(212) 477-0600

541 La Guardia Pl
New York , NY 10012 40.7254 -73.9972

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Neighborhoods: Downtown, SoHo

Reviews & Ratings for Penang Restaurant

2.5 Star Rating: Below Average

4 reviews

What users are saying:

3 Star Rating: Average

03/06/07

Bland Food

by yellow99

I agree with the two previous reviewers. We ordered from here twice, and it was disappointing both times.

We thought that this restaurant was related to the Penang on the Upper West Side, which has decent food. It turns out that this restaurant is not related to the UWS one.

Our appertizers were pretty good, but both entrees were incredibly bland. Saigon Grill, Spice, and others are much better options in this area.

1 Star Rating: Poor

02/16/07

Avoid This Place

by gozoogle

I decided on Char Kueh Teow (#27) and Sotong Goreng (#4) from the full menu. Knowing that fried squid usually has breading, I specifically asked if the Sotong Goreng had breading. As you can guess, when the food arrived, the squid had breading. When I called back about the squid, the same man who answered the phone actually insisted that there was no breading on the squid. Finally, he passed me off to a lady who explained that they could not do the squid without the breading so I was given the option of replacing it with something of equal value, so I selected the Thai Basil (#34).

When the delivery guy returned, things took a twist. He glowered at me while he was checking out the breaded squid, like I might have ate some and then tried to return it. Then he handed me a bill for $4.34, which confused me. When I asked him, he started yelling at me in Chinese! Good thing I understand Mandarin. I tried to explain that I ordered a $7 item and was told there would be no charge, but he insisted (well, screamed) that the replacement item was $11. I ended up just signing; wasn?t worth the trouble.

The Siam Basil was overly greasy and slightly bitter, sort of your standard bad Chinese food. The Char Kueh Teow tasted like noodles and ingredients stir-fried in soy sauce. It was ok, kind of like bad Chinese food.

I did a little research on the web and it looks like this is not an additional branch of the Penang on the Upper West Side. They use a similar font and have a logo that looks identical until you actually inspect it. I haven?t actually been to the restaurant and I doubt I will, based on my initial experience. If you?re brave (or desperate), give them a try. My advice? Avoid this place. It?s just another bad Chinese restaurant masquerading as something else. There are plenty of similar restaurants in the area worth going to, like Galanga, Klong, or Saigon Grill. And they don?t have delivery guys that scream at you in Chinese.

  • Pros: None
  • Cons: Can't take orders properly, delivery guy is the rudest I've met.
3 Star Rating: Average

01/17/07

Do not order here

by roronyc

The roti canai was good but I had better! I decided to order from here and have the food delivered at my work place.

The food came really late and not to mention when I told the delivery guy to wait since I had to grab my money. When I was walking back, I already see him leaving out the door WITH MY FOOD. He then complained about his tip. (Even though the restaurant is two blocks away from the office and HE WAS 30 mins. late!)

  • Pros: ?
  • Cons: Delivery Guy

12/19/06

Editorial Review

by Contributor

Located in New York University, offers authentic Malaysian and Thai cuisine.

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