Penang Malaysian Cuisine: Authentic Taste of Malaysia in Arlington Heights

The food and the flavors were out of this world. Really loved the spice levels too. The service was a huge downside here. But the wait and the food made it all worth it. Will recommend this place to all who are looking for Malaysian food.

Penang Hainan chicken rice is the best in Chicagoland, it tastes very authentic. We also love their yam pot, char kway teow, kangkung belacan and appetizer lobak. Highly recommended Update: Their food is on another level good. Today we ordered their daily specials of beef stew (beef stew, beef tendon and bean curd) that my mom said it reminded her of the food that her mom used to make, sooo good. We also ordered their crispy pork belly that's out of this world good. Their special fried flounder fish with ginger, garlic and soy sauce us heavenly good. It's so crispy that you can eat the bones

One of the few authentic Malaysian food spots in the Chicagoland area. It’s no-frills. fantastic food in easy-calm ambience! We have gone in small groups as well as large groups (with prior notice!), the food and the flavor is always consistent. I’ve never had a single dish I didn’t like here, from their moreish roti canai to get you started, to the mi goreng and mango chicken. The beef rendang is heaps of hearty flavor with a hum lemongrass freshness, but my favorite is still their vegetable curry with a warming coconut broth. This is a gem of a place I’ve gotten lucky to know of. And I know they’ve had a steep decline in patronage over the past few years because of other chains opening up, etc. I hope you give this spot a go for your next dine-in /take out or catering needs and help support a local business that is truly wonderful.

Nicely decorated restaurant serving dishes and noodles from Penang. The owner told me that she and the cook were both originally from Penang. I tried the Char Koay Teow with duck eggs and Hokkien Mee. Both taste delicious and the portion is huge as compared to the actual portion in Penang. The tastes were somewhat customized to the US taste buds though but it's good enough for Penangites like me who traveled to this part of the world and wanted some Penang Food. Highly recommended

Great! Got several dishes with family - kankung belacan, beef rendang, Malaysian style curry chicken plate, Hong Kong style Singapore chicken, Malaysian style sweet and sour chicken. We came right before the dinner rush. The interior decor is beautiful. Buddha everywhere lol. The lady Annie was splendid and friendly. I would come here again.

After reading through some of the other reviews, I noticed that only a very small handful of people ordered Malaysian food. I don’t know why people come to a Malaysian restaurant just to order some Chinese and Thai dishes that you can find closer to home. There are only several places in Illinois that specialize in Malaysian cuisine. I encourage people that read my review to come here and try some of the signature dishes. We just came back from Penang, Malaysia a month ago and wanted to introduce a friend to the cuisine. Overall, this is a 4 out of 5. If the service was better it could be a 4.5. Prices I suppose were slightly expensive since it’s a specialty. Portion sizes were ample for the b three of us. We ordered roti canai, char kway teow duck egg, Penang har mee, curry laksa, Hainanese chicken ½, Panang curry with shrimp, cendol, coconut pudding, and teh tarik. Service was okay. It did take awhile to signal one of the servers to come to us, so that they could take our order. For some reason, they were always short on something (one bowl/spoon, one glass of water, one takeout box, etc). There were three of us but they never gave us the correct amount of utensils. -roti canai 5 - very tasty. Flatbread was flaky and soft. Easy to pull apart, but sturdy enough to hold the chicken and potato with the sauce. -char kway teow duck egg 5 - staple in Malaysian cuisine. Noodles had the right amount of chew and there was a good balance of seafood and noodles. -Penang har mee 4 - I gave it a 4 because it’s not as delicious as the one in Penang but this is still very good. The noodles here are not as chewy and the broth is not as addicting. Still, the noodles and meat are very good. Broth has a small kick to it but it has a very shrimpy taste. Just a note but the shrimp in every dish is huge. -curry laksa 5 - I really enjoyed this dish. If you run out of noodles, add some of that white rice to it. Not really spicy. Milk texture due to the coconut milk. -Hainanese chicken 4 - this is pretty good for being in Illinois but nowhere as good as in Singapore. The chicken isn’t as tender and juicy. This version is still tender and is recommended to eat. Like I said, it’s not something you can get everywhere. The rice that comes with it is delicious. No, it's not just regular white rice. -Panang curry with shrimp 5 - the sauce has a sweeter taste to it, different from the savory dishes we had. They gave a generous amount of shrimp. -cendol 4 - this version is more watery than the Penang version. In Penang, it’s thicker and milkier. This is still a good dessert to have after a heavy meal. -coconut pudding 5 - $13 is a bit steep so you better finish all of it. There is some coconut meat that you can eat as well. -teh tarik - 4 - light drink. We had the iced and hot. The hot version has a stronger taste.

This restaurant is outstanding! The place is immaculate and decorated nicely. The staff is so helpful and friendly. If you're looking for Chinese, Thai, or Malaysian foods, go here. Malaysia is a country which has all three ethnic populations and their foods. This place makes all of them and they are all so delicious, not too spicy, and plentiful. We had Homemade Roti Canai, a wonderful and tasty flat bread similar to Indian flat bread, which has a chicken and potato dipping sauce. We also ordered Malaysian Style Sweet and Sour Chicken which was so flavorful. And we ordered Sizzling Beef, which also was amazing. Their prices are reasonable too. The food is not too spicy and the amazing flavors make a return visit an absolute must.

i am glad i was introduced to try the food here. when I moved to Chicago, i found out this malaysian restaurant. however as it is located at the suburb which is abit far from town, it kind of discourages me to check it out. Due to the CNY event organized by MCC, i had the chance to try out the food. the yummy food and the price blown my mind. i am definitely coming back despite the distance because of the great malaysian they serve here, so good that i think they deserve Michelin rating.