Best Drinks in Penang: 10 Places for Teh Tarik, Kopi and Local Coolers
Last updated: October 2026
The best drinks in Penang come from stalls, not bars. George Town has a century-old sherbet stall, Hainanese kopi brewed in a back lane, mamak teh tarik poured around the clock and Indian jigarthanda that is hard to find elsewhere in Malaysia. This guide covers drinks in Penang that are worth a detour, plus the milk tea chains for when you just want something cold in a mall.
This guide covers 10 places with verified addresses, opening hours and prices in Malaysian Ringgit (RM), all checked in October 2026. Entries are grouped into milk tea and bubble tea, teh tarik and kopi, and fresh juice and local drinks. Each one carries a halal flag.
Cafes with specialty coffee are listed in our Penang cafes guide, and cendol and ais kacang are in the Penang desserts guide. Most of the traditional drinks below sit within a 10-minute walk of each other around Jalan Penang, Lebuh Chulia and Little India.
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Milk Tea and Bubble Tea in Penang
Penang's mall strip on Persiaran Gurney and Queensbay Mall near the airport hold the main tea chains. These are reliable, air-conditioned and easy to find.
HEYTEA (Queensbay Mall)
HEYTEA, the Shenzhen-based tea chain, opened in Malaysia in December 2023 and now has 15 stores in five states, including this Penang outlet on the lower ground floor of Queensbay Mall. HEYTEA Malaysia received JAKIM halal certification in November 2025.
Drinks cost RM9.90 to RM17.90. The menu covers fresh fruit teas and milk teas with cheese foam, with adjustable sugar and ice. Queensbay Mall is about 15 minutes from Penang International Airport, so this is a convenient stop on the way to or from a flight.
CHAGEE (Gurney Plaza)
CHAGEE is a Chinese tea chain that brews fresh milk tea from whole-leaf tea. The Penang flagship is on the ground floor of Gurney Plaza (unit 170-G-42), facing the Gurney Drive seafront and in the same mall as Mixue.
Order on the screen and set your sweetness and ice level. The menu has no pork or alcohol; ask staff if you need to see the current halal certificate. Gurney Drive Hawker Centre is a five-minute walk away, so a cup here fits easily into an evening on the Gurney strip.
Mixue (Gurney Plaza)
Mixue is the low-cost Chinese chain behind the snowman mascot, selling soft-serve cones, fresh lemon tea, fruit teas and pearl milk tea at some of the lowest prices in any Penang mall. The Gurney Plaza outlet follows mall hours.
Soft-serve cones cost a few ringgit and most drinks stay under RM8, which makes it the budget pick for families. The fresh lemonade and lemon tea are the most refreshing options on a hot day. Ask staff to confirm halal certification at the counter if needed.
Teh Tarik and Kopi
Penang's kopi is Hainanese-style, roasted dark with sugar and margarine and brewed through a cloth sock. Teh tarik is pulled at Indian-Muslim restaurants, many of them open late into the night.
Toh Soon Cafe
Toh Soon Cafe has served breakfast from a narrow lane off Lebuh Campbell for more than 70 years. Bread is toasted over charcoal, eggs are soft-boiled to order and the Hainanese coffee is brewed the traditional way. The family announced a first outlet outside Penang, in Subang, in September 2026, but the original lane stall is the one to visit.
Order kopi (with condensed milk), kopi O (black with sugar) or an iced kopi peng with a kaya butter toast set. Seating is on stools along the lane and fills quickly from 9 am, so expect to wait for a seat on weekends. Phone 04-261 3754. Closed on Sundays.
Restoran Kapitan
Kapitan is a late-opening Indian-Muslim restaurant at the junction of Lebuh Chulia and Lebuh Pitt, a short walk from the Kapitan Keling Mosque. It is famous for claypot biryani and tandoori chicken, but it also works as an all-day stop for teh tarik, open from 8 am until midnight.
Order teh tarik or the restaurant's well-known badam (almond) milk. Because it stays open until midnight, Kapitan is a reliable late-evening option after an evening on Lebuh Chulia. Phone 04-250 4316.
Sup Hameed
Sup Hameed is a mamak restaurant on Jalan Penang named after its spiced soups, served with handmade roti benggali. Tables spread onto the pavement at night, and it is one of the most popular late-night teh tarik stops in central George Town.
Teh tarik, kopi and Milo are pulled to order. Pair a drink with sup kambing (mutton soup) or nasi kandar. It is a two-minute walk from Chowrasta Market and the ais tingkap stall on Lebuh Tamil. One older listing shows shorter hours, so check if you plan a very late visit.
Fresh Juice and Local Drinks in Penang
George Town keeps several drinks that started as street-stall recipes generations ago: rose sherbet, Madurai-style milk drinks, coconut shakes and nutmeg juice.
Ais Tingkap (Lebuh Tamil)
Ais tingkap is a chilled sherbet of shaved ice, rose syrup, young coconut water and flesh, basil seeds, malva nut and Indian herbs. This stall on Lebuh Tamil, beside Chowrasta Market, has made it since 1919 and is now run by the fourth and fifth generations of the founding family. Tingkap is the Malay word for window.
It is the most distinctively Penang drink on this list and a good cooler after walking around the market. The family opened a branch in Johor Bahru in December 2025, but the recipe started here. It opens daily from 11 am to 7 pm.
Yasmin's Jigarthanda
Jigarthanda is a cold drink from Madurai in south India, made with full cream milk, nannari (Indian sarsaparilla root) syrup, basil seeds, jelly and almond gum. Yasmin Yuki has run this stall on Lebuh Queen since 2013, continuing a family business that goes back to her grandfather's Dawood Restaurant. She now works it with her son.
About 20 drinks cost RM5 to RM9, including jigarthanda with ice cream and plain or milky nannari. It is a rare find in Malaysia and an easy stop while walking Little India. Hours were not published at the time of checking.
Joe'z Coconut
Joe'z Coconut is a long-standing coconut shop on Jalan Dato Keramat that began with young coconut juice and pandan coconut juice before adding coconut jelly and coconut shakes. It also supplies tens of thousands of coconuts for the Thaipusam festival each year.
The coconut shake blends coconut water and flesh with ice and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, topped with black pearls. Coconut jelly, set inside the shell, is the other signature. The shop is on a busy main road, so a quick Grab stop is easier than walking from the heritage core.
Nutmeg Juice at Chowrasta Market
Penang is the only part of Malaysia where nutmeg trees fruit well enough to be processed, and the island turns the fruit flesh into a bright, lightly spiced juice. Chowrasta Market, one of George Town's oldest markets, is the most central place to try it, alongside stalls selling preserved nutmeg and other pickled fruit.
Nutmeg juice tastes somewhere between cola and cinnamon and is served iced. The market is busiest in the morning, and several stalls close by early afternoon. Combine it with the ais tingkap stall on neighbouring Lebuh Tamil.
Practical Tips for Drinks in Penang
How to Order Kopi and Teh
Kopi is coffee with condensed milk, kopi O is black with sugar, kopi C uses evaporated milk and sugar. Add peng for iced, kosong for no sugar and kurang manis for less sweet. The same rules apply to teh.
A George Town Drinks Walk
Have kopi and toast at Toh Soon Cafe in the morning, walk five minutes to Chowrasta Market for nutmeg juice and ais tingkap on Lebuh Tamil, then continue to Little India for jigarthanda on Lebuh Queen. Finish the day with teh tarik at Kapitan (open until midnight) or Sup Hameed (listed as open 24 hours).
Halal and Price Notes
HEYTEA is JAKIM-certified and the mamak restaurants are Muslim-run, but kopitiams such as Toh Soon are not halal. Traditional drinks cost RM2 to RM9; chain milk tea costs RM10 to RM18. Bring small notes for market stalls.
Drinks in Penang: Frequently Asked Questions
What drinks is Penang famous for?
Penang is known for Hainanese kopi, nutmeg juice, ais tingkap (a rose and coconut sherbet sold on Lebuh Tamil since 1919), coconut shakes and teh tarik from Indian-Muslim restaurants. Cendol, often treated as a drink, is covered in our Penang desserts guide.
Where can I get teh tarik in Penang late at night?
Sup Hameed on Jalan Penang is listed as open 24 hours, and Restoran Kapitan on Lebuh Chulia serves until midnight. Many nasi kandar restaurants in George Town also run through the night.
What is ais tingkap?
Ais tingkap is a Penang sherbet of shaved ice, rose syrup, young coconut water and coconut flesh, basil seeds, malva nut and herbs. The original stall is on Lebuh Tamil beside Chowrasta Market and has been run by the same family since 1919.
Is bubble tea in Penang halal?
HEYTEA received JAKIM halal certification in November 2025 and has an outlet at Queensbay Mall. Other chains are Muslim-friendly but certification varies, so look for the JAKIM certificate at the counter.
How much do drinks cost in Penang?
Kopi or teh tarik costs RM2 to RM4 at a kopitiam or mamak. Traditional drinks such as ais tingkap, jigarthanda and nutmeg juice cost RM3 to RM9. Mall milk tea chains charge RM10 to RM18.