Siam Road Charcoal Char Kuey Teow image

Siam Road Charcoal Char Kuey Teow

Restaurant Chinese noodle restaurant

One of the Most Reviewed Chinese noodle restaurants in George Town


Address

82, Jalan Siam, George Town, 10400 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Price rating

$ $$$

Rating on Google Maps

4.20 (1.8K reviews)

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Working Hours

  • Tuesday: 12 to 6 pm
  • Wednesday: 12 to 6 pm
  • Thursday: 12 to 6 pm
  • Friday: 12 to 6 pm
  • Saturday: 12 to 6 pm
  • Sunday: Closed
  • Monday: Closed

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: wait (16) taste (14) good (14) queue (14) long (13) plate (11) order (10) hour (10) teow (10) worth (9)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 Jacobe L. 1 year ago on Google
    This has gotta be the best Char Kway Teow in town. Some trivia: to achieve a smooth texture and for the noodles to not stick together, the chef has to use oil (lard). Knowing this, the chef (the son was frying for us today) controlled the amount very well such that the noodles were smooth and well separated, but not too oily. The prawns were fresh. My favourite has got to be the beansprouts as they were fat and juicy, and cooked just nice - not too flaccid, nor too raw. The cooking process is also a visual treat. My only quip about this is that the coffee shop is too stuffy and hot, which can be a problem when coupled with the long (up to 1.5 hours) wait. But it is well worth the wait. Also, do order the deep fried chicken wings to help you tide your hunger pangs. The wings are juicy without excess batter.
    11 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Kenny T. 1 year ago on Google
    As of 30th Apr’22, probably the #1 Char Kuey Teow in Penang, this “Si-fu” old Uncle still cooks over a charcoal fire and as we all know, you can do this en mass. Has to be dedicated, 1 plate at a time. It’s all experience and timing, he watches how the food looks and smells before dishing it out. There is ample “wok hei”, and with the 1st bite, you can taste the flavor immediately. Looks like the special lard sauce that he keeps by his wok. It’s got great balance with the taugeh, egg, chives, cockles and prawns. Really hope he passes this down to his next gen.
    10 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Lim Hsien H. 1 year ago on Google
    I've tried quite a few of the CKT in Png and this is one of my favourites. The wok hei is very good and taste is delicious because of the pork lard and charcoal stir-fry used. However, unless you are prepared to wait an hour for CKT, don't bother because any CKT in Png is above average. Come early, if you're lucky, it'll be a shorter wait. Also, most Penangites tell me that it tastes better when the father is the one frying. I personally cannot say bcos I've been kinda lucky and always kena the old uncle's plate of CKT 😉
    6 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Glenn C. 1 year ago on Google
    In short : a wonderful plate of CKT, but not worth the 2 hour wait. The famous uncle cooks from 12-2pm, and the son continues after that. The quality is great - you get a plate that'll satiate your hunger and it comes with prawns with a nice texture. The wok hei is incredibly fragrant and umami! It's not too salty, which was good considering some of the places here were a little too salty for my liking. I'd recommend coming before 11:40am (before they open) or after 3pm (when the lunch crowd lessens). Worth the wait at least once, especially if you like CKT!
    6 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 lazydeadpool 1 year ago on Google
    Amount of food distributed seemed random and it was a bit salty for me, so thankfully less food was not a problem. Arrived around 1:30pm and waited for about 50 minutes. It tasted fair but not sure whether it was worth waiting. Now it's 2:50pm and there's just a little que.
    5 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Yogesfary T. 1 year ago on Google
    The Kuey Teow is super good and yummylicious. Trust me you can have delicious local hawker taste here . Need some patience as the owner cook single dish of the plate probably not compromising the taste.
    5 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Don L. 4 months ago on Google
    One of the best char kway teow on Penang island! Oozing with umami from the fried pork lard, prawns, cockles and Chinese sausage, it’s definitely a dish not to be missed! The prawns are really fresh that feels like it was just caught from the ocean. The chef fry every plate individually thus the taste will always be the same for every plate. Using charcoal to fry the char kway teow gives off a smoky taste to it which enhances it well. Personally, it’s really yummy but slightly oily for my sensitive tummy. I came on a weekday at around 5pm and fortunately, there’s not much crowd and waited for only 15 minutes! I highly recommend to try it!
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 D Z. 7 months ago on Google
    Personally I used to enjoy this CKT years back. However was cooked by the Father then. Nowadays they don't cook it with duck egg anymore would have tasted better with it. To be honest the CKT at the coffee shop beside taste pretty good as well. I do not think it is worth to wait hours for it. Comparing to other stalls the pricing is definitely on the higher end as well. Was my second visit but I'd give other stalls a chance too.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Brig W. 1 year ago on Google
    I come during weekday after lunch hours. Not many people and no need to line up. Weekends are full of people: Food is good. Serve when hot. Shrimp is fresh. Portion is enough for a lady and not expensive.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Julie Z. 2 years ago on Google
    The best char kuey teow I ever had! Lined up for one and a half hours just to try it out! Well, I would say it is worth my time, you definitely want to try it :) Note: The uncle will fry one by one, that’s why it takes so long
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Nicole Y. 9 months ago on Google
    Very very very flipping delicious. Okay it won't change your life but I'd definitely recommend the spicy version over the non-spicy as it's really quite mild but packs more flavour into the noodle stir fry. It can get busy here like queue up busy so you have to grab a table as fast as you can if there's no queue and order at the front with the lady. You can watch the chef cook up a storm and enjoy cold drinks inside which they'll take your order at the table. Should you come here? Absolutely 😋😜
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 BK T. 9 months ago on Google
    Be prepared for a long long wait for your noodles. During peak times, the wait can be over an hour. The noodles are above average however the wait does not justify the food. It's good enough to warrant a first time try but not good enough to come again and again. There are other places like in Cecil Market that is equally as good without the long wait. Kudos to the old man for still having the energy to continue frying noodles the old fashioned way.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 MY 1 year ago on Google
    Order the duck egg one, you won’t go wrong. The queue to this stall is insane, at 7+, we queued for an hour to order, as the uncle really cook order by order instead of in bulk. Around 11.30 the queue still did not let up. We still recommend trying the CKT here if you’re in Penang.

  • 4/5 Calvin C. 4 months ago on Google
    1 of the few michelin rated Char Kuay Teow that is cooked with burning charcoal fire. Do expect a long queue during lunch hour. Arrived at 1pm and waited for 45min to get my plate of char kuay teow. Its consists of flat rice noodle, beansprouts, spring onion, chinese sausage, blood cockles, prawn and pork lard. It has a strong "wok hei"(charred smoky) flavour probably due to the charcoal fire cooking. You can choose the portion in small or large, but I personally feel that the large portion probably comes with more prawn instead of more noodle. 1 of the best char kuay teow that I have eaten in Penang and its worth the long wait. Take note parking lot is difficult to find near to the food stall.

  • 5/5 RC 4 months ago on Google
    It’s all about the fiery technique - mastery of the charcoal-fired wok from father to son - that produces the most famous street food in the country. The humble stall is swamped by foreign visitors and locals alike. There are comparable stalls, but none can match its fame because of wide social media exposure. The noodles don't look presentable, and neither is the “wok hei” (Maillard reaction) ever enough, but somehow the taste and texture of the noodles turn out spectacular : an hours-long queue is the evidence. A Michelin Bib Gourmand street food.

  • 4/5 Richard L. 4 months ago on Google
    Hmmm 🤔. Not too sure about the hype surrounding this ckt. It tastes good, but I doubt if any of the tattooed on-trend aficionados could distinguish this version from others in a blind tasting. Wait 60 minutes and have to share a table. Really?? Boh lat! I think I die first, lah.

  • 5/5 Alex G. 3 months ago on Google New
    When the fire is as hot as it is, when the wok is as seasoned as it is, when the ingredients are as fresh as they are and when the man, the legend is as skilled as he is, your char quay theow has to be the best you have ever had that justifies waiting in line for more than an hour. It's a long wait, but it builds the anticipation and when it's your turn and you tell him, yes/no egg, yes/no ham, yes yes yes large size, remember to order more than one plates, cos trust me you wouldn't want to wait for another hour to enjoy another plate of this amazing dish, cos you went conservative and ordered only one. Yes this general awareness message is for the tourists, the locals already know what to do :)

  • 5/5 Hendra C. 4 months ago on Google
    Siam Road Charcoal in Penang comes highly recommended on social media, and it’s a must-visit according to many. Upon arrival, I had to queue for about 30 minutes before the food was ready. The owner cooks each dish individually using charcoal, ensuring consistent quality and deliciousness. The meal did not disappoint; it was indeed tasty. The portions were just right, neither too large nor too small. The prawns were large and flavorful. Overall, we really enjoyed our experience and would recommend this place to others.

  • 5/5 Xue L. 10 months ago on Google
    The CKT worth you to queue for more than 1 hour. The sprouts and prawn are fresh. Garlic chives enhance the flavour of CKT. Each bite gives a textural crunchy from the deep-fried pork lard. It was mouthwatering and contains a strong taste of wok hei. We love to have many plates of it!

  • 5/5 Robert T. 9 months ago on Google
    Great taste. Either spicy or none spicy. Both taste good. One thing missing now is fried with duck egg no longer available.

  • 5/5 hans b. 10 months ago on Google
    I thinks this is the most famous char kue teow in Penang. During my visit here it always have long queue here. The taste of this kue teow is very good. I think if you visit Penanf, at least you have to try this kuey teow at least once. Others than kuey teow this place also offer fried chicken wings

  • 4/5 Sharon C. 1 year ago on Google
    Super duper long queue and long waiting area, first experience in restaurant with self service standing queue and carry the food by yourself. We went on Saturday stand and queue from 4pm to 5.30pm only manage to eat this most famous fried kuey teow in town…after tasted confirm the prawn 🍤 was fresh, taste quite good also but still not worth the crazy long queuing time!!

  • 5/5 Lai Yung W. 9 months ago on Google
    Definitely worth my 1.5 hrs of wait. Best CKT Fried Chicken wings available for order from kopitiam. Surprisingly delicious too. Pricier side Rm7 for a plate of chicken wings

  • 2/5 Fern C. 9 months ago on Google
    Waited for 50 minutes to get our CKT done. Taste quite disappointed because my local hubby told me it is the best in Penang. Not sure was it due to too many order caused the quality ran. Used to operate by the father however when we were there for two days , it was cooked by the son.

  • 5/5 Riz B. 1 year ago on Google
    Queue is given. Very long wait. We waited for 2 hours despite its already after lunch like 3 pm. This is just along the road, pretty hot and you can see the uncle cooking with passion. This is a father and son duo but when we visited it was the son who’s cooking. While on queue i was contemplating if this was a good choice because i thought would take 1 hour only but its doubled on us. We ordered two types of ckt, non spicy and the spicy one. Both tasted delicious. Luckily it exceeded our expectation. Prawn was cooked fresh and love the bits of pork lard on it. We also ordered the chicken wings which was displayed on the table. It taste surprisingly good too but the portion of chicken is relatively small for a 7 rm price. Watermelon juice and honey lemon are both refreshing. We were full! we ate two plates and realized we couldve ordered the big portion. So if you think one is not enough, do take note that you can order the large one. Overall this is very satisfying. Be prepared for the queue tho! Would highly recommend this when in Penang!

  • 4/5 Dominickson P. 1 year ago on Google
    You would need to que up first and the crowd is big regardless the timing, the waitress will then assist you to the table available. One of the best CKT, prawns so huge, but spicy version is very spicy. RM10 a plate. Parking is difficult, there's a small area about 100m ahead, very limited also, RM2 an hour.


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Amenities


  • Parking
    • ✓️ Paid parking lot
    • ✓️ Difficult to find a space
  • Offerings
    • ✓️ Coffee
    • ✓️ Alcohol
    • ✓️ Small plates
  • Accessibility
    • ✗ Wheelchair-accessible toilet
    • ✗ Wheelchair-accessible seating
    • ✗ Wheelchair-accessible car park
    • ✗ Wheelchair-accessible entrance
  • Dining options
    • ✓️ Lunch
    • ✓️ Dinner
  • Service options
    • ✓️ Dine-in
    • ✓️ Takeaway

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