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Categories: Asian Fusion, Malaysian
Neighborhood: Chinatown
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Miss this place so much, even though here in SF i have my choice of asian restaurants. Miss the mango chicken, served in a nice big mango,
Try the roti too.
Great food, great location
Philadelphia's Chinatown doesn't really have any great restaurants in the grand scheme of things. I grew up for a while in the area and I was never impressed by the food. I'm not a fan of the Dim Sum that's available there either, so when it was up to me to pick a meeting place in Chinatown for me and my cousin, I decided to go the Malaysian route.
I went to Penang because I came here a few years ago and the food was pretty good. Maybe my palette wasn't as refined back then, but the food this time around was only so-so. We ordered the Roti Canai, Haianese Chicken,and Beef Rendang. The only dish that was good was the roti canai. As for the other two, the Penang in Cherry Hill, NJ does a far better job. The chicken didn't look appetizing and the beef rendang was...not beefy enough? Yeah, that's the word.
What was odd was that when I ordered in Cantonese, the waiter looked at me all weird. I saw confusion in his eyes. Wait, I am in Chinatown aren't I? He responded after I said table for 2 in English. I used to order in Cantonese all the time back in the day...I'm thinking there must have been a change in ownership. C'mon Penang, step up your game!
I love this chinatown establishment for reliable fair that can push people's chinatown limits, or stay nicely in their comfort zone. The service is always an issue, but the ability to get a table at any time supplants this.
Last night headed out here with a friend (and friends of friends). Not knowing the spice/curry preferences of my group, I was hesitant to order too much of the *red star* food that my friend and I wanted. In the end we found a wonderful balance of the dishes that we had loved in past visits...
Started with the Roti Canai (which requires no more description on yelp). It was tasty as always. Moving on the White Chick to Brown Guy "Spicy-ness" Scale *patent pending*, we started with Chicken Fried Rice, Penang Pad Thai, Mango Chicken, and Jumbo Prawns with Brown Sauce. Sure there are more risky dishes on the menu (with obvious reward) but on dining some Thai/Malay/Indian rookies, I took the east road... (I can save the whole fish for next time.) One of the surprises of the night was how good something as simple as chicken fried rice could be. All of the food was well received and everyone left stuffed.
Went on a Saturday evening with 4 adults and 3 kids. Right in the heart of Chinatown next to the arch. They were very busy, but sat us right away. The dining area was loud and busy so the kids could be as noisy as they wanted. The staff was very helpful, as the menu can be overwhelming for the novice Malaysian diner. Food was served quickly and was delicious. The sauces deserve special mention.
Came here with a craving for Roti after eating it at this place on the LES, and it was delicious!
We ordered the Roti Canal and the half hainanese chicken. I'm used to the chicken being served with a trio of dipping sauces (spicy, sweet, and ginger) but this just came with the spicy sauce. I'm sure the other sauces would have been available upon request, though.
Gotta try their ABC - a dessert-ish beverage made with shaved ice, jelly, red beans, coconut milk, etc. Very good!
Great price for the amount of food we got.
This morning when I woke up, I made a few promises to myself:
-Go to the gym
-Eat a salad
-Don't drink today
-Avoid carbs
Here's how the day panned out.
-Went to the gym
-Went to lunch at El Camino (see "updated" review)
-Ate at Penang and ordered Beef Chow Fun (noodles), Mee Siam (more noodles), and some green bean/shrimp veggie dish
I did not adhere to my morning goals and am thus something of a failure. Can I borrow someone's will power?
Don't go to Penang if you're trying to "be good." Which, by the way, I love when people say, "oh, no thanks, I'm trying to 'be good' tonight." Losers.
Note to drivers: It's a bitch to find parking, but my city-sleuth extraordinaire (Kevin L) found the small open lot on 10th street where they charge a flat $8.
Went to Penang last night for an impromptu dinner with friends. I've been there once before, but let… Read more »
I absolutely LOVE their Clay Pot Noodle dish. The noodles are a delight to devour and the soup is hearty enough to almost cure a cold. I prefer the dine in experience over take-out though. It's just not the same even if it's the same food, heh heh. Their Roti Canai is relatively good, not the thin as paper flaky versions I've had at other Malaysian places. However, I do prefer the Thousand Layer Bread over at Rangoon more. I have also eaten at Banana Leaf once before but I felt their food was nothing special to comment on. The ambiance is also nicer at Penang and the prices are just about the same.
great place - excellent traditional chinese food and other fusion selections. fun atmosphere - busy, loud! cross the street to get sweet treats for dessert.
I went in here Saturday night after work. The restaurant itself is nice, pretty decent decor. The place was packed when I came in, but I was still able to get a table.
I ordered the roti canai and penang kariayam. The roti canai was nice and crispy and came with a nice dipping sauce. The Penang Kariayam was unfortunately pretty bland. It sounded like it was going to be pretty flavorful from its description on the menu: White meat chicken cooked over low heat with lemon grass & chili paste then simmered in thick rich coconut curry. I didn't taste any lemon grass or chili. The coconut curry didn't tast of coconut that much either.
Service was pretty good, especially considering it was packed and got more packed when I left.
I might try something else from here. But I kind of wish I'd tried somewhere else. Oh well.
I love this Chinatown restaurant. The decor is modern, the service often rushed, the food is always good. It's always a fun place to go with a group, or anyone unfamiliar with Malaysian cuisine. Last week, my partner and I shared the Roti Canai, and the Malaysian Spring Roll--both staples for us and both good. My partner ordered a chicken curry; the chicken was tender, the veggies perfectly cooked, and the sauce spicy. I ordered the Mi Siam, a rice noodle dish with shrimp, egg, fried tofu and sprouts. It was good, but not as good as it's been in the past: the tofu was a little chewy and the shrimp overcooked and slightly mealy. Still, it was perfectly spiced. If you go there, don't overlook the Chinese Sweet Shop directly across the street. Their tofu with ginger honey sauce is warm, sweet and wonderful.
My husband and I went here with his family for his mothers birthday. We were skeptical going into it, but ended up having a great time here. Everyone really enjoyed their food, and the restaurant was very accomodating to our large party. The atmosphere was also very nice!
I recommend the Wonton soup (so much better than traditional greasy wonton) and the Seafood Chow Fun, yummmy!!!
i knew it would be crowded on a saturday night from what i read here. the wait didn't bother me, but the service did.
while polite enough, the wait staff was relentless. i had barely opened my menu when a waitress asked if we wanted appetizers. throughout the meal they maintained an uncomfortable pace, removing plates the second we finished; adding to the rushed atmosphere.
i was also asked twice to confirm i wanted my meal spicy. i repeated yes, and my dinner was decidedly NOT spicy. at all.
warning: the menu headers mean nothing. i found beef in the poultry second and lots of fish dishes under "vegetable."
despite this, everything was good with generous portions and very fair prices. they also have a nice variety of exotic fruit drinks one might not find elsewhere.
i would be willing to come back on an emptier night to give them a second chance.
Pretty good fare. I think it's an example of a place not too affected by being a chain. The inside was nice and not kitschy chainey looking.
The singapore rice noodles were really good. The coconut rice is a must to eat with the dishes. Three of us were able to share two dishes and an appetizer and it was plenty.
I love duck, but the duck noodle soup didn't win me over. It wasn't horrible but not spectacular. The service is over attentive in a good way (yes, over attentive can be in a bad way too)
I'd probably pick somewhere else in chinatown first but if someone invited me I'd go back.
Eating at Penang our first night in town was a great way to start our vacation. The food was excellent, and the portions very generous.
They were pretty busy when we walked in on a Thursday night, but we were able to get a window seat right away. It was a little chilly sitting next to the window, even though it was closed, but the hot tea warmed us up.
We started with the roti, which I could not stop eating. It was so good! Next we had the mango chicken and the pad thai. The mango chicken in particular was delicious. I would definitely order it again, along with the roti. The chicken was tender and all white-meat, and sauce had a nice kick.
We were laughing about all the notes on the menu next to a bunch of items requesting that you ask your server about the dish before ordering it. It did make us avoid those dishes though. If we go back to Penang, which we definitely would if we lived in Philly, we might want to order one of the dishes with the warning, if nothing else, out of curiosity.
A few nights later we tried Banana Leaf, and although we enjoyed our meal there, too, we liked the food and atmosphere a little better at Penang. I'm getting hungry just thinking about our meal there. *drool*
***SEE PICS***
I've eaten here with colleagues over a dozen times. I've always loved their food!
Sometimes the servers aren't too polite, but regardless the food's terrific.
It's hard to pick a favorite dish here, but I've always loved the Curried Chicken. One of their appetizers chicken skewers (I forgot the name.. It's the second on the list) is awesome.
I also like their cold coffee.
It's also open pretty late so can be a good place to get take out food.
Went here after a concert late Tuesday night with friends.
Ordered the roti canai to share. The dipping sauce was great but nothing extraordinary about the dish. My friend wanted a bowl of soup, but they didn't make just a bowl. Thus, he got a giant family styled bowl of a modified tom yum soup as the soup had noodles, lots of vegetables, and small pieces of seafood. The soup had a VERY fishy taste to it, which I think is not how tom yum soup is supposed to be. The taste of the soup was just not great.
Other friends got pad thai and wonton soup, which was good. I got the oyster omelette, and there were a LOT more egg than oyster (a good oyster omelette should have equal amount of egg and oyster). I also got Longan juice. While I miss having drinks like this, it was somewhat mediocre.
The service was fast, but we were one of the very few patrons left in the restaurant.
The first Penang I set foot in, I didn't realize this was a chain until much much later.
Oyster pancakes were delicious, although skimped a bit on the oysters, but it reminded me of my childhood a bit. The roti canai and other appetizers are pretty good, too, although the satay skewers have come out both very good and very charred before, so it's a toss-up on quality there.
Almost always get a noodle dish (pearl noodles are good) as well as one other - mango chicken is ordered a lot here, but I find it's not that tasty, the mango is more a novelty than really good dish. The Hainanese chicken is usually a favorite, and the fish varies day-to-day - sometimes it ends up flaky, other times it ends up dry.
Dessert - chendol and ABC seem almost the same, basically shaved ice with different toppings. Don't bother getting a lychee drink, it's just lychee out of the can with a bunch of ice and a little syrup.
A long wait at times during the dinner hours, so arrive early if you can. Seating is based on if you're all there or not, and they don't take reservations.
I once had an allergic reaction to stealthy hidden carrots when I told the waiter that I didn't want carrots in my food.
Other than that, it was yummy, but I think that the food really doesn't match the atmosphere and decoration of the place.
I definitely had an amazing Christmas dinner at Penang. They served delicious Malaysian food that will be hard to compare with other places. #1 on the appetizers menu (pancake ish thing with aloo chicken curry sauce) was one of the best, but my favourite was #12 spring roll with spicy sauce. The salted fish fried rice wasn't that special (and I thought the fish was a little too salted in my opinion). The seaweed seafood soup had a little too much ginger but it definitely added to the smell and the taste. Also, another favourite is the Malay Noodles. It was SOOO spicy but SOOO good at the same time. It's one of those dishes that you would keep eating despite the spiciness.
The food was definitely a 5 star. The service was okay too. The waitress only stopped once during the meal to make sure everything was fine. Usually there's a long wait at this restaurant but we only had to wait about 10 minutes and the food didn't take long to serve.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is like being in an alley way. The decorated textured walls and the tin roofs sets a unique surrounding. It definitely looks like it has been professionally decorated.
Unlike may other restaurants in Chinatown, the staff here can speak and understand English. It is definitely worth the money, not too expensive. $32 for 3 people on DINNER!!
A group of us came here for a friend's birthday. They had all been there before me, but this was my first time.
Having never had Malaysian food before, I wasn't sure what to expect. To me, it tasted like a cross between Filipino food and Thai food-- right up my alley!
We had the famous pancake appetizer that was just delicious. Fiance likes bacon, so we decided to throw in some shrimp puffs (minced shrimp wrapped in bacon and fried), which were divine as well.
I was a little disappointed with the main entree I got though...beef rendang. I'm not sure if it was because I haven't been craving that much meat in a while (I've been on a chicken kick lately), but it was WAY too much meat! The first few bites were good, but after that...ahh!
The Malaysian iced tea was pretty good too.
I'd definitely go back and give a chicken dish a go though.
I brought my family down here for dinner. Now my parents being pretty traditional korean only likes certain foods. However, they were a big fan of Penang. I ordered Roti Canai, Pad Thai, Seafood Lo Mein, Mango Chicken, Crispy Squid, and Curry Chicken. For 6 people, everyone was stuffed and the bill only came out to like 80 bucks with tax and tip. As a matter of fact, they liked it sooo much they're coming down and bringing their friends!
Food here never disappoints, prices are fairly priced and the atmosphere is conducive to groups and talking and enjoying your meal carefree. I recommend!
ps. This place has almost the exact same menu as Banana Leaf. And I used to love their bean soup dessert thingy but they only give you oranges now.
Really hard to get a table on weekends for dinner, and they don't take reservations. The place is packed to capacity with tables, so when you do finally sit down you don't have much elbow room. But still, the fare is worth the wait.
always always always get the roti canai. I can't emphasize this enough. I'd also recommend the Hainan Chicken and salt and pepper squid. Service is a little hasty. I think they try to the turn the tables around as quickly as possible to accommodate all the business. Aside from dim sum, my favorite Philly chinatown place to eat.
This one is definitely bigger and better than the one in Chinatown, NYC. Their mango chicken is delicious! Came here with about 8 other people for a friend's birthday. My friends loved the food and the decorations (but I think they recently renovated it). Their shrimp and okra is recommended as well.
Penang is also a very popular place for Malaysian cuisine and it's very good too. I think some of the stuff are a bit pricey, but some isn't and overall though, it's all good food. This is probably the only spot that has Creme Brulee my fave dessert! Yakitori used to have it, and im very dissapointed that it's not there no more, but I would go back to penang just for the creme brulee! This place also has the pancake with curry so it's all good.
I haven't been there in over a year, and that was my 2nd time, so I wouldn't know what else to say about it...lol...oh yea weekends are the worst for it though cuz its a long wait...
I never get why people even like this restaurant. The food was horrible; the service was even worse. I remember I used to love this place when it first opened. Now, everything went downhill. I went one time recently with my boyfriend, and we had to wait for 15 minutes just for our appetizer. When our entrees arrived, both dishes were room temperature/cold. Our drinks were never refilled during the whole time we were there. Our waitress was never seen ever since she brought us our food. We had to wave down another server after waiting over half an hour to get our check and leave.
Malaysian cuisine isn't something I'm very experienced in. Nice, clean atmosphere with good service and what's here isn't bad at all. A little too strongly salted for my tastes, but perhaps that's just the way it is? Way too much sodium for me, but perhaps I can ask them to go light on the salt next time. The oyster omelet was a little too greasy as well. Extensive menu and vegetarian friendly. Everyone can probably find something they like here.
I am Malaysian and I craved Malaysian food and my mom don't like preparing Malaysian tasty vendor dishes like roti canai and satay so I come to Penang to satisfy my craving. I have to say they do a pretty good job and it makes me happy to have their Curry Mee. That is definitely comfort food for me. So, glad that they is a good Malaysian restaurant in Philadelphia.
Penang sure is a tasty lil Malaysian spot!
We dropped in late on a Friday night & the place was quite busy but we were still able to grab a table.
Our food was served fairly promptly & included a variety of rices (coconut rice, chicken rice, fried rice, etc...) all of which were great & a sampling of main dishes such as fatty pork, spare ribs & spicy mango chicken (my fave!). Everything was fresh & nicely prepared. Absolutely no complaints!
Try their juices, they were especially tasty! mmm...love fresh juice!
The decor was pretty neat as well. It was done up as if you were sitting outside, on level with the rooftops of an Asian town. Nifty.
I really enjoyed eating at Penang & would happily return for any occasion!
Having never tried Malaysian cuisine, I didn't know what to expect, but it was the perfect blend of asian and indian fare. For starters, the Indian pancake was great, the Prawn Mee Soup packed a kick (but I kind of liked it), and the Malaysian Spareribs... damn those were good. I didn't think I could eat another bite until the fried ice cream came out... it was gone in like 2 minutes... will definitely go back.
Wandering through chinatown this evening in search of someplace new with decent AC, we decided to give Penang a try, it was early in the evening- they weren't terribly busy and we were greeted and seated near the window almost immediately. It was my first time eating Malaysian food, but quickly got the idea that they enjoyed meat (chicken, beef, pork) in most of their dishes. My boyfriend and I, only eating seafood & veggie food, started off with the Satay Tofu - Crispy fried tofu with cucumber, bean sprouts and a peanut sauce. This was delicious and looking back, perhaps the highlight of our meal, The dish was unique- the fried tofu was perfectly cooked, the veggies fresh . For main dishes we chose the mango shrimp and mee siam (vermicelli noodles with shrimp & tofu). The vermicelli dish was our favorite here- we enjoyed the spicyness but agreed that it could have been even spicier. The presentation of the mango shrimp in two halves of a mango was different, and this dish went well with the coconut rice we also ordered. The dish itself was supposed to be a mix of spice and sweet, but ended up being mostly sweet with nothing to counteract the sweetness (i.e. spice). It was delicious, however felt more like a dessert than a main dish. Overall, we enjoyed our meal, and will return in the future. Hopefully next time they will be more confident that spicy food won't scare us away!
One of my faaaaaav places in Chinatown. Mango chicken is good, chicken satay, the pancake stuff, and my absolute favorite dish is the beef and flat noodles dish - forgot the name... and of course, the thai iced tea.
Although it gets packed on the weekends, the servers get you in and out pretty quickly. You feel a bit rushed...but I don't mind so much since they sat me quickly and brought out the food in record-breaking time.
This place is just outstanding! We were in town for a few days and decided to try Penang because it looked good and was in the neighborhood.
At first, we thought that Penang might just be a gimmick restaurant- another Pan-Asian restaurant like the ones we've seen in other cities. The food at Penang very quickly corrected us.
Because we were on vacation, we ordered two appetizers: (1) chicken satay (with the most decadent and rich peanut sauce), and (2) the Indian pancake (or cracker) with another great sauce. Both were absolutely delicious. We couldn't imagine going to Penang without ordering these two appetizers.
For the main dish, my husband ordered beef rendang (I think) and I ordered a Malaysian chicken curry. Again, both dishes were delicious. However, the beef was our favorite and I ate half of my husband's dinner because of this. Unlike most curries and stews that I have tasted, the beef was so tender and succulent that it was literally falling apart. It was one of the best dishes that I had ever tasted.
We tried other restaurants in town and were very disappointed. In Chinatown, we tried Nanzhou & Yakatori Boy. We regret having visited both of these restaurants and will post our reviews soon. Yakatori boy was mediocre and completely overpriced.
If you are ever in Philly, do yourself a favor and have dinner at Penang. If you live in Philly, eat here every week and appreciate how lucky you are to have such a great restaurant in your town. If there were a Penang in DC, were would eat there all of the time.
Upon realizing that I really wasn't going to eat a Phillycheese Steak (after not having eaten meat in over 6months--my own personal experiment)...cheesefries, yes, but beef...not so much...my friend that I was visiting in Philadelphia thoughtfully took me to Penang in Philadelphia's Chinatown (on the way there, he made sure to ensure me that they had plenty of vegetarian options and raved about their tofu dishes).
Penang had a cool thing going on with a high ceiling and metal accents in the interior design. I wish I could remember exactly what we ordered to list it here because boy, was it good.
The service was a little slow and they brought us an extra appetizer that we hadn't ordered (we wound up just not saying anything--it tasted good--and it showed up on our bill at the end).
We went on a Wednesday night and it was pretty "hoppin" (yes, hoppin) and my friend says that it can be very busy on the weekends (it was actually his first time eating in there as usually he and his housemate get take out since it can be busy).
Parking was a pain, but that was to be expected. I liked it a lot and servings were big enough to bring some home to be eaten cold out of the box for the next day's breakfast.
Wannabe upscale, trendy "oh look where we're eating" farce. I would never have chosen to eat here on my own - I was coerced by others amidst my own protests. But I wanted a pleasant surprise.
I hate being negative about things, but overblown places like this in the city grate at my nerves. They are so much more about appearance than food. They cater to that ego inside of people that makes them feel like they're somehow more special for eating here than a place that looks less fancy but serves better food.
I dare say pretentious.
The service and the food in this place were anything but spectacular. Not bad by any means - I did enjoy my small portion of mango chicken. But for the price and the time I had to wait, it was beyond disappointing.
Especially in light of the fact that I knew Rangoon and Shiao Lan Kung were just around the corner. These are two non-trendy, unassuming establishments that are family owned and operated, serving large portions of truly delicious food.
I will never return to Penang. No amount of coercing will change that; nor my opinion of trendy cooler-than-you dumps like this one.
Seafood Lo Mein
Enough said.
Okay, so maybe I should say a little more.
I have literally been to Penang around 3-4 dozen times in the past year and the food has always been amazing. The Malaysian Buddhist is to die for, as is the Seafood Lo Mein. We used to also always get a giant bowl of Coconut Rice. So good. Satay Tofu and Penang Lobuk (I might have the name wrong) are delicious starters.
Bonus: they will sometimes give you a complimentary bowl of bean soup. Okay, so I unfortunately do not know what it is called; we just affectionately dub it the "bean soup." It looks like a dessert made with rice and sweet beans. All I know is that it is yummy and sweet and makes the whole meal worth it.
This is one of my top places to go and eat when I want Asian food and when I'm not feening for Chinese food in Chinatown.
I always get the appetizer - Indian bread (naan or poori) with chicken curry dipping sauce.
I have gotten the Hainan Chicken, Chicken with Ginger, & the Malaysian version of Pad thai.
Weekends - expect a long wait.
The service is efficient period.
Considering the ambiance, food selections/menu items, & presentation of the food - this place is extremely cheap.
This place is an old favorite of mine in Chinatown!
We always used to go here after shows at the Trocodero near by.
The decor inside is a neat industrial style type things, but I think they have remodeled a little since the last time I went.
Penang has a huge selection of Malaysian food, you can definitely find something for everyone. One of my favorite dishes to get there is the appetizer of naan and curry dipping sauce. Holy hell it's delicious.
Otherwise I also like the crispy seafood noodles and their curry dishes!
They also give you oranges at the end of your meal (at least they used to, haven't been in some time) !
Go if you're in Chinatown for sure.
In a city filled with good restaurants (and no, Stephen Starr, I am NOT talking about your establishments), Penang stands out as a trendy, classy, innovative dining experience, with the kind of food that makes you want to gush about your Asian travels (your belly's adventure, that is). Penang is also the place to go if you are looking to challenge yourself a bit gastronomically.
The beef satay is a rich, spicy celebration of tender meat in your mouth, with a peanut sauce that takes no prisoners. They also serve fabulously spicy seafood soups, a divine roti, and a wonderful chicken dish that is served in a rice noodle meringue bird's nest. Truly, I have never had a dish I did not enjoy.
The restaurant is typically busy, with waiters who valiantly try to communicate with you, sometimes with mixed results. Penang only takes cash, so be prepared to sprint a few blocks if you find that your wallet is empty (I have done this before). Believe me, it will be worth it. Highly recommended.
My favorite Asian restaurant in the city. Unique flavors, not the same old Asian. Very hip, great for groups or for a date, and they finally accept credit cards. The prices are so low, that shouldn't be an issue though. The go to place if you're headed to the Trocadero which is around the corner.
Amazing!
I'm vegetarian and they are always accommodating.
The Vegetable Curry in Clay Pot can not be beat and is enough for 2 people. I get it almost ever time I am there. The Mi Siam is similar to Pad Thai and is also terrific (i get it without the shrimp). The vegetarian version of the Roti is a delicious appetizer.
The service is always fast and nice.
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Malaysian
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Burmese
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Chinese
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