China Penn

My family and I love this place and we eat there regularly. They have the best Sushi Pizza and plum wine. And we LOVE Kevin… the sushi chef, manager, all around amazing host!

great Chinese food (one of the few places I trust) but if you go there to eat, just bank on the fact that your wait-​staff won’t understand whatever drink you order. rum and coke? nope, they’ll probably mess that up. a glass of red wine? whoops, hope you like white. one of their «signature mixed drinks»? don’t event bother.
if they had some individuals who had a better understanding of the language of the people they’re waiting on, they might do better.

I’m not going to publicly bash the hardworking folks at China Penn, so please read to the end of this review. It’s lengthy cuz I’m a verbose kind of person, but I assure you– it’s an easy read. I digress…
My most recent experience– moments ago, actually– was less than stellar. I called in an order for General tso’s, Singapore chow mein and dumplings– but when I arrived after the twenty minutes I was asked to wait, the general tso’s was omitted from my order. I wasn’t pleased, but I wasn’t belligerent or angry. I just was. I asked about the general tso’s because that was definitely part of my order when I called, but the dish was just not included. The woman at the register responded quickly. She told me they would make it fast for me and I would wait for it, and… well she didn’t really give me a choice. I agreed because I felt I couldn’t really say no, and because it wouldn’t have been fair for my dinner companion. All of that considered, despite the extra wait for the general tso’s and the fact that it was omitted from my order completely, i found the staff to be helpful and friendly. The woman at the register was very nice and immediately rectified the situation. I was glad.
It’s also probably relevant to mention that I called my order in 40 minutes before they were set to close, and I didn’t confirm my order before hanging up. I’m probably equally to blame for those reasons. At that time, they had probably already started the cleaning processes, so if they were a bit rushed, I get it. I work in retail and have had experience with the last minute customers who stop in moments before we close… so trust me, I get it. Also, I know for certain they had already completed the nightly cleaning routine when I arrived at 9:45 to pick up my order because the floor was still wet from the mop, and the chef was standing in the back corner probably looking at paperwork or something. Regardless, they fired everything up for me and finished the last dish of my order in record time. It was only an extra 7 or so minutes for me to wait– that’s nothing. I got to read at least two news articles that I would’ve otherwise missed. My dinner companion said his general tso’s was amazing, and it was super hot (how he likes it) so he knew it was super fresh. My meal was the one that had been waiting for me so it wasn’t as hot, but it was adequately spiced and I prefer my food to not burn my digestive system during the eating process, so I also thought my dish was amazing. All in all, it was a very serendipitous miscommunication, and I was grateful for how quickly they turned the experience around.
The only thing I recommend for future is to read back and verify that your full order is placed when you’re calling ahead for pick up. I’m a pharmacist, and I swear that’s the first thing they teach you about med safety in rx school. It’s a good tactic that’s clearly useful in every aspect of life, though. How could I be so silly to miss such a crucial step?! Hopefully it won’t happen again, but at least China Penn responded well and made sure the experience was a good one for me. Good save, China penn. Good save. Thank you!

Frankly, sad to write this review. I am not one to write not good reviews but I have been disappointed three times already. We have been regulars of China Penn for years. It has gone downhill suffice to say. I always order the duck. When the delivery arrived, the containers were messed up and the duck was dry and looked like it was old and simply reheated. Mind you, I have been ordering the same thing for yeas. Still I didn’t write about it thinking it was just a fluke.
Tonight we decided to just eat there. Didn’t order the duck because of the recent fiasco. Ordered from the Chef Specialty section and went for Beef with Scallops. Sorry but it totally sucked. It was served on a sizzling plate which was not sizzling. It was flavorless. Hubbykins ordered his fave Gen Tso’s who must have died because it was cold. Sorry they just lost one of their regulars. And no more endorsements coming from me.

Unfortunately, China Penn is no longer BYOB. They now have their own bar. I enjoyed it much more when I could take my own wine.

Husband and I love China Penn for take out!

Our Favorite Chinese restaurant in Berks! We live in the city, but we are always willing to drive to Exeter for the best Chinese food! The Kung Pao chicken and General Tso’s chicken are our favorites! The staff and service is always exceptional!

Great chicken and broccoli. My husband loves the sweet and sour chicken. Quick and easy.

Food is definitely decent, but the help leaves plenty to be desired. They could use a customer service training. We are currently at strike two with them … Make sure you have your lithium on-​board before calling/​visiting.

So when they say they deliver… just kidding

Terrible food, soggy general tso’s, old sushi, and got my order wrong twice. No chopsticks, no sides, and no soy sauce or duck sauce. will never go back and will not recommend to anyone

Hours: Sunday to Thursday 11am — 10pm and Fridays & Saturdays open until 11pm.
This restaurant serves Thai, Chinese and Japanese, and seems to be doing well despite its dilapidated location. The hustle and bustle takes place just over the hill, further along this strip of highway. Megacorp retail chains have slithered their way across this side of town, leaving behind empty storefronts, and a few struggling small businesses. Maybe that is the reason for the incessant distribution of China Penn menus that we find strewn across the yard. They’re not alone, the local Merchandiser paper does it too; throwing their wasteful publication into local lawns with little regard for where it might end up, or who will need to pick up the litter.
I have a close friend who is going through some challenging medical stuff of late, and we were searching for an understated and dim place where we could sneak in and go unnoticed. Meeting here has since become our weekly ritual because she enjoyed the food that much. I usually get the Yushan Eggplant or Vegetable Feast, both are very good, and the food here is inexpensive. My friend always gets the mango with sticky rice, and sometimes enjoys it as her meal as delicious comfort food, and as nourishment she can tolerate at this time.
If you do happen upon one of their paper (marketing) menus somewhere out there, keep in mind that it doesn’t even list all of the wonderful meat-​free choices that are actually available here. The in-​house menu highlights numerous food options that are available for all diet preferences. The service here is kind, helpful and fast. If you like vegetarian food, on a weeknight budget, China Penn can’t be beat.

Terrible food. Sushi is horrible. If you want good chinese take out, go to Best China Chefs. If you want much better sushi go to Zhuangs garden and the best sushi ever, Tokyo Hibachi bar. Don’t waste your money here. YUCK!

Delicious! Tried it for the first time. Had General Tsao’s Chic, Pork Lo Mein, and an egg roll and it was all very good!

I grew up eating this place. Always amazing. I hadn’t been back for 7 years (I live in orange county, ca now). Don’t know how the place really is now, but for the last week been craving their paradise chicken like CRAZY! Can anyone who lives local go there try out the paradise chicken and find out how they make their sauce? I got that there’s ginger, garlic, pepper flakes, green and red peppers, on a bed of spinach. But I don’t know the other ingredients and its not like I can just drive on over and pick some up. THANKS!

i have to say took the Unilocal advice of my friend Kim S. and made the trip down from the north side of Reading. i have been to the old China penn and was great in at 90’s. but the update the new owers did along with adding new food to the mix was amazing. im a chicken chow mein guy i love it with brown sauce and to my delight they made it for me. it has been the best i have had in about 15 years.
the server was a young lady who was amazing to talk to not only about food but just taking the time to chat up my little girls

Our first experience at China Penn was a mixed bag, but we’ll likely give it another go.
First, the yummy: the sushi was the freshest we’ve tasted in Berks County (roundly beating out the offerings at a certain overrated, overpriced West Reading fish market that shall go unnamed). The pad thai was nicely sauced and pretty decent for a Chinese place. The General Tso’s tofu was crispy on the outside, and creamy inside, just like we like it.
Second, the mildly disappointing: For veggie lovers like us, there was too little broccoli served with the General Tso’s tofu (it was used merely as a garnish). The pad thai was missing an essential component… peanuts. The service was friendly, but slow and somewhat distracted (they were serving a big party when we arrived, but they appeared well-​staffed).
Lastly, the not-​to-​be-​repeated: My cheesecake was simply unpalatable, tasting like it had been stored for days in the same fridge with the fish. You might say I got my «just desserts» for ordering cheesecake at a Chinese restaurant, but it was New Year’s Eve and I was feeling festive. I should’ve followed the husband’s example in ordering the lychee (and he should have followed mine by ordering hot tea instead of the pre-​mixed, watery Thai tea).

I grew up eating at China Penn but hadn’t gone in over a decade. Fast forward to a 10 year high school reunion and we decided to grab a bite to eat before heading out — food is solid. Probably not the best ever, but good enough for the area, and pretty inexpensive.
Love the thai food options! Penang curry was good, but could have used a few more potato chunks. I stole a piece of maki from the boyfriend’s plate and it was fresh and tasty.

More renovations include beautiful orangy walls and hanging umbrellas. My what a big tv you have. Some of our recent favorite dishes:
– spicy-​hot (and orange) creamy Tom Yum soup that Cindy suggested (for two, fish-​sauce-​free version possible)
– avocado sushi and sweet potato tempura sushi, less rice, more stuff, yum
– Thai curry peanut noodles
– veg dumplings (no longer bluegreen in color)
– lemongrass dressing for any salad (ask about it)
I am begging them to get a papaya salad and some seitan dishes such as mock duck.
We came here for our work holiday party last time (at my suggestion due to the great variety of food and the BYOB situation), bringing about 40 people, and had a wonderful experience. Cindy took and posted our group picture on their Fb page and made us a glossy copy she presented to us the next time we were in – very sweet staff who remember your name if you are a regular. I never fail to see Cindy or Lee when I go in and thus worry that they never seem to have time off.
Finally, a better «Thai Cuisine» sign has been placed out along the road. The previous sign was a bit scary, looking like it had been painted by a serial killer. Don’t be put off by the rickety shopping center, which once held a thriving Pathmark and now has bingo, tanning, a gym, and a Pizza Hut takeout.

Had fried tofu with broccoli and my friend had some kind of soup. We both had Thai tea. The service was very good. The teas were a little too sweet for my tastes and I’ve never gotten Thai tea that was given to me pre-​mixed. There was a little too much sauce on my tofu, but that happens to me a lot.
They have a GIANT menu so if you’re with a group of friends who know they want Asian food but can’t reach consensus on what type, this would be the place to go.