Known as the "Rain Town," Taiping is approximately an hour’s drive from Penang Island. This charming town, home to a predominantly Chinese community, has long been known for its delicious food offerings. Our most recent visit in 2024 revealed even more new and exciting spots waiting to be discovered. Follow us in this food guide as we walk you through some of the interesting eats Taiping has to offer!
1) Restaurant Kampung Wang
Non-Halal
Service Charge: No
Government Tax: No
Business Hours: 10 am to 3 pm, 5 pm to 10 pm. Opens Daily.
Contact Number: 605- 805 6568
Steamed Stingray with Nyonya Sauce (Rm 35)
Steamed Tilapia with Special Sauce (Rm 45)
Tofu with Pumpkin Sauce (Rm 15)
Stir Fried Potato Leaves with Garlic (Rm 15)
Known for churning out some cheap and good Chinese stir fries, Kampung Wang is a famous Chinese Chu Char place in Taiping town. The place is often packed on weekends. No printed menu but patrons seem to know what's good. We followed the rest and tried their best sellers: the Nyonya Curry Fish (in our case- Stingray) and Steamed Fish with Special sauce (we had Tilapia). Both were unique and delicious in its own way. The Nyonya Curry sauce hit us with its sharp acidity, followed by a strong Chili punch. But it was packed with good herb flavors. The Stingray was amazingly fresh with pristine white flesh. On the Special Sauce- it appeared to be a concoction of crispy Pork Lards, Taucu and Lime sauce; complex but oddly familiar flavor-combo. A meal with good value I must say.
2) Hulu Cafe
Pork-Free/ Muslim-Friendly
Service Charge: No
Government Tax: No
Business Hours: 12 pm to 12 am. Opens Daily.
Contact Number: 014-633 7002
Matcha Croissant (Rm 13)
Matcha Crepe Cake (Rm 15.90)
Ichigo Matcha Misu (Rm 14.80)
A chain cafe brand from central Malaysia- Hulu Cafe has an outlet in Taiping, offering their signature Matcha desserts. We took the opportunity to visit the outlet in the heart of Taiping. We were attracted by its signature and best seller Matcha Croissant- Charcoal Croissant served with Matcha-infused Cream; intriguing and alluring. But we were hit hard by the reality- the Croissant was dry and lacked of the buttery fragrance. The Matcha Cream was okay but could not salvage the extremely dry Croissant. The Matcha Crepe Cake was fine but we did not find it overly exciting. Not a bad place to rest the feet but not a place that I would go all out to try.
3) Ai Recipe Pokok Assam
Non-Halal
Service Charge: No
Government Tax: No
Business Hours: 11 am to 6 pm. Opens Daily.
Contact Number: 016- 551 3678
Curry-Assam Laksa
Assam Laksa
Fried Fritters
Water Chestnut Shaved Ice
Cendol
Ice Kacang
Ask anyone from Taiping on any good Assam Laksa and it is likely they will recommend Ai Recipe Pokok Assam. The place has been around for quite some time and has been serving the local neighborhood well. Not only Assam Laksa but the place serves Curry Mee, Wan Ton Mee and Fried Fritters as well; not forgetting the local shaved ice desserts (like Ice Kacang, Cendol etc).... making it an ideal spot for local afternoon tea/ snack. The Assam Laksa was quite well-balanced, not overly sour nor salty but not as spicy as we would have hoped. To our surprise, we did not see any Pineapples too (not sure if this is common in Taiping). For the adventurous, they have a creative variant- to mix Assam Laksa soup with Curry Noodle broth. We topped up with the Fried Fritters, the Popiah was delicious and worked well with the Assam Laksa.
4) Some More Dessert House
Pork-Free/ Muslim-Friendly
Service Charge: No
Government Tax: No
Business Hours: 12 pm to 9 pm. Opens Daily.
Contact Number: 014- 284 6578
Some More Bingsu (Rm 16/ small)
Some More Dessert House is very popular on social media thanks to its aesthetically pleasing cottage-style building. The cafe churns out a dessert menu with a focus on Bingsu and Souffle Pancakes. Simple Western mains are available but most visiting the place for its desserts. We were very full and did not feel like having anything else but some shaved ice. We had their signature Some More Bingsu, a Soya Milk-based shaved ice... served with Condensed Milk and Boba. The shaved ice itself was sweet enough and we did not find it necessary to have Condensed Milk with it. Nothing out of the ordinary unfortunately, more like sweetened Soya Milk in the form of shaved ice.
5) Breakfast Place in Persatuan Perniaga Tiong Hua Perak
Non-Halal
Service Charge: No
Government Tax: No
Business Hours: 7 am to 11 am. Closed on every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Contact Number: 016-441 6073
Wan Ton Mee with Curry Sauce
Koay Teow Th'ng
Barley Bean Curd Drink
Home-made Kuih
Housed in the building of North Perak Chinese Chamber of Commerce, this unnamed breakfast spot is probably Taiping residents' best kept secret. The building is strategically located between the Taiping old town and Taiping lake. It is especially busy on the weekend mornings. There is only one food stall selling various types of noodles with help-yourself-kiosk on the homemade Kuih, Bread and Nasi Lemak. My followers advised me to try their Nasi Lemak but luck was not on our side- they were sold out as early as 9:15 am. If you wish to beat the crowd, make sure to arrive before 8:30 am. The popular noodle choices here are Wan Ton Noodles, Curry Mee, Hokkien Mee and Koay Teow Th'ng. We had both Wan Ton Noodles and Koay Teow Th'ng; we thought the Wan Ton Noodles fared better.
6) I Saw U Cafe
Pork-Free/ Muslim-Friendly
Service Charge: No
Government Tax: No
Business Hours: 11 am to 8:30 pm. Opens Daily.
Contact Number: 011- 2522 1287
3-Flavor Eggette (Rm 14.90)
Tucked away from the busy main streets of Taiping, I Saw U Cafe specializes in churning out Macau-style Eggette. There are plenty of toppings and flavors to choose from. The purist would probably go for the classic ones but I Saw U's specialty will be their Eggette with fillings. We had their best seller: 3-flavor Eggette, with 3 different types of fillings (Matcha, Custard and Chocolate). But the texture turned out to be slightly out of our expectation. We were expecting liquid, soft-flowing filling with crispy edges. While the Eggette had crispy edges, the filling was not flowy. Imagine the custard filling of Egg Tart being transferred to Eggette. If you must try- the original one is probably your best bet.
7) Hong Feng Kopitiam 泓豐茶鋪
Non-Halal
Service Charge: Yes 10%
Government Tax: No
Business Hours: 8:30 am to 4 pm. Closed on Mondays.
Contact Number: 019-552 2222
Homemade Noodles with Minced Meat (Rm 8.90)
Signature Kaya Butter Toast (Rm 5.80)
Soft Boiled Kampung Eggs (Rm 3.90)
Right smack in Taiping old town- Hong Feng Kopitiam is offers a comfortable, air-conditioned space for the locals to enjoy their meal. The place is especially busy on mornings; the menu features the standard Kopitiam fare like Kaya Butter Toast, Soft Boiled Egg, Nasi Lemak etc. In addition to the Malaysian-Hainanese delights, there are some noodle options too. We had the signature noodles with minced Meat, almost like Hakka Mee. The noodles were finer and resembled a brand of instant noodles. The Soya sauce-based seasoning was simple and straight-forward. The signature Kaya Butter Toast was alright but the Toast was a little too thin to our liking. More like a place for a casual fix.
8) Bao Shu Fang 寶樹坊
Non-Halal
Service Charge: No
Government Tax: No
Business Hours: 1 pm to 9:30 pm. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Contact Number: 016- 562 7700
9-Square Dessert Box (Rm 24.90)
Red Bean Soup (Rm 6.90)
Bao Shu Fang is a popular dessert spot in Taiping known to churn out home-made desserts in a pretty setting. The dessert parlor is elegantly decorated with Chinese elements- Mahjong, traditional Chinese knick-knacks, Buddha statues and various art pieces... exuding a sense of Zen to the place. It specializes in Chinese desserts like Red Bean Soup, Sesame Paste, White Fungus Dessert, Herbal Jelly, Soya Milk Pudding etc. The signature 9-square dessert box is a visually attractive one. There are 18 types of desserts that can be put together but with only 9 boxes available- you get to try different combinations every single time you order. With the high combination, it is safe to assume that every 9-square dessert box is unique... according to the server. But the base is pretty much similar, mostly with Herbal Jelly or Soya Milk Pudding... with different toppings. Though no disappointment, we did not find anything overly excited here.
9) KK Lao Jie Restaurant 江沙老街河鲜饭店
Non-Halal
Service Charge: No
Government Tax: No
Business Hours: 12 pm to 3 pm, 6 pm to 9 pm. Closed on every Tuesday.
Contact Number: 012-997 5257 or 012-519 5257
Steamed Tengalan (Rm 76.90/ by weight- RM135 per kg)
Deep Fried Tilapia with Sweet and Sour Sauce (Rm 27.50/ by weight- RM50 per kg)
Homemade Fish Paste (Rm 1.20 per piece)
Signature Tofu (Rm 18)
Stir Fried Water Spinach and Cuttlefish with Sambal (Rm 13)
Our favorite restaurant for this trip- KK Lao Jie, a short 10 minute-drive away from Taiping town. The place is usually packed with regular patrons on weekends and make sure to be there as early as possible. More like the usual dining spot for the locals, KK Lao Jie specializes in reasonably priced fresh water fish as well as some local Chinese stir fries. We were very impressed with the signature Tofu, topped with Chai Por (Chinese pickled Radish), almost like the famous one from Alor Setar! The Tofu was soft and airy, the whole was very delicious and perfectly spooned over rice. The homemade Fish Balls were delicious either, we could taste the real fish meat there. Slightly bouncy but expertly seasoned. Both river fishes we had were fresh and importantly, wallet-friendly. A good meal for the 4 of us costs a little less than RM160. Highly recommend for those who are looking for no-frills meal without putting a dent on the wallet.
Have Fun Exploring Taiping!
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