(617) 451-6373

685-691 Washington St
Boston, MA 02111 42.3512 -71.0629

Get Map & Directions »

Neighborhoods: Chinatown, Central, Downtown, Chinatown / Leather District

Price:

$

Last updated 1.24.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

Visa, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Local Favorite, Late Night Dining, Theater District Dining, People Watching, Family Style Dining, Lunch Spot, Date Spot, Group Dining, Cheap Eats

Cuisine:

Pan-Asian & Pacific Rim, Asian, Malaysian

Smoking Permitted:

No

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Penang

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

The Scene – Bamboo poles and exposed brick may clash architecturally, but it's an honest try at recreating tropical Malaysia in untropical Boston. Diners range from theatergoers taking advantage of quick service to big groups staking down a table for 10. – – The Food – Malay is the South Pacific's mother cuisine, and Penang offers a reasonable facsimile, complete with Chinese overtones. Be forewarned that Malaysian cooking uses ingredients that some westerners find startling (whole fish and chicken feet), so heed the English menu advice about consulting your server.…

Editor's Tips

Know Before You Go:
Order a soothing noodle dish such as beef chow fun as respite from the chili-spiced hot dishes.
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “And if you are looking to just try out their desserts you better not because they will start yelling at you, telling you that you must order entrees in order to get a table.”
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. “The service is fast without feeling rushed, the tea is nice, and the mango chicken is amazing.”
food quality
95.64999580383301% positive
  1. “This was extremely disappointing as I agree that I do enjoy the food there, but I will have to revisit the idea of ever going to such a place.”
  2. “had an enjoyable experience eating at Penang--the food was good and cheap too--until they literally shoved me out the door as soon as I was done eating.”
  3. “the sizzling beef dish (the spicy one--they have two versions) is good too, albeit spicy.”
  4. “We order Roti with Curry sauce and when I scooped up the sauce, I found a coc*roach in the curry.”
  5. “They really have good food, and lot of selections.”
  6. “used to love a dish--not sure if it's called "buddha's delight"--but i love the "nest" that holds the food coz it's made with mashed taro that's shaped as a bowl and deep fried.”
  7. “love their skewers (chicken or beef) w/peanut sauce, roti (thin crispy pancake w/dipping curry sauce), hoinan chicken rice (make sure you get the rice cooked w/chicken oil), indian meen goreng (sp?)”
  8. “Not a lot of vegetarian dishes on the menu (which is organized rather badly), but the staff is willing to sub out meat for tofu and veggies, which is rather helpful.”
  9. “By far the best thing entree on the menu is the Buddist Yam Pot with chicken.”
  10. “Great, flavorful food and very reasonable prices.”
  11. “Whether you go to the one in Boston or Cambridge, you'll find great food for a great price.”
  12. “Also, the seafood specialty dish is awesome.”
  13. “Good food”
  14. “The food is always excellent.”
  15. “nice hot appetizer made with a spicy curry sauce with hunks of chicken, and warm Indian flatbread that you dip in it.”
  16. “Great price for great food!”
  17. “Penang is an authentic Maylaysian restaurant located convieniently in Boston's Chinatown.”
  18. “Granted, Penang does serve decent food at very fair prices, but it's starting to rest on its good reputation.”
  19. “The service is fast without feeling rushed, the tea is nice, and the mango chicken is amazing.”
  20. “The food is decent, but the service is completely awful.”
  21. “The food is excellent, at an affordable price.”
  22. “If it weren't for the excellent food and decent value, I would never ever go back again.”
  23. “And the peanut sauce is exceptionally good at both locations.”
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. “Not a lot of vegetarian dishes on the menu (which is organized rather badly), but the staff is willing to sub out meat for tofu and veggies, which is rather helpful.”
  2. “They really have good food, and lot of selections.”
  3. “By far the best thing entree on the menu is the Buddist Yam Pot with chicken.”
return potential
100.0% positive
  1. “If it weren't for the excellent food and decent value, I would never ever go back again.”
service
58.33000183105469% positive
  1. “It's always crowded so it's a bit noisy, but the service is quite good considering the crowds.”
  2. “The food is decent, but the service is completely awful.”
  3. “The waitress was pretty rude about it.”
  4. “The Beef Chow Fun and Asparagus Chicken Malaysian style were also good, but delivered by a very hurried and rude waiter.”
  5. “The staff were very friendly and they gladly moved our table w.”
  6. “The waiters are rude”
  7. “The service is fast without feeling rushed, the tea is nice, and the mango chicken is amazing.”
  8. “Not a lot of vegetarian dishes on the menu (which is organized rather badly), but the staff is willing to sub out meat for tofu and veggies, which is rather helpful.”
value
100.0% positive
  1. “Great price for great food!”
  2. “If it weren't for the excellent food and decent value, I would never ever go back again.”
  3. “Granted, Penang does serve decent food at very fair prices, but it's starting to rest on its good reputation.”
  4. “Their Roti Canai is good and definitely worth ordering, but the Pandan Chicken made McNuggets seem tender and delectable.”
  5. “had an enjoyable experience eating at Penang--the food was good and cheap too--until they literally shoved me out the door as soon as I was done eating.”
  6. “The food is excellent, at an affordable price.”
  7. “Whether you go to the one in Boston or Cambridge, you'll find great food for a great price.”
  8. “Great, flavorful food and very reasonable prices.”
1 Star Rating: Poor

09/18/10

AWFUL EXPERIENCE ALTOGETHER

by damianl at Citysearch

This does not even deserve a one star rating.

The dining experience at this place was awful to say the least. The only item that was good was the Roti. One goes out to dine to relax and enjoy their meals. Here at this place you felt rushed, conjested, and we were subjected to the most discourteous service. Another atrocious thing was they determine what the tip is (more than 15%) and they include this when they give you the final bill. In addition their tax that was included also exceeded the 6.25% mandated by the state. This is highway robbery and one should report this to the authorities.

WE WILL NEVER GO HERE AGAIN and we DISCOURAGE ANY OF OUR FRIENDS as well.

AWFUL, AWFUL PLACE.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

04/12/08

must-go for malaysian

by freewilly7 at Citysearch

love their skewers (chicken or beef) w/peanut sauce, roti (thin crispy pancake w/dipping curry sauce), hoinan chicken rice (make sure you get the rice cooked w/chicken oil), indian meen goreng (sp?). the sizzling beef dish (the spicy one--they have two versions) is good too, albeit spicy.

i used to love a dish--not sure if it's called "buddha's delight"--but i love the "nest" that holds the food coz it's made with mashed taro that's shaped as a bowl and deep fried. some places do it right but theirs is a bit off on quality. it doesn't have the taste of taro and it's too starchy; either they mash with too much corn starch to cut down cost or they haven't figured out how to maintain the right consistency.

bak kut teh (must have if you ever go to southeast asia)... had better. should go heavier on the herbs, but i understand sometimes food and taste need to localized to suit different people's stomaches.

red bean shake is good too. ...wait, is this a place where i had a fried ice-cream? if i had it wasn't bad either.

:)

:)

  • Pros: good food, inexpensive, T accessible (orange and green)
  • Cons: parking, crowded at times
1 Star Rating: Poor

03/12/08

Hygiene problem...hairy food

by yliu01 at Citysearch

I am a regular at Penang, until a few days ago, I order 2 take out. When I got home I started to eat and soon found a short hair in my rice...eww but thats not it...Then, my father was eating the veggies and pulled out a long hair from his mouth from the other take out box!!! Erk! Be careful and watch your food. I love the taste but not the hair.

1 Star Rating: Poor

12/01/07

Worst Service ever in my entire life

by iloveoranges at Citysearch

The food is decent, but the service is completely awful. The waiters are rude .. they kept coming into our table trying to rush us when we kept telling them that we are not ready. And if you are looking to just try out their desserts you better not because they will start yelling at you, telling you that you must order entrees in order to get a table. Apparently because they were really busy when there were a couple of tables in the open. The waitress was pretty rude about it. What a bad day!

  • Pros: Okay food
  • Cons: Bad Service
1 Star Rating: Poor

06/11/07

Insect in our Curry

by gcwchan at Citysearch

I went to Penang in Boston Chinatown this past weekend and was very upset with the service and how they handle our situation. We order Roti with Curry sauce and when I scooped up the sauce, I found a coc*roach in the curry. We presented it to the waiter and he showed the manager. The waiter came over and continuing serving us like nothing happened. We requested for him to change our plates as some of us already place the curry on our plates. It took almost 10 minutes for us to get new plate, but not without getting up and getting another waiter to come over to give us the plates. The appetizer was never removed from our bill, we actually paid for something we didn't even touch. This is completely upsetting. On top of that already lost our appetite of eating when finding the coc*roach in our curry. We never received a simple apology or even appropiate service throughout our meal. This was extremely disappointing as I agree that I do enjoy the food there, but I will have to revisit the idea of ever going to such a place.

  • Cons: Inappropiate ways in handling mishap food.

The Details on Penang

Place Categories:

  • good food
  • great price
  • bad experience
  • completely awful service
  • rude waiter
  • good roti canai
  • good reputation
  • warm indian
  • exceptionally good peanut sauce
  • good asparagus chicken malaysian style
  • order entrees
  • love taste
  • amazing mango chicken
  • love nest
  • good sizzling beef dish
  • very friendly staff
  • best thing entree
  • best penang
  • nice tea
  • not love dish
  • fast turnover
  • decent value
  • love skewers
  • nice hot appetizer
  • authentic maylaysian restaurant
Advertisement

Featured In

Recent Reviews In Boston

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

Sugar Heaven

218 Newbury St, Boston, MA

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

Clover Dewey Square

Summer St & Atlantic Ave, Boston, MA

4 Star Rating: Recommended

My Thai Vegan Cafe

3 Beach St, Boston, MA

1 Star Rating: Poor

Xhale

47 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA

Advertisement