Street Bite Tours REVIEW: a Penang street food tour with a difference

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Penang is known worldwide for the quality and variety of its street food, so no visit to the island is complete without sampling a few of the most famous dishes. With this much choice, you might find it difficult knowing where to go for an authentic and comprehensive foodie experience, and it’s here that an organised food tour can come to the rescue. Even better perhaps, a food tour that takes place on the back of motorbikes that zip along Penang’s roads, maximising your time eating rather than walking or sat in traffic jams.

Street Bite Tours is a private five-course street food dining experience, where you travel on the back of a motorcycle between Tanjung Tokong and George Town, stopping at local spots along the way. It’s a novel way to explore the island and taste some of the best food in Penang.

Most other street food tours are concentrated in George Town, but a bike offers flexibility to explore further and visit genuine local spots, away from the tourist hubs.

Disclaimer: The On Penang team were invited on a complimentary evening tour to experience the Street Bite Tours first-hand. As always, we provide an honest review and these are all our own words.

Pick up from your accommodation

A day or two before the tour, Street Bite Tours will message you on WhatsApp to arrange pick-up details and answer any last-minute questions. The pick-up location can be anywhere between George Town and Batu Ferringhi, which covers the most popular areas for visitors to stay in Penang.

Each person booked on the tour is assigned their own driver, so they’ll be two of you on each bike. It helps if you’ve ridden pillion before, but the drivers are careful and will check you are comfortable before setting off.

Malaysian law states that all motorcycle riders and passengers must wear a helmet, and you’ll be provided with one for the duration of the tour.

Riding the bikes

Penang is almost as well-known for its traffic as for its food, so you’d be forgiven for wondering how safe and relaxing the tour is. The good news is that Street Bite Tours make every effort to avoid busy areas of town and never speed or put you into dangerous situations.

Compared to other drivers on the road (especially other motorcycle riders), they’re calm and considerate. At no point did we feel worried or stressed about the traffic around us and, after the first few minutes getting used to the bikes, we sat back and enjoyed the ride.

What to expect on the tour

The tour is centred around five stops that vary depending on the time of day and what’s open. Food courts, street vendors and family-run restaurants will vary their opening times throughout the day, and your guides will tailor the tour accordingly.

You should expect the tour to last around four hours, although this can be subject to change depending on the weather, itinerary and how busy the places are. Your guides will keep you informed at all times and are happy to be flexible where possible.

Thoughts on the tour

As soon as we heard about the concept for this tour, we knew it sounded like a great idea. Penang’s dining options are a large part of life here, and cover such a large area, that you’d always struggle to see enough just on a food walking tour. And if you instead chose to be driven around in a car, while you might cover more distance, it would feel enclosed and slightly removed from street life.

On motorcycles, the journey between the stops is just as much fun as sampling the different foods The guides are relaxed and friendly, joining you at the tables and making conversation, but never taking over or getting in the way of enjoying the food. In fact, they’re so laid-back that you shouldn’t feel bad letting them know when you’re ready to move onto the next stop. Eating is taken seriously in Penang and the last thing they’d want to do is make you feel rushed.

There’s a lot of food to eat on the tour, the five stops (four main courses and one desert) each offering a different element of the local cuisine, so make sure you arrive hungry and try to pace yourself.

Within reason, the tour can be tailored to your group’s food preferences and allergies, so let them know if you’re vegetarian, vegan, etc. The standard version of the tour can be quite focused on meat dishes (especially chicken), so if that’s not to your tastes it helps the guides if they’re advised in advance rather than when you’ve just sat down.

The guides will usually order on your behalf and make payment, so there’s not much for you to do other than tuck into the food when it arrives.

How to book and pricing

Book online at streetbitetours.com.

Tours are US$99 per person, half price for kids under 12. This includes all food, all soft drinks, one beer per-person (if you want one), helmet, and rain poncho. You don’t need to take any cash with you unless you plan to purchase extra alcoholic drinks.

Tours can be cancelled for free up to 24 hours before the start time.

There isn’t a minimum age for kids (although 9+ is recommended), but your child will need to be comfortable sat on the back of a motorbike and mature enough to know when to hold on and keep still. The drivers are experienced with all ages though and will take good care of them. We took our kids (aged 10 and 12) and they loved it!

If you’re not used to being sat on a motorbike for several hours, it can be slightly uncomfortable towards the end, so double-check everyone in your group is happy in advance. Although, you’re never sat on the bike for longer than twenty minutes at a time.

Tour times

• Morning rides are from 9.00am to 1.00pm.
• Afternoon rides 3.00pm to 7.00pm (designed specifically around cruise ship schedules).
• Evening rides are 6.00pm to 10.00pm.

We experienced the evening ride, which we very much recommend. It’s a special experience seeing the transformation of the street food scene throughout the evening, and you’ll often be treated to a sunset view at some point on the tour. Penang’s food courts, street vendors and restaurants are busiest in the evening, creating a lively and friendly atmosphere.