New cafes in Penang 2020
2020 hasn’t been all that stellar of a year for any of us. But we’re now at least able to celebrate small comforts once again, such as resuming our regular visits to cafes and being able to dine-in with physical distancing, with vaccinations for COVID-19 now rolled out in Malaysia. So whether you’re thinking of heading up to Penang for a visit when the interstate travel ban is lifted – or a Penangite looking for new cafes to visit – you’ll want to check out these 11 new cafes that opened in Penang in 2020 for freshly baked pastries and dessert treats.
1. Dear You 친애하는 당신 – DIY toasts at a Korean-inspired cafe
Friendship Toast Set
Image credit: @kerrineying
Dear You is a Korean-inspired cafe with plenty of photo corners that’ll bring a piece of South Korea’s well-known cafe culture to George Town. They serve various platters good for sharing between 2 people, so you’ll want to jio your SO or bestie for a girl’s trip out here.
The cafe is pretty hidden from sight even though it’s located just a 2-minute walk from Komtar Tower. This is because you’ll have to find a discrete pink “vending machine” door to enter this cafe. Once you’re inside, you can expect to chill out in a rustic space, with pastel pink and green dining sets.
Enter through this pink door to access this aesthetic Korean-inspired cafe
Image adapted from: @le_cafe001
Dear You serves up cute desserts to match its pink and white interiors, including their Berry Cute (RM15) drink, which has strawberry-flavoured ice shaped like a bear that you’ll have to pour strawberry and banana milk over. Too Cute Too Eat (RM12) is another adorable option of a dark chocolate cream cake decorated with eyes and a bear’s mouth.
Berry Cute and Too Cute Too Eat
Image adapted from: @fatinshahzana and Dear You 친애하는 당신
If you’re coming with your pals, try their Friendship Toast Set (RM45), with 2 options: Partner in Crime has fluffy milk loaves, a mini chocolate fondue, marshmallows and spreads of peanut butter, jam, and peanut butter ice cream for those with a sweet tooth; and if you prefer something on the savoury side, Soulmate, which has truffle mushroom soup, half-boiled eggs, salted butter, salsa spread, and potato salad.
Image credit: Dear You 친애하는 당신
Check out their brunch platters too, with options for 2 (RM65) or 4 (RM125) people. These platters come with breakfast classics such as toasts, baked beans, eggs, fresh fruits, spreads, and soups.
Image credit: @jrouyeoh
Address: 495F, Jalan Penang, 10000 Penang
Opening hours: Mon – Thu 11AM-9PM | Fri – Sun 11AM-10PM
Telephone: 017-456 6587
Facebook
2. 65c Ondo Bakery Cafe – Japanese bakery with shokupan
Image credit: @65ondo
65c Ondo Bakery Cafe may have just opened their doors in December 2020, but they have already garnered a following for their shokupan, or Japanese milk loaves. Their rustic space features plenty of wood decor and rattan furniture also offers up peaceful zen vibes for diners too.
Image credit: 65c Ondo
Don’t miss out on their Shokupan Toast Set (RM10.90), which comes with spreads of matcha, earl grey milk tea, butter, and strawberry. Another customer favourite is Ondo’s Style (RM18), a unique yam toast covered with cream and decorated with dried orange slices.
Image credit: @65ondo
Find other small bakes, such as tarts (RM11.90/pc), cronuts (RM6.90/pc) – a croissant-doughnut pastry that is both flaky and doughy – and mini pound cakes (RM10.90/each). These are good for pairing with a cup of Latte (RM10) or Matcha (RM13).
Image credit: @65ondo
Address: No. G-11, Pangsapuri Eco Bloom, Tingkat Eco Meadows 1, 14100, Simpang Ampat, Penang
Opening hours: Mon – Thu 9AM-10PM | Fri – Sun 9AM-11PM
Website
3. Le Bread Days – melty salted egg yolk croissants
Image credit: @nicholasxwl
Penangites who often make a trip out to Klang Valley for its plethora of cafes might’ve run into Le Bread Days in SS2, a popular bakery known for their croissants in PJ. Now, they can find a branch right in the heart of George Town.
Image credit: @ding_lovcooking
Here, you’ll find buttery and flakey croissants stuffed with various sweet and savoury fillings and toppings, such as mushroom and feta (RM10.20), smoked chicken cheese (RM8.20), and almond (RM8.20).
If you want to see what all the fuss is about them, do opt for their popular choices of Le Salted Egg Yolk Croissant (RM8.20) – it has gooey salted egg yolk cream that melts when you bite into it – and Le Ferrero Rocher Croissant (RM10.20) that has chocolate with gold flakes toppings and tastes just like the well-known gold foil-wrapped balls of chocolate.
Prepare napkins when you dig into Le Bread Days’ oozing molten salted egg yolk croissant
Image credit: @nibblesonmars
Other freshly baked pastries to find in their glass case of pastries are their Le Portuguese Egg Tart (RM4.50/pc), with bits of raisin, and Le German Sausage Roll (RM10.90) that wraps puff pastry around sausage.
Image credit: @ooowenong
Address: 272, Beach St, Georgetown, 10300 George Town, Penang
Opening hours: 9AM-6.30PM, Daily
Telephone: 014-756 1341
Website
4. Madame Samantha – earl grey donuts & lotus biscoff croissants
If you like to sample pastries instead of having just 1 favourite that you consistently order, drop by Madame Samantha. This new French-inspired cafe’s flakey croissants and sweet doughnuts come in combos of 3 and 4 on a wooden platter – so there’s no pressure to choose just 1 single treat.
Image adapted from: @jiayuan_jen and @madamesamanthacafe
Opt for Le Petit Doughnut (RM18), a platter of 4 doughnuts with sweet glazes of yoghurt, earl grey, strawberry yoghurt, and chocolate. For savoury options, Le Trois Croissants (RM20) is a set of 3 croissants with interesting toppings of mayo spicy chicken floss and lotus biscoff, as well as mango passion.
Madame Samantha also serves cakes (from RM15/slice), such as this Biscoff Cake.
Image credit: @leeqin
Drinks-wise, consider ordering Niko Neko Hojicha (RM13), or Joey’s Valentine (RM14) a rich, dark cocoa drink flavoured with strawberry to pair with the pastries and desserts.
For something cold to quench your thirst on a hot day, try their signature drinks which include fruity mixes of La Cherie Fendi (RM12), with jasmine tea, grapefruit and longan, and C’ Periwinkle (RM15) with lavender, yuzu, and lemonade.
Madame Samantha boasts cosy interiors while you gorge on croissants and doughnuts
Image adapted from: @icecream_love92 and @charlottexhoo
Address: 350, Chulia St, Georgetown, 10200 George Town, Penang
Opening hours: Tue 2PM-8PM | Wed – Mon 12PM-8PM
Telephone: 012-928 9755
Website
5. The Maker – a range of pastries from mini fruit tarts to sweet rolls
Image credit: @ireneong1127
The Maker serves up an entire range of baked goods and desserts – from mini fruit tarts to croissants, and cakes to bread, and sweet rolls – a gem for anyone who prefers sweet treats to mains for brunches.
Image credit: @smingpd
With pastries being their speciality, they take the time to make the delectable snacks pretty for diners who like to take lots of food shots before digging into their orders. Their croissants, for a start, come with toppings such as chocolate (RM7) and cream cheese crumble (RM8), and a strawberry (RM8) option that comes with red stripes and dollops of custard cream on top.
The Maker has a wide range of pastries and baked goods
Image adapted from: @the_maker243 and @yumtummy28_
Their mini tarts are generously topped with fresh mango (RM17), strawberries (RM18), and pecans (RM18).
Don’t miss out on their cakes, which are just as decadent. Recommended options include Strawberry Shortcake (RM16/slice) and Milk Chocolate Earl Grey (RM18/slice).
Image credit: @lansikia_ben
Address: No. 243, Beach Street, 10300 George Town, Penang
Opening hours: Sun – Thu 12PM-7PM | Fri & Sat 12PM-10PM
Telephone: 016-214 3243
Website
6. Temu – coffee with cream & croissant waffles
Image credit: @hyunn0094
Those who prefer their coffee with more milk than espresso will want to drop by Temu. This new coffee spot on Lebuh Melayu serves their house speciality coffee with thick dollops of cream. They also have croissant waffles that are known for their crispness and generous scoops of ice cream.
Image adapted from: @khaishinn
Monday Cloud (RM14) is a classic black coffee with dollops of cream, and TEMU Coffee (RM15) is the same, but with a sprinkle of cinnamon powder to add a kick to your drink.
For food, their thin and crispy waffle croissants come with different toppings such as fresh fruits (RM28), burnt bananas (RM25), and chocolate (RM20). But go with their signatures of Temu Croffle (RM15) with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream, and Waffogato (RM15) with a drizzle of espresso over vanilla ice cream on waffles, if you can’t want an extra caffeine kick.
They also serve cakes, such as New York Cheesecake (RM18/slice), Lemon Blueberry (RM15/slice) and Carrot Walnut (RM18/slice).
Image credit: @mineshi_gk58j
Address: 62, Lebuh Melayu, 10300 George Town, Penang
Opening hours: 10AM-6PM, Daily
Telephone: 04-226 1863
Website
7. Ang Ang’s Roastery – flavoured lattes and matchamisu
Image credit: @qijiatan
If you love cafes with natural lighting and light wood decors for their comfy vibes, Ang Ang’s Roastery’s new branch at Bukit Mertajam is the spot to hit up this weekend for brunch. The space boasts a glass roof and plenty of long windows that let in lots of light, so you can take pretty food pictures easily while getting your dose of Vitamin D indoors too.
Image adapted from: @ock85
You can expect the same menu here as Ang Ang’s Roastery’s original branch at Lorong Seri Alma. There are cakes (from RM15/slice) – with options of Burnt Cheesecake, Chocolate Mousse Cake, and their unique Matchamisu, which blends the decadent cream known in Tiramisu cakes with matcha instead of coffee.
There’ll be fresh pastries such as Salted Egg Croissant (RM12), Curry Chicken Puff (RM9), and BBQ Chicken Puff (RM10) up for grabs too.
Image adapted from: @imtk_tiffany
Pair these up with their flavoured lattes (RM10/each) – orchid, rose, salted caramel or hazelnut – and Filter Coffee (RM16) that gets brewed to order with coffee beans of your choice.
If coffee is not your thing, there are options of Hojicha Latte (RM10) and Purple Sweet Potato (RM10), which is sweet potato blended with milk, as well as healthy tea (RM14/each), with selections of genmaicha, oolong, and pu-er, that gets served in a pot for 2.
Address: 46, Jalan Arumugam Pillai, 14000 Bukit Mertajam, Penang
Opening hours: 10AM-12PM, Daily
Telephone: 04-548 0616
Website
8. Fatkidz Patisserie – sourdough beignets & XL cookies
Image credit: @sallylim0920
Fatkidz Patisserie is a homebaker known on Instagram for its stunning array of freshly baked pastries, cookies, and custom cakes. But if feasting on sweet treats at home doesn’t cut it for you, they’ve just set up a physical store in a quiet neighbourhood in Bukit Mertajam for those who prefer to dine out.
Image credit: Fatkidz Patisserie
Their menu changes daily, and they’ll update their Instagram page with what they have for the day, so you can have a quick look-see to check if they are serving something of interest to you before swinging by.
But you can expect regular items on the menu, including their popular sourdough beignets (RM8.90/pc), with fillings such as vanilla and strawberry, and giant cookies – Lotus Caramel Cream Cheese (RM5), Niko Neko Matcha Cream Cheese (RM6), and Raspberry White Chocolate (RM6).
Image credit: @fatkidzpatisserie
While their cafe is not huge, their menu is pretty extensive. Besides pastries, they also have desserts, with decadent cakes such as Blueberry Crumble Cheesecake (RM16) and Strawberry Shortcake (RM16) often making an appearance on their menu.
You can get a whole loaf of Hokkaido Milk Bread (RM11) to slowly savour at home, and madeleines (RM4/each) and Smoked Salmon Spinach Puffs (RM12/each) to go too.
Image adapted from: @fatkidzpatisserie and @fatkidzpatisserie
Address: 46, Jalan Arumugam Pillai, 14000 Bukit Mertajam, Penang
Opening hours: 10AM-12PM, Daily
Telephone: 016-481 1303
Website
9. Guagua’s Store – creative cheesecakes & lemon coffee
Image credit: 呱呱小舖 . 打鐵街 Guagua’s Store at Beach Street
Another cafe on this list that recently branched out to a new location is Guagua’s Store. Many might be familiar with their original store located in a housing lot that boasts dark walls and dark wood furniture. At their new location on the bustling Beach Street – which is only open on weekends – you’ll have new visuals to look forward to, as the cafe interiors are decked out with light wood decor and white walls, and touches of live plants.
Image credit: 呱呱小舖 . 打鐵街 Guagua’s Store at Beach Street
You’ll find the same pretty cheesecakes topped with fresh fruits here, with their Strawberry & Blueberry Cheesecake (RM16/slice), a sweet combo of layers of strawberry and blueberry cheesecake, being a popular option among customers. For more fruity choices, the Mango Cheesecake (RM15/slice) has fresh mangoes in and on the cheesecake.
Image credit: @xianjessica
But you won’t want to miss out on their speciality Signature Salted Egg Yolk & Sweet Potato Cheesecake (RM16/slice). This unique combo of salty and sweet packs all the familiar flavours of salted egg yolk into a slice of cheesecake, with the yolk still present in the cake.
If you are open to trying out unique drink combos, their Iced Honey Lemon Black (RM12) mixes black coffee with lemon and honey to tantalise your tastebuds.
Salted Egg Yolk & Sweet Potato Cheesecake and Iced Honey Lemon Black
Image adapted from: @vinnyineats and @ksy.syk.foodie
Address: 334, Beach St, Georgetown, 10300 George Town, Penang
Opening hours: Sat & Sun 12.30PM-6.30PM (Closed Mondays to Fridays)
Telephone: 014-600 8334
Website
10. 815 Paliro – egg drop toasts and adorable macarons
Image credit: @815paliro
815 Paliro’s exteriors may look familiar to those who often drive by Lebuh Victoria. That’s because this new cafe in town is rebranded from Lavish, a well-known cafe with aesthetic pink interiors, in September 2020. The grounds now house a Korean cafe that serves famous street food such as egg drop toasts and adorable ddungcarons – a popular Korean version of macarons.
Image credit: @jjoeannn
Those who love Korean food will be glad to know that 815 Paliro has comfort food staples of japchae and gimbaps. But it’s the adorable ddungcarons (RM10/each) that make this spot a must-visit. These treats may be on the pricey side, but they are well-worth the ringgits as they are carefully crafted to look like animated characters and food we know, such as Snoopy, Elmo and hamburgers, or filled with pretty flowers made out of cream.
Image credit: @s.p.funz
Their Egg Drop Sandwich (RM14) is another must-try that packs scrambled eggs, chicken ham, and cheese between buttery brioche toasts. There’s also Dalgona Latte (RM16), which comes with actual bits of honeycomb.
Image credit: @s.p.funz
Address: 214, Lebuh Victoria, 10300 George Town, Penang
Opening hours: 11AM-8PM, Daily
Telephone: 04-299 8035
Website
11. Forest Cloud – coffee bar serving speciality coffee
Image credit: @hueymelanie_
Forest Cloud once had a shop in Jelutong to sell their coffee products, which ranges from equipment to coffee beans. But you’ll now find them in the heart of George Town with seats for cafe-hoppers to grab a spot at and sip on artisanal coffee while gorging on freshly baked treats.
Forest Cloud’s store looks almost like a concept store for coffee, but there are spots for you to grab seats at and enjoy a cup of coffee and dessert treats.
Image credit: @hueymelanie_
You’ll want to try their speciality coffee, with options such as Black (RM10) and White (RM11) that are all brewed with their in-house blend of coffee beans that they are known for. You can also opt to pick up different blends of coffee beans (from RM39/250g) to brew at home.
But if you don’t own any fancy coffee equipment, there’s Filtered Coffee Bags (RM48/10bags) that lets you steep Arabica ground coffee beans like a tea bag without fuss.
Image credit: @kelvinoooi
Forest Cloud also has cakes and pastries, such as Matcha Cheesecake (RM19/slice) and Homemade Tiramisu (RM15/slice). Find dessert loaves here too, which include their in-house Homemade Coffee Loaf Cake (RM8), and sourdough bread options of Cranberry Walnut Sourdough with French Butter (RM10), which comes with 2 toast slices.
Image credit: @forestcloudcoffee
Address: 132, Jalan Penang, 10000, Georgetown, Penang
Opening hours: 8AM-6PM, Daily
Telephone: 016-445 7133
Website
Aesthetic Penang cafes that opened in 2020
2020 may have felt like a blur for most of us, but we can take comfort in the fact that we’re now able to resume our usual activities, including cafe hopping at these 11 new cafes in Penang that opened up recently. While we can do so now and support local businesses while at it, do be sure to take safety measures against COVID-19, such as wearing your mask, phsyical distancing, and checking in for contact tracing when you’re dropping by any one of these cafes.
More things to check in Penang:
- Entopia by Penang Butterfly Farm has 15,000 butterflies and photo spots
- Thrift shops in Penang to find pre-loved clothes
- Hin Bus Depot is an artsy hub with Instagenic cafes
- Sunset-viewing spots in Penang perfect for date nights
Cover image adapted from: @le_cafe001 and @focicollective
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