Ba Jia Yi Chinese Cuisine Bar: A Hidden 2nd-Floor Bar in Penang with a Live Band and Proper Food

Finding a spot in Penang where you can eat well, drink well and still catch live music on the same night is not impossible, but it isn't easy either. That night we walked into Ba Jia Yi, a Chinese cuisine bar hidden on the 2nd floor. There is no grand shopfront here, just an atmosphere that makes you want to stay and honest home-style Chinese cooking. Here's how the evening went.

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▎The space

➜ Up on the 2nd floor: hidden away, and very photogenic

Ba Jia Yi sits on the 2nd floor, and from the street you'd never guess what's up there. Climb the stairs and it opens up. The layout is comfortable, the mood is warm, and the Chinese-style decor paired with the lighting means almost any angle photographs well — good news if you like documenting your meals.

➜ The live band gives the night its warmth

There was a live band playing that night, never loud enough to talk over, just right for the rhythm of a conversation. The music gave the room another dimension, that “let's sit down and eat properly together” feeling. The mood was fully there.

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▎What we ate

➜ 🍆 Minced Pork with Eggplant

• Price: RM12

• Verdict: the biggest surprise of the meal. The eggplant is soft and fully soaked in flavour, with the savoury minced pork worked right through it. With white rice it's one spoonful after another and hard to stop. It's cheap too, so the value is excellent. Order this one.

➜ 🐔 Dry Pot Chicken

• Price: RM18

• Verdict: the dry pot aroma lands properly, the chicken is well seasoned, and there's a hint of char from the wok. The flavour is solid and it works with rice or with beer — the kind of home-style dish that keeps you reaching for another piece.

➜ 🦐 Xia Che Pi (Prawn Dumplings)

• Price: RM15

• Verdict: fun name, and what arrives at the table is dumplings. Thin skins, generous filling, and the sweetness of the prawn comes through nicely with a bouncy bite. Better than we expected. The name may throw you off; the taste won't.

➜ 🍷 Da Zhan Hong Tu

• Price: RM58

• Verdict: a gin-based signature cocktail. The opening is sweet and fruity, it goes down smooth, and the alcohol is there without biting. Raising this glass with the live band playing, somehow it really did feel like the “great things ahead” the name promises. Good for two people to share over a long chat.

➜ 🍝 Wu Di Ban Mian (Tossed Noodles)

• Price: RM10

• Verdict: the noodles themselves taste good — a rich savoury sauce and a proper chew. The one shortcoming is that it turns a little oily towards the end, so pair it with something refreshing to drink, or save it for last to balance the meal.

➜ 🍗 Popcorn Chicken

• Price: RM15

• Verdict: crisp on the outside, evenly fried, and the chicken stays tender. A good choice to go with drinks. Popcorn chicken while the band plays is a combination with nothing wrong with it.

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▎Final thoughts

For us, Ba Jia Yi isn't just another tick on a Penang bar list. It's more like a place where you can leave a tiring work day at the door. Head up to the 2nd floor, order some food, pour a drink, let the band start, and you feel yourself loosen up.

The food is genuinely good value — the plain, rice-friendly satisfaction of that minced pork with eggplant beats a lot of carefully plated dishes. The drinks have imagination: Da Zhan Hong Tu isn't one of those puzzling cocktails that make you frown, it's easy to drink, easy to photograph and easy to talk over. And the atmosphere earns its keep — not noisy, never flat, just right.

If we had one suggestion, it's to order the tossed noodles alongside a refreshing drink to keep things balanced. The space is also small, so book ahead or come early on busy nights.

#“These comments reflect our own taste and are not meant as a universal standard. We'd suggest going yourself to experience the flavour journey that belongs only to you.”

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▎Visit guide

Location Name: Ba Jia Yi Chinese Cuisine Bar

Location: 5-1-21, The Promenade, 5, Persiaran Mahsuri, Bandar Bayan Baru, 11950 Bayan Lepas, Penang

A quick note: the bar is on the 2nd floor, and parking around The Promenade is easy.

Opening Hours: 15:00 – 02:00 (open daily)

Restaurant location and nearby parking

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