Unknown Cafe

Muslim-friendly, Pork-free

Tucked away in the bustling streets of Georgetown, Penang is a hidden gem – Unknown Cafe. We stumbled upon this cafe by chance when we were looking for a bite and was curious what was the signage with a ‘u’ logo about.

Photos credit: Unknown Cafe

The outside of the cafe has a very minimalistic outlook to it and the interior of the cafe is also minimal yet charming with a rustic design. The atmosphere is cozy and inviting, making it the perfect place to relax and unwind after a day of exploring the city.

The Beverages

One of the highlights of Unknown Cafe is their coffee brewed from high-quality beans sourced from local roasters. The baristas are skilled in their craft and are happy to provide recommendations based on your preferences. Whether you prefer a café latte, cappuccino, or a pour-over, you can be sure that your coffee will be made to perfection.

Aside from their coffee, Unknown Cafe also offers a variety of delicious and colourful drinks like their fancy Korean inspired mocktails and smoothies.

We couldn’t help but try their mocktails as it looked too pretty! We got the Caribbean Ocean – concoction of Blue Ocean Curacao syrup, rose syrup and lemonade. Verdict? Definitely has beach vibes and was a fun drink as we got to pour the lemonade from a beaker into our glass of syrup mix.

We also tried the mocktail named Taeyeon’s (Inspired by SNSD’s Taeyeon we suspect) – passionfruit puree with lychee fruit, grenadine syrup and soda water. The rim of the glass was dipped in salt like how they do for margaritas and it was delicious and refreshing!

The Food

They have a wide range of dishes such as quesadillas, salads, soup, pasta, donburi, pizza and classic western cuisine such as fish & chips, chicken chop and such. Here’s what we got: Creamy Mushroom Soup, Catch of The Day – golden crispy fried Alaskan pollock fish fillet with cajun fries, Chicken Bacon Carbonara, Shrimps & Mushroom Pesto pasta, Chicken Bacon Quesadilla and Tater Tots Hash Browns.

Chicken Bacon Quesadilla at Unknown Cafe

The soup is a must try! Super creamy and thick, not your pre-made powder mix soup or any of that canned stuff. It’s a blend of fresh mushrooms and onions that makes it so, so good and earthy. It is quite filling as well so we recommend to share it if you want to try more of their other food. The quesadilla we had was alright to be honest. It tasted like a breakfast quesadilla with scrambled eggs with Swiss gouda and cheddar cheese with some tartar sauce as dip.

Shrimps & Mushroom Pesto at Unknown Cafe

For the pasta dishes we got, the carbonara was quite delicious but it’s sadly not the traditional carbonara where it’s made of egg yolks and grated Pecorino Romano. Their version of the carbonara is a cream based hybrid which we call the British Carbonara. On the other hand, their pesto pasta was deliciously herby and earthy – the fresh cherry tomatoes makes gives the pasta a fresh twist.

The prices at Unknown Cafe are reasonable, making it an affordable option for those on a budget. The classic fish & chips is a dish that is hard to disappoint and surprisingly the portion was rather big and filling. While most places tend to use the Dory fish fillet, we are quite happy the chefs chose to use the Alaskan pollock instead that made the meal much more satisfying.

On the whole, its a great place to visit if you’re looking for a quiet spot to enjoy a delicious cup of coffee or a light meal. And if you’re not in Georgetown, they have a new outlet opened as of January 2023 at The Queens Waterfront!