Penn’s Thai House

I’m very sorry for the people who think this is 4 star level Thai food. They really need to a place like Lucki Thai or Archie’s. I’m glad I grab it as take out because the dining area smelled like a damp horse stable probably from the fish tank. The shrimp in my soup was not de-​veined. The side of noodles was stale and dry. Spice levels were there but flavor levels were not. Really, this place is more than a little disappointing.

As a Vegas native, the quest for the best Thai has been ongoing, until now.
Ok, I know what you’re thinking, but if you can get past the sketchy location, and less than par ambiance, this place has the BEST Thai food I’ve ever had. (And I’ve had a lot).
The tom-​kha and tom-​yum are out of this world good. I feel like the lemongrass soup is spicier just because there isn’t the coconut milk to cool it down. I like mine to be so spicy I either cry or get the hiccups. Every time, a 9 makes that happen.
The chicken pad Thai is also a staple, and I can’t express in words my affection for the chicken Penang curry (spicy number 9 or 10).
I’ve ventured off the beaten path to try a couple other items (beef jerky and sticky rice, pad prig khing, pad se-​ew, Orange chicken) and they were all super delicious also.
I’m not sure the name of the server we have every time we come in, but she is a delight. Usually remembers our drink orders from the previous visit, and remembers that I’m the crazy spicy girl. I honestly feel like I’m in her home, and she’s bringing me super authentic Thai dishes from her kitchen.
We’ll be back :)
.

Awesome food. It’s hard to find good Thai food in Vegas but I would hands down recommend this place. Will definitely come back.

The place is small and in a sketchy area. But the food were great. I liked the seafood soup with coconut.
Our server was nice and quick though she is by herself with many customers.
I like the noodles we ordered, forgot the name though. Crab fried rice needs more crab and flavor but overall good experience. Just little bit pricey though its not a gourmet restaurant
Will definitely come back.

I’m not a huge fan of Thai food, but this is the best experience I’ve ever had with it. The Tom-​kha is ridiculously good, among the other items I tried and really enjoyed. Definitely a hidden gem that I’ll be visiting again.

This place is a hidden gem on the other side of the 95. Easily the best (and authentic) Thai food we’ve had in the last two years, ever since we left the Asia Pacific area.
The first time we ate here the Tom Yum Soup was really good but not as sour as my wife and I usually like. We took the advice of previous reviewers and asked her to make it more sour the second time around… Boom! It was perfect.
The Penang curry was on point, as the mixtures of flavors marry together in a hearty harmony. As a matter of fact, every other dish we had (fried rice, Thai tea and the pad Thai) also brought about a similar reaction.
Another key thing here is that the food not only had flavor, but were also cooked or presented just right. None of that commercial, over-​sweetened stuff you find at other places. Service is excellent and the owner here is a very sweet, pleasant lady.
The 45 minute trek is across the valley is well worth it! Highly recommend. Anything other is your loss. but

We stopped in for the lunch 6.95 lunch specials, and we’re pleased with our meals.
Unlike the other thai places we have reviewed, this restaurants food was very authentic. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. The décor was rather old, and a bit plain but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The location is a bit on the rough side, having all of the automotive shops and smoke shops don’t really help either.
I ordered the red vegetable curry lunch special, ⁴⁄₅ spice, with a Thai coffee on the side. The meal started with a small cup of eggdrop soup, It was delicious. The spice level for the curry was a little on the hot side but that’s how I like my curry. I was surprised that they included peppers in the curry that for me is what made the meal better than the rest. There was also an egg roll and salad included. I was kind of hoping they made their own dressing for the salad but it was ranch, which I like anyway.
I would recommend stopping down here and checking it out! The food is delicious!

I discovered Penn’s four years ago and was very happy with the discovery. We have brought many friends here and shared this great hidden treasure with them. The last time we went there (about a month or so ago) it was just so so. We tried it again tonight. It will be our last, I am sorry to say. Is it under new ownership or something? It’s not like it used to be.
There was only one other table occupied by a party of two when we arrived. We waited almost ten minutes before anyone noticed us and brought us menus. The waitress just dropped them off at our table, no greeting, no asking if we would like drinks, nothing. My wife called her back and asked her for two waters and two hot teas. She acted like we were bothering her.
When we ordered, the waitress asked me if I wanted my order «mild». I said I would like it «medium». She then asked if I had ever been there before. I thought that was kind of rude. I explained that I had been there before. When my order arrived the heat level was fine, but the flavor was very bad. Now I love Thai food. I’ve never had any that I did not like, but this was very bad. It seemed they tried to cover the bad flavor with hot spice. I like spicy food, it just tasted bad.
When it was time to leave the waitress seemed happy to be rid of us. The place was starting to fill up a little (three more groups had just entered). She seemed overwhelmed and did not try to hide it. As we paid or bill only then did she come alive and thanked us for coming in, wished us a good evening, and hoped we would come back again. Still trying to figure that out.
We are very sad, and disappointed by this experience. This was our favorite Thai place.
But with terrible service, and poor tasting food, we will not be back. We miss the old wait staff and the old cooks.

I’m one of the regular here. They have the best homemade buns ever. I love their Lunch special too. My most favorite is the noodle soup sukhothai style!
Try them out. Very nice people. The neighborhood is sketchy but the owner and staffs are super friendly and nice. Trust me order buns!!!

I came to Penn’s Thai House for the first time on a Friday evening on my way home from work. When I walked in the door I was hit by the strong smell of fish. I could have done without that as I don’t care for fish. Fish smell aside, I love the hole in the wall feel of this place. Sometimes it is these little places that knock out the best food.
I ordered my food to go. An order of egg rolls and chicken pad se ew. It took a long time to come out. I was getting impatient in my current state of hunger. But the hostess was friendly and gave me a couple of ETA updates. When I finally got my food about 20 minutes after I ordered, she even apologized for the delay.
The whole way home I could smell the food and it was good. I didn’t have to go far but I just couldn’t wait any longer. I broke into the egg rolls. Not bad. Sort of average or slightly above when compared to others I have eaten in my time. What I was really looking forward to was my pad see ew. Its my favorite. I wasn’t so sure about it on first bite. I didn’t get much flavor. But the more I ate the more I realized I was really enjoying it. I was upset when I was done. I wanted more. I wasn’t even really hungry at that point. It was that good.
I am a fan and I will be back.

We really like Thai and wanted to try a place we had not been to yet. In looking for places and reading reviews, I came across this place that had a review written by Nate M. about 3 months ago. It was a decent review, he gave it 4 stars so it had to be a decent place.
The place is tucked in the corner of this L shaped shopping center on Sunset east of the 95. The Penn was a little hard to see but the Thai House is very prominent.
They have 8 booths and a few tables which where put together as two long tables going down the center. There was one other booth with 3 people and one table was taken with 4 people. It seemed liked there was only one lady working the room and from time to time another lady brought out food, she looked like she was in the back cooking.
I ordered the Egg Rolls to start and even though the were very crispy in the outside, the were soggy on the inside and obviously not made there, they all looked identical. These were not really to my liking so I won’t order those again.
We also ordered the green papaya salad which was very good and almost identical to a place in Oceanside we love. We also got the mixed vegetable with chicken and the Pad Thai. Both dishes were excellent. The sauce on the mixed vegetable was AMAZING, it was not a heavy sauce and was very week made. The Pad Thai was very good as well.
This is a place we will go back to, everything tasted fresh, the vegetables were crispy and overall the price was very reasonable.

«Yay! I’m a fan.» Thanks to fellow Unilocalers who highly recommended Penn’s Thai House, I finally can remove this from my bookmarks list as I dined here last night.
Tried to find Penn’s a couple months ago and that turned into a failed search & rescue mission, so we ate elsewhere that night.
Mission #2…Last night, I found it!
+Convenient Parking.
++Devoured the authentic foods.
+++Appreciated the exceptional customer service.
++++and dining solo, I really enjoyed the intimate ambience.
Tucked away in a neon lit commercial strip center off Sunset, between Eastgate & Gibson, on the north side of the street.
+A-​Rated by So. NV Health District.
++Dine-​In or Take-​Out.
+++Six comfortable booths and two rectangular tables.
++++Capacity 36 patrons.
+++++Open every night til 9pm.
++++++Cash, Visa, Mastercard.
+++++++Lunch Specials $ 6.95, Mon-​Fri, 11am-​3pm.
The Pad Thai w/​chicken was excellent at a spicy level 8. (see photo)
Kra Pow (Basil) w/​pork at a spicy level 8 was a bit too hot for my taste buds, considering the green chili peppers; but still managed to empty the plate into my stomach. (see photo)
Hot Jasmine tea was good. Served by the cup w/​teabag.
They were out of their $ 1 green buns until Monday and sweet mango is not in season. Coconut ice cream was available, but I passed.
Next time I hope to try all three of these desserts, along w/​their crispy garlic chicken, beef jerky, and chicken satay.
My waitress was a very friendly and service oriented Thai lady who checked on me every 5 minutes or so. She even took the time to explain to me a bit about the wall décor I was admiring that I took several photos of. She deservedly earned a 30% tip!
Walls were adorned w/​beautiful artwork of ancient Thai royalty and warriors. (see photos)
I’ve been to several Thai restaurants throughout the Las Vegas Valley and after last night’s dining experience, Penn’s Thai House is now included among «My Unilocal Favorites» list!
Unilocal 250 CHALLENGE 2015: #200

We always end up at Penn’s Thai House when we want Thai. We usually come with the whole family for dinner and take up the entire middle table. Everyone leaves full and the prices are reasonable. We’ve always experienced consistent food and service.
Aside from the fish tank, the décor is plain, but everyone feels comfortable here because the staff of the family owned restaurant always recognize us and they make sure we have a nice experience. We regularly order Tom Yum Shrimp, Papaya Salad, Beef Salad, Chicken Larb, sticky rice, and any of their curries. We tend to favor the yellow curry with chicken. The papaya salad easily rivals my sister in law’s home made. We rarely ever leave with take out boxes and frequently have to order more.
On this most recent visit, I came in with my wife for their lunch specials ($ 6.95). I had the green curry with pork and she had the yellow curry with chicken. Lunch specials come with a small salad and an egg roll. Spice level is mild, medium, or hot. I ordered hot and it had me working up a nice sweat but it wasn’t too much and I was able to finish the dish off. I also ordered a Thai tea which was gone before my food came out.
Service has always been consistent for us but they usually only have one person serving the entire restaurant and occasionally she can get overwhelmed.

Since discovering Penn’s Thai House I’ve had a love /​hate relationship with the place. At first it was love at first bite… and the second, and the 30^th. But then there were some issues… and the love was lost. But after wandering through the wilderness of bad Thai food on the East side of Vegas the craving for good Crispy Garlic Chicken became too much. And the lure of their spices and the Chili Mint Chicken and Panang Curry with no equal anywhere I’ve been (including Komol which comes pretty dang close) brought me back again. I spend way more than I’d like when I order my food to go. But when I get my white plastic bags of Thai goodness home and open it up… I forget about the money I spent as I’m back in love with some of the best Thai food I’ve ever put in my mouth.
For 3 years and having spent North of $ 4000 dollars and counting… I keep coming back to Penn’s.
5 Stars — This place is so good it earns a place on my «Mythical 6^th Star» list and my Best of Las Vegas list where they belong.

What makes this restaurant special is definitely the green tea buns. They are $ 1 a bun but so worth it because we cannot find these at supermarkets or any other restaurant.
I got the beef pad see ew and it was good. The noodles were nicely charred. Earl got chicken panang and it was not as flavorful as we have hoped it to be. The curry was on the thin side.
The restaurant had a strange smell, and the booths and décor are just old. If we want some delicious green tea buns, we will return for to go, but I won’t be dining in.

A Thai place with «Beef Jerky» on the menu?
Penn’s Thai House is truly the restaurant that time forgot. Old school vinyl booths, plain walls, and a large fish tank to most likely distract you from the plain surroundings. I sat down and was greeted with water and a menu. Looking around, there are only about eight booths total with a few tables in the middle of the restaurant and manning all of these tables is one server, the co-​owner maybe?
She took my order and within about seven minutes I had my first item ordered, Beef Jerky. These aren’t the road favorite you’re thinking of, but are strips of skirt steak, marinated and flash fried. These are delicious with a slightly crispy outside and tender, but chewy inside, hence an elevated style of beef jerky, very good and great meal starter. These also come with a bizarre spicy dipping sauce that I couldn’t quite my finger one. Sriracha with something else?
I also ordered one of the five lunch specials. Yellow Curry plate with chicken. This comes with egg drop soup, tossed salad, white rice, and a single egg roll for under seven dollars. The curry was delicious, great flavor; color and I really enjoyed the egg drop soup. The soup had a great consistency with a unique homemade flavor. The egg roll was ok, but lacked flavor and was pretty greasy.
The service here was quick and the food was great. I wanted to try their famous green tea rolls, but unfortunately they were out. I’ll get you next time… next time.
Can Unilocal talk Thai? Yes. Quite well in fact

I’ve been on a total Thai food kick. My amazing friend Jessie B had told me to try this place. Once again she was right. This place has super authentic Thai food. Perfect spice in all their orders.
I love the huge goldfish they have in the tank as you walk in the door. The staff is always friendly too. I know this place is in a run down strip mall, but trust me the best restaurants always are.
They have a great menu with all your Thai favorites and some yummy sounding appetizers. I’ve been on a Curry kick as well so I chose the Red Curry Beef and Joel ordered the Spicy Fried Rice with Pork. We’ve also ordered the Pad See Ew on other visits.
My favorite thing about Penn’s Red Curry is that it has a hint of sweet, but it’s not the main flavor. The spice is what you taste with that wonderful coconut milk. Joel’s Spicy Fried Rice lived up to its name. It had huge pieces of pork and a seriously good spice!
So happy I tried this place. Definitely one of my favorite Thai places in Henderson. Super authentic food and a friendly staff! Yay for Penns!

So, I have ordered take out from here about three times. It’s so close to my house. But we hadn’t dined in before until tonight.
Started off with the crab rangoons. Now, from take out, they were amazing. Dine in, fresh off the heat… I swear that they are little puffs of heaven in your mouth. The husband had to be paying better attention because he was in a losing battle against me for the 8 on the plate.
I talked him into the Crispy Garlic Chicken. Saw that Linda S. had it and loved it, so I thought since he was looking for something new (not his normal orange chicken), it would be a good option. Again, Thai House hit the ball right out of the park. They were not «garlicy» but had such a good flavor that I had to steal two from his plate.
I have had both the pad thai noodles and the red curry in the past. (The shrimp pad thai was delic, but not enough shrimp. They were huge, but sparse!) Tonight, it was the red curry. It is always a toss up about how spicy is too spicy. I rate it as clearing up my nasal passages, but not crying. I continued to eat and it didn’t hurt me. (I have had too spicy pad thai before I had to add peanut butter to at home just in order to get it down. Now, THAT’S too spicy.) The red curry had the right taste and spice to make it amazing.
Husband and I stuffed ourselves silly for $ 34. Brought home the red curry, garlic chicken, and some left over rice. We will both have lunch for tomorrow.
While I will likely take out again, it’s worth the time and effort to sit down and enjoy Penn’s Thai House’s amazing food.

Let’s just say my fear of Thai food has come to an end. A few years back I became quite ill from an unnamed Thai place here in Las Vegas. It’s last name rhymes with I am. I have not had Thai food since then in fears of the same episode. That was not the case at Penns. Although I was fearful of ordering curry maybe in the future I will. This little gem is a short drive from my home and is truly a great Thai spot in Henderson. I’m no Thai expert but I enjoyed the dishes we ingested. I wanted to order the crispy garlic chicken cliché right? I wasn’t sure if it was deep fried even though I probably should have asked. We went ahead and ordered …
Seafood soup which had a rich and flavorful but light broth. With bright flavor a of lemongrass and the heat from Thai chili.
Beef Salad — tender beef atop iceberg lettuce, cucumber, tomato, cilantro and a flavorful and addicting delicious light dressing. Soooo good. I couldn’t get enough of that.
Pad Prik Khing — chicken stir fried with fresh green beans and jalapeño, kefir lime leaves and a curry chili sauce. This was super spicy. My lip was numb after from eating this dish. Be careful to because they slice the jalapeños almost the same size as the green beans so if you’re not paying attention you will be eating those as well. The dish is spicy enough from the sauce so I didn’t want to ingest the jalapeños as well. I did enjoy it even though it was quite zesty.
I was sure to save room for green tea buns and in so glad I did! These soft and delectable buns with a warm and sweet custard like filling. Almost like the Chinese custard buns but better. I even took some more to go they are seriously heavenly.
The only con to this restaurant is that the dishes do not come with rice. Had we known that we would have ordered fried rice after ordering a few sides of white rice. Other than that this a place I know I will be back to. Crispy garlic chicken and papaya salad will be next on my list!

My favorite Thai place near my house! The owner makes her own sauces and even makes Green Tea Buns on occasion. All of the waitresses are really friendly and the quality of food is great whether dining in or taking to-​go!
My go-to’s are the Pad Thai of course, Panang Curry, Pad See Ew, and Tom Kha. It’s pretty funny cause anytime I go with my mom, they already know my mom is going to have the Pad Thai and that I’m going to have the Panang Curry lol It’s hard to try something else when you’re always craving those certain items! Their Pad Thai isn’t as sweet as some places like Archi’s, and also their Panang Curry is a bit thicker than other places as well. Which I prefer for both. Everything is always super fresh and really flavorful.
They have great lunch specials for $ 6.95 Monday-​Friday from 11am-​3pm:
–Pad Thai
–Chow Mein
–Mixed Vegetables
–Beef Broccoli
–Chili Mint
–Red Curry
–Yellow Curry
–Green Curry
–Spicy Chili Pepper
–Mongolian
They all come with Egg Drop soup, Egg Roll, and steamed rice.
Next time I swear I have to try their Crispy Garlic Chicken, Green Tea Buns, and Beef Salad!