China House

One bold word: OVERPRICE. Chinahouse is undeniably a charming and artsy spot in George Town, perfect for hanging out or getting a little creative on their white canvas-covered tables — yes, you can doodle while you sip! The place has plenty of space and a unique vibe, with an inviting ambiance that’s great for chilling with friends. We ordered two slices of cake — the Tiramisu with alcohol and a gluten-free orange cake, paired with a small hot coffee and an iced chocolate. The total? Around RM87, which definitely made us raise an eyebrow. It’s steep, especially for casual dessert and drinks. That said, the Tiramisu was fantastic, especially if you enjoy the boozy kick. The orange cake was decent, but nothing too special. The garden porch at the back seemed a bit abandoned, which was a slight letdown, though the overall vibe of the place remained pleasant. Despite the price, we had a good experience and appreciated the friendly hospitality. Final thoughts? If you’re a die-hard Tiramisu lover, it’s worth a try — but be prepared to pay a premium. Still, a lovely spot for the occasional treat.

The cake is nice specially the Banana passionfruit cake very refreshing, the Tiramisu is signature must order. The rest okie only. We order 2 spaghetti one vegan and one pesto chicken but taste is not Pesto more like assam laksa taste 😜😜😜(maybe is their own specialist). Price is on high side be prepare for exclusive price. Exclusive price but lousy service specially a lady in short hair super rude like do not welcome any guest (cause not just to our table is to all guests). Be prepare to pay 5*++ price no star service 🤭🤭🤭 oh one last thing never never never order the Lime juice (@RM 10++ per glass tase like drinking water only) super super super disappointed.

I had high hopes for this cafe, but unfortunately, my experience left a lot to be desired. First off, the service was incredibly slow. I waited over 20 minutes for a coffee. The staff didn’t seem very engaged, and it was clear they weren’t prioritizing customers. The coffee, which I was expecting to be the highlight, was lukewarm and bland. For a place that prides itself on its brews, this was a major letdown. The ambiance was also disappointing. The seating was uncomfortable, and the overall vibe didn’t feel very welcoming. It was crowded and noisy, which made it hard to relax and enjoy my drink. To top it off, the prices felt way too high for what I received. There are plenty of other cafes nearby that offer much better value. Sadly, I won’t be returning. I hope they take some time to address these issues. If I can give zero star, I would. p/s; Don’t order for the big breakfast. It’s probably the worst bb I’ve ever had in my whole entire life. No explanation needed!

The ambiance of the place is really charming, with its lovely mix of traditional and modern decor. It has a cozy yet vibrant atmosphere that's perfect for a casual outing. Service was friendly and attentive, which made the experience even better. The staff was quick to help with recommendations and ensured we had everything we needed without being overly intrusive. It's a perfect place to relax and enjoy some dessert. Overall, a great place to enjoy good food in a warm atmosphere!

China House in Penang is always a must-visit for me! I absolutely love their cakes — every one I’ve tried has been delicious, and the variety is amazing. The atmosphere is cozy and vibrant, perfect for relaxing or catching up with friends. I always make sure to stop by whenever I’m in Penang — it never disappoints! 🍰☕✨

It wasn't what it used to be! It is now CRIMINALLY OVERPRICED! Firstly, the lady at the dessert counter - She is rude against the customer and her own team. It is not wrong to ask the ingredient of a cake as some might have allergies or preferences. Her response to both the waiter and the customer: "Isn't that obvious?" Secondly, the big breakfast. RM44 for one, excluding tax and charge. The ingredients used are subpar. The protein tasted funny with a stench. Not to mention the bread, the omelette, the mashed potatoes are badly made. Lastly the desserts, the owner is trying to justify the exorbitant price with their unusually enormous slice of cake - No one eats a single cake with that size. The only thing that brings the service up to 3 Stars is the guy who served us; He tried his best. No wonder there are no more waiting period for the table - The whole operation has just scares every one away.

Love this place, its artsy and serves reallyy good tiramisu (with alcohol) U can doodle on the table, theres a small art exhibition upstairs n a souvenir shop with a lot of cute vintage stuff

The desserts are beautifully presented and absolutely delicious — perfectly balanced in taste and texture. The place has a cozy yet happening vibe (a little noisy at times, but that’s part of the fun 😂), making it a great spot to hang out with friends or family. Definitely worth coming back for both the atmosphere and the sweet treats! 🍰✨

I had a monstrous slice of tiramisu here and it was one of my favorite desserts in Malaysia. The cake was bigger than my hand but not too sweet nor heavy--a perfect afternoon snack. The candied walnuts were also a nice touch.

This is the perfect place to grab a drink and enjoy some live music in the Canteen side of the venue. From what I gather, this is a restaurant, tea house, bar, and music venue all in one. The drinks were fantastic and bartenders were very friendly. Rotating bands throughout the week nights - overall a great way to end the night in Penang.

A really cute place by Penang Street to relax, have some tea/wine, look at art and enjoy one of their many cakes! I came around little before lunch and it was a little busy, but not too much to deter me. I ended up sharing a slice of tiramisu and rock tea. OOOH this cake is SOOO good! Not too sweet, bouncy, with bits of coffee and chocolate. I loved this one. The rock tea was also great. I had to wait a bit for the tea to seep, but it came in a cute pot and glass. Each table is also covered with paper and crayons so you can draw/get creative while you wait!

Excellent everything here! Why it isn't 5s across the top is unclear to me. The atmosphere is unlike anywhere else I've been as far as coffee/tea houses go. Services was prompt and we were immediately seated and attended to. And then there are the cakes and desserts! Before that I had the bento box and It was absolutely delicious. Highly recommended.

Great food loved the sea bass. Love the vibe and the entire layout. Many choices for food and drink.

The good- live DJ. Good jams. Interesting art exhibits of local artists. As for the food, the mediocre desserts are not too sweet. Ok drinks. Service could be greatly improved. Essentially, you wait forever before you get a menu, your order is taken and kitchen to table service. Let's not even talk about how long it takes to get the bill.

A place we will remember, for sure. The wait was short, the cakes delicious, jasmin tea and juices as you would expect. We sat in the back room, which is relatively quiet. The fifth star would be given if prices were lower and service just a bit more personal. There are a lot of people and a lot of staff in the cafe. Possibly the experience wouldn't be the same with less chaos, but nevertheless you can get the feeling that you are a bit ... well, in the way. Next time in Penang, we will probably be back.

Right by Armenian street is this coffee house. It spans 2 colonial shop lots and host several distinctive spaces inside, all adorned with quirky wall art. They serve coffee, pastry, lunch, dinner , a wine bar and a full bar with musicians in the back. Some anytime of the day to eat and chill. Do not miss the The Great Monkey sage wall art in the back. A hidden piece not listed in the Armenian street wall art collection!

Great selection of cakes and beverages, in a shophouse with a really cute interior and a kitschy shop upstairs. It was let down by its poor service. On our first visit, nobody attended to us for 20 minutes. This outfit basically has a selection of say 30 cakes, and they slice it upon request/order. Our cake took at least 15 minutes to come, followed by beverages about 5 minutes into the cake. I suppose they are under-staffed and the popularity and IG-worthiness of this joint doesn't help. Would return, but take note you'll have to wait.

Hidden gem to find in Penang. Experience the good-old-times interiors of a traditional long shophouse and check out their interesting rows of cakes to choose from! Nice place to chill after exploring Penang streets and tourist spots. Personally liked their tiramisu, and it's with alcohol! Every layer of the cake is a bliss, especially the fresh light coffee cream. Though stuff on the menu are pricier than the normal cafes out there, it's a good experience I had with friend and will definitely recommend this place to others.

Nice cake and drink, beautiful decoration but nothing is special. Quite expensive for budget travellers who want to enjoy local dishes. When I came, it was quite crowded but I needed to wait only around 5 mins. Good service. Service charge applied :(

The food is good but this place is a complete and total rip off. Apparently they call this a liter (carafe) of sangria and charge 128 RM which is 32$ in USD. There were three of us and we barely got 3 glasses out of this "carafe". As you can tell the liter Mark is at the TOP of the glass and this carafe was barely half way full. I asked them to change this to 3 glasses of sangria instead @ 28 RM each (7$ usd) of which they did not. Don't spend your money here and this place should be ashamed. I will never come back here and will advise everyone to avoid. Worst place I have been in Penang to date.

Awesome little bakery/tea house in the middle of Georgetown. We came in for the live music actually, but it was so crowded we decided to just enjoy desserts in the bakery. They offer tons of books, magazines, and games. Crayons are also offered at every table so you can definitely lose yourself in time here. And both desserts and teas are good.

The recent surge of growth and development in Penang provided favourable conditions for entrepreneurs to do their thing, and this has resulted in the many independent businesses we hear about today. ChinaHouse has become some sort of an icon representing the current "scene" in Penang, and is one of the most famous spots in the Georgetown heritage area. ChinaHouse is a cafe, gallery, event space, bar, restaurant and bakery rolled into one, occupying three beautiful heritage buildings offering a variety of food and drinks to the many guests who visit daily. While it may be a pain to get a spot during weekends and peak hours, the experience is very worthwhile. ChinaHouse serves a wide variety of cakes and their Tiramisu comes highly recommended. Coffee is decent while the food is well above average. It is also worth spending some time to explore the entire space, where you will find many Instagramable spots along the way. For those visiting in the late afternoon on weekends, skip the crowd at the cafe and restaurant. Go for The Canteen instead, which is located at the rear end of the cafe behind the open air courtyard. Get your cakes brought over from the cafe, kick back with a few beers and enjoy some quality live music.

Nice artsy spot for grabbing dinner, desserts, brunch or even a cup of coffee. The space is huge with each section having a different theme. Chill at the Canteen which is loud and cheerful with live music or sit by the quaint Chinese lanterns and pool under the tree or grab a table by the fabulous spread of delectable pastries and cakes. The place stays open late but the kitchen closes by 10. Unfortunately we could not make it in time to be served dinner but we enjoyed the visit and hoped to come back. There is also a fine dining room which you need to make reservations to dine in. Unfortunately we were too casually dressed and also did not make a reservation so we were denied entry :/ Definitely a must visit for tourists!

Service level was a major turn off. The lady in charged of slicing the cakes seems unwilling, and gives a v negative aura. Service was slow, you are better off walking up to counters ordering and waiting for your food. Cake selection was amazing, sadly, the cake don't live up to the expectation. We ordered 4 diff slices, only tiramisu was on mark. Red velvet was too moist, vanilla cup cake tasted like those factory made u buy in a pack of 4 from mama shop. Chocolate cake was a huge disappointment. I would say this place is NOT worth visiting. I do like the cafe deco, I would recommend u to come in for a look ( most likely you will be ignored as service staff walks by u) but take your business somewhere else. There are many better food and service cafes across the road.

Wow the amount of different cake options here is crazy! The tiramisu and salted Carmel cheesecake are bomb. Definitely don't get the mint chocolate cake, the frosting is hard and taste like minty butter. Otherwise nice place :)

Great coffee spot with free wifi and an incredible array of cakes! There is plenty of seating, a small gallery upstairs, and at night has live music, drinks, and a full dinner menu

Great atmosphere, beautiful tea house. They even allowed us to doodle on the table while waiting for our cake to be served. The italian cream cake we ordered was delicious. There are plenty of cakes to choose from. Definitely a good spot for tea.

I just stopped in here for dessert after dinner elsewhere. The decor is good and there is AC. There is music but it isn't overly loud and the clientele isn't either (at least at this hour, 7 to 8 pm). Nice and relaxing. I had the salted Carmel cheese cake and an iced latte. The cheese cake was good but not great. The latte was slightly bitter.

Amazing salted caramel cheesecake. And snickers cheesecake. And every other flavour cake you could possibly dream of on one big table. Goodbye new years resolutions. Hello sugar. Welcome to China House, you open the door and it just keeps going and going and going.. Not only do they serve great food, coffee and cakes but also the customer service is fantastic. They also have live music playing in the Canteen at night so be sure to grab a seat early. Worth visiting while in Penang.

The building itself is located in the heritage district and it's a renovated old house. It's what's called a longhouse in Malaysia. Very cool architecture. There is a restaurant, a bar, and a bakery. It's a combination of both Malaysian and American cuisine. Once finished dinner, you can walk outside and go into another historic district. It's where the famous Malaysian picture of two children on a bicycle is. Very cool restaurant.

Decent cakes but terribly snobbish staff and poor service..come here if u like being treated with an attitude

Other then the cakes were nice, everything else we're normal. The place was unhygienic, the service was bad. As I went on a Saturday night, the place was overly crowded, and I had to wait for a staff for 20 minutes.

Cool café with good cakes. Tables in the back are nicer, as the front is kinda cramped. Service can be glacially slow at lunch (waited 55 mins for a small pizza...). Also, wifi doesn't work, despite the staff saying to try again. So couldnt get an uber back. It's become "the" hipster place in Penang I've the last year or so.

This place is just amazing! Cakes galore and interesting tea. The carrot cake. So moist! Loved the arts on the walls and the opportunity to draw some stuff myself!

Went for a drink in the evening on a weekday and it was dead. The band playing wasnt good either. Was surprised at how expensive the drinks were. A bottle of hoegarden was 27 myr! For comparison you can get a mojito for 30 at E&O. We left disappointed so wouldn't recommend going here. Maybe the cakes are better and that's the hype?

Food was good and they have a huge variety of cakes and beverages. However, I felt like the place was a rip-off. Overpriced and service was a little slow.

Great atmosphere, great food, friendly staff and live music in the back starting at 9:30pm each night. They change the bands every week. Some fantastic stuff!