Chulia Street, Georgetown Penang Overview

Chulia Street, also known as Lebuh Chulia, is one of the oldest roads of George Town, Penang. The street is famous for its food and offers a lot of variety with hawker stalls and local cuisines.

The bustling Chulia Street was initially named Malabar Street after Indians from Malabar moved to Georgetown. It was later renamed as Chulia Street in 1798. The term ‘Chulia’ comes from the word Chulier, which refers to Indians from the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, India.  Since George Town has been inscribed as a UNESCO Heritage Site, Chulia Street has witnessed an increase in tourism. It is a popular destination for budget tourists as there is a lot of restaurants, cafes, and hotels available at affordable rates.

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Attractions at Chulia Street

Kapitan Keling Mosque: The Kapitan Keling Mosque is a 19th-century mosque that was built by Indian Muslim Traders. It is also part of the World Heritage Site of George Town and is worth a visit if you are near Chulia Street.

Masjid Bebas Asap Rokok: This is a considerably small mosque and is located near the end of Chulia Street. The highlight of this museum is the heritage walk.

Street Food at Chulia Street

Chulia Street boasts of one the best cuisines for tourists at affordable rates. Street hawkers will be seen pushing their carts to their usual set up places beside the road in the evening. The food available here is very popular among tourists and offers great varieties in local cuisine. The popular dishes and restaurants at Chulia Street are:

Manchu Bar: The Manchu Bar has a unique history and has changed itself significantly. It is greatly lauded for its beautiful ambiance and is a great place for visitors to chill at night after spending a hectic day in Chulia Street. It offers great cocktails and provides excellent services to its visitors.

Hong Kong Bar: The Hong Bar is a quiet and small place that offers a unique twist to the concept of a bar. The bar is, in fact, a small museum in its own right and offers an insight into the Royal Australian Air Force from 1960s to 1980s. It has photos from various time periods and tells stories of the Australian Air Force. However, in 2004, a fire burnt a significant portion of the photographs and those that remain are proudly shown in the bar.

Wanton Mee: There are a couple of stalls in Chulia Street that sell Wanton Mee. Every plate of Wanton Mee comes with noodles and gravy along with finely chopped vegetables with pieces of dumplings. The small portion of this delicacy costs RM 4 while a bigger portion costs RM5.5.

Lok Lok:This is a famous dish in Asia and can give visitors a variety of different tastes depending upon the sauce. The dish basically involves hot meatballs with fine texture mixed with a variety of sauces. The meat and sauce choices involve a lot of variety and visitors can get a different flavor with every different combination.

Muah Chee: Muah Chee is like the Japanese Mochi and offers a surprising twist in taste. The rice dough is covered with a coating of peanut and sugar. The texture is perfect and is a perfect delicacy for a  sweet tooth person. The panda flavored chee offers more texture and is different from the original version, in a good way!

Lor Bak: This is a must visit place for pork lovers and is a famous Chinese Dish. The pork meat is marinated in Chinese recipes and is served with a variety of other ingredients. Do dip the pork in the three different types and will ensure that visitors get a different taste with every bite.

Popiah: The popiah is a thin crepe made from wheat flour and makes for extremely delicious spring roll snack. Popiah was initially a Chinese invention and later was carried over to Malaysia under the powerful British Administration.

How to Reach Chulia Street

The most convenient way of travelling to Chulia Street is by taxi.

There is also a free public bus, Rapid Penang’s CAT Bus, which keeps circling around George Town.

Walking around the World Heritage Site in George Town is also a valid choice as the area is less than 2.6 km.

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