Pitt Street Koay Teow Th’ng, Penang

[Non-halal] Pitt Street Koay Teow Th’ng serves one of the best fish ball noodles soup in Penang.

Operating for more than 60 years, Pitt Street was recently included in the 2023 Michelin Guide.

Michelin Guide KL & Penang 2023 – ones we tried

Pitt Street Koay Teow Th’ng in Penang

Koay Teow Th’ng is one of our must-eat dishes whenever we are in Penang. While our favourite is served at Loh Kei (see our post here), we were game to try out recommendations by friends.

Located on Lebuh Carnavon, Pitt Street Koay Teow Th’ng is a firm favourite for many Penangites (and non-locals).

Operating at its current spot since 2009, Pitt Street is known for its special fish balls which are made with local sea eel to complement the soup.

Pitt Street Koay Teow Th’ng is popular

We arrived at 9am on a Saturday and managed to get a table after a 5-minute queue. Thankfully the weather was cool that day, and we enjoyed looking at the couple cooking the noodles at the front of the shop.

After being seated, the lady boss promptly took our order. During our visit, the shop also served Char Koay Teow – so we ordered a serving of that as well.

Eel ball noodles soup is the favourite order

We ordered a bowl of the Eel Fish Ball Koay Teow Th’ng (flat rice noodles soup) – which is arguably the most popular dish here.

We found the broth (cooked with pork, duck, and chicken) to be clean-tasting and flavourful. While Ming felt it was a bit too clear (she prefers the one at Loh Kei, and also at Tien Tien Lai back in KL), Max thought the soup was flavourful enough for an enjoyable meal.

Delicious and unique eel balls

However, we both agree that the eel balls were the highlight of the dish! Compared to regular fishballs (bouncy and full of fish flavour, when made well) – the balls here has a unique soft and bouncy texture that makes for an enjoyable bite.

The addition of eel meat gives it a nice distinctive taste that is full of fish flavour but not “fishy” at all. We also enjoyed the meat slices – there were thinly cut to give a nice tender bite, and nicely seasoned for flavour.

Other ingredients in the bowl include duck meat, crispy pork lard, garlic bits, and lettuce. The noodles were pretty smooth too.

Dry noodles

The dry noodles were nicely seasoned as well with the soy sauce mix. It also comes generously topped with fish balls, duck meat and meat slices.

Char koay teow

The char koay teow here was also recommended. We thought it was a decent plate with a lovely wok hei.

Although the noodles were not served with any blood cockles (see ham), it comes with two decently-sized fresh prawns.

Summary

Overall, we really enjoyed the fish ball noodles here. The eel balls are definitely the main highlight of the dish – something we’ve not eaten anywhere else.

While it may not dethrone Loh Kei as our top spot for koay teow th’ng in Penang – Pitt Street is definitely worth visiting.

RECOMMENDED!

Check out the Instagram reel below:

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Pitt Street Koay Teow Th’ng
Address: 183, Lebuh Carnarvon, George Town, 10100 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Hours: 8am-1pm Daily (Closed on Mondays)