Lacto
Indian
Vegetarian restaurant serving both North Indian and South Indian food. Has outside counter with Indian sweets. Open Mon-Sun 8:30am-10:00pm.
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60 Penanag St (at corner of Lebuh China), Penang, Malaysia, 10200
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Last update on 01 May 2024 by walter007
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79 Reviews
First Review by lthemanz
Tofulicious
Points +1305
Good Food, Chilly Atmosphere - Edit
Despite the delicious utthapam, sambhar and chutney, the service - which is a little on the bitchy side - compelled us to seek alternate dining options. Friendly service tends to make up for average fare, whereas great food can never make up for unpleasant service. Such a shame, when Woodlands clearly offers the more superior cuisine of the veg Indian eateries in Penang.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2017-02-12
Pros: Great South Indian fare, Very reasonable prices, Air conditioned
Cons: Not the most pleasant staff, Sterile atmosphere
Guest
Divyach
Points +17
Average - Edit
The food is average. The problem I faced is the waiter doesn't understand English. I tried their masala tosai. It was good. The bru coffee was nice as well. However their Paani puri isn't good. I was disappointed.
Read morePros: A variety of food, Strategic location
Cons: Parking issues, Staff can't speak proper English
Guest
tantantan
Points +1109
Nice atmosphere - Edit
Cosy Indian place. Service was friendly and cooperative to find vegan options. Food was good, a little too much onions for my liking, but will try them again. They have a huge menu and offer breakfast too.
Read moreGuest
Mark__
Points +153
Busy, popular place with good food - Edit
The menu is quite extensive, so it may take time to choose and understand its logic. Food is lovely, place is quite clean. The do takeaway. Various Indian breads with sauces, curries.
Read morePros: Open late, Tasty food, good portions, Competitive prices
Cons: I dont care, but some people do - a bit dark :)
Guest
aboesje
Points +143
Samosa - Edit
I have eaten here serveral times, never got disappointed. They offer the best samosas ever. I need this place near my house, it's wonderful.
Read morePros: taste, lots of options, price
Cons: not very cosy, staff doesn't speak english very well
Guest
Without_Cruelty_Blog
Points +713
The Best Chilli Garlic Noodles Ever - Edit
My boyfriend and I spent 4 days in Penang and ate here at Woodlands twice. The food is truly authentic and the people are so friendly and attentive. The menu is very extensive offering classic Indian food that some 'Westerners' might not have heard of/tried before.
Read moreOn our first visit to Woodlands we had the breakfast menu to choose from. I had a masala dosa (3.20 Ringitt) which was incredibly inpressive. It wasn't the largest dosa I've ever seen, but it was thin, crispy and delicious!
On our second visit I opted for the Chilli Garlic Noodles (7 Ringitt) and believe me, they were amazing. I would probably go as far as saying that these noodles are the best thing I have ever eaten. They were truly mind blowing!
If you are ever in Georgetown I highly recommend this place :)
www.withoutcrueltyblog.wordpress.com
Pros: Amazing Food , Cheap Food, Free Water
Cons: The Breakfast Options Run Out Early
Guest
happytina
Points +222
Great vibe - Edit
Although this place isn't 100% vegan there are tones of vegan options. Staff is friendly service is quick and the price is good. A must try if you are in Georgetown.
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options , Staff is freindly, Very clean
Cons: Can be busy in the evening
Guest
taiya
Points +57
love this place! - Edit
Great food at a really good price and you even get free water!
Read moreThe food is quite spicy however even though I asked multiple times for no spice but after all it is an Indian restaurant!
Guest
Harry.Major
Points +30
delicious! - Edit
The food is really good, some of the nicest Samosa I have eaten in years. every dish our table of 4 ordered wowed us, and our final bill was so reasonable I'm determined to return!
Read morePros: lots of options, delicious
Guest
vivasteve
Points +42
Well spiced, well priced - Edit
Authentic pure veg. Indian food, well spiced, well priced.
Read moreEasy to find, clean, good service, good portions.
No dosa from noon to 4pm. Can be a bit noisy.
Guest
patibati
Points +17
very good indian food! - Edit
Very good, can be recommended!
Read moreGuest
Chemistry
Points +62
Great Indian food! - Edit
Tasty, cheap and great customer service. The staff were lovely, got a dosa, fried potato and cauliflower dish and a samosa all for 10MYR
Read moreGuest
Diggity
Points +91
delicious and incredibly cheap - Edit
We went here in the afternoon and it was during a snack time slot. The menu is very confusing as it has certain items only available during 3 set time periods. The time slots are not all on one page but spread over several pages categorized by food type. You have to keep flipping between pages. The waiter can point out the items on each page to choose from at that time. We had a bread that puffed up like s football and you tear it off to dip in the curry. Delicious. The other dish was a bit like an Indian calzone. Both dishes were full of flavour and not too oily.
Read moreThe fantas were the most expensive item on our bill at about $1.50. The whole meal and drinks came to about $5. Ridiculously cheap and a reason why the restaurant was full of locals.
Pros: very very cheap
Cons: confusing menu , menu items have set timetables
Guest
Becky Louise
Points +109
THE BEST VEGGIE INDIAN IN PENANG - Edit
We ended up eating here everyday at somepoint, either the set meal lunches (RM6), the dinner menu, the snack menu, or take away for when we got peckish after dinner!
Read moreThe Indian food is delicious and fresh, the staff are funny and understanding when you ask for vegan- "no milk, no egg, no yogurt, no butter!"#
The portions are large and great value for the little you pay.
Lentil and rice breads such as thosia and the pizza versions, and the green pea version are recommended :)
You get free dalh and coconut with most orders and they are really yummy!
We really recommend Woodlands for vegan veggie lovers!
Pros: Great prices, Big portions
Cons: No desserts for vegans
Guest
Olive_Twist
Points +393
Great food - Edit
I lived in Penang for a while and my lady and I would go here about once every two weeks, any more you you'd just get too fat. The food is authentic, oily, fried, cheesy stuff. The people who are complaining about it were probably expecting westernized Indian food. The Biriyani was pretty much always good, as was the Aloo Gobi. The Paneer Chili fry was good about half the time. The lunch tali is a great thing and the "butter milk" is also something you should try if you have never had it.
Read moreThey have a large menu and they get quite busy on the weekends in the evenings. The staff is prompt and not rude. Again people complaining about them want a waiter who comes up and makes you feel good. These people are there to bring you your food.
Price wise it's one of the cheapest places around. For 3 dishes, some naan, some somasas and drinks, you should expect to pay around 27rm or 8usd (total).
If you are in Penang and want something Indian, find this place.
Pros: Greaf Food, Cheep, Easy to find
Cons: Some items are hit or miss.
Guest
eatinggreen
Points +608
Best lunch and snacks in Penang... - Edit
The first time we visited Woodlands we hated it. Now we go there at least twice per day every time we visit Penang, which we do every 3-4 months.
Read moreTo enjoy this place you have to know what to order and what to expect. This is no organic raw food haven so throw those dreams away. You won't get your hit of green juice here. What you will get is tasty, authentic South Indian food and a full on cultural experience.
Avoid the curries sold as main meals on their own, they never fail to disappoint. Instead, go for the South Indian snacks - a paper dosa is a fun experience, but also try other small bites such as the idly, poori, uttapam and anything else you can find in similar sections of the menu.
For lunch you can't go past their thali, a balanced meal of several curries, soups, rice, papadums and other various condiments. Consider ordering a chapati bread with it and afterwards, be sure to wash it all down with a masala tea (ask for less sugar).
Not everything is available at all times of the day. The thali meals are from noon until 4pm. Snacks are until midday and in the evenings after 5pm. We don't go for dinner time, it's not their strong point.
There is quite a bit of variation in the taste of the chutneys etc - they are never awful but can be average. If you're in luck though they'll be absolutely fabulous. This is our fave stop in Penang, hands down.
Updated from previous review on Wednesday September 21, 2011
For the sake of the record, my original review was:
Every taxi driver seems to know and recommend this place as soon as they hear you are vegetarian. We only tried their dosas and one curry but weren't exactly blown away. The dosas were quite oily and the sauces nothing special to speak of. The one curry we did order (chana masala) was pretty poor - so much so that it was left on the table uneaten. Can't see us racing back, even though it is one of only 2 pure veg indian restaurants that we are aware of in Penang.
One thing though - the colourful clientele made for an interesting setting, although judging by their reactions they were just as intrigued in us as we were in them ;)
Pros: All vegetarian, authentic indian , Great snacks and thalis
Cons: A la carte main meal items aren't great, Can be oily
Guest
Neeruam
Points +134
Ok - Edit
I had lunch there, and took a Sambar Vadai and Oignons Pakoras. Everything tasted great, which suprised me because it was cheap.
Read moreI also had a mango lassi, but they put too much water on it, so I don't recommend.
The staff was a little bit cold.
Pros: Cheap and good food, Good location
Cons: Staff quite cold, Don"t take the lassi
Guest
veggiebubble
Points +109
Worth a visit! - Edit
I'm surprised by the negative reviews of this place. I've been twice now and found it to be clean with helpful/friendly staff and most importantly tasty food! It was busy with locals both times that I went. I'll definitely be going back!
Read morePros: Clean, Good food, Cheap
Guest
Richard Myers
Points +753
Seems popular with the locals - Edit
Not sure if it was Saturday night that made the restaurant busy but busy it was. Usually, I eat all of the vegan food put before me but not on this occasion. We ordered three dishes but found the food cooked in too much oil and not particularly good.
Read moreOur server was pleasant and made sure the food was vegan. One big plus was that the restaurant was air conditioned.
Pros: Air conditioned, Helpful staff
Cons: Food was not great
Guest
a112
Points +133
typical indian food - Edit
Do not order fresh juice - it is half water.
Read moreDosa (rice crepe) was great, chutneys not spicy.
Cons: cheating with juices
Guest
Fifi La Purr
Points +53
Awful! - Edit
Had a meal at Woodlands about a year ago & has to be said it wasn't great but eternally hopeful people that we are, thought we'd give it another go. Food awful, channa was under cooked, cold and no idea what they were trying to attempt with the sauce. The onion kulcha was well, not an onion kulcha and paneer dish consisted mainly of raw (but shouldn't have been) onions. Food got sent back and personally if you fancy a spot of pure veg indian, i'd nip just over the road, chaotic but much nicer
Read moreCons: Awful food, indifferent service
Guest
Ianthewander
Points +237
First time here, May 2011 - Edit
Found the restaurant while wandering through Little India, and entered. The food was good, low cost, and tasty (did I already say that). I can add pleasantly spicy. Recommended.
Read morePros: Taste, drinks, quick service
Cons: Not overly visible on the street.
Guest
Petesternz
Points +1447
Very disappointing - Edit
We were looking forward to our visit to this restaurant, but we came away disappointed. The food was average, at best. The vegetarian thali was truly nothing special, and the food had none of the spice necessary to bring it to life. We also ordered an aloo gobi that was greasy and lacking flavour. Finally, the juice was absolutely awful, essentially being water with colour. After our time in KL at the beautiful Bukit Woodlands, this unrelated imposter really lacked sizzle.
Read moreGuest
cutejams2004
Points +24
tasty but expensive - Edit
tasty indian food..can be crowded at times..nice decor and cozy restaurant
Read moreGuest
lthemanz
Points +6
Woodlands Pani Puri - Edit
This would be one of the better veg restaurant. The only and quite good Pani Puri that I know of in Penang.
Read moreThey have Pani Puri, Shev Puri, Bhel Puri and a few other snacks.
Pani Puri literally means Water in a Crispy Fried Dough. Pani is a Hindi word for Water, and Puri is somewhat like a 'fried chapati'.
http://makan2food.blogspot.com/2007/03/madras-new-woodlands-pani-puri.html
Pros: tasty, hard to find elsewhere, decently priced
Cons: sometimes waiter not friendly
Guest
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