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The decor in the restaurant was very inviting and there are a lot of seating areas. I was able to be seated with my party of 3 quickly on a Friday night. We had the oyster omelette first and my Singaporean dining partners quite liked it. We then had the main courses-- hainanese chicken rice, bak kut teh, beef rendang, and Kang kung belacan.. the Kang kung and bak kut teh were quite good but the bak kut teh was weirdly sweet. The beef rendang was really tough but some parts were tender and good to eat. Overall not a bad place but the flavors were not exactly what my Singaporean dining partners expected.
Delicious $14 lunch - Shrimp and String Beans with Malaysian hot sauce. It was so good I wanted to lick the plate! Nice service also.
Review would be a 3.5. Went to Penang before a show at the Opera House. It was pretty quiet around 6 but filled up fast within the hour. Service was quick and friendly, which was great since we were on a schedule. I will say getting our check took a really long time but likely because the restaurant was filling up with people so our server was busy. It was my first time trying Malaysian food, and I enjoyed it. The flavors were bold and different, a bit sweeter than I expected, but still really tasty overall. My favorite dish was the satay bean curd, so flavorful and perfectly cooked. Everything else was good but pretty sweet for my personal liking.
Stopped by for a late night dinner and it was pretty empty, but I think we got lucky because it's always packed when I pass by it. The pad Thai was not great. I'm not sure if they make it non traditionally / not like standard pad Thai or it was just an off day. But the curried chicken over rice was incredible. The meat fell off the bone easily and we could not stop thinking about the dish for the rest of the night. Need to return and try other menu items to review fairly.
A classic Boston restaurant in Chinatown specializing in Malaysian cuisine. Very variegated menu with diverse offerings but I wish it was executed with more finesse. The tomyam clay pot was decently flavored but there was sand and hard bits in the clam, and a lot of the shells were broken and got all in the soup. Also salty. The shrimp with lady fingers was actually a fried okra dish, and the cook on the okra was really good, fried and nice and crispy, with the right amount of seasonings. The beef rendang was a bit tough, and should have been stewed at lower heat. The dish was somewhat monolithic. The veggie casserole was good but a bit ordinary in conception. The hokkien char mee was also too salty without enough complexity in flavor. It could have had more diverse ingredients as well. The Penang Asam Laksa was supposed to have fish flakes but I couldn't find any. Also, nothing in the description said that it would have pineapple. This sweetness overpowered the soup. The apps were more successful: the roti telur pancake was crispy and light. The fillings were interesting and delicious. The baby oyster omelette was quite decent, with a fluffy egg and a lot of baby oysters embedded inside. Service was solid, and atmosphere conducive to conversation.
My fellow South Indian who crave for some vechi porota and Salna - this is the place. Go to Penang, order their Homemade Roti canai- the appetizer is closest to vechi Porota that you get back home! The basil fried rice, nasiroang is something to try out as well! The staffs are very friendly and if you are a group, I recommend making a reservation!
Food is consistently good here. I ordered my usual roti canai, Nasi lemak and Indian mee goreng - all satisfying. Hearty portions, rich in flavor. Service was quick.
Service was reasonably fast on a Friday night, very convenient location next to where I was staying. First time having Malaysian food in a long time so wanted to try something new. Ordered appetizer + entree to have leftovers to enjoy later. Would go back to try the different types of noodles
I haven't been back to Penang in a while so I had to last week. I requested for extra cucumbers and they were able to fulfill my request. No extra charge. The chicken was so fresh. I know sometimes they give you a lot of bones but just know, the chicken is fresh and juicy. Glad I went back because it reminded me how good Penang still is.
Chinese choy sum - pretty standard Seafood pan fried Noodle - tasted fine, good amount bean sprouts (not same color as the noodle oddly), could use more ingredients (fried egg pieces bit meager), small pieces of squid. Decently large dining area, have some round tables good for bigger groups. Table had ordering via QR code sign but didnt work so ordered via waitress.
tl;dr decent portion, food is pretty good, don't come here expecting anything special for service came here for Friday night dinner. No wait at all, was a large restaurant with a lot of open seating. food was decent, out of the 3 we got, the roti was ok. the curry was good but the pancake itself was difficult to eat with the curry. service was a bit slow. Restaurant wasn't busy but service staff was just standing around chatting. overall, food was decent enough for me to come back
Disappointment by the food here! It's underwhelming by how the taste missed the mark even when it came to simple dishes or what are known to be signature dishes to Malaysia. The poh piah wasn't even close. Shredded lettuce in poh piah??? Absolutely ridiculous. The worst poh piah in my life even compared to those that I've had in the United States. Please remove it from your menu if you can't even get the right ingredients to the appetizer. It gives the a ppetizer a bad rep and distorts the true reality of what poh piah is. Chicken satay was ok. Lacking in taste since some of the common spices used wasn't added such as coriander. Beef rendang was at most more like curry beef. No rendang taste and the meat was dry. I can make better rendang at home. Chow Kuay teow was the only dish that was close enough though missing what we call the wok hei (the smokiness of the stir fried noodles when cook on high heat). Only thing enjoyable that prevented the one star rating. Won't be coming back unfortunately.
Penang has been a round for a while and I have always loved their roti with chicken curry it is so delicious and packed with flavor. I keep the curry and pour it over pineapple fried rice which is also delicious. The squid, chicken, shrimp noodles is a must as it is presented in a mini silver wok. They also offer mango sticky rice and fried ice cream for dessert. Cute wooden decor with attentive service from all.
I want to give this place 4 stars. But it was just meh Mango chicken was great - delicious flavor. However, the presentation made it hard to eat. They cored out two mango shells and placed the cooked chicken in it. However, they mixed it unusually so that one shell had all the mango slices and the other had the chicken. Also, I marked a spot down because they do charge extra for rice. Thai iced Tea - well made, but was honestly pretty warm. I wish they had kept it in the fridge. It wasn't that enjoyable because it was just so hot. IG: QueenOfAdventureNYC read more
Really great southeast Asian spot! Great Malaysian and adjacent food. Highlight for me was the Roti Telur, an egg bread appetizer. The menu is huge! So so much to try here. Quick service and a nice unpretentious interior. Definitely excited to come back here!! read more
3 years ago
I believe I ordered Penang Asam Laksa Don't know how it's supposed to taste but I enjoyed it as very flavorful and interesting! friendly service and enjoyable time read more
3 years ago
Cute Malaysian restaurant (with a small skew towards Chinese cuisine) tucked on the outskirts of Chinatown. The interior is really interesting and gives that southeast Asian feel. The food is mediocre for the price. To our taste there was a little too much salt in all the dishes. We ordered a Kang Kung Belacan, the Hainan Chicken (half), and pineapple fried rice. The fried rice was unfortunately not in an actual pineapple (as it was advertised). The chicken was bomb and the spinach was good. tldr; neat Malaysian cuisine that has very Chinese tones but a little overpriced read more
I'm originally from Houston and we have amazing Malaysian food so my standards are quite high. Penang is pretty good! Not the very best Malaysian food out there, but still really delicious. There are several vegetarian options and everything I've tried has been fresh and flavorful. I love the wooden interior of the restaurant, and the service is quick. I do think it's a bit overpriced, especially for Chinatown. Some of the noodle dishes are more reasonably priced, but I ordered a tofu veggie stir-fry once for ~$18-$19 and it didn't even come with rice (heads up to check if your order comes with rice!) so I had to pay close to another $3 for that. read more
Pros: Roti Canai: 5/5 Flavorful and fresh. Quick service Cons: Almost all the other dishes we tried were sub par. It tasted below average. Either lacked flavor or wasn't cooked well. The dishes we tried - green Thai curry, roti tellur, Singapore noodle was the worst. The fish sauce flavor was way too dominant. And the whole restaurant smelled like fish sauce. And the waitress was pretty rude. read more
4 years ago
Penang offers compelling tastes of Malaysia. Loving their Boston's tea house-like interior with exposed brick walls and wood furnishings. There's always a wait for a table, but the turnovers are quite fast. For dinner this evening: 1) Roti Canai wasn't all soft & flaky, bites of chewiness, though great was the curry chicken dip; 2) Penang Poh Piah, the filling fell apart with the steamed wrap sticking to the plate; 3) Kang Kung Belacan, perfectly sautéed; 4) Hainanese Chicken, good, the meat wasn't as silky as usual. Still, the taste is there with all the dishes. I must change the order on my next visit to include my other go-tos: Mango Chicken and off-menu Spareribs. Along with superb service again, 5 stars? CHEERS! read more
This place is sooo good. So so many options. Good for groups , getting a bunch of dishes and eating family style, and also good for a date with your husband. Also good for a lunch break. Food comes fast! They have a great drink menu (non alcoholic- like the watermelon drink) and dessert menu. My personal favorite is the mango chicken. It admittedly does not do well as leftovers so enjoy fresh. Come and enjoy all the food! read more
7 months ago
7 months ago
good service and food! especially loved the roti telur it was sooo good I would definitely come back just for that read more
4 years ago
It's always hard to find authentic Malaysian food in the US, let alone in Boston, and unfortunately, Penang was no reprieve from this dearth. My friend and I came by for dinner earlier this week around 5:30 pm - there were 2 other tables when we arrived, and a few more filled in over the course of our meal. The interior decor is really thorough in a traditional village vibe, with lots of exposed brick and wood. We started with a roti canai - which was extremely disappointing. The roti was bland and soggy, nothing like the fluffy and crispy roti that I adore. The curry was significantly better - chicken and potato decently tasty - but overall I was very turned off by this dish, which is arguably one of the most basic/popular Malaysian dishes out there. We also ordered the Indian mee goreng - probably the high point of the meal. The sauce was tasty and noodles well cooked (with a generous helping of peanuts sprinkled on top), but I don't think had a very authentic flavour; it could have passed for some chow-mein-esque dish at a generic American Chinese restaurant. Finally, we had the asam laksa. First, as a note, asam laksa is not the same as the more common nyonya laksa; the former is made with a more sour broth (the 'asam') whereas the nyonya laksa has a spicier, coconut-based soup. This much the server did confirm with us, so of course there's credit where credit is due. I make this digression to emphasise that my distaste for this dish is not because I expected the different type of laksa, but rather because the soup was not great in and of itself. The flavour profile was entirely unbalanced, with the broth way too sour than expected. The mackerel flakes did not taste fresh, and the other veggies just seemed haphazardly thrown in as an afterthought. The noodles tasted fine though, although that is not much of a redemption. That being said, to Penang's credit the price point was not the highest, especially for the relatively large portion sizes. However, for this quality of food, I really do not think that I will be coming back anytime soon. read more
2 years ago
This was my first time trying Malaysian food but it won't be my last. We ordered Penang Seafood Rice Noodle and Nasi Goreng with chicken. For the noodle dish, the seafood was cooked well. The flavors were great and the noodles had a nice bite to them. For the rice dish, I liked this one a lot. The portions are pretty decent sizes too. read more
1 year ago
I've visited other Malaysian restaurants in the US and was excited to find one in Boston! I took my boyfriend to Penang for his first Malaysian restaurant experience and he absolutely loved it. We got the roti canai, chicken satay, Kang kung belacan and the Hainanese chicken. The roti and curry sauce was a little thinner than usual but both were still delicious. The chicken satay had good flavor and was tender. The veggies and Hainanese chicken were amazing and delicious. The only complaint I have was that the entrees did not come with rice, you have to order them separately. The dishes were a bit on the pricey side and for the cost of them, it would have been nice to have rice included. It won't stop me from visiting again though! read more
Quick late dinner after my bf picked me up from airport so it was great they are opened until 10pm Ordered roti appetizer, hainanese chicken, and spicy sizzling beef dish. I had high expectations for the roti but it was SO chewy that it felt underdone. The parts that were crisper tasted better but overall so disappointed :( For hainanese chicken, it was good but certain parts of the chicken was for sure dry. The sizzling beef was really tender so A+ for that because most Asian places don't tenderize it enough. It's most definitely not spicy, at all read more
2 years ago
Good food, quick service, friendly staff. Atmosphere is cute, located in chinatown. The duck has bone so be careful. Tasty overall and good portions read more
2 years ago
9 months ago
I am Malaysian -- half chinese half Indian, and one of my most favorite food in the world is an oyster omelet. This oyster omelet does not disappoint let me tell you, the oysters are truly fresh as can be and it represents the dish how I remembered it 22 years ago back home. The Char Kueh Teow was also really good, tasty and charred beautifully. The ambiance and service was pretty decent as well, nothing too unique. Staff members were not Malaysians so I couldn't talk to them in our native languages. But food wise, definitely would come back. read more
For lunch on Saturday I arrived at Penang, curious to try their rendition of Bak Kuh Teh. My party of 2 arrived and received prompt seating. Menus remained digital QR code, though, upon request, I received a physical menu, albeit with outdated prices. Lunch consisted of the following: - Bak Kuh Teh | $14.50 | small portion - Nasi Goreng | $10.50 - House Special Squid | $12.50 All items arrived at roughly the same time, ~10 minutes after placing the order. The Bak Kuh Teh, a soup with chinese herbs with pig feet, stomach & fatty pork, seemed far too light. The herbs seemed faint, and the stock seemed too thin. Additionally, the soup seemed oddly sweet; the shiitake mushrooms alone could not have contributed to this. Some other booster, seemingly sugar, caused this. The Nasi Goreng, a fried rice dish, struggled to differentiate itself from any other fried rice. What could have differentiated this dish, namely the Malaysian shrimp paste and red pepper, may as well not have existed. Lastly, the House Special Squid, sauteed in what the menu describes as "popular authentic spicy sauce", tasted about as spicy as paprika. It was, however, quite sweet - far too sweet for a menu item that highlighted spice and had no mention of glaze. If I wanted everything orange chicken-ified, I could go to a myriad of pan-Asian restaurants. read more
Went out walking around Chinatown and saw this place with a bunch of people so we decided to stop. We were immediately greeted and seated. Ordered the Saki shot flight (mango was good, strawberry was ok, green and white not so much). The chicken wings were really good. I enjoyed the sauce on the wings and they weren't fried too hard. The fried rice was tasty, not dry and tasted fresh (I could've used some soy sauce on mine). I anticipated that our pineapple fried rice would come in a pineapple but, it didn't. The restaurant is an open style where you can see them preparing meals and making drinks. It's a big space if you have a large party. This seemed to be one of the popular spots to stop at as it was busy the entire time we were there. read more
It had been several years since I visited Penang and gave it a try again. Not impressed We had ordered takeouts. The food was warm and nicely packed, however the flavors were bit too low and off for our liking. The usual Roti-Canai (indian pancake with a mild chicken curry) was good. Chow Kueh Teow was bit too mild and lacked flavour. Tasted more like flavorless pad thai. The Nasi Lemak combination was good, comes with a boiled egg, regular chicken curry and marinated veggies. The accompanying coconut rice hardly had any flavour and tasted like regular white rice. read more
3 years ago
The go-to is the Malaysian pancake with sauce; 10/10 Ginger duck noodles 5/10 Malaysian pancake with beef/egg/onion 8/10 Service always great very nice people Restaurant is large and more or less what you would expect not super fancy. Close to Subway stop and park for a nice walk after read more
3 years ago
This place is impeccably clean and watched the staff wipe down every surface floor to ceiling! The meat was very tender and it was fun tasting these exotic flavors. read more
FOOD 5/5 This is the first time i had Malay food, and it will be the standard I'll set from now on until I taste something better. I had the Nasi Lemak, which after some research, I found was one of the more recommended Malay food. And man, it was delicious! SERVICE 5/5 We were checked up on often - waters refilled every time it was empty, waiters are VERY attentive. Great service. AMBIANCE 5/5 Wooden decor inside was beautiful. It made me feel like I'm eating at a local small village. Great place to have family style meals. read more
4 years ago
Speedy services and generous portions, suitable for family style eating. Great for hungry dinners. Walked in on Friday evening around 6:30, waited 10 mins for a table for three. The restaurant was full, but the food came out fast. The time from order to all 4 dishes delivered to the table took less than 20 minutes. Food costed around $20 per dish, portion were generous and meant to be shared in a family style. All food we ordered were richly sauced, mostly towards sweet-sour flavors--which went perfectly with the lightly salted coconut rice. So don't forget your rice!! Highly recommend Hainanese chicken, it was incredibly juicy and tender. We ordered half of the chicken and it was enough to share for 3 of us. Lastly, the environment was quite open and it felt very busy, if you would hope to get some private conversations, maybe not the best choice. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
Really enjoyed this Malaysian place in Chinatown! I was craving roti for weeks and did a quick google search which led me to this restaurant. I left very satisfied and got to try a solid assortment of dishes from their menu. I felt that the dishes were all very well priced for a restaurant in Boston. As someone who does not have a ton of experience with Malaysian food, I really appreciated that the menu had pictures for every single dish on the menu. I would of course recommend the roti (a light fluffy pancake served with a curry dip) and hainnanese chicken. The beef satay was also incredible, and so tender and flavorful. We also ordered a noodle dish (mee siam) which was average compared to the others I mentioned. When I go back, I am hoping to try some of the other noodle dishes instead. read more
One of the only malaysian restaurants I know! It was super busy when I came and they were able to accommodate 9 of us. I would say that if you come, all you need is the chicken, pie apple fried rice, and all the roti. Those are the staples I get. The mango shrimp was good, but it was too much mango, not enough shrimp! read more
4 years ago
I was surprised by their Hainanese Chicken! It's sooo fresh and absolutely delicious. The portion is huge with such a reasonable price. Definitely one of the must-try dishes! Starting with Roti Canai would be a good choice as an appetizer, it's an Indian pancake with curry dipping sauce. Penang Pad Thai is bit spicy but delicious as well. read more
This spot is such a gem and I'm glad they're bringing Malaysian cuisine to the Chinatown scene. The interior of the restaurant has a lot of interesting wooden detail. They have a temperature check at the front and huge dividers between the lobby and register area. They have a mix of dishes that you can order individually or family-style. The menu has a big variety that caters to whether you want a cheap meal or something more grand. I tried the roti canai ($5.75) which comes with one roti and a fragrant, coconut-based chicken curry for dipping. I completely understand the hype for this dish because it was delicious. I also got the nasi lemak ($12). The portion was decent for its price and the dish had various flavors and textures. The Indian mee goreng ($11.50) was probably the least impressive thing I tried. It tasted good but wasn't anything special. Less on the spicy side and more on the sweet side. They give you disposable plates, utensils, and cups for ordering family style, but the dishes themselves come on real (washable/reusable) plates. read more
ok so i put 4 stars because i don't want to ruin the curve but i do think 3.5 is the right rating for this place. generally the food is quite good - esp when i don't usually get any malay food around me. the roti canai is about a 3/5, it's good light and crispy but it was also a bit over-chewy. the chicken wings were good, crispy and well-seasoned 4/5. the laksa is penang style so not curry; more like a tom yum soup like sour style in a fish broth; admittedly if you aren't familiar that sounds challenging, but it's very nice 3.5/5. the restaurant is pretty large but i think it does get busy at times. on a thursday evening around 730, plenty space for walk ins. service is fast and prompt. i look forward to trying their other items the next time i come through town. read more
Took a while (~40min for 4) to get a table, but it was Saturday night dinner time so expected. Once we ordered though, the food came out within 10 minutes, they are super fast and efficient. The food is hot and gives comfort food vibes. Portions are large! read more
More info about Penang
685 Washington St
Boston, MA 02116
Chinatown
Directions
(617) 451-6373
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Visit Website
https://www.penangcuisineboston.com
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Ask the Community - Penang
Hi! Could you tell me if you offer any vegetarian or vegan options at Penang?
I think there's a couple of things that you can get that are vegetarian like the Penang Poh Piah (had stump but there's a veggie option), the Satay Bean Curd and the Kang Kung Belacan Spicy. I'm not sure if they're vegan but there's vegetarian…
What are dishes are gluten-free?
You'll have to ask them how they prepare their sauces. I would expect the Hainannese Chicken to be GF. Many of the rice dishes should be gluten free or could be of any fried items were omitted. I believe the pineapple fried rice may be GF.
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