Penang Malaysian Cuisine & Sushi Bar
Categories: Chinese, Sushi Bars, Asian Fusion, Malaysian [Edit]
Neighborhood: Chinatown2201 S Wentworth Ave
(between 22nd Pl & Cermak Rd)
Chicago, IL 60616 (312) 326-6889
- Nearest Transit:
Cermak-Chinatown (Red)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
49 reviews
Neighborhood: Near North Side
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43 Reviews for Penang Malaysian Cuisine & Sushi Bar
Freakishly fast delivery and good food to boot. I especially love the wonton soup and the pot stickers. If you add a box of plain white rice to the soup you have a great light meal! Perfect for those times you just want to lounge around in your PJ's and watch TV.
The shaky banana is awesome....pour in some rum and you have a decadent alcoholic concoction.
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We had the golden crab legs???(I think that is what they were called? for the appetizers, very bland and hard to eat, don't get it!
Had the Pad Thai as my meal, it was ok, I ate all of it bec I was starving but I don't think I would get that again....
my bf had the beef rendang, which he liked a lot.
I don't know what I would get if I went there again...
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It was a watermelon smoothie with pearls.
It was crafted by a goddess who had temporarily taken the form of a friendly Penang employee in order to expose the transcendent deliciousness immanent in watermelons, heretofore overlooked by humankind.
And you, pitiable unbelievers, think I am joking.
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Good stuff.
I always get their homemade roti canai (naan type pancake with curry chicken dip) and malaysian buddhist delight. Their chicken in the roti canai is so tender and the dip with the pancake is soooo good. The tofu and all the other stuff in there is so tender too! Yum! It's a good change if you don't feel like chinese food when going to chinatown. Also get the yum pot. Good crispy taro. yum.
I've been here the last two years for Chinese New Year. We usually all meet up here and eventually return in some sort of "Drunken Trouble in Little China" mode. The staff is genuinely friendly and they compensate for the less than average food.
It's a good staging point if you want to hang out and watch the parade without having to deal with the bitter cold.
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Yeeee-hea boy...take a break from Chinese food and get yourself some sweet Malaysian....expect pineapples and citrus flavors thrown in with your favorite chili and curries....i never ate in, but take out is fast and plentiful. It's especially convenient when you are drinking at the bar above the restaurant!
P.S. THEY ARE OPEN UNTIL 1AM! WOO
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Every year- we head to Chinatown to help celebrate the Chinese New Year and to watch the parade. We start our day and end our day at Penang as it sits at the gateway to Chinatown and in between, we do a bit of a "Chinese Pub crawl" going from place to place sampling their specialty drinks.
We ate at Penang on this blustery Sunday- in fact- it was so cold out that every time someone else came into the restaurant- you could see your breath inside the place. That's how cold it was and we were INSIDE! More hot tea, please!
We ordered the chicken satay for our appetizer and each had the Pad Thai for our entree. The chicken satay was good, with a very authentic peanut sauce served on the side. The Pad Thai was huge (we probably could have split one order between the two of us) but it was good with shrimp, chicken, and tofu. It had the customary peanuts crushed over the top and a lime to squeeze over it all. Our server warned us of the spiciness of the dish but it didn't seem spicy to me. Of course, it could have been the multitude of TsingTao beers that we were drinking! (get the large ones when asked. They are huge!)
For as slow as this place was- the service was not good- although it did pick up when another friend joined us and we changed tables. She got her food right away and they seemed to find their cadence with making sure our drinks were never empty at that point.
On our return back at the end of our journey through Chinatown- they bought us some sake (it was hot which hit the spot after wandering the very cold streets!) The bartender who waited on us on our return visit was great- regaling us with stories and inviting us to come back.
Penang is a bit of a dive (it has a tiki hut decor for some reason) but if you go with the right attitude you'll leave with a full stomach and some interesting stories told by a very entertaining bartender. Oh- and you'll have no problem finding the women's room. It's the one with the two coconuts on the door!
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Except for a few items, the food quality is mediocre at best. When they first opened several years ago things tasted much better then. Perhaps the cooks got tired?
I like the Roti Canai (pronounced cha-nai; fluffy flatbread) and the accompanying curry dipping sauce is not bad. The curry noodle is pretty good - you see a layer of chili oil floating, signaling authenticity. Their version of Pulut Hitam, a warm dessert made from glutinous rice and coconut milk, is done right.
The rest of the menu items are between average and offensive. Rice dishes such as Nasi Lemak (coconut rice with meat curry) is okay, and stir-fried noodles are just lousy. Worst thing I've had? Their Cendol (pronouced chen-dole, a cold dessert) is just repulsive. The green "noodle" was still freakin' frozen when they served it. Hello!
Want a taste of good Malaysian fare? Go to Asian Noodle House in Schaumburg. You'll be much better off there.
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Imagine a humid summer day and you've just walked 2 miles to your hotel, after having been on a train for 3 hours, traveling from a nearby city. You're in Chicago, baby, and you're starving! After checking in to your hotel, you immediately need food. Hello, Penang. What a welcome oasis!
The lunch menu looked incredibly appetizing. I tried their simple cucumber roll for a refreshing taste, as well as devoured their cabbage soup. When I was done with mine, I ate my friend's.
Our entrees were quick to come our tables, and we devoured every last noodle. The service was friendly and fast. When we confessed to being in town for Lollapalooza, our waiter was quick to give us tips and tricks to finding the L and Grant Park. Very nice of him!
Maybe it was because I was super hungry. Maybe it was because I was in Chicago for a fantastic music festival. Whatever the case, Penang was great! I'd definitely recommend this place for residents and visitors to Chicago, especially if you are in the Chinatown area anyway!
Let's just say that I've had better.
A friend took us here on a cold cold coooooooollllddd Chicago night and I was just so happy to be inside. The place is pretty big -- accommodates well for large parties if you want to have an outing with tons of buds. The services here is mediocre -- nothing too great to rave about but nothing bad to say either. Same goes with the food. I just noticed that their noodle dishes were pretty damn salty.
Oh and I'm a big Thai iced tea fan but they didn't have it so minus 1 for them.
"I want roti canai and I want it now! " When that voice in my head gets loud and insistent, you know I'll be at Penang. This stuff is strangely addictive, with a great combination of soft roti and spicy curry sauce. I love Malaysian food, maybe because it combines the best of Chinese, Singaporean, and Indian cuisines, and these guys capture this with some great appetizers. The entrees, though, were a little lacking. Still, there is the roti canai...
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Meh. I've only come here when with friends that were either too drunk after the Sox game to walk to a good restaurant, or with very, very timid eaters. I've had worse food, sure, but I'm always underwhelmed by this place.
Food is okay - it is a chain, after all, and is somewhat pricey for Chinatown. I won't even talk about the drinks - tasty enough if you want a fruity drink, but ouchy in my wallet expensive. Usually packed with people who don't know any better, "Sure, honey, let's pack up the kids and visit China Town..oh, no, honey, it's perfectly safe, really. Really? You don't want to wander around? Well, okay, I guess we could just go this place on the corner, sure."
Maybe in another part of town I wouldn't be so harsh, but it really does suffer due to its proximity to any number of restaurants serving much better and less expensive food. Sure, they have Malaysian food, which is difficult to come by in Chicago, but it really is pretty meh. It's kind of like the Joy Yee's of Malaysian cuisine. It just isn't worth more than one trip.
That was fine. About once a year, Malaysian food is a nice change of pace, and Penang was just fine. We had a roti, a lamb dish, some vaguely Malay noodles (similar to a spicy pad Thai). The food was fun and fine, and the lamb especially was quite good in a sweet, spicy, cinnamon way. As my descriptions indicate, I'm not exactly an expert on Malay food, so take it for what its worth. Ir's a place I would consider taking out of town guests, especially if they're visiting from a town without its own Malay joint. It's an easy Chinatown destination for tourists, without lines, intimidating menus ... or Chinese food for that matter.
Sadly, their fruity drink selection was rather unimpressive. We had some plum wine instead. (B.t.w., there is a reason that plum wine has not caught on widely in the U.S.).
This place is a total gem in chinatown. It's one of the few, if not the only, Malaysian restaurants in Chicago, and it won't disappoint! Upon entering, you might think you're in a tiki hut, but don't worry, the cuisine is pretty authentic to its name regardless of the decor. The roti canai appetizer is killer awesome, order one per person, its THAT GOOD!! I recently tried the satay chicken which was very juicy and tender w/ a unique dipping sauce a little different than the typical peanut sauce at thai restaurants.
Other unique dishes to Penang that I love are the Hokkien Char Mee and Mee Goreng noodles. The noodles have a wonderful texture and include a great combination of meat, seafood and veggies. For entrees, the chili chicken and indian style chili chicken are delicious. The beef rendang is ridiculously tender and fragrant, also a must try!!
If you want something out of the ordinary in chinatown, this place is a must. Your stomach will be happy as can be!
Disclaimer: I was born and raised in Malaysia till I was 19. And I am a food snop.
It's not that great, for Malaysian cuisine's standard. Me and my friends used to go there for some Malaysian food fix but if you have had some original Malaysian cuisine before you wouldn't miss having it at this place.
Penang is a chain restaurants and all of them are the same old. I have had better at restaurants in cities that have higher population of Malaysians (SF, LA, CA, Houston) than Chicago.
If you absolute have to go there, get the fruit salad appetizer (Rojak) or the Roti Canai. The lamb curry or beef rendang are great too.
Just don't order sushi. Why would you? It is a Malaysian restaurant, not Japanese!
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I went here for a business lunch in the middle of the day. It was my second trip to China Town ever and I MUST go back soon. This place seemed authentic enough until I found it it is a CHAIN! Oh, the Chili's of China Town!
I had never had Malaysian food before and was ready for the adventure. Penang had a few large groups in for lunch which is always promising. The person I was with was one of those "adventurous/spontaneous eaters" who asked our unamused waiter what the three best dishes were. We ordered those "best of" dishes to share. The first was a curry beef dish I found to be well-seasoned but the beef was a little too mushy for my liking. The noodle-y dish we had was excellently spiced but there were shrimp fishing around in there and I despise seafood. Thankfully, that spice killed any nasty seafood after taste! The final dish was a chicken mango plate I found to be lovely - definitely the best of the three.
A pretty good place for lunch or dinner. I would go back to order at my own speed. Still, I think there are other places I need to try in Chinatown first.
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I'm a born and bred Singaporean and I used to come here because it's the only place in Chicago where I can get food that reminds me of home. My american roommate likes the roti canai and the beef rendang but I've had much much better for much less (back home, that is). In fact their curries always taste as though they were from a can and the quality of the meat they use is not very good considering the prices. I stopped going once I learnt how to cook my own Singaporean food.
The service staff are friendly and all from Malaysia or Indonesia (including the Chef himself) so it makes me wonder why the food isn't better.
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This place provides a good alternative to the Chinese fare in Chinatown. It is conveniently located across the street from the Red Line Chinatown stop and also the parking lot on Cermak (the restaurant will validate). And it's great for large groups since the space is large and round tables with lazy susans are plentiful.
The best things to get are the roti canai (Indian bread with curry chicken dipping sauce) for the meat-eaters and the stuffed tofu appetizer for the veggies. I had a squid curry, which was tasy. My friend had a leg of lamb or something that was eye-poppingly huge. have never tried the sushi here, so I won't speak to that. But I wouldn't come to a place like this for sushi anyway. While dining with a bigger group, I saw someone order the mango chicken. Tried the sauce--too sweet for my taste, but some people like that.
Anyway, it's a fun place with a wide variety of dishes to try. It's not unlike the other Penangs in their small chain that has restaurants in NYC and a few other places. They also have a full bar, with some irreistable fancy-umbrella-type drinks. It's fun, and I'm glad they're in the neighborhood.
Update: I've been here many more times since the first review. Recently, I brought a friend with whom I share the crispy eggplant--awesome!-- and the lemongrass fish (we chose sea bass) in a banana leaf. The flavors were wonderful. I feel more and more like you can't miss with the food here because you can't really get the same variety of Malaysian food anywhere else nearby.
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I have been to this place a few times, and the food is allright - I am writing to say I went there last night and the service was almost nonexistent. it was terrible. Terrible. No one even came to our table for like 15 minutes. We were just sitting there. I also heard this place got shut down recently for health violations. True? Wouldnt surprise me. The place seemed a bit decrepit last night. Anyway . . . the roti is still pretty good.
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I've been here several times, I love it. I tend to go late at night with a buddy. I believe those that come in groups would probably have a better time. They need more business, I like the place!!
I fell in love with the mango chicken! Good stuff! Gotta try it!! I wasn't too fond of some beef dish I once had...I guess I'm more of a chicken lover! They make the mango chicken very appealing ...I love it!!!!
I also love the "ice kacang" with the red rose syrup ..might be scary to see what you'd find in it, but it's good!!! "chendol" is pretty good too!
Awesome, friendly waiters, never had a bad experience there.
Not too pricey in my opinion, food is worth it!
Try a fruit shake with the pearls....i love it!
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They really lucked out being the only Malaysian restaurant in Chicago. Unfortunately they're a national chain and pretty weak at that. There isn't a single item on their menu that they make really great. Luckily it's still Malaysian food.
Roti canai is good, but it's one of those dishes you can't mess up or if you do, you really shouldn't serve food like bruschetta at an Italian restaurant or chips/salsa at a Mexican restaurant.
Here's my problem. The curries here are so bland compared to really authentic Malaysian food. The curry dishes should be stewed for a long time to really induce the heat to come out. Theirs obviously isn't done long enough because it just isn't that spicy. Really good Malaysian curry is stewed with hot peppers and is slow cooked so that it's like a slow burning firebomb.
They do offer up a variety of Malaysian food including my favorite chicken Hainanese which is steamed chicken with aromatics served with a light soy sauce infused with coconut oil. Another dish that's difficult to mess up and pretty standard at Malaysian restaurants.
Another favorite of mine that they offer up is skate wrapped in banana leaves steamed. Absolutely delicious.
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My girlfriend loves their Mango chicken. I ordered the Pad Thai and it was only so-so. Overall, the food is decent but the service is HORRIBLE. We came in on a Sunday at 2:30pm. There were about 10 other tables there with 4 waiters/waitresses. A waitress sat us down but didn't give us any menus. We waited almost 15 mins and had to literally shout at a waiter to get his attention and bring us the menus. I asked for 2 glasses of water that never got there. When the bill came, they charged us $.80 for a cup of rice. This is the first time I went to an Asian restaurant where they charged for rice (we did order the more special Hainamese rice, but we found out later it's $.50 for regular white rice).
Actually, that's 2 1/2 stars...
Not bad food... just not very authentic. Compared to all the Penangs I've been, certainly not even close to the best. However, we encountered the nicest server - 'coz he gave us free pulut hitam for dessert when he noticed we had hardly touched our order :)
We didn't eat a lot of our food partly 'coz it wasn't that good and partly 'coz we weren't exactly hungry. But I wasn't gonna' leave Chicago without going to try Penang so...
The one safe and always authentic tasting dish is the Cantonese seafood chow fun. Even served with pickled green chilli like they do back home (Singapore). Everything else, if you lower your expectations for curry, you would be less disappointed. Of course, if you don't cook any of this food at home or haven't had hawker food in eons, you might just find this place being able to satiate your cravings.
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I've been to the ones in New York, Princeton and Philadelphia and they're all the same. The food is equally good. Reasonable prices for what you get too. The Chicago branch however is pretty run-down, a bit dark, and a bit dirty. I think they need to check out the other branches and see how clean, nice and lively they are.
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UPDATE:
WOOHOO! One just opened up, under same downtown management, in Rolling Meadows, IL, across from the Bowl House.
No more battles with traffic to downtown, no more trying to find parking spots, and the interior is so sleek and clean, unlike the old establishment downtown.
Roti canai -- good, could go for an extra slice of roti
Hainanese chicken rice -- comes with bowl of wonderfully ginger/broth/garlic-flavored rice. Beats the white rice any day. Be sure to dip the chicken in the ginger chili sauce. Sweet and tangy.
Beef hor fun -- not bad.
Kang Kung belachan -- cooked with shrimp paste. Quite strong, even for a native like me
Beef rendang -- a must-have. Looks like unmentionable but oh, so fragrant and tender.
Won Ton Mee -- dry or wet option. Quite tasty although the sauce is a tad salty for my liking. Typical won ton mee comes with boiled won ton, not fried. I prefer the dry option -- you'll still get a bowl of soup (salty, too).
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I looked forward to Penang so much when I found out we were moving to Chicago. Finally got to go the other night (at midnight; they close at 1 a.m.).
I didn't enjoy it as much. It may be due to the lateness of our arrival. I'd definitely give it another shot. But I must profess to be disappointed in the atmosphere. Having been to the one in Atlanta, the decor in the Chicago branch ought to be improved. The lighting is extremely low, and not in the intimate way, more so like too many bulbs had been blown. It's depressing.
If you go, it's better to go in a group, then you'll get to try as many dishes as possible.
I'd definitely give it another go. Like a friend said: it's better to have a Penang than none at all.
This place is a treat and cuisine you would eat once in a while. The flavors are all strong and like nothing I've ever had anywhere else. I order the same thing almost every time there. I have never met a "Malaysian," but when I do I will thank them for their cuisine and shake their hand.
The mango chicken, chicken rice, this curry type thing where you dip a thin layer of something...freaking good. I always love seeing the place in person because of how they laid out the name of the restaurant as ppeennaanngg...like trippy dude.
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I love the decor inside. That's the first thing that caught my eye. Second, is the type of dishes they had on the menu. Some are hard to pronounce, but the descriptions make them sound really good. They even have sushi (which I haven't tried here, but did surprise me). Be forewarned that the coconut drink is actual coconut water from the coconut itself. (I was under the impression that it was another one of those mixed drinks). But it was still good regardless. The highlight of that night was the ice kacang (dessert), with shaved ice, red bean, palm seeds, corn, jelly, and other flavorings. It was my first time actually trying that, so it made this place definitely memorable.
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This is the only Malaysian restaurant in Chicago with a wide selection of Malaysian favorites as far as I know (the other one is in Arlington Hts and their menu is not exclusively Malaysian but that's another review). I personally think that the menu is dominated by Malaysian Chinese dishes and therefore does not give a very accurate presentation of the wide variety of food you find in Malaysia.
Anyways, I ordered nasi lemak, bak kut teh, pork with yam and char kuey teow. I have had the authentic version in KL and the food in Penang was far from that. At least it didn't wow me. Bak kut teh tasted like it was made from packet spices a few days ago. It was mostly soup and very little meat / vegetable.
The curry/rendang that came with the nasi lemak was cold. Cold sambal is acceptable but not the curry. Their rendang also lacks kerisik which is a quintessential ingredient for the dish. The char kuey teow did not have the "hawker stall quality" that you get from Penang Island but the pork & yam was wonderful.
As for the drinks, I can't smell the fragrance of the tea of my teh tarik. The ice kacang is small and I am not sure if I like the condiments at the bottom of the bowl. Even a scoop of ice cream on top won't make it any better.
I don't see myself eating at that place unless I am really craving for some Malaysian food. Food is okay but I have had better food in Glasgow, Scotland and Richmond Hill, ON.
Also, sushi is not part of Malaysians' main staple and it puzzled me as to why they are selling sushi under the same roof.
Different, in a good way! It was the first place I've been to I've drank coconut milk out of a real coconut. Malaysian food reminds me of a mix between Chinese and Indian food. You can find salty, sweet, and spicy foods on the menu. There are some good chow fun (noodle) and curry (I forgot the name, but I love the "Indian bread"-like appetizer--chewy and thin like a flour tortilla that you dip into warm curry) dishes. Penang cares about its decor, as noted by the the tiki lounge / hut feel, and the wait staff is always friendly and speaks English well.
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Decent place but after a while, you can tell that business has been suffering. Last time, we got turned away because we showed up too late and they were getting ready to close up.
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Penang is a great place to go for a date, or a night out with 10 of your friends! The service is always friendly and quick, and the food is amazing. I usually come here with a big group and order a few dishes for everyone to share - that way, I don't have to decide on just one dish, cuz they're all so good!! Located right next to the main gate into China Town, there's always something to do before or after dinner, even if it's just window shopping.
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I love this place. I'm from South America, Guyana, and my country is full of curry. It reminds me of home. Roti yumm
Highly recommended.
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I was so excited to eat at the Penang here in Chicago, being a devotee of the one in Philly. What a bummer. I mean, it'd be great if you've got no point of reference.
I think it's a nice restaurant: quirky, cute space, friendly servers and quick with unusual food. If you're ever in Philly, GO, order the Mi Siam.
NOTE: If you're ever in Philly, go to Banana Leaf. The whole Penang crew is now there!
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To the best of my knowledge, this is the only Malaysian restaurant in the Chicago area. Recommended - try something unique, the couple times I've eaten here the staff was v. helpful and everything was fresh and delicious.
I went here for the first time today and they have some fine lunchtime deals. Many of the lunch specials come in a Japanese-style bentoo boxes with maki, fried vegetables, mango, and rice. They certainly have an interesting selection and a very helpful staff; they will let you know just when your meal is coming to you (usually takes no longer than 10 minutes) and will happily make recommendations for you. The establishment is nice and orderly, being a chain restaurant. Nice to visit if you want a large selection and have already tried the small local restaurants in the area.
This place is 1 of my long time favourites. Their food is little on the oily side, but great flavor and their wait-staff is friendly. I highly recommend their Hai Nan Chicken.
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Roti Canai here is excellent dipped in a rich curry sauce. They also have sushi here but I usually go for the Malaysian and Chinese influenced dishes. One of the best things on the menu is the ice kacang, which reminds me of a korean ice shaved dessert called bingsu. The dessert comes with a mound of finely shaved ice piled high with sweet red beans, palm seeds, corn (!?), milk, grass jelly, and rose-flavored syrup.
tasty and different. i went on a date here with a guy who had spent some time in Malaysia a couple of years ago. i just let him order and everthing was so good.
i will be back either way...either on another date or with another guy!
oh and the validate parking for all you car-dependents out there.
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The food here is very good, especially given the price. The menu is large, but the mango chicken, sizzling beef, and the dry chili spiced shrimp are all remarkable. They have large tables with a circular lazy Susan that faciliates the family-style eating experience. I always have department party type events at this place and I often crave the shrimp late at night.
