Kimberley Street Koay Chiap Stall

Kimberley Street Koay Chiap Stall (16 June 2013)


Kimberley Street Koay Chiap Stall (GPS: 5.41624, 100.33275) is probably the most famous koay chiap stall within George Town. This is the one that is often featured in many tourist brochures. Its location along Kimberley Street, a noted haven for street food, helps it draw a continuous stream of customers.

The Kimberley Street Koay Chiap stall has become so successful that it recently took over a coffee shop, so that patrons that enjoy more comfort. This also provides the stall an opportunity to sell drinks, and not have to depend on surrounding coffee shops.

Koay Chiap of the Kimberley Street stall (16 June 2013)




7 September, 2014: It has been a while since we went to the Kimberley Street Koay Chiap Stall, so we decided to pay it another visit. Unfortunately, this time around the service and taste were a disappointment, and therefore, we are unlikely to repeat the visit any time soon.

Even when ordering, the hawker did not even pay any attention to me, like I could not be sure whether he has taken my order. I do not appreciate this discourtesy.

Kimberley Street Koay Chiap (7 September 2014)


In addition to the koay chiap, we also ordered the lor bak. It too was nothing much to shout about. The lor bak came with a single bowl of dip. The seller mixed both the lor and chilli sauce dips into one bowl. Come on lah, are you so lazy to wash your bowl that you would give us one bowl of dip instead of two? What about customers who do not want to use the lor or chilli dip? We were also unimpressed with the taste of the lor bak, and in particular, the beancurd.

We ordered the si1 ko1 thng1 dessert. In comparison, we prefer the stall across the road, as there is a wider variety of ingredients over there. Missing here are the jelly and sweet potatoes, but the price is the same as at the coffee shop across the road.

Kimberley Street lor bak (7 September 2014)


Although we found the koay chiap seller a bit surly, I am happy to say that the Indonesian maid who brought us our koay chiap was very nice and polite. I also have to acknowledge that the koay chiap was also still as meaty as before, but the taste has deteriorated somewhat. As we partook of our dinner here, we couldn't help regretting that we hadn't selected to go for the koay teow thng across the road. We look forward to going there the next time we elect to have dinner at Kimberley Street.

Tim at Kimberley Street koay chiap (7 September 2014)

Previous Visits

16 June, 2013: I have recently tried this koay chiap again, and can say that it is really good. Before that, my favourite koay chiap stall is the one at the Jelutong Market, but after trying this one, I have to move it to first place, and the Jelutong stall to second. Friends informed me that the koay chiap at the Air Itam Market is very good, but I haven't tried there yet (though having been told, I look forward to going there soon!)

What I like about the koay chiap at this Kimberley Street stall is that it is ho₁ liau₃, which means it is rich in ingredients. My wife and I ordered the "large" bowl. Although it costs RM8, it is worth the money (unlike many stalls which charges a lot but doesn't give you any "meat") as it is not sparing in its ingredients. In fact, there is more meat than koay chiap itself, as you can see from my photos here.

Another thing I like about the Kimberley Street Koay Chiap is its chili sauce, which goes very well with the dish. (Previously, I like having koay chiap served with bird-eye chili, which is how I get it at the Jelutong Market stall, but I find that the chili sauce at the Kimberley Street stall quite unique and tasty.)

The Kimberley Street Koay Chiap stall operates every day except Thursdays. Business starts around 6:30 pm and continues until late at night, closing between 10:30 pm and 11:30 pm, depending on business of the day.

Getting there

From the Komtar Bus Terminal, head north on Jalan Ria. Cross Prangin Road and continue along Sungai Ujong Road until you reach Kimberley Street. Turn right, walk along Kimberley Street until you reach the koay chiap stall on your right.

The Kimberley Street Koay Chiap Stall is on the map of Kimberley Street

List of Hawker Stalls in Penang