Penang

I have been here many times, I am surprised this place doesn’t have a better rating. If you live in UWS, this Malaysian is pretty close to being authentic. The prices are appropriate that you won’t go hungry. The service is definitely better than most Asian restaurants in the area. If you are up for some southern Asian food, then this it!

We like the food. Many selection, taste good, price a little bit over price but still ok, nice place too. BUT the waiter has an attitude! We came there 2x with the same male waiter. He is not friendly maybe because he gotta work himself. But come on. You can’t treat a customer like you don’t want to hang out with them… Geeeeeessss!
Other than that. Everything is fine. But that waiter doesn’t make us want to dine in so we still do take out. Maybe that’s what he wants so he doesn’t have to deal with customers.:p

Penang came highly reccomended by a foodie friend who lives in the neighborhood. We walked in late for dinner on a week night and were quickly seated. I loved the wooden paneling on the ceiling and the warm friendly host. We had the spicy vegetable dumpling for appetizers. The presentation was a welcome change after all the dumplings I have had in various asian restaurants in the city. Finely chopped sautéed vegetables (Sautéed with soy sauce) did little to improve the taste of the dumplings. I think the cover was a little too thick for my liking.
For main course, my husband ordered the Kari Sayur Campur which was quite spicy and tasty. He isn’t a big fan of coconut curries but he did like this one. I wish there were more vegetables than tofu in it. There is only so much tofu that one can eat right? I got the Green Curry Ayam and quite liked it. The portions were pretty big so we had to get both back home. Rice has to be ordered separately. Anyone with a sweet tooth will love the Iced coffee.

Folks, this is the Times Square of Malaysian food: go there to feel adventurous and cultured, try something «safe» in pretty packaging, take a picture, and brag about it to your friends back home.
All I have to say is, we ordered «Hainanese Chicken» and were horrified when it came out as a plate of roasted wings and drumsticks. It’s supposed to be boiled and served at room temperature with garlic, ginger, chili, and dark soy sauce. When we asked the manager, he said «we don’t do that here» because «the clientele in the UWS won’t go for that.» I would expect that response from a restaurant out in the sticks, but it’s insulting to tastes and curiosities of New Yorkers.
It’s a shame that they share the same name as Penang in Edison, NJ. That’s where its at.

Solid food in UWS! Was staying at the Days Inn during Hurricane Sandy aftermath and noticed that this place was open! Ordered a bunch of stuff, including: beef rendang (tasty, tender pieces of non-​fatty beef), fried sotong (fried calamari, also very tasty), coconut rice (eh… Had better, not worth the extra), Malaysian nasi goreng/​fried rice (a-​OK), and peanut pancake (good dessert that looked like peanut butter-​stuffed quesadilla, surprisingly good).
I was happy that all the dishes I ordered were good (some were fantastic!) and reasonably priced. Compared to Laut, Nyonya and Jaya, I would say this is the best Malaysian restaurant in the city for the price. Only bad experience was that they didn’t deliver utensils with my Seamless order, WTF! I called them and they said they don’t include utensils unless you explicitly ask for them. I ended up having to order dessert just so they would come back with utensils (I know, I know, as if I needed an excuse to order dessert right?).

We had both delivery and visited the restaurant.
The food is OK. Nothing to write home about, but decent fare even if you had real malaysian before.
Service was decent, very friendly staff and striving for good experience.
Big deduction for chipped plates. Most of our plates had a piece missing. Not just one, multiple ones, be it the serving bowls or others.
It also has a «B» rating from NYC department of health.

I’ll say this to everyone who asks me about Malaysian/​Singaporean food in the city, and as a true-​blue Singaporean, I’ll tell everyone — nothing here compares to what can be found back home. Nothing at all. Think about it — in Singapore, hawker stalls specialize in making one thing and one thing only. How can any single restaurant in NYC attempt to master such a wide plethora of dishes?
Nonetheless, I was craving nasi lemak and decided to order some from Penang. I was most looking forward to a coconut milk-​fragranced rice, but the rice seemed decidedly un-​coconuty. The sides served with it were generous though. So — it’ll do for a quick craving.

My friend and I ordered take-​out from Penang the other night, and I definitely expected the food to be better!
I ordered the Pad Thai, and not only did the tofu have an artificial smoky taste, but the shrimp was also dry.
I don’t plan to order from here again.

My favorite aspect of having went to this restaurant is that I will never have to eat here again. Everything about this place is fake, it caters to ppl who live on the upper E. or W. side and really don’t give a crap that they are eating fake Malaysian food so long as they can skate board or hop on their, folding bike or «fixie» to get their little waspy or jappy or dirty hipster self back to Dormandy court or whatever rock they call home.
They give you these cute little knives that are shaped like a lance or scimitar but it would be better put to use as a letter opener since you can’t cut a thing with them. The staff is nice that’s about all I can say, The Roti was stingy on the bread and there are no pickled veggies.
Basically your typical Manhattanite who doesn’t know s*** about ethnic food who just graduated from (insert school) and moved into Manhattan from their crap town are the folks giving this place a high rating. You can eat here and not get sick, just don’t eat at a better Malaysian place and expect this place to be up to snuff. The funny thing is I’ve had perfectly fine Malaysian food at other Penangs.
This place however due to its locale or retarded management team or owner panders with the best of them.

I have never had such awful Malaysian food in my life.
The Hainanese chicken was fried instead of steamed, missing the delicious broth, had flavourless rice and came with BROCCOLI instead of shaved green onions.
The beef rendang was powdery, tasteless and not what I expected.
The roti canai was the worst. Got a huge piece of potato and 2 tiny chunks of chicken breast. The curry was clearly a powder mix mixed with coconut milk instead of being freshly ground spices and roots. The roti was too thin and crispy. Talk about being STINGY, they gave ONE piece!!! I am used to thick, chewy, delicious roti.
Got totally ripped off. Even the teh tarik (Malay tea) was weak and cheap.
NEVER AGAIN. Not worth the trip or the money. It isn’t good or authentic.

The only things I really like here are the roti canai and the beef rendang (love love love both). I love the roti canai so much, I’m pretty sure I got two orders of it and called it a meal. The beef rendang is what I referred to as «Malaysian pot roast» — tender beef in a yummy curry sauce. So delicious. If I were rating Penang based on only these two dishes, I would give it a 5.
However, I’ve tried other dishes and was not particularly impressed. Edible but not satisfying. It took a few tries to find the winner (beef rendang), and it’s the only entrée I’ve ordered ever since.
I have dined in, and the restaurant has a pretty trendy ambience, similar to many Thai restaurants in NYC. Service was good, but it was expected since we had an early dinner and the restaurant was somewhat empty. I do think the food tastes better there (then again, food generally tastes better on plates than in take-​out containers!), but I think they give you less roti canai curry sauce because it comes in a fancy — but small — bowl.

Go Here! I’ve dined in and ordered out. The place is pretty trendy-​ish inside. If you’ve never experienced Malaysian food before, I suggest giving it a chance. The easiest way for me to describe it would be to say «Thai meets Indian meets Chinese».
I’m a big fan of the Beef Rendang (Beef cooked in a paste of onions, lemon grass & chilis simmered in ta coconut curry) w/​Coconut Rice [Indian-​like]. I’ve also been impressed with the other two things I’ve ordered:
— Buah Mango (Chicken, Shrimp, or Tofu mixed with shredded peppers and onions in a spicy mango sauce) [Thai-​like]
— Basil Beef (steak stir-​fried with mushrooms, carrots, baby corn, & snow peas in a basil sauce) [Chineses-​like]
They have a bunch of cool dessert options… one intriguing one was Coconut flavored fried ice cream.
Good food, good price… give it a shot! I hope you like it as much as I do.

Nasi Lemak: 4 stars
Penang Char Kuay Tiao: 1 star
Service: 3 stars
Environment:3.5 stars
Price: 1 star (TOO EXPENSIVE)
First impression when I entered. it doesn’t look like a Malaysian Restaurant since there is a bar. It’s a little pricy than most of the restaurant I had in Chinatown (DUH)… The nasi lemak was good… the coconut taste in the coconut rice was really good… the curry chicken was not that bad. and there is also sambal anchovy (YUMMY). the «ah chat» tasted a little weird without the peanut (i know it because I am a Malaysian)…
The Penang char kuay tiao tasted like Pad Thai. Or I should say fried noodles… It’s really weird… Really dislike it…
The service was so fast. until my friend and I thought that they just put their food into the microwave and serve it to us… :P
If you want Malaysian food… Penang is not a great place. get yourself to Chinatown… You will love it and it’s so much cheaper!

Penang is a small family owned chain of Malaysian food. They had a spot on Elixzabeth St (now closed) and I had first tried their food in the Edison NJ location. Malay food is in a similar quandrant of falvors as Thai and Chinese — they don’t tend to be as spicy, incorporate more seafood, and tend to be a little sweet. I’ve typically had good food here and I definitely have some favorites.
I’m a big fan of the roti canai (must order!) and the beef rendang. The curry soups and noodle dishes are usually quite good. I love their pineapple fried rice. They also carry ong choy (water convulvus) which is a hard to find, but delish vegetable similar to spinach but more fibrous and long. The fried coconut ice cream was fantastic.
That said, if you’re one of those people who thinks Chinese buffet lines are the epitome of Chinese cuisine, Penang’s modern edge, pretty plating, higher price point, and smaller portions will make you unhappy. The quality is great, service prompt/​cordial/​knowledgeable, the food good, the ambiance great for first dates to hanging out. But you will walk out with a normal looking bill rather than one that bears similarity to take out joints. 3.5 stars.

This review is based purely on their service and not on food.
I had called to order about 30+ orders of their Chicken Satay Sticks for a club event at my university.
1. When I called, the person that picked up spoke perfect English. He then transfered me over to their take out department, who spoke questionable English.
2. I was paying with a student activities board credit card so it would’ve been a tax exempt transaction. I told them so and the man on the phone said it would be okay. A week after the food delivery, he called to tell me that he needed a form that he neglected to ask me for in the first place. I had to waste my time to go out of my way to get the form for him.
3. I requested that food delivery be at 7:30 because food would be served around 8:00. I told him that I needed it to be here at 7:30 because we had to set up. 7:45, no food. 8:00, no food. I called at 7:45, the man on the phone said that his delivery man was LEAVING. I called at 8:00, he said that his delivery man was on his way. It was a busy night and we weren’t the only delivery. I called again at around 8:05, and the man said he had no idea where his delivery man was and that it would get there soon. This establishment is less than 10 mins away from my location. I have no idea why this was such a hassle for them.
4. They provided no reason for why they were late. They just kept telling me to wait. No, I don’t want to wait. I ordered it for 7:30 and that means it should be IN my hands at 7:30 and not leaving the restaurant 15 minutes later. I had ordered over $ 150 worth of food. I would’ve ordered from them again in the future but never again. I’d rather go all the way down to Nyonya in Chinatown and pick up food MYSELF then ever order delivery from these people again.
VERY INEFFICIENT.

It had been awhile since I ate Asian anything in the Upper West Side, an area minus Flor De Mayo (
) that usually lacks decent Asian options. When Penang first emerged on the scene years ago, I began ordering delivery often because they were willing to deliver 30 blocks all the way to Midtown. After stumbling around in the UWS and craving for something that wasn’t a deli or bad sushi, I decided to return to Penang after remembering how much their food delivered (pun intended).
And while I’m normally averse to Asian chains, I’ll give Penang a nod over most of it’s Asian competition in the area. Prices are going to feel spendier to the folks who eat this food often, but probably appropriate for this part of Manhattan and only minimally more than Malaysian joints in Chinatown. The place is clean and deceivingly large enough for big groups and makes for a solid date spot.
Since the service isn’t particularly great, the food remains it’s best asset. Roti canai ($ 4.50) is almost always the first thing I want to order in any Malaysian joint, however, Penang’s version is subpar at best. They tout the «award winning family recipe» bit, but the roti is always a bit dry and the curry is soupy. Yet the curry mee ($ 9.95) is surprisingly solid, with delicious noodles floating in a spicy coconut curry broth best enjoyed fresh. Another great addition is the beef rendang ($ 12.95), a classic Malaysian dish of beef chunks soaking in curry gravy. The kari ayam ($ 11.95), a dark chicken meat dish with potatoes swimming in a delicious curry sauce, is another favorite, one that I could order each time I’m here.
My favorite noodle dish mee goreng ($ 9.95) admittedly feels pricey at nearly $ 10 and is a tad dry for my tastes. I’d rather get the nasi lemak ($ 9.95), a coconut rice dish steamed with leaves and cloves, mixed with fried anchovies, dried curry chicken, veggies, and a boiled egg. Hainanese chicken, doesn’t seem to be a part of the menu, which is disaappointing for one of the most popular (and most delicious) dishes in Malaysia.
When push comes to shove, Penang does a great job of keeping within range of Malaysian cuisine available in Manhattan. It won’t hold a candle to some of the stuff found in Queens or even Chinatown, but for the UWS it’s more than adequate.

Very nice restaurant, with a nice ambience and very tasty South East Asian food. We enjoyed in particular:
S7 Spicy Garlic Chili Mussels
9 Malaysian Stuffed Bread
34 Masak Lemak
58 Kari Sayur Campur

This is a cool place to eat some ultra flavorful foods, while enjoying the great company of the staff. Good space, decent prices, great menu variety.
In the spirit of being an honest Unilocaler, the food is good — because it’s tasty from all the sauces — but it doesn’t stand out.
J.T., however, who kept us company while we dined at the bar, was five stars! We actually opted to sit at the bar and chat with him instead of going to a table.
Worth stopping in if you need a no-​hassle, tasty Malaysian-​esque place to eat in the UWS.

I dined here a while ago with a group of friends and had a very positive experience. I remember breaking my #1 rule (no pineapple on my meat) and not regretting it a bit. The Masak Nenas Daging (chicken with pineapple, lemon grass, onion and some other stuff) was delicious. And so were the noodles with squid, shrimp and eggs.
I went on a week night, so we had the place almost entirely to ourselves. The waiters spoiled us and were very friendly.
Overall a very pleasurable experience that I’m looking fwd to repeat soon.
Recommended.

Ordered from Seamless Web. Delivery was very fast, just 20 mins after advertising 30 – 45. I got the Satay Tofu and the Kari Sayur Campur, a vegetable curry.
Everything was fresh and flavorful. The Satay Tofu was a bit disappointing as the crispiness of the frying didn’t hold up in the delivery (it arrived a bit gummy), but the Kari Sayur Campur was a home run. Could be the best Asian food I’ve had since moving over to the UWS. I know it’s a chain restaurant (which i normally try to avoid) but… well done.