Cafeography
Penang · Pulau Tikus

Cafés in Pulau Tikus

Kopitiams the length of Burmah Road, cafés on Jalan Kelawai and Jalan Gottlieb, and Jalan Kebun Bunga toward the Botanic Gardens.

Photo: ds rexy, Pexels License

Pulau Tikus, Malay for rat island, takes its name from a rocky islet 770 m off Tanjung Bungah, whose rocks were said to look like rats at low tide.1 Its first settlers were Catholic Eurasians fleeing persecution in Siam, who built Kampong Serani around a church; Burmese and Thai communities followed, and the Dhammikarama Burmese Temple dates from 1803.1

The western end of Burmah Road is the heart of the neighborhood, with the Church of the Immaculate Conception and the Pulau Tikus Wet Market, one of the road's best-known hawker centers.2 The commercial hub is the junction with Cantonment Road.1 Burmah Road has more of the area's cafés than any other street, with smaller groups on Jalan Gottlieb, Jalan Irrawaddi and Codrington Avenue.

Local tip: Mundane Coffee Break at 359B Jalan Burma opens at 06:30 daily and closes at 15:00, so it is a morning stop.

At a glance

41Cafés listed
4With opening hours
06:30Earliest opening
22:30Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Mundane Coffee Break, from 06:30 (Daily 06:30–15:00).
  • Closes latest: Big Ben, until 22:30 (Daily 08:00–14:00, 17:00–22:30).
  • Most listed streets: Jalan Burma (10), Codrington Ave (3), Jalan Irrawaddi (2).
  • Most common features: open late (5%), bakery café (5%), brunch (2%).

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Coffee chains in Pulau Tikus

Kopitiams on Burmah Road

Mundane Coffee Break, at 359B Jalan Burma, opens at 06:30 every day, the earliest start in the neighborhood, and closes at 15:00. Li Er Nyonya Cafe, at no. 349, keeps 07:30–16:30 and closes on Thursdays. Toward the city run older coffee shops: Kedai Kopi Sin Hwa at no. 329, Swee Kong Coffee Shop at no. 317, Seng Lee Cafe at no. 254 and Kedai Kopi Hai Beng at no. 216.

Farther out, Charlie's Coffee is at no. 389, New Cathay Cafe Penang at no. 425, and Budan's Brew Coffeebar in Pulau Tikus Plaza at no. 441. Kedai Kopi Jin Hoe is on Jalan Cantonment, at no. 50.

Jalan Kelawai, Gottlieb Road and Codrington Avenue

Jalan Kelawai takes its name from Kuala Awal, the first estuary west of George Town.3 Kafka Coffee, at no. 15, opens 08:00–22:00 daily; TallyPress found its Wi-Fi reasonably strong and the room busy enough to bring headphones.4

Gottlieb Road is named after Felix Henry Gottlieb, a lawyer in the Straits Settlements government.3 OO White Coffee Waterfall is at nos. 29 and 31, Idealite at no. 27c and Mellowcup Coffee in the New Bob Center at no. 11. On Codrington Avenue, Strada Restaurant & Patisserie and Paradiso Cafe share no. 26Q, and Joies Sourdough Bakery Cafe is at 32 Jalan Moulmein.

Toward the Botanic Gardens

The Penang Botanic Gardens, on Waterfall Road (Jalan Air Terjun), were laid out in 1884 on an old quarry and are known locally as the Waterfall Gardens; the 29-hectare site is home to long-tailed macaques and dusky leaf monkeys.5 On Jalan Kebun Bunga (flower garden road), Big Ben at Lot 2652 serves brunch 08:00–14:00 and reopens 17:00–22:30, and Tian Yuan shares the lot.

Rapid Penang's route 103 links Komtar with Pulau Tikus every 15 to 20 minutes.6

Irrawaddy Road and Sultan Ahmad Shah

By the 1990s the city's financial and commercial district had spread out along Northam Road, now Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, and around Pulau Tikus.7 Larghetto Coffee Roastery is in the lobby of Menara Boustead at no. 39, and Base.PG at no. 48E. Behind Burmah Road, Jalan Irrawaddi has Harvest In Cafe at no. 10, Victorian Garden at no. 33 and De FRESH at no. 39 B, and The Garden Cottage by Cara Caro is at 20 Lorong Pulau Tikus.

Sources

  1. Pulau Tikus, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Burmah Road, George Town, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. List of streets in George Town, Penang, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. 7 Work-Friendly Cafes for Digital Nomads in Penang, TallyPress via Newswav (January 27, 2024), accessed October 2026
  5. Penang Botanic Gardens, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  6. Rapid Penang, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  7. George Town, Penang, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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In Pulau Tikus, also browse: Specialty coffee Wi-Fi Open late Bakery cafés Brunch

FAQ

Pulau Tikus cafés: questions

Why is Pulau Tikus in Penang called rat island?

Pulau Tikus means rat island in Malay. The George Town neighborhood takes its name from a rocky islet 770 m off Tanjung Bungah, whose rocks were said to look like rats at low tide. Catholic Eurasians from Siam settled it first, followed by Burmese and Thai communities.

Which cafés on Burmah Road in Pulau Tikus, Penang, open early?

Mundane Coffee Break at 359B Jalan Burma opens at 06:30 every day and closes at 15:00. Li Er Nyonya Cafe at 349 Jalan Burma opens at 07:30 and closes at 16:30, with Thursdays off. Older coffee shops such as Kedai Kopi Sin Hwa and Swee Kong Coffee Shop are on the same stretch of Burmah Road.

How do you get to Pulau Tikus from Komtar in George Town?

Rapid Penang route 103 runs from Komtar to Pulau Tikus every 15 to 20 minutes. Pulau Tikus centers on the western end of Burmah Road and its junction with Cantonment Road, near the Church of the Immaculate Conception and the Pulau Tikus Wet Market.

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