Penang Garden

Reviews

• Madhu J.

  star star star star star_border 11 June 2026

  If you're looking for Malaysian / Singaporean food around downtown San Francisco this is the place to be. You must try Nasi lemak.

• Tina C.

  star star star star_border star_border 8 June 2026

  Back then this place was really good. However I just came last night with my family and the food was just mediocre. Came in at 7pm and the place wasn't packed on a Wednesday night. We were seated right away and ordered 2 roti for appetizer (this never disappoints). Basically a super thin bread paired with a side of curry sauce in which you dip it into. As for drinks me and my brother got Thai tea but it wasn't sweet enough. I remember I loved their Thai tea when I was a kid eating here. Beef skewers were alright we had better somewhere else. Pineapple fried rice was okay and I got the coffee spareribs because everyone raved about it on yelp so I decided to give it a try. I regretted my decision because the coffee spareribs were not good at all. You can definitely taste the coffee in the spareribs but I wish it was a little sweeter? Because the coffee kind of made the spareribs very bitter. Overall I wouldn't return because service was okay here and the food really didn't match up to my standards :(

• Elaine Y.

  star star star star star_border 2 June 2026

  Initially I had my doubts - peeking in at 6pm, there was nary a table filled...the interior was kitchy and there was a rather large poster advertising that they were once featured on Food Network. But, it came highly recommended, so let's go.
  
  We began our meal with the roti which I thought was just okay. I felt it was cooked unevenly, one side was beyond paper thin missing some flakiness while the other side was almost too doughy. We were also warned to eat it quickly or else it wouldn't taste good...I admittedly wondered why because roti is usually flaky yet moist due to using a lot of oil (or butter). But I think I figured it out: Penang Garden's version probably doesn't use a lot of oil, which explains why it became hard and dry rather quickly after delivery.
  
  Next came our entrees, we opted for the Hainanese Chicken, Shrimp Paste Okra (aka, "Lady Fingers"), Tom Yum Noodle Soup, and Golden Sand Fried Pumpkin and Frog.
  
  Originally we wanted the Hainanaese Chicken Rice but we were informed that this plate isn't really for sharing cause it only comes with 5 pieces of chicken. So we "built" our own version ordering the Hainanese Chicken and a bowl of chicken rice on the side. I will give kudos to the chicken. It was a skinny ground runner salted right and cooked perfectly. It was tender and moist and accompanied by a delicious garlic ginger sauce (very gingery btw). The chicken rice, though, lacked some oomph. It was also a bright yellow which points to the fact that it was probably just flavored with chicken bullion.
  
  Continuing on, the Shrimp Paste Okra was cooked very well. It was fresh, bright green, crisp and not slimy in the slightest. The Tom Yum Noodle Soup was sufficiently sour and hot without being overly salty or wayyy to spicy. I also loved the assortment of fruit and vegetables within especially the quartered tomatoes and bright green, still crisp snap peas. The amount of noodles was also very generous. As for the Golden Sand Fried Pumpkin and Frog, it was deep fried very nicely and not too oily. The "golden sand" which is basically salted egg yolk was also not too heavy/overbearing on the pumpkin or frog. The frog was also separated nicely at the joints and did not contain any broken bones. All three of these dishes, I'd recommend!
  
  At the end of dinner, we looked over their dessert menu but nothing really stood out. We were, however, given complementary bowls of the house dessert - black rice simmered in coconut milk. This was a really nice creamy end to the meal.
  
  Overall, I thought this meal got better and better as it went on. I wouldn't say I highly recommend Penang Garden, but it certainly warrants a try if in the area. It also wasn't too expensive at the end of the day ($25/person for dinner).

• Nicole M.

  star star star star_border star_border 18 May 2026

  This is where my family goes when we don't want Chinese food...in Chinatown hahah
  
  We've only ever come for lunch, and they have a M-F lunch menu (11am-3pm).
  Curry sparerib with potato ($9.50) - this was okay. The curry sauce wasn't bad, but my dad said the spareribs didn't taste great.
  BBQ pork chop ($9.50) - delicious. I love the pieces that are slightly burnt. The sauce flavoring is great and this reminds me of Asian beef jerky before it gets dried. Pretty decent portion for the price.
  We also get the roti canai every visit. It's basically just flour/salt/water, but the thin and crispy/chewy texture of the pancake goes well with the curry sauce.
  
  The restaurant interior is clean enough, service is fine, food just depends on what you order as it can be hit or miss. Nothing special but a good option if you don't feel like Chinese food.
  
  P.S. I kind of dig the fake tree in the middle of the restaurant.

• Jack R.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 15 May 2026

  The ONLY reason we came here was because I won an auction for a free lunch.
  
  But even free sometimes isn't worth it.
  
  I had the hoi Nan chicken and my coworker had the salmon dish.
  
  The salmon was fried and covered in a sweet and spicy gravy. The salmon was very dry with bones, and was not fresh at all. Tasted like it was some leftover salmon they fried in the hopes of masking that fishy smell.
  
  The hoi Nan chicken was overpriced and small. It lacked flavor and tasted slimy as well.
  
  I see a slimy food pattern here.
  
  Service was slow and overall even with the free lunch, I shelled out tip and tax, I would never come back here again.