Very poor service. Was shoved away from restaurant by waiter even though it was more than half empty.

We ordered delivery through GrubHub because we were having a lazy evening watching a movie and didn't want to go out. I love their Drunk Man Noodles. They are fat noodles like Thai Pad Kee Mao but less veggies. The spice level is on point, noodles are perfectly chewy, and the chicken is tender. My wife enjoyed shrimp Pad Thai. Chicken satay and veggie spring rolls were just okay. Will definitely order again but will skip the apps. read more

I've been here multiple times and would say this is a pretty good restaurant! The quality of the meats and seafood is always great--very tender, flavorful, and fresh. I've tried their Chow Kueh Teow which was packed with spices and herbs, and not overly oily either. Great portion for the price too. I didn't expect much for their Pad Thai, but it was pretty good too with lots of shrimp and also huge portion. Have gone here with friends and family and would definitely recommend to others as well! read more

Penang is amazing. It's not great. It's not consistent. It's not even always open. But it is simply a miracle -- and often exactly what I need. Anyone who has traveled or lived in Asia, or lived in NYC or San Francisco for a while knows this sort of place. It's ubiquitous if you've really traveled -- and we are so, so lucky to have it here in State College (of all places). I dare you to find good Hainanese chicken rice anywhere in Pennslyvania, but here it is in central Pennsylvania. Chicken curry comes with all the bones, cleavered just so to expose the marrow. Drunkman noodles... just follow the instructions, be drunk, and order these noodles. This is not a precious restaurant, but it is also not an indifferent restaurant. They have a legit vibe and style but it's not for everyone. Yes, I also have found a staple in my food. So I spit it out. I've also found some weird plastic once; same deal, spit it out. You'll be fine. read more

Before entering, the outed is shabby. Not that we expected to eat outside at their patio area, but it looked like it hadn't been tended to in years! Big tree branches fallen on tables, piles of leaves, trash blowing around, etc . Inside it was fine. Decorated nicely but a bit worn. Tables rather sticky. The food was fine, but nothing special. In fact my chicken broccoli dish had very little chicken in it. The place was cold too. Service was fast, but the waiter wasn't friendly, wasn't personable, seemed in a hurry, and rather too serious. Nothing I'd return to with all the other choices in that area. read more

UPDATE: Glad that the restaurant is taking it seriously and going through its inventory to make sure this will not happen again. I enjoyed this place for a long time. They do offer great lunch combos. Unfortunately, today, I had to experience something not want. I have picked up the three lunch combo and had a big bite out of one. And.. Something unexpectedly hard material was chewed. I thought it might be a tiny bone or a small stone that might come with the broccoli. However, it was a metal staple. read more

Penang - a plate of rice, broccoli, and a spoon - Malaysian Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

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Ordered char kway Tiah, very tasty and curry mee chicken for lunch. Very nice. Tried beef rendang and sambal shrimp for dinner , very yummy. Recommend this place. read more

Ive only ordered delivery here so i cant tell you anything about eating in but DAMN THEY ARE FAST. Every time ive ordered from orderup theyve only taken 30 mins AND the food is friggin HOT like burn your tongue hot lol so you know its fresh. I do feel that some of the dishes are hit or miss. The portions are decent for the price but they could be better. The duck is a lil expensive so i havent tried it yet nor do i know the portions for that. Food: Fried pearl noodle beef ($8 lunch special): Noodles were good and flavor was good. Only thing i didnt like was they use the same cheap beef like they use in cheap chinese restaurants for broccoli beef. Beyond that it was good. Curry Stew Beef Noodles ($12): This is prob my favorite dish here so far. Good amounts of beef, and the noodles were good. Great flavor. Since i got it delivery, they put the curry broth in a separate container. You can either eat it with or without the broth since the other stuff had this other spicy sauce coating it already. Only thing is there coulda been more noodles. Malaysian Curry Chicken over rice ($8 lunch special): This dish kind of just tasted like chinese yellow curry chicken. I wouldnt get this again. Plus they leave the skin on the chicken which i dont like but thats preference i guess. Asam Laksa ($8 lunch special): This is a spicy and sour noodle soup. The noodles were good as well as the flavors. It really reminded of me of tom yum noodle soup but im sure there are differences. Unfortunately theres no meat so i prob wouldnt get this again either. Chow Kueh Teow ($12): Reminds me of the chinese flat noodles (ho fun or chow fun). Nothing special about this dish. Didnt particularly like the flavor much either. It was just ok. Overall this spot aint too expensive and they dont charge for delivery. Most of the dishes have been good to mediocre, but I think this is prob the only joint that does malaysian or anything close. I feel like choosing wrong will give you a bad experience but choosing right will def give you a great one. read more

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We used to think Penang was one of the best restaurants in State College, with great food and terrific customer service. We stayed loyal even after they switched from mixed greens in their Thai House Salad to iceberg lettuce. Tonight, though, they lost our business from now on. We ordered a large wonton soup because theirs is expensive ($6.95) but really good. The soup container arrived half full. We called to report the problem and they apologized and said they'd send a replacement right over. I am attaching a photo of what they sent. Seriously??? I'm done with them. read more

Penang - The other half of the missing wonton soup is on the right! - Malaysian Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

Malaysian food in State College? yes! We were delighted to see some of our favorite dishes on the menu. Prices are definitely a little higher than I expected, but that's the 'funny' thing about SC... lack of competition I suppose. In general, food was a-ok (see photos for details). Chow kueh teow was decent and roti would be better with more air pockets. Suggestions: kang kung belacan, chow kueh teow, curry beef stew casserole, crispy golden squid,... I will agree with some of the other reviews, service could seriously benefit from some tweaking and fine tuning. read more

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The best dinner in state college! Looks unassuming but highly recommend for anyone wanting southeast/East Asian food!!

Great food: generals chicken. Drive up is not available. It was empty but students not in town. Would recommend this place for sure . Probably for take out however. read more

I got duck. I am not sure how good it was because I was in such a rush this day that my kids ate it at home. They really liked it. They like this restaurant, I am not so fond of it. It was okay for oriental place in terms of cleanliness. The food is not great for me. As I said my kids eat anything anywhere. read more

I think that Penang's taste is excellent. I have tried many Asian food places in State College and Penang's food was the tastiest. I cannot comment on the customer service or internal atmosphere as I picked up my order through the drive-thru window. But it is absolutely worth a try and I will be coming back. read more

This was our first time at Penang. We stopped late on a Saturday night and were one of only two tables occupied. Our server didn't say much and did not seem to very interested in being there. He banged around dishes while cleaning nearby tables and dropped items on the floor. The water given to us was at room temperature. Since we were not told about the specials or anything else, we ordered two of our go-to dishes - Singapore rice noodles and Pad Thai. Both were very good and had good flavor. The Pad Thai had both shrimp and tofu in it - quite tasty. It was quite a bit of food, too. It worked for what we needed that night-a good quick dinner, but service and ambiance were lacking. read more

Penang - Pad Thai - Malaysian Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

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One of my favorite Malaysian dishes is Hainanese Chicken and now I CAN HAVE IT IN STATE COLLEGE!!!!!! When Penang first posted their restaurant sign, I was afraid to be hopeful and thought for sure it would be yet another Chinese-Japanese restaurant. But when I finally made it inside and opened up the menu, I danced in my chair, clapping and squealing at the fact it WAS a Malaysian restaurant (no, I really did do this... to the chagrin of my bf, probably). Minutes after we placed our order, a group of Malaysian Muslim women came in and they repeated the exact the same response I had to the menu. I'm not kidding! Haha For appetizer, I ordered the Baby Oyster Omelette. There is a Taiwanese version of this dish that I get when I'm home. It didn't live up to my expectations, but it is exactly what the name implies -- baby oysters covered in a blanket of a simple omelet that is probably scrambled with salt and MSG for flavor. Just my guess. The whole thing rested on a bed of lettuce and was topped with cilantro and strings of carrot. It satisfied my seafood/oyster craving, though, and for that, I'm grateful. :-) We also ordered a Spicy Tempura roll. It only came with 6 pieces but it was a giant roll! Presentation was good and the spiciness came in the form of the sauce that they squirted on the outside of the sliced rolled and on the plate. This made me want to try out the other rolls on their menu. One of the appetizer items I didn't get but usually order at other Malaysian restaurants is the first one on the list, the Roti Pancake. It's a crepe-like pastry, slightly flaky, slightly chewy that you rip pieces off of and dip in the potato curry that comes with it. Yum! No room this time, though. For our main dishes, I ordered 1/2 Hainanese Chicken, which is a steamed, bone-in chicken, chopped up, and served in a dish of soy sauce and sliced cucumber. This is what I would consider Chinese-style deli meat... steamed chicken is ubiquitous in Chinatowns across the world but sorely missing in State College. It was absolutely delicious and hit the spot! My boyfriend ordered the Mango Chicken which was advertised as being served in a mango cup so we assumed it would be a small amount. Not so! It covered the plate with a giant mound of food. It's not something I would order, but if you like having a sweet taste to your meat dish, then you will enjoy this. All in all, I agree with Simon B (congrats on the first review of this place) -- similar ambience and decor to the other fusion Asian restaurants in State College (made me wonder if they are all working with the same contractor who is making a lot of money recently). but how great is it to finally get some diverse (Asian) food options in State College?!?! I can't wait to go back with a group to try the hot pot choices (very interactive and fun group activity) and/or the other seafood dishes that Malaysian cuisine is known for. Note: They have a 15% off grand opening discount that lasts until 12/22/10. And BYOB. read more

THE most disgusting experience I've ever had at a restaurant. But first, some general complaints... 1. My sister and I were the only ones in the restaurant so all the servers were standing around staring at us... 2. Server was very nice, but had absolutely no idea how to provide customer service and just kept saying that the food was beautiful, and gorgeous. Kind of funny, but kind of annoying after a while... especially after we had a million problems and he had no idea how to help me or listen to my problems. 3. Appetizer "Roti Canai (Indian Pancake)" it sounded wonderful, but it tasted like it was frozen and just warmed up in a skillet for us... it was that "out of a box/can" empty flat flavor. Eeeek. Okay, now the biggest problem was my entree. It was incredibly terrible. I got the "Curry Beef Stew Casserole " which was our servers suggestion to us (and everyone else around us that ended up coming in near us that asked for suggestions). First of all, it was NOT a casserole!! It was a bowl of brown liquid with pieces of beef sitting in it. There was not really anything else significant at all.... A side of cold rice, and a pile of beef. I thought, okay... at least if the beef is good it'll be okay. Well the beef was FREAKISHLY horrible. It was the chewiest toughest fattiest beef I've ever tasted. I seriously think that this was made out of the cut offs of steak. It was 100% pure gristle. I was confused beyond words and I took the completely inedible piece from my mouth and tried again on another piece, which was just as repulsive. It was absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to eat. I chewed for a long time and the meat looked exactly the same. I realized that what I was eating was cartilage and gristle. If anyone actually likes this, please explain - because I do not understand at all why anyone would take the scraps of beef garbage and make a stew out of it and call it casserole. It was so repulsive that I will never, ever return. When I complained about it, our server simply stated "What can I get you instead?" He didn't say "Oh my, that isn't how it normally looks..." or "I'm so sorry, we'll replace your meal with something else" or anything affirming in the slightest. Superrrr awkward. So I ended up being totally disgusted AND feeling like I did something wrong. Ouch. read more

Love the pad Thai. Fast delivery. Full portion. I get this when I just can't manage a meal myself

With all the construction on Atherton Street, we decided to support our neighbors and give Penang a try. Super Yummy. We had the roti (Indian pancake) with a delicious chicken curry dipping sauce, seafood Tom Yum, pork dumplings, curry beef stew, and spare ribs. Everything was delicious. The ribs were Carmelized. The curry beef was tender. The Tom yum soup was balanced and flavorful with lots of perfectly cooked seafood. Service was attentive but not intrusive. A wonderful evening! Strongly recommend! read more

I haven't found anything that I'd really enjoyed from here. The only thing that I do really get from here is their sushi rolls since I know that their owned by the same people that own Fuji & Jade Garden. But as for the other entrees that are Malaysian inspired, I haven't found any dish that I'm a fan of. But I am willing to give their other dishes a try. read more

A little pricy for the portions and type of food. There are a few good curry dishes that i like quite a bit, but much of the rest of the menu is very bland to my taste. The hot and sour soup which i like at almost any asian place was super-super rubbery, there were glops of corn starch soaked un-soupy like taste. This was a turn off for me. Rest of the things i tried were ok. The sushi from what i tried and heard are probably the saving grace for this place. It's not amazing and nothing that really stands out, but definitely somewhere thats i would go again. read more

Solid restaurant with various Asian fare. I have been here twice now and haven't been disappointed. read more

Penang - Restaurant interior. - Malaysian Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

Delicious! Jumbo spider roll and roast duck noodle soup. Device as good and atmosphere nice. read more

Penang - Malaysian Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

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First and foremost, I am not an authority on Asian cuisine. To me, a good General Tso's warms the cackles in ways not fit to put on the web. But all joking aside, this place is great. Formerly a Backyard Burgers, you'd never know it when walking it. There's some cheesy LCD(?) monitors at various points on the wall highlighting some of the food they serve. Delicious, delicious food. The authenticity of taste - is relative. It's a culmination of our life's experience and expectations, and very few of us are in a position to judge what is spot on flavor. What all of us with curds in between our ears should be able to tell is quality of ingredients and the care in which those ingredients are prepared. Here, Penang hits a homerun. I had the Beef Rendang (Beef, coconut milk, chilies and spices (cinnamon cloves) and Malaysian dry curry sauce, cooked over low heat.) Meat was deliciously tender, not over-flavored - exquisite. Rice was a touch dry - not uneatable though (it was cooked throughly) and served in what appeared to be an upside-down bowl. Considering awesome presentation of the Rendang, this was a disappointing. The table ordered a King Sushi roll, I forget which one, but it was AWESOME. Incredibly fresh fish. I was surprised at the quality they had considering the nearest ocean is 400mi away. Very fresh ginger, authentic Wasabi, and flavorful (not over salted) soy sauce rounded it out. Looking forward to coming back again. read more

I was expecting an "Asian Fusion" restaurant to have fusion cuisine. Actually, they're more pan-Asian. The menu is a mish-mash of Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Malaysian dishes. They're good, but not spicy enough. They have very few vegetarian dishes, and most of the dishes in the vegetarian section have fish in them. This is particularly sad, since they have over 260 selections on the menu. The food was good, but there are other pan-Asian restaurants in town with faster service and more veg-friendly fare. read more

Expect that your servers will look really pitiful and don't think about this literally, it appears the individuals here don't feel any additional exertion is required. Anticipate excellent Malaysian nourishment. Anticipate fair Thai and Chinese. Not secure with the nature of their Japanese. I wouldn't stop for a second to go again to eat their Malay dishes, yet to some degree increasingly pricy for the territory. Hope to pay $50 for lunch with no beverages. read more

I love their salted fish fried rice. Their sushi special is good for the price. You can pick three different types of sushi with either soup or salad. One of the choices is spider roll and this is my favorite!! I can eat soft shell crab everyday without getting bored of it. read more

Penang - Sushi special for dinner - Malaysian Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

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Very good sushi! Super fresh that you can't even tell it's fish! I got the spicy girl roll and oh my are they STUFFED. I was finished with a very happy belly. My fiancé got the pad Thai and ate it all in 5 minutes. It was a very silent dinner lol. I love my stuff super spicy and I found that the spicy girl roll was low to mild in the heat dept read more

Penang - Spicy girl roll - Malaysian Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

I wanted so much to love this place. The good news is that If they make it, they will be able to fix some things. The first time I went was on New Year's eve. When I ordered, the waiter told me that it would be over half an hour for that particular dish, so I had the mango chicken instead. That was really tasty. Roti was good, but not enough for the price. I've gone a couple times since, and it just hasn't been worth it. The one time, the server dropped water all over my friend and didn't even apologize. We were just rushed to another table while the entire place stared at us. I know it's probably obnoxious to complain about, but most of their chicken seems to be on the bone. I realize that may be more authentic and maybe I sound like a dumb American. But it's also just ANNOYING. When I'm spending like $15 on a dish and there is hardly any meat, it just doesn't seem worth it. The wait times have been really long each time I've gone, too. They really need to get their service in order and pair down the menu a bit to things that really work for them. read more

This is the best Asian place that I've ever been to. It doesn't compare to anything or any place that I've been. They make their meals so much love and dedication and they are extremely cheap. I've lived in Dallas for almost two years and had my share of Asian experiences there but nothing will ever compare to Penang in State College. The best part is the they don't use MSG like ALL the other Asian places do. All of the food is extremely appetizing and filling. The staff have become like family, treating us like royalty, knowing what we want when we come in and always give a little extra something. My whole family and neighbors all love this place! They have been so faithful in staying open in the hardest times, trying to stay afloat and yet faithfully serving the community with incredible meals. This is one of the only places that grew on me like nothing else, they will always have my business. I recommend it to all my friends and family. If you haven't tried this place, I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed. read more

I literally have been to Penang six times since it opened back in November. I really liked their thai dishes. However the Tom Yum soup was disappointing, they used the wrong kind of noodles for the soup. So i would not get Tom Yum there, and My Thai has better Tom Yum soup. The Pad Thai was pretty good, larger portion for your money than Cosi Thai. the Prawn noodles were interesting, but i got really sick of eating it half-way through. I thought the prices were a little too high, but i liked how many choices they had on their menu. Sushi was really good and i recommend getting it here. The service ok, not the best. They could use more timeliness in their service. read more

I really enjoyed my experience at Penang one Saturday for lunch. We were a party of six and the service was efficient. My least favorite thing I ordered was the roti canai because it was greasy and very small portioned. It was also unlike any roti canai I've ever eaten in any other establishment so I would never order it again. Other than that, everything else we ordered was delicious from the curry with coconut rice, bone broth soup, and braised pork dish. I'm not sure what the other two ordered but it was noodle dishes. I thought the serving sizes for the entrees were very generous. Bathrooms were clean. I'd come back again for sure ! read more

I've had Penang twice and I just think it is okay. For Southeast Asian food there are better places in town (Cozy Thai, My Thai). I really wanted to give them a chance though. My first trip to Penang was disappointing. I got take out and the service was slow. No one was there! They did offer me water though which was nice because I walked from my home on a very hot summer day. I got a beef something or other. I can't remember what it was but that's because it was nothing exciting. I think I also got the Roti which was better than some that I've had at highly rated Malay restaurants. This second time around I thought I'd mix it up and just get appetizers for my meal, like Malaysion tapas. I got the Tofu Satay and the Pork Dumpling. The dumplings were actually pretty good. I've had way better ones in China and I was craving that taste. Greasy, salty chewy and squishy. There's nothing really like that here in American takeout places, but I was curious whether Penang would come close. Penang's pork in the dumplings had the texture that I was lookign for, maybe a little too much scallion, but otherwise the taste was good. The dough of the dumpling was pretty decent but I prefer something a little softer. The dipping sauce was excellent. I would definitely order these again. The tofu satay was also pretty nice. The tofu was cooked crispy as it should be. It was also presented nicely with the bean sprouts and celery tucked in and the portions are very large. The idea of having peanut sauce on it is what enticed me to order this appetizer. I love peanut sauce. Unfortunately they don't have main dishes with peanut sauce!! What kind of menu is that? It's unfortunate too because their peanut sauce is very good. I was disappointed that the tofu wasn't coated in the peanut sauce when I got it. The sauce was served on the side. Maybe because it would've made a mess in the container (I did order delivery). Maybe because it would have made it soggy. Who knows. All in all it is a good dish. Maybe a little greasy but still very good. I hate to be hard on Penang because what I got tonight was very good. I think I'm giving them just 2 and not 3 stars because I haven't found a main dish that is exciting. I also think they are overpriced. They've got a lot of competition with My Thai and Cozy Thai so I would hope that they lower their prices or else they might be out! And get some main dishes with peanut sauce! read more

I really like Penang for its authentic Chinese cuisine. I've eaten here many times and pretty much everything was surprisingly good. Their sushi is good too! Recommended dishes: - Chicken broth rice - Naruto roll - Sizzling tofu (has tiny pieces of meat) Pros: - Tastes great - Has delivery - Convenient location with free parking for drivers Cons: - A little more expensive than your average chinese food place (but worth it) read more

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If you are malaysian looking to eat something local, this place will dissaapoint you. It seems like the food being served are not fresh too. Wouldnt visit again. read more

My husband and I have not had sushi since we moved to State College and on February, 25 decided to celebrate our wedding anniversary by getting sushi from Penang. We had eaten there before, but rice dishes which were fine. I had King Eel Rolls, Dragon rolls and Fashion rolls, and we both had tuna over rice and miso soup. Everything tasted fine, but at 5am we both felt horribly sick. It was food poisoning like we have not had in a long time! Still bed-ridden. I guess having sushi in State College is generally a risky idea. I just wish we didn't throw away $45 and did not have a spoilt anniversary! read more

This is usually where I order delivery sushi from. I like Sakura (and now Tadashi) more, but they don't deliver. The sushi is pretty acceptable-- I've never had a problem but it's never mind-blowing. The delivery isn't too long of a wait (40-50 minutes), since they aren't downtown. I ate in their restaurant once and had dishes besides the sushi. Everything was decent. It's a place I order from to meet my sushi cravings, but otherwise, it's not ever somewhere I think to order from. I know it's from the same people who own Fuji and Jade, but for some reason, I think Penang has better sushi. read more

Stopped in for lunch special after Penn State move-in. Great sushi; green curry lunch special had plenty of tofu and eggplant. Easy parking, and just outside the main campus area, so easy to get to. Good for vegans. Enjoy!!! read more

AWFUL - TRULY AWFUL - We got for a change of pace - and all I can say is save your money folks - how can you screw up Sweet n Sour chicken??? It was dried out, over cooked crap. The white rice was OLD and could be used as spackle. The coconut shrimp over rice had no coconut, two pieces of shrimp and the rice was disgusting. Vegetable Sushi with unidentifiable vegetables??? BLECK BLECK BLECK read more

I've been to a few Asian fusion places before. Penang is a good one, just not one that stands out in any way. The food is very good, the restaurant is nice, the service was good. I just felt like it could have been any one of the many other Asian fusion places I've been too. If you're hungry for sushi or the like, it's a good place to go and you won't be disappointed. Your mind won't be blown though.... read more