*What could be better for breakfast than a fresh roti with a mouthwatering chicken leg and curry?*

There are few things in life that can match the pure bliss of enjoying a simple and hearty breakfast before you start your day. In George Town, Penang, Malaysia, Many locals prefer to start their day with a glorious plate of Roti Bakar, assorted grilled breads with a variety of curries and toppings. One such famous place that you must visit when you come to George Town, is the once humble Roti Bakar Hutton Lane.

And in today’s blog post, I had the pleasure to try this local Penang favorite Roti Bakar and oh boy I have so much I want to tell you.

Affiliate Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links. By clicking on the links and purchasing the product, I will receive a partial commission at no cost to you. All of these products are ones that I fully trust and recommend with my heart. Thank you for your support!

The Little Roti Bakar Stall that Could

Roti Bakar Hutton Lane started life in 1957 as a little street side hawker stall located on well… Hutton Lane (or Lebuh Hutton). Nowadays the humble stall has evolved into a full blown operation and despite their namesake, they relocated to quite a bit away to Jalan Phee Choon near the Kimberley Street Food Night Market.

The current owner, and the iconic face on the logo of Roti Bakar Hutton Lane, is Mr. Ansari, the son of the late founder. 7 decades on and this family run business is still serving breakfast to hungry George Town locals, a testament to how beloved this humble Roti Bakar stall is.

When I went around 9:00 AM, the place was packed full of people. The line to order was about a 30 minute wait and every possible seat and table was taken. As I stood in line watching the cooks throwing their roti doughs in the air and smooshing it flat with the force of a Thai masseuse, I can’t help but feel excited for what I am about to taste.

It should also be noted that Roti Bakar Hutton Lane uses thick cut fluffy loaves of bread called Roti Bengali, a great decision that distinguishes themselves from other Roti Bakar stalls.

Roti Bakar Hutton Lane Menu

Roti Bakar Hutton Lane’s menu may look simple at a glance but it has a surprising amount of variety. Not only are there your usual thick cut toasted Roti Bengali but there are also your usual flaky roti canai flatbreads that you usually associate with the word “roti”

So it‘s more like you choose a base of what type of bread you want and then go on to the curries and toppings. For the toppings you get a plethora of choices such as egg, butter, Kaya, cheese. One dish that stood out to me is the Roti Canai with egg and cheese, that looks absolutely insane and delicious.

There are rice based dishes for you to choose as well. And as for the drinks are the usual coffee and tea.

Pricing

Now, I’m not a local Malaysian so I cannot really comment on if the pricing is fair or not but to me, as a tourist who comes from a country whose currency is of similar value, around 6 MYR per dish does seem like a real good value considering the portion you get. The portions are not too small but still filling enough for breakfast. So I’d say the pricing is pretty good.

My George Town, Penang Food Tour

If you want to explore more of Penang and its delicious foods, you can watch my George Town Food Tour. Also if you enjoy the video how about subscribing to my YouTube Channel? ;)

Signature Roti Canai Hutton Lane Daging (Beef)

Malaysia is a majority Islamic country and thus they do not eat pork, the next best thing is beef/chicken and I’ve ordered here the signature Roti Canai Hutton Lane Daging which is beef. A flatbread roti with meaty chunks of beef stewed in a rich and spice packed curry, complete with not just one but two Japanese style Onsen eggs.

The beef chunks while still quite tough to chew are full of nice beefy flavor and the curry sauce has infused itself within the beef to give it an even greater array of spicy flavors. And as you eat, the curry sauce soaks into the roti which does a great job at carrying all of those deliciously spicy flavors.

Roti canai bakar hutton lane soft boiled egg — *A perfectly jammy onsen egg*

Of course we cannot forget about the inclusion of the dual onsen eggs. The egg yolk seems to be slightly overcooked (in onsen egg terms) which gives it a more jammy texture that I think goes really well to provide a rich texture to the slightly runny curry sauce.

The egg is also dusted with a little bit of what I think is paprika which adds a little heat to cut through the richness of the yolk.

All I have to say is, whoever thought of adding an onsen egg was a genius.

Signature Roti Canai Hutton Lane Ayam (Chicken)

My girlfriend ordered the same signature Roti Canai Hutton Lane except with the Ayam which is chicken. And it’s a whole chicken leg that’s been stewed in that rich curry till the meat is literally falling off the bone!

I got to admit, I prefer my girlfriend’s order more because the chicken leg was just so good. The meat is tender, juicy, and flavorful. And again with that gooey rich onsen egg and curry sauce just completes the roti canai.

Though some people might not like the soggy roti, I think it’s fine as it also still retains the oily and smoke-y flavor of a fried roti flatbread, it’s just a textural thing you’ll have to get used to.

Roti Bakar Butter Kaya Toast

It would be foolish to come to Roti Bakar Hutton Lane and NOT order one of their Roti Bengali based dishes. I decided to go for a simple Butter and Kaya (coconut) spread.

Butter and kaya mixes beautifully. The subtle sweetness of the kaya jam is enriched by the butter which also provides a slight saltiness to contrast the sweet.

And the thick cut toasted Roti Bengali bread is a perfect vessel for that butter and kaya jam. Just a little bit of crunch on the outside while still maintaining such a delicate and fluffy texture on the inside.

This Roti Bakar Butter Kaya Toast is such a simple dish but it’s so so good.

Hot Kopi Coffee and Milo

For me, a breakfast is not complete without a cup of coffee. Being in George Town, Penang for about a week, I’ve come to learn that the Malaysians love their Milo. And it’s only recently that I learnt that the Malaysian market is the largest consumer of this nostalgic drink.

So in hindsight, it makes sense that Roti Bakar Hutton Lane serves this Coffee and Milo concoction.

The hot coffee was soothing to the throat, little to no bitterness, rich and decadent from the milo chocolate, and a pronounced sweetness makes the coffee a perfect complement to the sugary kaya toast. it’s not your typical black coffee, but it sure is a good way to start your day.

Conclusion

Pros

Delicious food, and a great breakfast
The menu, while relatively simple in terms of dish types, you get a lot of variety and toppings to choose from
The price is very reasonable and the portions are good

Cons

The lines can get real long and the ordering, payment, and seating process is quite confusing

Overall I highly recommend you come to Roti Bakar Hutton Lane for breakfast. Not only is it a damn good Roti Bakar breakfast spot, you’re also eating at one of George Town’s local favorites, whose history spans generations. The food is delicious, the menus is varied, and the price is just right. The only downside I have is that there are a lot of people, and the atmosphere is quite chaotic.

Roti Bakar Hutton Lane | 8.5 / 10

Phone: +6 013 402 5497

Location: 300, Jalan Phee Choon, George Town, 10050 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Opening Hours: 5:00 AM - 1:30 PM | Mon - Sun

Pricing: ~6 MYR | $

Looking for Things to Do in Penang?

TOP Penang - 249 meter tall observation point atop Komtar Tower, tallest in George Town
Entopia Butterfly Farm - A large farm with over 15,000 butterflies and 200 plant species
ESCAPE Penang - Water park with the world record for Longest Tube Water Slide at 1,111 meters
Discounted Tickets - Browse a variety of attractions, tours, and transports all for a great price

Useful Resources for Traveling in Malaysia

Tourism Information - All the information you need when travelling in Malaysia
Private Airport Transfers - Private transfer from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to the city
KLIA Ekspress Ticket - Ticket for the KLIA transfer via express train