Restaurant in George Town, Malaysia
Michelin-noted small eats, waterfront, $ price.
A Michelin Plate winner for two consecutive years at a single-dollar price point, The Pinn is one of George Town's most compelling morning stops. The homemade mackerel fish balls are the draw, and the broader menu of Malaysian-Chinese small eats, dumplings, and regional titbits is tight and well-executed. Walk-in only, no booking needed, and worth every ringgit.
If you are in George Town on a morning when the waterfront air is cool and the jetty crowds have not yet arrived, The Pinn is the right call for a light, considered meal that costs almost nothing. Opposite Lee Jetty on Pengkalan Weld, this small-eats spot earned a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025, which for a single-dollar price tier is a meaningful signal: the kitchen is doing something right. The verdict is direct — book it, or more accurately, just show up.
The menu is compact. The Pinn specialises in Malaysian-Chinese small eats, dumplings, and a handful of Taiwanese and Indonesian dishes that give the menu a wider regional reach than most stalls of this type. The standout item is the homemade mackerel fish ball, made in-house and available with noodles if you want to turn a snack into a full meal. The flavour profile skews sweet, which is deliberate — the kitchen is cooking for local tastebuds, and that calibration is part of the authenticity. If you prefer savoury-forward dishes, keep that in mind when you order.
The room matches the menu: small and purposeful. The 2023 relocation to Pengkalan Weld gave The Pinn a waterfront-adjacent position that suits the format well. You are not here for a long sit-down experience , you are here for food that is considered, fairly priced, and backed by two consecutive years of Michelin recognition. A Google rating of 4.6 from 189 reviews adds a layer of public confidence that the Michelin Plate alone might not convey.
George Town's mornings are the right frame for The Pinn. The Pengkalan Weld waterfront is cooler and quieter earlier in the day, and the small-eats format fits a breakfast or brunch rhythm better than a long dinner. Weekday mornings are your leading option for a relaxed visit; the area around the jetties draws more foot traffic on weekends, particularly from tourists exploring the UNESCO heritage zone. If you are planning a morning around George Town's street-food circuit, The Pinn pairs well with a walk along the clan jetties before the heat builds.
For context on timing your wider George Town trip, see our full George Town restaurants guide, our full George Town bars guide, and our full George Town hotels guide.
No booking is required. The Pinn operates as a walk-in venue, which is the norm for this category in George Town. Booking difficulty is rated Easy. Address: 58, Pengkalan Weld, George Town, 10300, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. No website or phone number is available in our current data, so plan to walk in.
Quick reference: Walk-in only | Price range: $ | Michelin Plate 2024 & 2025 | Google 4.6 (189 reviews)
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Pinn | $ | Easy | — |
| Au Jardin | $$$ | Unknown | — |
| Auntie Gaik Lean's Old School Eatery | $$ | Unknown | — |
| Ah Boy Koay Teow Th'ng | $ | Unknown | — |
| Aria | Unknown | — | |
| Moh Teng Pheow Nyonya Koay | $ | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between The Pinn and alternatives.
The Pinn does not operate a tasting menu format. It is a small-eats venue with a compact à la carte selection of Malaysian-Chinese dishes, dumplings, and a few Taiwanese and Indonesian options. Order the homemade mackerel fish balls and add noodles to build a full meal. At $ pricing, the format suits grazing rather than a structured multi-course sit-down.
Not in the celebratory sense. The Pinn holds a Michelin Plate (2024 and 2025), which confirms kitchen credibility, but the setting opposite Lee Jetty and the $ price point put this firmly in the casual waterfront-meal category. For a milestone dinner in George Town, Au Jardin or Aria will fit the occasion better. The Pinn is the right call when the occasion is a genuinely good plate of food without fuss.
The homemade mackerel fish balls are the house speciality and the reason most regulars return. Add noodles to make it a complete meal. The menu also covers Malaysian-Chinese small eats, dumplings, and Taiwanese and Indonesian titbits. Note that the kitchen leans slightly sweet to match local preferences, so adjust expectations if you prefer a more savoury profile.
Yes, and it may actually be the ideal format here. The small-eats menu is structured so a single diner can order the fish balls plus noodles without waste or over-ordering. Walk-in access means no coordination required. At $ pricing, solo dining at The Pinn is one of the lowest-friction, highest-value meals available on the Pengkalan Weld waterfront.
Seating specifics are not documented in available venue data, and The Pinn relocated to its current spot opposite Lee Jetty in 2023, so the interior layout may differ from older references. Given the small-eats format and $ price point, expect counter or casual table seating rather than a bar setup. Walk in and assess on arrival — no reservation is needed.
At $ pricing with two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions (2024 and 2025), The Pinn delivers strong value. The menu is narrow by design, but the mackerel fish balls with noodles represent a complete, quality-verified meal for a fraction of what comparable credentialed spots charge. If you want more breadth, you will need to look elsewhere — but on a per-dish basis, this is hard to beat in George Town.
For Nyonya cooking, Auntie Gaik Lean's Old School Eatery and Moh Teng Pheow Nyonya Koay are the direct comparisons at a similar casual register. Ah Boy Koay Teow Th'ng is the go-to if you want a noodle-forward meal rather than small eats and fish balls. If you are considering stepping up in formality and price, Au Jardin and Aria operate in a different category entirely — sit-down, higher spend, occasion dining rather than waterfront snacking.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
