The old Chinese quarter of Padang, known as Pondok, stretches along the waterfront south of the main port area. The shophouses here — two and three storeys of colonial-era Chinese commercial architecture in faded ochres and greens — line the narrow streets that run between the waterfront road and the market area behind.
The area is still a working commercial district rather than a tourist quarter, which gives it an authentic, unhurried character. The street food in the evening is particularly good — noodle soups, Chinese-Malay hybrid dishes, and fresh seafood grilled on small charcoal braziers along the waterfront. Worth an hour or two in the late afternoon when the light is good and the traders start setting up their evening stalls.