5 of the most Instagramable cafes to open in Penang, Malaysia, so far in 2019
If you’re looking to brighten up your IG feed when you order the next coffee, from Sugaa to Kafka, these five new hipster hang-outs are for you – and utterly Instagram-worthy
Penang’s hawker food needs no introduction, but Malaysia’s very own Pearl of the Orient is also home to a thriving cafe scene. Since 2019 dawned, there have been plenty of new openings, and we’ve rounded up five new Insta-worthy cafes in Penang that give your tummy – and your feed – a taste of the sweet life.
Jio Cafe
Playing on the Hokkien word meaning “to invite” and also sounding like jiao, the word for banana, this vibrant pink and yellow cafe is filled with bananas, and has a pretty pink “pool” filled with plastic balls and flamingo pool floats for you to take pictures in.
It’s an Instagramer’s heaven, with multiple spots for you to take pictures with your friends – or, of course, of your food. In addition to the pool, there’s a blow-up chair with a yellow wall of bananas behind it by the entrance, and a pink and yellow room upstairs that resembles TeamLab’s Crystal Universe – if all the lights were replaced by bananas.
Skip Jio’s mains and go straight for dessert: The lady in red is a show-stopper, as staff first dip a rose into liquid nitrogen, before crushing it and letting the petals rain down onto your cheesecake and macaroon.
Where: 225, Lebuh Kimberley, 10100 George Town
While the bubble tea craze is still alive and kicking in Malaysia, the newly opened Chloé Café, in Tanjung Tokong, whips up colourful fruit and milk teas, along with cakes. The marble counter and wooden floor make sure the star of the space – a red and pink flower wall – remains the focal point for your IG stories. Even the reusable stainless steel straws are a metallic rainbow colour.
Order one of the signature cheese teas – we suggest the dainty looking strawberry cheese tea – and strike your best pose in front of the flower wall.