7 Restaurants that Perfectly Showcases Penang’s Steamboat Scene
It’s already a well-known fact that Penang is one of the best places to visit in Malaysia if you want to be immersed in a rich culinary heritage. The city is home to several amazing restaurants that will make you forget your diet (depending on your will, of course) like steamboat joints!
This style of dining is widely beloved by locals because of its communal nature, allowing families and friends to bond while grilling slices of meat and boiling delicious broths.
So if you’re looking to catch up with your loved ones and want to enjoy amazing soup and grilled meat at the same time, you’ve come to the right place! Here are some of our favourite steamboat spots in Penang that you must check out!
Gia Xiang Steamboat Restaurant
— Media credit: gia_xiang_restaurant
Address: 6, Jalan Krian
Contact details: +60 16-426 6911
Operating hours: Daily from 12:30 PM to 11:00 PM
Cost: $$
If you’re one to take pride in eating the spiciest food known to man, then Gia Xiang Steamboat Restaurant should be right up your alley! It offers an authentic Chong Qing-styled steamboat, which is famously known for featuring next-level spiciness.
This steamboat style is quite rare to find, which is also what makes this place special. Here, you can treat yourself to some unique spicy soup bases that are sure to make you break a sweat—that’s how you know it’s authentic!
The ingredients you can dunk in these broths are worth highlighting as well! This includes their crabs, prawns (which are gigantic by the way) and the different fresh veggies they serve alongside your favourite cuts of meat.
Pro tip:
If you’re feeling adventurous, we recommend ordering their fish head with yam soup base. It features a milky yam that perfectly blends in with the unique texture of the fish head!
Chuan Yee Charcoal Steamboat
— Media credit: jasmine_tan2901
Address: Jalan Kek Chuan
Contact details: +60 12-998 9185
Operating hours: Wednesday to Monday: 5:30 PM to 11:00 PM
Cost: $
Chuan Yee Charcoal Steamboat offers a traditional steamboat-style dining experience that will take you back to the basics. This is the best place to go if it’s your first time trying a steamboat because it’s simple without veering too much into being lacklustre.
For starters, it features a wide array of ingredients you can cook in their delicious soup bases. These ingredients include succulent pork slices, meatballs, fish balls, prawns, fish fillets, fish heads and more!
They also offer a bunch of vegetarian options like tofu, mushrooms and different kinds of green leafy veggies.
Pro tip:
If you’re looking for something more familiar to your taste, you can also order one of their delicious homemade dumplings!
Zi Wei Yuan Steamboat
— Media credit: ziweiyuanhotpot
Address: 6525, Jalan Raja Uda, Taman Bunga Raya
Contact details: +60 16-506 1212
Operating hours: Daily from 12:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Cost: $$
Zi Wei Yuan Steamboat should be on anyone’s radar if amazing seafood and delicious broths are what they seek. This restaurant features a boatload of seafood options to dunk on their milky broths such as prawns, scallops, oysters and more!
The variety of seafood you can submerge in the broth adds a distinct richer flavour to the overall soup that’s simply to die for! Plus, the milkier texture of their broths adds another layer of satisfaction when coating your seafood/meat slices.
Meanwhile, if you prefer something meatier, we recommend their succulent pork cuts. Whether you’re craving some thin slices of pork belly to chewy tendons and intestines, you’re bound to find them here!
Pro tip:
Since there are no bus and train spots near the restaurant, the best way to get here is by renting a car or booking a ride-sharing service. If you opt for the former, you’d have to pay RM4 for parking, but don’t worry because it’s reimbursable!
Penang Steamboat and Grill (The Mualaf Kopitiam)
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Address: 63, Gurney Dr, Georgetown
Contact details: +60 16-408 9122
Operating hours: Daily from 6:00 PM to 11:59 PM
Cost: $
The Mualaf Kopitiam is the quintessential no-frills steamboat restaurant, boasting an open-air layout, wall fans, plastic chairs and of course, a cheap menu. This simplicity makes it one of the go-to steamboat spots for those who don’t want to splurge on meals (guilty as charged).
Don’t be fooled though, as the food here isn’t cheap—in fact, everything looks and tastes premium! For starters, their seafood selection is pristinely stored in huge and clean tanks and is freshly harvested once you order their oysters, scallops, prawns, etc.
We also love how their cuts of meat are marinated in flavourful sauces before being grilled, adding more flavour to the traditional charred taste we’ve grown to love. As for their soup bases, we highly recommend their tom yam broth if you’re looking for something with a kick!
Pro tip:
You can burn your newly gained calories by walking along Gurney Bay, which is located just across Penang Steamboat and Grill! Trust us, no treadmill in a gym can beat the magnificent views you’ll be treated to during your lovely stroll here.
Sawara Claypot Steamboat
— Media credit: sherine_shan
Address: 202A, Ground Floor, Jalan Burma
Contact details: +60 4-228 5637
Operating hours: Tuesday to Sunday: 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM, 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Cost: $
There are only a few steamboat spots out there that are more famously known for their broth than their meat, and Sawara Claypot Steamboat might be the best out of all of them. This place draws tons of visitors each day because of its rich fish broth, and it’s not hard to see why!
One of the things that set their fish broth apart from others is that it’s boiled for several hours before being served in the table’s clay pot. From there, you can dunk their wide selection of seafood, fresh veggies and meat onto the clay pot and let them develop a distinct flavour!
They also offer various sides like fish balls, prawn balls, Sawara fish, dumplings and more! You can add these to the clay pot to add more flavour to the soup—yum!
Pro tip:
If you’re coming with a big group, we recommend ordering their exclusive set. This package consists of a fish head grouper, pork slices, fish slices, mussels and more!
Eam Huat Charcoal Steamboat Restaurant
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Address: 478, Jalan Jelutong, Jelutong
Contact details: +60 16-455 5955
Operating hours: Wednesday: 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Cost: $
Eam Huat offers a unique steamboat experience where instead of using a gas stove, they’ll present each table with a charcoal-powered grill! This isn’t just for show too, as it adds a distinct flavour of smokiness and char to whatever you choose to grill.
Speaking of, the variety of ingredients you can grill or dunk into the broth is quite impressive, to say the least. For starters, they offer various delectable pork slices for meat lovers, while vegetarians can enjoy grilling or boiling tofu!
Furthermore, the soup base they provide is spectacular as well! You can further flavour it with various ingredients too like their fish balls.
Pro tip:
One of the cheapest and fastest ways you can get here is by riding the bus and dropping off at the Asrama Munshi Stop. From there, you only need to cross the street and walk down the block to reach the restaurant.
Flavor Food
— Media credit: flavorfood217
Address: 217 M, Jalan Burma
Contact details: +60 13-439 1986
Operating hours: Wednesday to Monday: 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM, 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Cost: $$
Flavor Food is among the fanciest steamboat restaurants we’ve seen and tried in Penang. It boasts a cosy and warm atmosphere that will entice anyone to enter its doors—not to mention the aromatic soup bases boiling on every table.
Speaking of soup, this place is widely beloved by locals because of its chicken coconut broth, which tastes exactly what it sounds like. The good news is that you can throw in a mix of vegetables ranging from fish balls to fresh veggies, meat slices and more!
Pro tip:
If you want to add more carbs to your meal, we recommend ordering their famous chicken rice! Also, here’s a bonus tip: drench your rice with the coconut chicken soup base to make it easier to eat and add more flavour at the same time.