes with mock ‘meat’.

Woodlands Vegetarian Restaurant, 60 Lebuh Penang, George Town, Penang

Vegetarian restaurant serving both North and South Indian Food. So many people recommended this place to us we had to try it out. The restaurant is always busy which is a great sign. The menu is plentiful, full of flavour and really good value, this was our cheapest meal in Georgetown.

So that brings me to the end of my restaurant guide for vegetarians. I hope this was helpful and if you have any other recommendations please drop them in the comments. If you’re heading to Malaysia, check out my post about where to stay in Kuala Lumpur or how to spend 24 hours in Malacca. Thank you for reading x