Penang is a bustling Malaysian gem in Chinatown, serving up family-style dishes like crispy roti canai and flavorful curries amid laid-back vibes.
"Whenever we’re in the mood for spicy-sweet satay, we go to Penang. This Malaysian spot is great for a casual lunch or catch-up dinner with a friend who appreciates meat on sticks. Split those (both beef and chicken), an order of stir-fried rice vermicelli with tofu, shrimp, and bean sprouts in spicy Thai chili sauce, and the crispy roti canai. The thin Indian pancake comes with a side of curry chicken and potato dipping sauce, and it’s one of our single favorite dishes in Chinatown." - candis mclean, alison kessler
"One of the few Malaysian restaurants in Chinatown (and subsequently Philadelphia), at Penang you can get a taste of dishes that are hard to come by in this area. If you’re new to this cuisine, order the nasi lemak — Malaysia’s national dish — made with coconut-flavored rice, chili anchovies, curry chicken, and hard-boiled eggs. Be sure to get an order of the roti canai, a circular crispy and chewy flatbread, made to accompany many of its entree dishes." - George Banks-Weston
"Try the panang curry fish head at Penang, a Malaysian restaurant in Chinatown." - Diana Lu
"Here are some things you can count on when you go to Penang in Chinatown: you won’t have to wait longer than a few minutes for a table, you’ll get to choose from a bunch of Malaysian (and Thai) options on the menu, and you’ll walk out having spent $20 or less on consistently great food. Penang is open from 11:30am until midnight every single day. That makes it an especially good place to stop into when you’re looking for a good meal at an off-hour, like a 3pm lunch or an 11pm dinner. But no matter when you come in here, the menu is always the same - with pages and pages of delicious and interesting Malaysian and Thai dishes. Some of our favorites are a crispy roti pancake with chicken and potato dipping sauce for only $4, satay skewers for $7.50, and a huge plate of coconutty, lemongrass-y beef rendang that’ll last a week for $15. Everything you order at Penang is meant to be shared family-style, and your time here is best spent ordering a few big plates of food and passing them around one of their huge round tables. You could probably come alone during lunch and have a great meal as well, but a place like Penang really shines when you show up with a few friends, share some great food, and don’t have to worry about how much you’ve spent." - Sydney McElwee
"There’s a lot to choose from on the massive Malaysian menu at the always-bustling Penang, but you’ll never go wrong starting with the roti canai, a thin, slightly crispy, stretchy bread served with a curry for dipping. Indoor dining is available, as well as takeout and delivery via third party apps." - Sarah Maiellano
