Supermarkets in Penang: 11 Places to Buy Groceries and Snacks
Supermarkets in Penang range from old-school local stores to premium grocers with imported cheese and wine. For visitors they are the easiest places to buy bottled water, toiletries and snacks, and the cheapest places to pick up Malaysian white coffee, tea, biscuits, kaya and spice pastes to take home. Most are inside shopping malls and open from 10 am to 10 pm every day, while the Lotus's hypermarkets open at 8 am.
This guide covers 11 supermarkets in Penang, grouped by area and starting with the stores closest to the George Town heritage zone and Gurney Drive. Each entry has the address, opening hours, price level, notes on non-halal sections and a Google Maps link. All were checked in October 2026. Tips on payment, bags and taking food home are at the end.
Jump to a place (11)
- GAMA Supermarket & Departmental Store
- Village Grocer (1st Avenue Mall)
- Mydin Wholesale Emporium (Penang Road)
- Jaya Grocer (Gurney Paragon)
- Mercato (Gurney Plaza)
- Village Grocer (City Junction)
- Lotus's Tanjung Pinang
- Sunshine Hypermarket (Sunshine Central)
- Lotus's Penang (E-Gate)
- AEON (Queensbay Mall)
- Village Grocer (Queens Waterfront)
George Town and Komtar
GAMA Supermarket & Departmental Store
GAMA opened in 1967 and has traded from its building on Jalan Dato Keramat, opposite Komtar, since 1980. The Malaysia Book of Records lists it as the country's first registered and oldest supermarket and department store. The supermarket is on the ground floor, with clothes and household goods on the floors above and a food court on the top floor.
It is a no-frills store with local prices, popular with Penang families rather than tourists, which makes it a good place to see what residents actually buy. Look for local coffee and tea, biscuits, sauces and dried goods at everyday prices. It is a 10 to 15-minute walk from the Lebuh Chulia guesthouses, or a short walk from the Komtar bus terminal.
Village Grocer (1st Avenue Mall)
Village Grocer is a Malaysian premium supermarket chain, and its 1st Avenue Mall branch on the lower ground floor is the closest upmarket supermarket to the heritage zone. It opened in 2022 and sits next to Prangin Mall and Komtar. The phone number is 04-286 8977.
Expect imported cheese, wine, fresh bakery items, ready-to-eat meals and a good range of fruit, alongside Malaysian brands. Like other branches of the chain, it has a separate non-halal section. Prices are higher than at GAMA or Mydin, but it is clean, calm and easy to shop in if you want snacks for a long bus or ferry trip.
Mydin Wholesale Emporium (Penang Road)
Mydin is a Malaysian Muslim-owned discount chain, and its two-storey Wholesale Emporium on Penang Road (Jalan Penang) is a convenient stop for cheap snacks and gifts. Reviewers in 2025 noted its range of tea, coffee, chocolate and snacks for taking home, and its frequent promotions. The listed phone number is 04-262 9915.
Mydin is fully halal and does not sell pork or alcohol. The store is a short walk from the Penang Road end of Lebuh Chulia and from the Komtar area, so it fits easily into a walk around the old town.
Gurney Drive
Jaya Grocer (Gurney Paragon)
Jaya Grocer opened its first Penang store at Gurney Paragon in 2018, on the mall's lower ground floor, and it is still the chain's Penang branch for online orders. The 25,000 sq ft store focuses on fresh produce, imported groceries, a bakery and ready meals.
It has a separate non-halal section and sells alcohol. Gurney Paragon is across the road from the Gurney Drive seafront and a five-minute walk from Gurney Plaza, so it is handy if you are staying in the Gurney hotels or eating at the Gurney Drive hawker centre in the evening.
Mercato (Gurney Plaza)
Mercato replaced the old Cold Storage in the basement of Gurney Plaza and is the most upmarket of the supermarkets in Penang. When it opened it was the first in the state to sell Japanese A5 wagyu and seafood from live tanks, and it carries a wine selection of around 2,000 bottles.
It is a good place for imported groceries, cheese and wine, though everyday Malaysian snacks are cheaper at Mydin, GAMA or Lotus's. In mid-2026 the state health department ordered a Gurney Plaza supermarket to close until 2 August over hygiene issues found during an inspection, so check that it is trading before you make a special trip.
Tanjung Tokong (towards Batu Ferringhi)
Village Grocer (City Junction)
This was Village Grocer's first store in northern Malaysia, opened in June 2021 at City Junction in Tanjung Tokong. It is on the way from George Town to Tanjung Bungah and Batu Ferringhi, which makes it a practical stock-up stop for anyone heading to a beach hotel or serviced apartment. The phone number is 04-291 9930.
The range is the same as at other Village Grocer branches: fresh produce, imported goods, bakery items and a non-halal section. Straits Quay is a few minutes away by car.
Lotus's Tanjung Pinang
Lotus's is the former Tesco hypermarket chain in Malaysia, renamed in 2021. The Tanjung Pinang store, open daily from 8 am to 10 pm including public holidays, is the nearest large hypermarket to Batu Ferringhi and the Tanjung Bungah hotels, about 15 to 20 minutes' drive away. The store phone number is 011-1221 6178.
It is a full hypermarket with groceries, household goods, toiletries and a food court. Prices are among the lowest on the island, and it is a good place to buy local coffee, biscuits and instant noodles in bulk. Halal and non-halal products are kept apart; check the signs if you are looking for a non-halal section.
Ayer Itam, Jelutong and Gelugor
Sunshine Hypermarket (Sunshine Central)
Sunshine is Penang's own supermarket chain, run by Suiwah Corporation. Its newest flagship is the hypermarket at Sunshine Central, a large mall in Farlim that opened in October 2024. The Sunshine hypermarket takes up a whole floor, with fresh groceries, frozen food and a non-halal butcher section.
Sunshine Central is about 3 km from Kek Lok Si Temple and the Penang Hill lower station, so it is an easy add-on to a day in Ayer Itam. Parking was free when the mall opened; check the current rates at the entrance.
Lotus's Penang (E-Gate)
The E-Gate store, formerly Tesco Penang, is a large Lotus's hypermarket just off the Jelutong Expressway between George Town and the Penang Bridge. It opens daily from 8 am to 10 pm, including public holidays. The store phone number is 017-658 8715.
It is the most convenient big hypermarket if you are driving between George Town and the airport or the bridge. The range covers groceries, household goods, small electronics and clothing, and the mall around it has fast-food outlets and services.
Bayan Lepas (near the airport)
AEON (Queensbay Mall)
The AEON store at Queensbay Mall combines a department store and a large supermarket, and is about 15 minutes' drive from Penang International Airport. AEON lists it as open from 10:30 am to 10:30 pm Sunday to Thursday and until 11 pm on Friday and Saturday.
Japanese-owned AEON is known for its own-brand products, Japanese snacks and a well-run fresh food section, with non-halal items kept in a separate area. Queensbay is the largest mall in the south of Penang Island, so it suits a last shopping stop before an evening flight.
Village Grocer (Queens Waterfront)
Village Grocer's Queens Waterfront branch opened in 2022 on the ground floor of the Q1 commercial block, a short walk from Queensbay Mall. It serves the condominiums along the Bayan Lepas seafront and visitors staying in the south of the island. The phone number is 04-291 0080.
It is smaller and quieter than the AEON store nearby, with the chain's usual imported groceries, bakery, fresh produce and non-halal section.
Tips for Shopping at Supermarkets in Penang
What to buy to take home
The local products aisle is where most visitors spend their money. Look for Malaysian white coffee and 3-in-1 coffee sachets, BOH tea from the Cameron Highlands, kaya (coconut jam), sambal and rendang pastes, curry powders, Penang-style instant noodles such as white curry and prawn mee, and durian-flavoured sweets or wafers. Spice mixes and paste packets are light and travel well. For Penang biscuits such as tau sar pneah, the specialist bakeries in our Penang local products guide are fresher than supermarket stock.
Paying and prices
All the supermarkets listed accept Visa and Mastercard, and most also take DuitNow QR and e-wallets such as Touch 'n Go eWallet; cash is always accepted. Shelf prices already include any sales tax, so nothing is added at the till, and there is no tourist tax refund on groceries. Mydin, GAMA, Sunshine and Lotus's are the cheapest; Village Grocer, Jaya Grocer and Mercato charge more for the same Malaysian brands.
Bags, pork and alcohol
Supermarkets in Penang do not give out free plastic bags, so bring a reusable bag or expect a small charge per bag. Pork and other non-halal products are sold in a separate section, often with its own checkout. Mydin is fully halal and sells no pork or alcohol. Beer, wine and spirits are expensive because of high excise duty.
Taking food home
Fresh durian is banned on Rapid Penang buses, in many hotels and on many airlines, so buy freeze-dried durian, durian wafers or dodol instead. Check your home country's customs rules before packing meat, dairy, fresh fruit or seeds; Australia and New Zealand in particular are strict. Pack jars of sambal and kaya in checked luggage, as liquids and pastes over 100 ml are not allowed in cabin bags.
Convenience stores and late-night shopping
For water and snacks late at night, 7-Eleven, KK Mart, FamilyMart and myNEWS outlets are found across George Town and Batu Ferringhi, and many are open 24 hours. 99 Speedmart minimarts are cheaper than convenience stores and are common in residential areas. Batu Ferringhi has only minimarts, so stock up at Lotus's Tanjung Pinang or Village Grocer City Junction on the way. See our guide to getting around Penang for buses to each area.
Supermarkets in Penang: Frequently Asked Questions
Which supermarket is closest to the George Town heritage zone?
GAMA on Jalan Dato Keramat, Village Grocer in 1st Avenue Mall and the Mydin Wholesale Emporium on Penang Road are all within a 10 to 15-minute walk of Lebuh Chulia. For late-night snacks and water, convenience stores such as 7-Eleven are on most main streets in the old town.
Do supermarkets in Penang sell pork and alcohol?
Many do. Jaya Grocer, Village Grocer, Mercato, AEON and Sunshine have separate non-halal sections, usually with their own checkout, and sell beer and wine. Mydin is fully halal and sells neither pork nor alcohol. Alcohol is heavily taxed in Malaysia, so wine and spirits cost more than in many countries.
Where can I buy cheap Malaysian snacks and coffee to take home?
Mydin on Penang Road, GAMA opposite Komtar and the Lotus's hypermarkets usually have the lowest prices for local coffee, tea, biscuits and instant noodles. Premium grocers such as Village Grocer and Jaya Grocer stock similar brands at higher prices.
Do I need to bring my own shopping bag?
It helps. Supermarkets in Penang do not hand out free plastic bags; you pay a small charge per bag at the till, so bring a foldable reusable bag.
Is there a supermarket in Batu Ferringhi?
There is no large supermarket on the Batu Ferringhi strip, only minimarts and convenience stores along the main road. The nearest big stores are Lotus's Tanjung Pinang and Village Grocer at City Junction in Tanjung Tokong, about 15 to 20 minutes' drive away.