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    Penn's Thai Cafe

    4.4 (135 reviews)
    InexpensiveThai
    Updated 3 months ago

    Order Penn's Thai Cafe Takeout or Delivery

    Penn's Thai Cafe Photos

    PENN'S THAI CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Penn's Thai Cafe

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    Stopped by here while traveling through and wanted some Thai food. The food was amazing and the medium plus was the perfect amount of heat! The service was great throughout dinner .

    Crab Rangoon & Spring Roll
    Madison D.

    Important things to note about about this little spot: the online menu is very outdated and does not reflect current menu options, After 7pm the restaurant only offers carry out, There is an $8 minimum for card. The interior is quaint but can seat a handful of tables. The spring rolls were hot, crunchy & flavorful. The large white rice is rather small, so if you are looking for a lot to share I recommend two. Some items on the paper menu were still not available to order. I had a hard time getting through by phone, so I walked in and ordered. Prices are reasonable and the wait was short.

    Crab Rangoon
    Cory C.

    This is one of my favorite Thai restaurants in the Troy area. It's a pretty small and cozy dining room, but good for smaller groups. I really like their pad Thai here: I appreciate them accommodating my substitution request (broccoli instead of green onions) without charge. It was delicious - the sauce was well-balanced between sweet, salty, and sour flavors. I will say, the lunch portion is pretty small - my friend finished her entree and she almost always has carryout when eating at Thai restaurants. I recommend the dinner portion if you have a good appetite. Another thing we like ordering when we go here is the crab rangoon: last I went, it was 8 for $5.25 which isn't too bad. It's also not super greasy and the filling is creamy and delicious. The accompanying sweet and sour sauce is watery, but goes very well with rangoon, providing some tang to cut through the richness. I've also tried their pad see ew: good "wok hei" ("breath of a wok") and I got their dinner size which is a much better portion than lunch size at only $2.45 more. It was a little on the salty side, but had really good flavor. They provide a generous amount of pork. The noodles themselves were very firm - they could stand to be soaked a bit longer.

    Preaw Warn
    Amy C.

    Ordered a large order for a lunch party. Fawn (phonetic for her name) was so helpful and accommodating. All of our 20+ orders were ready to pick up at 11am as promised labeled with all the correct levels of spice and special requests! The containers kept the contents warm for our 11:30 party. The pad Thai was some of the best I've had in awhile and I ordered a mild one for someone who didn't usually eat Thai food bc of the spice... she was so happy to have a non-spicy delicious entree! Everyone seemed to enjoy their food. Pics of a few items ordered included.

    Nicole E.

    Open until 7:30pm last night. Not sure if they are associated with the one in RO at all or a stand-alone. Same name. 7 tables inside. Ordered crab Rangoon, green apple salad, pad Thai curry with chicken and steamed tofu and added mixed veggies, extra extra hot and a Gang Pak with chicken and steamed tofu and no baby corn, medium spicy. Add-ons are each $1. The shrimp crackers are crunchy and fresh, not stale. I can hear the madness and cooking frenzy coming from the kitchen. It's on. The crab Rangoon looks thin and yummy. They ate thin, however the wonton dough is a bit dense. The cream cheese is yummy, slightly sweet too. The portions here are sizable. My eyes widened seeing how big the plate for the pad Thai curry was. My Gang Pak was also a decent size. The gang pak is good, nice and spicy, well seasoned too. Lots of veggies, chicken and tofu too. They don't skimp out for the add-ons at least. The pad Thai curry was quite spicy, which was good for my husband. It was very spicy to me, but more than that it was piping hot too. The service was good. Food was good.

    Doug R.

    This is the typical strip mall, Thai restaurant. The venue is not fancy, but it is indeed clean. The service was prompt and attentive. I ordered the house-style fried rice and it was loaded - I loved it as much as anyone can love fried rice. The red curry with chicken was also excellent. I ordered medium spice level and it matched my expectations. Will I return? Yes.

    Take out menu
    David M.

    Had lunch at Penn's Thai Cafe today because it's been a while since our last visit. We arrived right at opening time of noon on Saturdays and were told to sit anywhere since no one else was there yet. Our server brought a basket with crispy Shrimp Chips to munch and menus. Once we placed our orders, our server brought us each a cup of Hot and Sour Soup that was all that. My wife ordered Shrimp Pad See Ew mild and I ordered Shrimp Pad Ped medium. We also ordered Thai Iced Coffee and our friend shared his Spring Rolls. The food was great as always and the spice levels were rright on and exactly how we ordered them. The Iced Coffees were refreshing and flavorful and went well with everything. We had a great time, delicious food, and friendly service. I definitely stand by my previous rating.

    Pad Ped curry with chicken. Yum city
    Jason X.

    Mix of highs and lows but overall great Thai food for a small city like my hometown! The Pad Ped curry was delicious, and I'll be trying more curries for sure. The Pad Pek and Pad See Ew were both way too salty. The Pad Pek veggies felt basic in terms of how they were cooked - not a ton of flavor. The Pad See Ew noodles were too al dente. The white rice was solid but you aren't coming here for that. Mild is pretty much not spicy at all so don't be afraid of that or higher. The service was pleasant but a little understaffed for the dinner rush. I'll be back.

    Open ish kitchen for the hipster foodies.
    Al H.

    Covid Theater has made the spartan Penn's (Penn's?) even more bare. The church basement decor might put some off but you can't eat in anyway so who cares. I Yelped Thai food while driving and decided to give it a try. Good if not basic fare. The veg in my dish looked like frozen peas and carrots. Tastes were good. Medium spice was pretty medium. Crab Rangoon was very good as even my health conscious wife scarfed down the deep fried pockets. Plenty of meat in the Thai Fried Rice. Lots of Thai places in that part of Troy but it seemed to have it's following based on the foot traffic. Penn Thai a good buy if you drive by give it a try

    Chips
    Karolina K.

    The food was tasty but nothing special. After so many great reviews i was expecting something better. We got the shrimp chips upon ordering, and shortly after a small portion of hot and sour soup. Not a fan. The flavor was very blind. The main dishes: Gal Koa chicken and Kow Pad Nam Prik Pow fried rice with chicken were good, but the portion was very small for the price you pay. The most famous Ferndale spot for Thai gives you twice as much for the same price. The flavor there is also much better. Probably won't be back. Also, not sure if they have restroom, and it's been 2 days from my visit and my coat still smells like fast food joint. terrible.

    Best fried rice I've ever had in any Asian place

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    10 months ago

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    7 months ago

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    6 months ago

    Always great! Make sure to ask for "mild-plus" if you want at least a little spice. Good spring rolls and crab Rangoon

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    2 years ago

    Horrible. Drove all the way, 25 minutes just for it to say closed on the door when online said it was open.

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    2 years ago

    Portion size was perfect. Food was tasty and flavorful. Great presentation. Felt good and definitely was pleased

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Best tasting Thai in the area. The owners are wonderful people and always provide exceptional service.

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    8 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Pad Thai and pad see ew were both very salty we thought. With it could have been less salty.

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    6 years ago

    It's got above average food, but it's not very big and so I wouldn't go there for ambiance.

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    6 years ago

    Very friendly staff and excellent food! Lots of Thai places around us and we keep coming back.

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    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - Penn's Thai Cafe

    Does this place have dine in available? is the interior large enough?

    Anyone have a current carry out menu?

    Just posted earlier today in photos

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Excellent food! Server was so sweet ! Food came out fast and hot. Loved the ambiance. Very clean!read more

    This place is a favorite. We have been going here for about a year. The owner puts so much…read morethought, time and effort into decorating for every holiday. The origami napkins for different seasons, pillow changes in the booth and different centerpieces. I'm always excited to see what she does next. The service is wonderful. We were treated great our first visit, but have felt like family ever since. From recommendations to secret sauces or methods for eating dishes how they would in Thailand, Sue is there guide and assist. I look forward to seeing her as much as I do the food. Our food is always excellent and I like to try new things all the time. But we still have favorites. Appetizers. It's hard not to order the fried wontons, my spouse's favorite. We both enjoy the apple or papaya salad. And I'm a sucker for tum yum soup, theirs does not disappoint. Entrees we often enjoy traditionals like Pad See Ewe and Fried Rice. They are staples for a reason. But I've enjoyed trying many of Sue's recommendations. And I love a ground chicken dish she recommended served with lettuce cups and a fried egg. I wish I remembered the name. But it's one of her favorites. She will know! Be sure to ask for the Thai pickled lime and hot peppers condiment (upon request). My newest obsession is their Chicken Satay salad. It's fantastic. So fresh and delicious, not to mention gorgeous. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed. I can't tell you about dessert because we are always too full. But I'm determined to try her mango rice because I'm confident it will be amazing . If you have tried this place, it's worth a visit. You will want to go back again and again.

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    I was excited to try this place based on reviews and pictures. The restaurant atmosphere is very…read morenice with cultural decor and a spacious layout. To start, we got moo krob (deep fried pork belly) which is the Thai version of Chinese siu yook. I have to say, I like siu yook so much more - it's a lot more flavorful having been marinated with five spice and served with delicious sweet hoisin sauce for dipping. The pork here was bland and the sauce (fish sauce based) was pretty one note. For my entree, I got rad na (rice noodles with gravy, Chinese broccoli, carrots, and choice of meat - I got pork) which was one of the best I've ever had! They used fresh rice noodles and sautéed it properly to give it the "wok hei" (wok-seared flavor). The gravy was deep and flavorful and the portion size was very good. If everything else was as good as my entree, I'd give this restaurant 5 stars. Unfortunately, my mom's Kao mun gai (steamed chicken with rice and "special sauce") was awful. She asked if the dish had any spice because she can't do spicy, and the server said no, so she decided she'd try it. The chicken was way overcooked and dry, with no flavor at all. The sauce, the only thing providing flavor and moisture, was spicy so that she couldn't eat it. We asked if there was any sauce she could get instead that wasn't spicy, and they said no, but they can give us a bottle of soy sauce. So my mom used some of that, and also took some of my rad na gravy. But because the chicken was so dry and bland, it was beyond saving. My dad got the Thai basil fried rice, mild spice. It was definitely hotter than other Thai restaurants' mild, and my dad said the spice overwhelmed the other flavors. I tried some of it and it was not bad, but nothing remarkable. They told us that traditionally, it's served with the rice on the side, which was strange to me because then it's not fried rice - it's sautéed meat and veggies with rice on the side. I am curious about how some of the other dishes taste here, but it's a shame that 3/4 of the things we ordered were mediocre to downright bad. While I enjoyed my entree, I felt bad my parents didn't enjoy their food.

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    Sunrise Thai - Red curry Duck and Green Curry Chicken. Not authentic Thai flavor at all. Big letdown!

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    Penn's Thai Cafe - thai - Updated May 2026

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