Kapitan Restaurant: Must Eat Tandoori Chicken in Penang

Who else loves tandoori chicken?

One of the many legendary restaurants in Penang is Restoran Kapitan.

While they serve a full menu of curries, nasi kandar, things grilled and roasted, and all sorts of other Indian dishes, they are mainly famous for their claypot biryani, and for their tandoori chicken and naan.

On a day of sightseeing in Penang (video), I stopped in for their tandoori chicken, and it didn’t disappoint…

Ying and I arrived to Kapitan Restaurant just after 12 noon, and since we had been doing a lot of walking around and exploring in the morning, we were very hungry.

I wanted to sit down and order a selection of different curries along with tandoori chicken, but unfortunately our waiter said the curries weren’t being served yet at the time we arrived.

So he mentioned we could either have the nasi kandar (a variety of pre-made curries at the front of the restaurant, also check out this blog post) or just go with the tandoori chicken, served with either naan or with a claypot biryani.

Since I had eaten rice for nearly all meals previously, as much as I wanted to try the claypot biryani, my wife and I both decided to go for the tandoori chicken and naan combo.

My platter of naan and tandoori chicken took a few minutes to arrive, but when it was delivered, it was hot and fresh – right out of the tandoor.

The plate came with 1 piece of chicken and as soon as it arrived I knew it wasn’t going to be enough. So before digging in, I immediately called our waiter over and ordered an extra piece of chicken.

The tandoori chicken came served with a fresh piece of naan, a side of sliced red onions and a wedge of lime, and with a dipping sauce of daal in one position on the tray and a green minty sauce in the other section.

Although it may look a little dry from the photos – which the tandoori chicken style is always a kind of a dry style of roasted chicken – it was actually one of the most moist and flavor packed version of tandoori chicken I’ve ever had.

The tandoori chicken had the perfect saltiness, with just subtle flavors of dry spices and the yoghurt marinade.

When I was traveling in Northern India, I had some amazing tandoori chicken, and the chicken at Kapitan Restaurant in Penang was equally as good.

Here’s our receipt for out total bill at Kapitan Restaurant.

We had 3 pieces of tandoori chicken, 2 pieces of naan, and a big bottle of water. Our total bill came to 27 MYR ($7.20).

Unfortunately I didn’t get to try the claypot biryani at Kapitan Restaurant, and nor did I get to sample any of the curries on their extensive menu, but I did have some fantastic tandoori chicken that I would highly recommend to anyone.

things to do in Penang, Malaysia — Walking through the streets of Penang, Malaysia

Walking down the street after finishing off our tandoori chicken and naan platters, I only wished I would have ordered 3 or 4 pieces of chicken.

It was that good.

Conclusion

Among the list of famous restaurants in Penang, Malaysia, located in Little India of George Town, is Restoran Kapitan, specializing in claypot biryani and tandoori chicken.

After walking around George Town in the morning, my wife Ying and I were ready to sit down and have lunch. We ordered a couple pieces of tandoori chicken and naan.

The naan was fluffy and fresh, and the tandoori chicken was incredibly flavorful – some of the best tandoori chicken I’ve ever had.

Kapitan Restaurant is famous for their tandoori chicken and it lives up to its name.

Kapitan Restaurant – Penang, Malaysia

Address: 93 Lebuh Chulia, George Town, Penang Island 10200 , Malaysia
Open hours: 24 hours, but they may or may not offer everything on the menu at all times of the day
Prices: Tandoori chicken is 7 MYR per piece, our total bill for 2 came to 27 MYR ($7.20)
How to get there: Kapitan Restaurant is located right on the corner of Lebuh Chulia and Lebuh King, just a block over from Kapitan Keling Mosque. When I was in Penang, my wife and I stayed at Armenian Heritage Hotel* and it was just a 5 minute walk from there.

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