If you like to really experience a place instead of being cooked up in a tourist-class restaurant, then be sure to try the hawker stalls in Malaysia. You will feel like you got more of an experience out of your trip, and the cost will be 75% less. The food in northern Malaysia can be a bit spicy for some, though, so beware. If you don’t care for or can’t handle spicy food, just seek out a Chinese eatery. Most Chinese places have food that is low in the spicy chilies that are typically found in northern Malay food.
There are several good Chinese places all around downtown Kuah, and you can’t go wrong with any of them. The one we chose was about one mile east of the pier, along the main road. They had a wide variety of foods from noodles, rice, and meat dishes to make your own soup choice. They would basically custom-prepare whatever you wanted. Just choose your meat, your vegetables, and whatever else you wanted, and they would prepare it for you. The food was excellent, and since it was located on the waterfront, you had a wonderful view and a nice breeze coming off the ocean.
There are numerous hawkers around Langkawi, and you really can't go wrong with any of them. If this is your only stop in Malaysia, be sure to seek out "satay". I prefer the Malaysian satay to its Indonesian or Thai counterparts and could eat it until I exploded, it's so good. Satay runs about RM 50 sens a stick, so just trying it won’t cost you too much. You can find it literally everywhere, as most people love it. It comes as chicken, beef, and some places offer other specialties such as lamb, chicken butt (I’m serious), and other meats. It is served with a peanut sauce and many times with cucumber slices and balls of rice.
If you go to the night market in Kuah, you will find 10-20 places serving a good satay, and it’s a must-try before leaving Malaysia. It may not be the best satay in all of Malaysia--you have to go to Kajang for that--but it's still an excellent treat.