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George Town's Sweetest Shophouses: 10 Dessert Stops Worth a Detour in Penang

A craving-based guide to 10 dessert spots in George Town heritage shophouses — French patisseries, local gelato, bingsu and tong sui — with hours and planning tips.

Malaysia Authentic

4 min read

Updated

AI illustration: A hand holding a waffle cone with white and yellow gelato outdoors.
AI illustration: A hand holding a waffle cone with white and yellow gelato outdoors.

Penang's food fame leans savoury, but George Town's heritage lanes hide a serious sweet side. Restored shophouses now hold French patisseries, gelato counters churning local flavours, Korean bingsu piled high and old-school tong sui houses ladling warm sweet soups. Here are ten stops worth weaving into a heritage-core stroll.

How These Picks Were Chosen

These are editorial suggestions, not an official ranking. They draw on My Weekend Plan's September 2026 roundup of Penang dessert cafes, which ranks venues by total verified Google reviews and only includes cafes rated 4.0 or higher. We've regrouped them by craving rather than rank.

French Patisseries in Old Shophouses

La Vie en Rose Pâtisserie (19 Lebuh Melayu) works from a restored shophouse plating glazed fruit tarts, layered gateaux and pastries; it opens 9:30 am–5:30 pm Wednesday to Sunday and closes Mondays and Tuesdays. Kwason Boulangerie (255 Lebuh Pantai) brings a French bakery sensibility — croissants, viennoiserie and sweet pastries best caught early, 8:30 am–5:00 pm and to 6:00 pm on weekends, closed Tuesdays. Utoo Boho Cafe & Patisserie (156 Lebuh Victoria) is the flexible option: a plant-filled, boho-styled space pairing its cake counter with coffee and cold drinks, daily 9:30 am–7:30 pm.

Gelato, Soft Serve and Handmade Scoops

Mojo Ice Creams Gelato & Cafe (5 Jalan Sungai Ujong) churns gelato in-house in a rotating mix of classic and locally inspired flavours, with sit-in seating daily 11:00 am–10:00 pm. Ludwig Softserve (37 Lebuh Armenian) is a compact counter for soft serve in seasonal flavours, daily 10:00 am–10:00 pm — grab-and-go rather than a long linger. Lebuh Campbell hosts two contrasting scoop shops steps apart: The Ais & Hani (no. 65) pairs handmade ice cream with coffee in an intimate space, 1:00 pm–9:00 pm, closed Thursdays, while Hema Hema Ice Cream (no. 88) runs a tight, changing line-up of in-house flavours, open only Thursday to Sunday, 1:00 pm–10:00 pm.

Warm Bowls, Shaved Ice and Plated Desserts

For something warm, Loong Fong Terrace Dessert (253 Lebuh Pantai) serves traditional Chinese tong sui — sweet soups served warm or cold — from a heritage building, 2:30 pm–11:00 pm, closed Thursdays; the natural late-evening stop. Hangul Bingsu (41 Jalan Anson, just outside the heritage core) piles shaved milk ice with red bean, fresh fruit, matcha or chocolate in shareable bowls, open noon–10:00 pm, closed Tuesdays, and until 11:00 pm Friday to Sunday. When dessert is the entire point, Buu Buu Dessert Club (23B Lebuh Pantai) plates sweets meant to be savoured seated, noon–10:00 pm and to 11:00 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

Planning a Sweet Route

The geography helps: Lebuh Pantai alone holds three stops a short walk apart (Kwason, Loong Fong and Buu Buu), and Lebuh Campbell's two scoop shops sit minutes from each other. Mind the rhythm, though. Tuesdays and Thursdays are common closing days, several places open only in the afternoon, and most are walk-in counters that take no bookings. Patisseries can sell out of their best bakes by mid-afternoon on busy days, so chase croissants and tarts early and keep tong sui or bingsu for the evening. Budget-wise, gelato and soft serve scoops typically start in the single-digit ringgit range, while cake slices, bingsu bowls and plated desserts sit a little higher. One caveat: halal status varies by cafe and is not confirmed, so check with each venue if it matters to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to book ahead? No — most of these are walk-in spots that do not take reservations, so simply turn up.

Which day should I avoid? Tuesdays and Thursdays carry the most closures: Kwason Boulangerie and Hangul Bingsu rest on Tuesdays, The Ais & Hani and Loong Fong on Thursdays, and Hema Hema opens only Thursday to Sunday.

What should I expect to spend? Scoops of gelato or soft serve typically start in the single-digit ringgit range; patisserie slices, bingsu bowls and plated desserts run slightly higher.

Visual note: this AI-generated illustration is not a photograph from a visit to the listed venues.

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