Penny's Noodles Blows

Back when I was a young chowpup and they were located under the el tracks on Sheffield, I used to regularly visit Penny's Noodles. Since then, my Asian palate had broadened considerably, so when I recently found myself in the old neighborhood at lunch time, I decided to give the old girl a visit to see how she's holding up. I can sum up my experience as "looks good, tastes bland".

I started out with a spring roll. This spring roll was served minus any jalapeños, which I consider to be an integral part of the spring roll eating experience. When I asked the waiter for some, he had to check with the chef to see of they had any ( ). After a few minutes, he returned with a dish of cut up jalapeños from which the chef had thoughtfully removed all the membranes and seeds and any semblance of heat. They managed to give the pepper a full heatectomy.

Penny's Spring Roll


The heatectomy made this one of the most one-dimensional spring rolls I have ever had (not that I eat them all that often).

Next up, Hot Pepper Noodle with tofu. This dish is roughly equivalent to Pad Kee Mao, according to the description on the menu. I happened to glance over to the open kitchen just as they were making my noodles and I noticed that there was no wok sizzling, there was only a cook scooping stuff out of a container of pre-made noodles. This dish was a disgrace to noodles everywhere. The noodles themselves were mushy from being pre-made and held for God knows how long. The dish looked good enough, but was completely inedible. I gave up after only a couple of forkfuls.

Hot Pepper Noodle with Tofu


I'm not sure if it's the fact that I can appreciate real Thai food more now than I did 20 years ago, or if Penny's has gone severely downhill. It's probably a bit of both. In any event. Avoid this place like the plague unless you're a Lincoln Park Trixie out for a stroll with the kids who wouldn't want to expose them to anything more challenging than a Filet-O-Fish. That seems to be their target market.

Penny's Noodles
950 W. Diversey
Chicago, IL
773-281-8448

stevez wrote:I'm not sure if it's the fact that I can appreciate real Thai food more now than I did 20 years ago, or if Penny's has gone severely downhill.

There's a third option: the two Chicago guys who own Penny's (expanded now to such hinterland outposts as Oak Park) determined that their market did not want, for instance, jalapenos in their spring rolls. So they modified and pabulmized their offerings to make them more suitable to their audience.

I must say, though, that after the day of fasting required before a recent colonoscopy, Penny's seemed a decent selection. Other than that (or nostalgia for a younger, more innocent time and tastebud), why else would one go there?

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:There's a third option: the two Chicago guys who own Penny's (expanded now to such hinterland outposts as Oak Park) determined that their market did not want, for instance, jalapenos in their spring rolls. So they modified and pabulmized their offerings to make them more suitable to their audience.

Isn't that the same thing as saying that they went downhill?

stevez wrote:

David Hammond wrote:There's a third option: the two Chicago guys who own Penny's (expanded now to such hinterland outposts as Oak Park) determined that their market did not want, for instance, jalapenos in their spring rolls. So they modified and pabulmized their offerings to make them more suitable to their audience.

Isn't that the same thing as saying that they went downhill?

stevez wrote:

David Hammond wrote:There's a third option: the two Chicago guys who own Penny's (expanded now to such hinterland outposts as Oak Park) determined that their market did not want, for instance, jalapenos in their spring rolls. So they modified and pabulmized their offerings to make them more suitable to their audience.

Isn't that the same thing as saying that they went downhill?

No, I don't think it is. When I say a restaurant is going downhill, I mean it's falling due to its own gravity; it can't help it; things fall apart. What could be happening at Penny's is different; they could very well be intentionally blanding down their offerings to appeal to more people in their local market.

Restaurants modify their offerings to suit their markets all the time; sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes not, but I would not say that responding to market pressures is, ipso facto*, cause for a downhill alert.

Hammond

*Latinism included for A's benefit.

David Hammond wrote:Restaurants modify their offerings to suit their markets all the time; sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes not, but I would not say that responding to market pressures is, ipso facto*, cause for a downhill alert.

Hammond

*Latinism included for A's benefit.

I guess serving pre-cooked mushy noodles is also a nod to the dentally impaired customer.

stevez wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Restaurants modify their offerings to suit their markets all the time; sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes not, but I would not say that responding to market pressures is, ipso facto*, cause for a downhill alert.

Hammond

*Latinism included for A's benefit.

I guess serving pre-cooked mushy noodles is also a nod to the dentally impaired customer.

Much fast food (and Penny's sounds like it's a cut above the King, Clown and Colonel, as someone recently so aptly abbreviated them, but not a big cut above them) is really SOFT. Last time I had a Big Mac (been a while), I remember thinking I could probably compress the whole sandwhich into the size of a league ball without applying much pressure.

David Hammond wrote:they could very well be intentionally blanding down their offerings to appeal to more people in their local market.

Hammond,

Sounds like cause for a downhill alert to me, intentional or not.

Enjoy,
Gary

stevez wrote:I'm not sure if it's the fact that I can appreciate real Thai food more now than I did 20 years ago, or if Penny's has gone severely downhill.

It's you. Penny's has always been horrible.

For a simple noodle shop I think Penny's is definitelt seviceable. I mean you can't go into Penny's expecting to find a seret menu with outlandish dishes via Spoon Thai, TAC Quick or others. I just keep it simple with a noodle dish perhaps a Pad Thai, some gyoza and its a good filling meal. When I moved to the city 6 years ago I went to the Sheffield/Diversay one, now I frequent the location on Damen and haven't noticed that the quality has gone down at all.

For what it's worth, I have sorta fond memories of Penny's. In the early-90's? it was a destination for me(as well as Earwax, dear god, mea culpa) when I visited Chicago from school in rural Ohio. I never did noodles(but, then, I still don't do noodles...I'm very hard to please in that respect). Their wonton soups however always hit the spot especially when adulterated with tabletop (hot)sauces. Last I ate at a Penny's was over three years ago at the new-esque Wicker Park location. Of course I had soup and was actually surprised by the amount of tasty greens submerged in piping hot broth. Does it remain a destination? Hell naw.
Would I refuse to eat there if a friend wanted to(and that's highly unlikely to ever happen); nope, I'd go.

I don't think Penny's is out there trying to be a "Thai restaurant". They are a noodle shop with different Asian influences. I think "real" Thai food is Nasty! I have given up trying to find a place I like as much as Penny's. Now I never had the dishes that Stevez had, but I really enjoy the soups, Lad Nar, Gyoza, and BBQ Pork with egg noodles. I don't think food has to always be spicy to be good.

JeanneBean wrote:I don't think Penny's is out there trying to be a "Thai restaurant". They are a noodle shop with different Asian influences. I think "real" Thai food is Nasty!

Though I'm shocked by your assessment of non-Americanized Thai food, I do agree that it's probably inappropriate to put Penny's in the same category with T.A.C or other places that try to maintain some level of authenticity in their preparations. It'd be like of like criticizing Pizza Hut for failing to come through with a reasonable Neapolitan 'za.

Hammond

It’s the end of an era for fans of Pad Thai on the North Side. Penny’s Noodle Shop, a pioneer in Chicago for Thai noodle and rice dishes, plans to close its last location in the city on April 14 after a quarter-century at 950 W. Diversey Parkway, according to a sign on the door.

https://chicago.eater.com/2019/4/5/1829 ... ning-intel

Dave148 wrote:

It’s the end of an era for fans of Pad Thai on the North Side. Penny’s Noodle Shop, a pioneer in Chicago for Thai noodle and rice dishes, plans to close its last location in the city on April 14 after a quarter-century at 950 W. Diversey Parkway, according to a sign on the door.

https://chicago.eater.com/2019/4/5/1829 ... ning-intel

“Last location in the city...”

Pretty sure the Oak Park location is still open.

Penny's Noodle Shop
1130 Chicago Ave, Oak Park

Gave it a few tries, nice space but it failed to impress. I think they were at another location before here?

Maybe their Northfield location (with an unusual name PNS Noodle Shop) is still open too?
320 N Happ Rd

Panther in the Den wrote:

Dave148 wrote:

It’s the end of an era for fans of Pad Thai on the North Side. Penny’s Noodle Shop, a pioneer in Chicago for Thai noodle and rice dishes, plans to close its last location in the city on April 14 after a quarter-century at 950 W. Diversey Parkway, according to a sign on the door.

https://chicago.eater.com/2019/4/5/1829 ... ning-intel

“Last location in the city...”

Pretty sure the Oak Park location is still open.

Penny's Noodle Shop
1130 Chicago Ave, Oak Park

Gave it a few tries, nice space but it failed to impress. I think they were at another location before here?

Maybe their Northfield location (with an unusual name PNS Noodle Shop) is still open too?
320 N Happ Rd

Northfield is still open.

I lived in Albany Park in my first residence in the city. There was great Thai literally across the street from me.

A year or two later I landed at Penny’s in Wicker Park when I moved closer to that location. I never understood the love. It never tasted bad or as if less than fresh ingredients were used. But it always failed to have anything discernible to flavor. And FWIW, I was an omnivore back in those days.

Longtime Noodle Favorite Penny’s Plans Wrigleyville Return

https://chicago.eater.com/2019/7/15/206 ... thes-intel

Dave148 wrote:

Longtime Noodle Favorite Penny’s Plans Wrigleyville Return

https://chicago.eater.com/2019/7/15/206 ... thes-intel

Didn't know this thread was started by Steve but thought he must have posted in it. Opened it to see that he was the OP. KNOWING he's groaning right now at the thought of this news. Priceless.