Banana Leaf Reviews

Stop here all the time when in the city, i love that they have Indian pancakes! The portions are huge and the service is fast. Love the varied menu they have.

Thai and Malaysian! The banana pacakes for desert is a must! Chicken Satay with peanut sauce for starters! The service is quick and the food is good!

Visited on a busy Saturday night. It was full but we quickly got a table for two. Staff were excellent, happy to explain dishes, flavors and spice levels. The food is a mesh of Asian flavors. We had spring rolls, pad Thai and an Indian noodle dish. All were delivered quickly and large portions. It is BYOB. Overall great experience and we will return again.

a friend took me here, and again, and again for a party with all lab folks. the food is good and reasonable. i particularly like it when they have the coconut pudding for dessert.

Same menu as Penang next door..good food

awesome food.

We gave it a higher rating due to food quality. Two couples ate here after the flower show. Same deal. Very pushy to order appetizers. I think we shared two and they were good. Food hit the spot. just what we were all in the mood for. Service a bit too attentive. We had the same weird experience with asking for tip amount prior to ringing up bill. Not sure what this was about. Not a fancy place but food was good. Better than the average local Chinese places.

the best malaysian food i've had in the northeast area.

Great service. Great food. Menu is extensive-something for everyone! Loved the food I had but can't remember the name. It came in a crispy taro basket.

We've been back to Banana Leaf now on 3 separate trips to Philadephia. We like the variety and the spice more than the fare in nearby Chinatown. This time two of our favorite dishes were the Siam Mee and the Ginger Duck Lo Mee. We came at 7:30PM and couldn't believe how fast the service and the kitchen were. We will return!

It was ok. Price was good. BYOB was nice, but service was below average. We asked for ice to keep our beer cold and the waiter brought I tiny little container of ice. The roti canai was good, but watch for bones. The other food we ordered was just ok. I ordered a duck and noodle dish, my husband the mango chicken. Someone else in our party ordered green curry which seemed to be the best of the things we had. I am sure there are better places in Chinatown, I will probably not be back.

Friendly service and good Basil Beef! Nice mix of locals, business and tourists. Waitress was a good egg and MaitreD' were a good team.

I wanted to try a cuisine I never had before. It was like having a meal that was a fusion in style between Chinese and Indian. It was very flavorful.

I spent three days at Philadelphia for an academic conference and went to this restaurant three times. I never got tired of the food. This is the best place in the Eastern United States to get authentic Malaysian cuisine. The variety is great, the flavors are rich but not overwhelming. The service staff is friendly too.

I had lunch here recently and it was like a breath of fresh air. Their cuisine is similar to several other restaurants but different enough to be a welcome change.

The menu has so much variety that we ordered more than we could eat. The food was very good and the service was excellent. Lots of smiles and willingness to explain dishes. We started with small bowls of Tomyam soup. It was delicious. We then shared Nasilemak and Curry Chicken. I was surprised to get bones in the Nasilemak. Otherwise it was really good. The coconut rice flavored with cloves was excellent.

Came here with my husband and in-laws for dinner while on vacation. The portions are large and the price is good. I ordered a noodle soup, because it was labeled as the restaurant favorite, but it wasn't my favorite. My mother-in-law ordered the Mango Chicken and it was to die for! So good! Even though it was very busy when we came in, our food came out so fast.

We dropped in at Banana Leaf restaurant for lunch and ordered the roti prata, prawn noodle soup and mee goreng. Everything tasted authentic and delicious.

I went to Banana leaf with a group of friends, my food was just ok, honestly. I had Chow Kueh Teow, and it didn't have much flavor in it, and very little meat. I ended up putting sriracha on it to spice it up. Also weird is that all of the noodles were chopped up into tiny pieces which made it very difficult to eat with chopsticks. The service was fine, nothing outstanding. The atmosphere is laid back and the prices are inexpensive. It is nice that it's BYOB.

Mr. J. , my traveling and dining companion, after a day of museums and the auto show, commented on the Banana Leaf's brightly lit interior and very clean dining room. In my opinion, that was about as good as it's going to get. Malaysian Famous ( actual words on menu ) " Chow Kueh Teow " listed ingredients of stirred fried flat rice noodles with fresh shrimp, squid, bean sprout, eggs, soy sauce, and chili paste. It all fell apart. Shrimp were small, not fresh, and rather chewy. Squid is always bland and could never be expected to save this dish. Chopped hard boiled eggs, again, I don't what it is expected to do for this dish- but then again, I am not from Malaysia. Rice noodles were plentiful, as were bean sprouts. In the end, it all tasted the same. A big glob of noodles with no outstanding flavor of shrimp or of anything. Noodles had a slight flavor of old cooking oil and smokiness. I added more Chili paste. Nothing could save this dish. I might have well been eating a packet of Ramen shrimp flavored noodles. At least I can get three packs for a $ 1.00. On a brighter note, Mr. J. reported he enjoyed his chicken with rice and vegetables. But if you are going to order a dish as generic as chicken or beef, why go to an Asian restaurant ? Banana Leaf was not terrible. Just very, very ordinary with better options on both sides of the street.

I invited my friends to have lunch at the restaurant because I love Malaysian food and have had it very often. What a mistake. We were seated fast. There were only two tables taken. The menu had pictures which helped to order. The arrived food didn't look like the dishes on the picture. I had squid with peanut sauce. There were 6 little pieces of squid and something sloppy yellow on the top. The meal didn't taste like peanit or squid. It looked like someone's leftiver. My friend ordered fried rice and it came with chopped raw onions in it. We will never come back.

We walked to this place from the convention center. The restaurant was nice and spacious providing a pleasant atmosphere. We were waited on promptly and our initial waitress was quite efficient. I ordered the chili chicken and my colleague got the mango chicken. I was very happy with my dish as it was quite delicious. It was spiced perfectly. My colleague also liked his mango chicken. However, the second waitress who finished serving us after our food arrived was quite unfriendly and bordered on rude. My colleague was very offended and it took away from our experience substantially. The prices were also a little on the expensive side but at least the food itself was worth it.

Great mango dish. Attentive wait staff. Brought complimentary green bean dessert which was very good.

Nothing too unique. Also, if you are a vegetarian, then beware, there's a section in the menu called vegetarian but when you look at all the dishes, they have shrimp in it.

We had lunch before heading to Logan Square. We liked the food so much that we came here for dinner too!! Delicious food and the service was good, we got a welcome soup too!! Has a great ambiance

We got delivery, and—while the food was tasty and at times very interesting—the portions were rather small for the price. Also, they apparently want you to order rice, vegetables, and so forth separately, which is unusual for an Asian restaurant here. I think you can have a good experience here, but you have to order carefully

My friends and I visited this place on 02/18/19, even after we tipped the waitress (who was not the one that served us or took our order) 15% of our bill, she demanded a larger tip, when trying to explain, she pointed her finger and told us to "shut up."

Me and my husband visit this restaurant atleast twice a month. Roti kanai and roti telur are my favorite. Their service is very good. A crowdy place, but there is no wait to get food. Their price fits our budget too. The best malaysian restaurant i have ever tried.

My girlfriend and I ate here before seeing Eric Hutchinson at the Trocadero. The food was some of the best I've ever had. I had a seafood spicy soup, and she, a vegetarian, had a noodle dish with lots of veggies and ginger. The soup was EXCELLENT. The flavors in the broth, the portion size, and the quality of the ingredients was superb. Judging by the reactions that my girlfriend made to her food, I would judge hers as great, too. The service was speedy, and our order came out very quickly. I also enjoyed the hot tea that I ordered. Overall, amazing.

Located in the heart of China Town, Philadelphia & recommended to by friends, was pleasantly surprised by oriental atmosphere! Waiters/staff are pleased to see you there & will go out of the way to satisfy ones pallet with suggestions to the menu, enlightening you with the taste that will best suit you with respect to ones place of origin! With enormous choice on the menu, one is left with difficulty in deciding, which is soon overcome by the helpful suggestions from the ever pleasing waitress. Food is served quite fast, tasted good with sufficient quantity. Also, reasonably priced. We were a group of four and we all enjoyed our late afternoon meal. Could make do with a bit more neatness. Over all a pleasant experience.

Late dinner with a friend at this unassuming Malaysian restaurant. Like Penang, but less if the chain feeling. Very good appetizers (roti canai and chicken satay) followed up with an outstanding and spicy shrimp aambal and an ordinary chicken curry. Atmosphere is pleasant and somewhat overbearing (though in a good way. The hostess yelled at me to eat up my rice). All in all, a nice alternative to the usual Chinatown fare.

Price is reasonable. Staff are friendly. Place is clean. This is the only restaurant that I'd know to have the local variety of Malaysian Food (ie. Nonya, Mamak, Malay, Chinese, Indian ext.). Btw Nonya food is hard to find these days.

Pros: Generous Portions with Authentic Flair Cons: Why does a sushi bar have to be in there? Know before you go: Malaysian food uses a lot of spices. This includes curry and chili peppers and strong fish oils. If you don't like spices, I don't recommend this a first time Asian cuisine. My Critique: I really enjoyed the dishes that were ordered here. I normally order the Curry Mein... there's a way that it's made, just like the Malaysians make it at home, however I don't know how to say it in English. It's a mix of rice noodles and egg noodles, in a Curry soup like base, with several pieces of vegetable covered fish cakes. Very authentic the several times I had it. I've also had the pleasure of having their "safe" foods - Hainese Chicken over Rice, Singapore Rice noodles, Indian Pancake, and Various other dishes all with the same appeal. Some dishes however, was water down from the way I know it, but it still passes for me. Alternatives: There is Penang around the corner, another Malaysian Restaurant. I don't prefer this one, but have eaten here and its Par. It's possible some might want to start of with this restaurant before going on to Banana Leaf for the real stuff.

From the street, the place looks more than a little downtrodden, but step inside and it’s heaving with people. When your food arrives, you soon realise why this place is so popular. Affordable, authentic and delicious. Really Malayan food prepared and served by real Malayan people. Brilliant!

Everything we ate was delicious. These are authentic dishes and even the atmosphere made me feel like we were in Malaysia instead of Philly. Place is always packed but the service is quick.

We swung in here on our walk back to the hotel which was just a block away. It did not disappoint. The MRI fun was excellent and my husband had on of the noodle soups which was also great. No cocktails here but we didn't care because it was so late when we arrived. Very busy but food was fast and it seemed the whole place was filled up with locals which is always a good sign.

This was my first visit to Chinatown in Philly, and we were the first patrons right when they opened up on New Year's Day. The restaurant is apparently Malaysian, and the menu featured dishes from several Asian cuisines. I ordered Beef Chow Fun, which was very good. My only complaint was that they may have been a little skimpy on the beef, but it was very good and very fresh. The restaurant is much bigger than it looks from the outside, but we had the place to ourselves. Several servers asked us several times if everything was ok, so they obviously seemed to care about pleasing their customers. I would definitely go back.

Had lunch on a hot Philly day. Atmosphere and service were great. Started with the roti, which was good (but not the best), and the mango salad which was delicious. We followed that with the Thai Basil Noodle, which was also excellent. I would however, recommend that you do not choose the shrimp as it was small and not well cleaned. The Ginger Duck Lo Mee was a huge disappointment. There was so much more skin and bone than actual duck meat in this dish; it was sad. The homemade soy sauce was overpowering and bitter- the ginger had an artificial taste. If you steer clear of the Ginger Duck, I think you'll get a nice meal, and a brief respite from the heat!

My wife is here in Philadelphia for a conference, and I tagged along to get a little taste of winter (we live in Hawaii). Banana Leaf is only a short walk from the Downtown Marriott, which is the conference hotel. After checking the menu online, we almost decided to avoid the place. The menu is extremely long with many items we had trouble deciphering. But on further review, we decided there would be more than enough we would be comfortable ordering. The restaurant is billed primarily as Malaysian, but with dishes reflecting Thai, Chinese, and even Indian origins. Oh, it's also BYOB, which allows you to avoid inflated drink prices. So last night we gave it a try. And it's a good thing we did. The food turned out to be very good. We ordered three dishes, beginning with a mango salad, which turned out to be made the same way as a green papaya salad, which would be more common back home. That was followed by a Thai basil noodle dish, and something billed as Indian-style chicken. The food came extremely quickly. It was well presented. Servings weren't huge, but you wouldn't cal them skimpy. And the tastes? Uniformly good. My wife and I agreed on that (although we don't always). We asked for "spicy," and our judgements were more mixed. I thought it wasn't hot enough, while my wife thought it was fine. So that's a matter of taste. We would recommend the Banana Leaf, but would recommend looking through the menu online so you're prepared to deal with it.

My husband and I lunched here after attending a conference at the PA Convention Center. The inside is clean and nicely decorated, and the service was friendly and efficient. Menu is a combination of Malaysian, Chinese, Thai, Indian, and Japanese, and takes a little deciphering, but is worth it. We split the banana leaf satay chicken appetizer that came with a delicious peanut dipping sauce. I got the clay pot noodle soup with pork, squid, and shrimp, and my husband got the Thai pineapple fried rice. Both were very good and flavorful, but, in comparison to other restaurants we've been to, the portions were a little bit on the smaller side, particularly for the rice dish and appetizer. We split the pisang goreng dessert, a fried banana with vanilla ice cream sprinkled with peanuts served with a sweet red sauce (the menu didn't really say, but we figured it was a red bean sauce/jelly), which was good also. Even with the appetizer and dessert, our bill was reasonable. Overall, the food was very good and we were very happy with our experience. However, if you're looking for a more "authentic" China Town experience at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that attracts the locals (which is what we typically look for), this isn't it given it's so close to the convention center. Still, we plan to return to check out the menu further, perhaps with a nice bottle of wine next time since they're a BYOB!

I was in Philadelphia during a snow storm and only the restaurants in Chinatown were open. The thai iced tea and pad thai were delicious. Staff were good about explaining how dishes were prepared. The food was hot and arrived quickly. Interesting artwork on the walls. If I were in Philadelphia I would definitely visit again.

This place is great, especially if you have a lot of people with you. It's BYOB, had a ton of cool menu items, crispy fried pork intestines anyone? Also, the prices are really reasonable and the portions are pretty decent. Big fan of this place, and love their Malaysian iced coffee!

Went based on other reviews and were not disappointed. When we arrived (~7 on a Friday night) there were plenty of tables, but by the time we left there was a line out the door. Clearly a popular destination! The food was absolutely delicious and came promptly. The mango chicken was amazing - my picky 7-year old ate a ton! And the chicken satay was terrific. The food rivaled an old favorite Malaysian restaurant in NYC. The servers were not especially friendly or helpful even before it got crowded, but since the food was so good we would definitely go back. Our only real complaint we had was that it was very noisy. There wasn't any music playing, so the noise was all from the people. If you are looking for intimate conversation, this isn't the place for you! We would definitly go back and recommend it without hesitation.

Loved this place when I ate meat and love it now that I don’t. Pineapple fried rice is all I really have to say. Ask to veganize some regular options that typically are served with meat, they will sub tofu!

I went in and expected a brightly lit, modern establishment based on other online reviews. I'm not sure what certain people refer to as "great atmosphere," but this is certainly not what I would consider as "great." The place was very dimly lit, the table was so sticky, it took a significant lift to get my plate unstuck and it just seemed a bit dirty. Food was decent- roti canai was great, but pineapple fried rice has little flavor, except when you actually got one of the 3 pieces of pineapple that was in it. Pricing was OK, but you can probably find much better in the Chinatown area.

The food was good, but I can’t say great. Fast service for a busy restaurant. For a Malaysian restaurant I was expecting more spices and flavor.

We hopped over here after an event at the convention center. It gets really busy. Definitely try the roti canai, a bread with chicken curry. It's delicious and a great starter. We enjoyed the tofu and chicken satay. We liked the mixed vegetables in red curry. The thai basil fried rice was bland. The lychee juice is a must try. Ww finished with a tea. The service could be better. No fuss ambiance.

Personally I didn't like the flavor of what I have tried here.

Sizzling meat platter was the best of the four dishes we ordered. The mango chicken was also pretty good and the green curry beef in the clay pot wasn't bad. Fried noodles with chicken and salted fish was yuck, but that was probably due to our not understanding what salted fish was. Atmosphere nothing fancy and service ok at best. Meat quality wasn't great and steak was really tough. Dishes weren't hot (except for sizzling steak platter). All in all a totally average place to eat

The Banana Leaf looked interesting, I mean Malaysian Food in China Town Great!! The decor coming the front door was upscale modern, with high ceilings open food prep area and lots of noise along with wonderful aromas emanating from the kitchen area . The menu was straight from the Straits of Melaka, very authentic. The service on the other hand reminded me of those pushy street hawkers one sees all over the far east. Maybe it was part of the ambiance? But it turned me off right away. The food was okay, maybe my review was tainted by the pushy lady who appeared to be the manager. She made on feel that you were intruding on her lunch break and it was an imposition to serve you. I'll try it again as I really like the food from that part of the world, maybe at evening time instead of Sunday afternoon.

Was a bit disappointed at the condition of the restaurant, but the food was pretty good.

Went there 2-3 times, with friends and family. Nice little restaurant at a decent price and great quality food. Allows you to bring your own alcoholic beverages. Great friendly service. Had a great experience.

In Philadelphia Chinatown one will find more than Chinese cuisine! I was lucky enough to be introduced to the Banana Leaf Malaysian cuisine. We shared two dishes: pad thai and spare ribs noodle soup. Both dishes were oodles of delicious noodles and savory flavors. The portions were generous, and the price did not break the budget. I highly recommend the Banana Leaf for delicious food at reasonable prices.

Went there 4-5 times when I was in Philly in January. Was there for 7 days. Cheap eats if you know what to get. Roti chanai is a good starter. But i can eat that alone for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Got Chow Kueh Teow a few times and mee goreng among other things. I am biased of course because i am from that region. But the food there is cheap and delicious.

Good Eats

Had dinner at Banana Leaf just before a major event at the Convention Center. Great place for quick service and prices are good. BYOB so this is great for groups too. Food was tasty. There are too many to list. Staff is very friendly and accommodating. Worth the visit!

Simple but amazing food! The inner decor is cute, too!

We ate here last night after a long trip back from thanksgiving dinner. It's tough to eat in Philly on a Saturday night without a reservation but this place was not a problem. Wonderful southeast Asian food at great prices - less than $100 for 4, with 4 appetizers and 4 entrees. The spicy crispy squid was amazing and so was the mango chicken and the mee Siam. Really good and a great, great Value.

I recommend the Thai Basil noodles of you like a lot of spice - fantastic! Everyone at my table loved their meals. This place used to be cash only, but recently started accepting CCs. The interior is very basic and I wish I couldn't have seen into the kitchen as it looked like it could have been cleaner. This is more of a place to meet friends than to take a date. That said, the food is very tasty.

This restaurant is my favorite.. the flavors are unbelievable. There are so many dishes here I could reccommend... I have been going to China Town In Philly for a long time and this is one of the very best places there... Try the house Special Jumbo Prawns,, to die for! Also the Chicken Curry Noodle Soup! I find myself craving this Malaysian food,,, It is the best! Also the wait staff is great,, very friendly and can not do enough to please you! The owner /manager is one of the sweetest guys I have ever met... Try it,.. you will not be disappointed... prices are reasonable also

Came here for lunch with a friend. The staff was friendly and efficient. The ambience was delightful, not too noisy, not too quiet. The menu was vast but the dish I tried was OK. It could have been spicier!

The Banana Leaf on Arch Street is within close proximity to the Convention Center, and well worth seeking out if you are attending an event downtown. The menu is " all Asia", a little Malaysian, Chinese, Thai, Indian. The food, however, is very good, and once you decide the service is quick. The server was attentive,and the restaurant was clean. The atmosphere was typical of a Chinese restaurant. I had mango shrimp, and it was delicious. It was reasonably priced and the portion size was perfect. I would return and would definitely send my friends there. .

Great place to eat with many choices, cheap and expensive. I had the chicken curry and the sauce was excellent. The waiter Jose was from Honduras and gave me recommendations and answered all my questions about the menu. The service was really good. The restaurant is big and really clean.

Authentic Malaysian food served here by a waitstaff that needs some customer service skill refreshers. They are a bit forward (perhaps it’s a cultural phenomenon?) and brusque. They tell it like it is and some folks have problems with food servers having this characteristic. Go for the different cuisine and enjoy it.

It went downhill when my friend asked how the 'seafood scrambled egg chow fun' was and the server answered "it's noodles, seafood and gravy, you won't like it." I followed up and asked 'what type of noodle they use' and the server's response was "I TOLD YOU, YOU WILL NOT LIKE IT. ONLY INDONESIAN PEOPLE LIKE THIS DISH." OK. Completely baffled and at a loss for words at that response. If that is how you are going to respond, you might as well put a disclaimer on the menu for every item that a non-Indonesia/Malaysian person cannot handle. Unreal. How do you know I haven't lived in Indonesia the last 15 years of my life or how about if I don't like it then it's my problem. Ended up getting seafood fried rice and Thai pineapple fried rice. Seafood fried rice was mediocre and the seafood in the dish was cold. The Thai pineapple fried rice was average. Also tried the Roti Canai and I have definitely had better...it was served cold, which I think was more than likely due to it not being fresh or reheated upon serving and the roti was not as flakey as I've had it at other restaurants. Do Better.

This restaurant was right next to the convention center. We stopped by for a quick lunch. Its first come first serve no reservations. We had the delicious longan and lychee juice. It was refreshing. We enjoyed the roti canai and even took an extra one to go. We ordered chicken satay. It was sweet and oily with sweeter peanut sauce. We enjoyed the goreng and basil noodles. Quick service. It was a nice lunch.

Good food and service at a price that can't be beaten. We let the waitress help us order and she didn't steer us wrong.

I came here with 3 friends, 2 from Philadelphia; this is one of the favorite restaurants of one of my Philly friends, and I can see why. The food was very good and the portions were huge. I had pad thai, and it was probably the largest single serving of shrimp pad thai that I'd ever had in a restaurant. One of my friends had a dish that I had a taste of and it was less good. But the soft shell crab sushi that we all shared was wonderful. The oddest thing was that the kitchen is fully visible to the clientele, which I found strangely reassuring. The restaurant was a bit noisy, but fortunately there was no background music, and on the whole, this was a really satisfying dining experience.

Love the range of flavors. Enjoyed all of the items. Great soup and main courses. Fun early dinner. They made a special dish for our 4 year old.

Ethnic food includes Chinese and Malay dishes. Not too busy and food ready without fuss. Hot humid day, so the ABC was refreshing. Prices on the low side. Waitress brought a smaller bowl for kid, as the noodles were piping hot.

I came to china town and my chinese friend took me here. The owner is from Malaysia and the food is amazing!

We are visiting Philadelphia and wanted a Malaysian restaurant our daughter lives in Kuala Lumpur so we love Malaysian food The food was great chicken satay and a beef dish , this is BYO so bring your own wine very reasonable staff very polite good atmosphere Would definitely visit again

I went here recently with a friend for lunch. Penang (around the corner) used to be my go-to Malaysian restaurant, but I hadn't been happy with the last few meals I had there. Banana Leaf has about the same specialties. The roti canai (paper-thin fried bread with chicken-potato curry sauce) was good, as was my friend's beef rendang. I ordered curry mee with young tau foo -- nice chewy egg noodles in a spicy curry sauce and pieces of tofu and vegetables stuffed with a fish/dried shrimp stuffing. It contained bitter melon (not listed on the menu) which was a bit of a surprise, but OK with me. If you don't like bitter melon, beware. I will try something else next time -- not because this was a bad dish, but because there are so many great Malaysian dishes I can't eat anything twice in a row -- except for roti canai as an appetizer, of course. That is mandatory. Service was attentive.

For those who love Malaysian food, this is a good option. Beef Rendang is my favorite dish and I was not disappointed. The laksa was not was I remember but overall a good experience.

It’s been a while since I’ve had lunch in Chinatown. I seem to find myself more often along Washington Avenue in South Philadelphia. There’s nothing like the light freshness of those fresh herbs and mints of Vietnamese cooking that you can find at the many Pho bars and at my favorite, Nam Phuong. But today, after seeing the Arcadia exhibit at the PMA I thought I would try something new on the other side of town. I scanned TripAdvisor to find the best rating in Chinatown. It seemed that Banana Leaf, a Malaysian kitchen had some pretty good reports. Banana Leaf does not have a website so my only connection was through menupages.com. Trying to find the place was also a bit of a trick. The front is small and hidden by a tree. Inside, Banana Leaf is a little on the dingy side. It is not well lit and the décor is a bit curious. It looks like it wants to be a dockside crab bar walled in by three dimensional Asian landscapes. Am I supposed to be at a Crab Shack in Singapore? The table was a little sticky and a bit small. The first very good sign that this was a good restaurant was the clientele: a good mixture of Asians including many Indians. The wait staff was immediately attentive and courteous. We stared blankly at the extensive menu. Aside from the Indian pancakes and the Pad Thai none of the three of us knew what a single item was. The best approach to new foods is to let the house tell you. Our waiter was extremely helpful. I have to note that my wife is not good with spicy food. Not a good situation here. Most items on the Banana Leaf menu have the “spicy” star. The waiter seemed to understand and he noted that some things were spicy in themselves and others had a side sauce that was spicy. Very patiently he proposed one or two things from each listing, noted which were spicy and which not, and what we could share. For an appetizer he proposed the Roti Canai, the Indian Pancake. After that selection, I think things became a bit confused. Perhaps there was some problem in translation but I am not sure that what I think we ordered was what we actually received. Of course, it really doesn’t matter. This was a lunch of new experiences. Our lunch was an adventure. I will try to describe each dish as best I can, and if possible, attach the name that appears on the menu. First course: the pancake. When it comes to this little delicacy, I don’t know what is more inviting, the crispy folded crepe or the spinning of the paper thin dough by the young man behind the counter. The pancake is served with a very tasty and piquant brown sauce. I don’t know what the sauce was but it was a perfect finish to the lighter than air pancake. Our next course was “Noodle in Soup.” I thought we ordered “Ginger Duck Noodles.” Duck may very well have been what they served us. But the meat seemed more beef like. The soup comes in very large bowl, easily enough for at least four if not even five. The flavorful broth seemed somewhat beef based, but I cannot be sure. The thing to watch for here was the dices of meat. You have to work your way around the tiny bones. Were these duck meat bones? I’m not sure. But, the noodle based soup was quite good. The next course was a mix of pork and chicken on skewers with a peanut sauce. I would assume that this serving was a kind of Pad Thai, but I am at a loss to find it on the menu. The grilled meats really did not pass far above generic. While the skewers were perfectly fine, they were certainly not something that would take me to a new experience. The servers then brought us a very strikingly different dish. I cannot find it on the menu. The presentation was shrimp in a vegetable mix next to which was a blend of bean sprouts, warm, but in a kind of vinegar. The taste moves from top to bottom, from left to right. Is this sweet? Is this bitter? I don’t know. But, it was very, very good. Our last selection arrived. I don’t remember ordering this dish either. But does it really matter? In this case I did find it on the printed menu: Mango Chicken. Now, this was a very nice dish but not my favorite. The elements of this dish recall many Chinese restaurants where sauces are thickened by corn starch. I’m not a fan of corn starch. I prefer sauces that develop their flavors and textures by their innate ingredients, not by the inclusion of starches. Banana Leaf was a new experience. I think I need to return to try other dishes. Asian restaurants seem to have two levels. The first level is more for non-Asians. The recipes at this level tend to be corn-starch bound, and somewhat “all tastes the same.” If you can move to the second level where you order what I would call dishes with a focus, particularly specific fish dishes, you enjoy far more refined tastes. Of course, the prices of these dishes are almost twice the price of the regular fare. Then there is also the problem of being a first timer. As with any travel to a new place, you don’t really see what needs to be seen until you’ve been there more than once. I need to try Banana Leaf again.

Had a quick lunch there. I ordered roti and noodle soup with chicken and seafood, very typical Malaysian dishes. They both are delicious. I also enjoyed the atmosphere. It’s a good choice for a lunch place.

My friend took us here on our visit to Philadelphia. I took my toddler on the visit. FYI there is not really a kids menu...which was fine for us but may not be for other families. Also, I am a pretty basic eater and easily found something on the menu.

If you like a combination of Asian and Indian dishes check this place out. Everything was great from the appetizers to the main course to dessert.

Came here after Jerry found this online for Malaysian cuisine. There were many people coming in the restaurant as we sat through enjoying our ‘Malaysian’ meal. I suspect this is more a Chinese restaurant than Malaysian. The satay and roti canai were good as starters. The mango salad was a bit blend. Both the Beef Rendang and Nasi lemak are signature dishes of Malaysian cuisine but definitely not to taste them here.

I am completely addicted to Banana Leaf's curry. I crave it constantly. My husband is Malaysian and we eat there at least once a week. But let me tell you, I love this curry with a love that needs explicatives to describe it. Look for the "casserole" section. Try the "curry mixed vegetables" casserole. But you gotta get coconut rice to go with it. You can also get a similar curry in the noodle soup- look for Laksa or something similar. And its another similar version of the curry that comes with the Roti Canai. !!! And then theres something that I dont even know how to tell you to order because its not on the menu- its ramen noodles with a special brown soy sauce, curry sauce, green vegetables. SO GOOD! That brown sauces mixes with the curry and its delicious. Ok Im done.

We were looking for a reasonably-priced restaurant in Chinatown and found the Banana Leaf. They have a huge menu with several different cuisines represented. Although nominally a Malaysian restaurant, they also have Thai and Chinese, as well as a few Indian dishes. They also have a Sushi bar! We have two younger children, and everyone found something to like. Food is very reasonably priced with big portions, our chicken dishes were all breast meat, very high quality, and fast service. Their website encouraged us to bring our own wine, which they were happy to open with no corkage fee. Another plus, it's within walking distance from hotels in Center City and the Convention Center. We liked it so much we returned a second time during our visit.

My husband and I had a good time here during lunch. There are tons of options to choose from. We both got an appetizer. I had the Homemade Roti Canai and my husband had the Springrolls. We enjoyed them both. The sauce for the roti had a delicious flavor. I used the left over sauce on my rice later on. For the main course, I had the Beaf Rendang Rice. The beef was very tender and the sauce was quite good. My husband had the chicken lo mein, which he seemed to enjoy. Overall, it was very good. I was stuffed by the time we left and I was surprised the check was only $21.

I was there at 10 PM on Sunday night. and the place was still very busy. the food was brought out quickly, but the noise inside was deafening. The food was well prepared and quite hot.

Stopped by with some business colleagues for a quick lunch. Beef redang, nasi lemak and chicken redang. The food was good although the portions were smaller as we are in the post Covid era. They are one of a handful of eateries in Chinatown that permit eat in lunches. Kudos to them! Covid protocols were very good. Can’t wait to return.

I'm southeast Asian myself and boy was I ecstatic when I discovered this place on a layover in Philly. Been there twice and have had "Roti Canai" (delightfully chewy Indian pancake with curry chicken and potato dip), "Achat" (to me it's like a medley of veggie kimchee in turmeric powder with sesame seeds) "Curry Mee with Young Tau Foo" (noodles in either clear broth or curry sauce with veggies, stuffed tofu etc. - excellent comfort food and somewhat similar to Laksa!) "Fried Rice with Salted Fish" (If you're Filipino like me and likes "tuyo" it's a very filling dish in itself - super sarap!). I loved everything except for "Prawn Mee" (egg noodles in spicy shrimp broth with pork and veggies). This is not something for people not used to fishy soups but I didn't like it not because of that but rather it was too watery and had very little to "fish" out of the bowl. But overall, the experience was great and will go back there in a heartbeat. WARNING FOR BEER LOVERS - IT'S BYOB AND IT'S HARD TO SCOUR THE AREA FOR LIQUOR, SO BE MORE CREATIVE FINDING THEM. Bon Appetit!

The best green chicken curry (pictured) I've tasted I'm my whole life (and for $7!!!). Cute decor, attentive staff who gave great suggestions. Lovely atmosphere. Kept seeing what other people ordered and wanted to try everything. Fried ice cream for dessert was incredible, comes with fried bananas which were exquisite. Could not recommend enough. Free WiFi too!

So great and reminds me of Singapore. I had the Roti Canai and Hainanese Chicken Rice, which is what I always get when I go to Singapore. Their menu is great - there's a wide variety and the prices are good. The ambiance is nice, it can get busy on weekends, but the service is quick and friendly so it isn't too difficult to get a table. Bottom line, great Malaysian food!

my very favorite!

If I were going to die and had to choose my last meal, it would bar none be the mango tofu and coconut rice from Banana Leaf. My boyfriend, who is a strict carnivore and sneers at anything not wrapped in bacon or covered in gravy, also orders the mango tofu whenever we come here. It's just that good. BYO and open late, which is awesome. If you're visiting Philadelphia and tired of cheesesteaks and pretzels, stop by Banana Leaf. (For what it's worth, I recommended this restaurant to a coworker who grew up in Malaysia, and she went and told me that it was JUST like the food she grew up eating, and is one of the only authentic Malaysian restaurants she's found since moving to the United States.)

Fell in love with Malay cuisine when I went to Singapore. This place reminds me of my wife and friend's food adventures there.

The waiter is not very sympatic. The disches were without taste. A lot of noise !! We won't come back !!

Great Malaysian food in Center City. Really, this place covers several Asian cuisines, and does them well. Go for the food. Not much on ambiance, but its not like a takeout place. Low key restaurant. BYOB.

I can't fault this place - I took a client and a colleague there for a business lunch and we all enjoyed the authentic food, prompt and quiet service, and the price was reasonable.

I stopped in here and had a good lunch. The menu is very eclectic. A mix of Chinese and Thai. The Pad Thai was ok but my friends beef noodle plate was amazing! The prices were reasonable.

This restaurant is right by the Arch at the begining of Philadelphia's Chinatown, and is honestly one of the of the best restaurants I have ever been to! The service is prompt and all the waiters are very nice and helpful when it comes to recommendations. The atmosphere is very casual and friendly with most of the crowd being a diverse mix of students and locals. The food is delicious with there definetly being a mix of tastes. Some of the dishes seemed totally Indian while others were more Thai or Chinese. My recommendations are the Roti canai, the Veg fried rice, and the Basil Chicken finished off with a plate of fried ice cream. All which are crazy cheap! This is def a nice place for a quick delicous meal especially if you're on a budget.

ok last week was noodles this time something different Malaysian cuisine. I loved the mix of indian as well letting a friend enjoy a potato curry and Indian pancake. I enjoyed a lovely beef satay with a fantastic peanut sauce Then for the main course Mee Siam a Stir-fried vermicelli with tofu, shrimp, and bean sprouts in spicy Thai chili sauce, sprinkled with grounded peanuts, and topped with sliced hard-boiled eggs sauce. so good and had a great kick of spice. Every bite was fantastic. Fried ice cream was something to experience with a carnival funnel cake shell over ice cream and with banana covered in the same way was fantastic. The ambiance and the people were very nice. Surprising that so many let me in the kitchen with my camera. Any way go taste the menu and enjoy. xo h Ps looking for a place with large tables to celebrate they have plenty :)

Having twice visited Singapore my expectations for Malaysian/Singaporean food are high. Banana Leaf easily met and even exceeded them. I am generally NOT a fish eater (my seafood preferences tend to shrimp, crab & lobster) but the fried rice noodles with salted fish may force me to rethink that -- it is that good. The fish was tasty and flavorful without being tough or rubbery. The rice noodles were superb. And the degree of saltiness was perfect. Also had the spareribs Malaysian style which were also excellent-- lightly breaded and fried. The best dish though was the coconut breaded prawns. Six HUGE prawns with lots of crumbled handmade breading mixed in with it in addition to just coating the shrimp. Absolutely delicious. Service also was excellent. One cautionary note-- if you want alcoholic beverage with your meal it's strictly BYOB -- otherwise they have soft drinks and tea. Overall I cannot recommend this place too highly -- a totally yummy experience. Enjoy!

Cheap and authentic Malay food. I had the nasi lemak and it was similar to what I had in the Malay markets in the Arab quarter of Singapore.

So, this restaurant is a good sized restaurant. Despite the fact that there were MANY empty tables, the wait staff tried, repeatedly, to push us out of the restaurant. They repeatedly swooped by the table to see if we had paid our bill. A friend and I were trying to catch up and since there were many empty tables, we did not feel like we should be rushed. The food was average. My friend tried to get extra sauce on the side and the waitress said she couldn't have it. Brought her hot sauce instead. Save your money and go some place where they have more respect for their customers.

Fast, cheap, enormous. RIP Serendipity, but Banana Leaf was worthy of your space.

Great variety of dishes and great flavors. They even made a special dish for our granddaughter. Nicely done.

I hailed from Malaysia and Singapore, and upon seeing the menu, I decided to take a shot at this home-styled food that I haven't had for a few months now. Though the taste is somewhat similar, it is lacking in flavour and spiciness, probably to moderate the spiciness that the locals would prefer. I asked for more chili and belachan sauce, but it turned out that the belachan is sweet instead of spicy. Needless to say, I'm disappointed, but I would recommend this restaurant as a starting point if you have yet to try south east asian cuisines.

The atmosphere is very no-frills, but the food is tasty and cheap. Serving sizes are huge, so for about 20$ bucks we had lunch and thanks to the microwave at the B&B we were staying at, half a dinner too.

Delicious food. A little overpriced for what you get, though.

This is definitely one of those places that just have to ignore the surroundings, customer service and the staff's apparent indifference to you. Banana Leaf has one of the biggest and most authentic menus anywhere in the US. They know their food and can turn out Thai. Malaysian and Singapore versions of some dishes which you wont find anywhere else in the US under one roof. Only problem is the staff won't tell you! There's a great Thai spicy noodle version of Laksa, wonderful curries and you have to try the ROTI because that's pure Malaysia. Banana Leaf mixes all the tastes of Kuala Lumpur - Chinese, Indian, a little British and a lot of subtly with a strong character. The food is 4 stars - 5 stars if you consider the price but the staff's attitude really do it a disservice but it's functional and efficient that service oriented. The plus is that it's BYOB but there's a no very good sushi bar inside which is a negative.

Food here was all delicious. The shrimp puff I had to order twice, the satay chicken was delish, we ordered the soup and the curry chicken with rice, all very good.

I went to Phili for business and before I cheeked Tripadvisor suggestions for a good restaurant and I found Banana Leaf. Really this is a very good place to eat. Place is not fancy but the food is so delicious. Malaysian food !! The servers are so nice and patient explained about their food. I am happy I went back the day I flew back home before to run to the airport. A food like this ,really pay the price!! Thank you to the lady that suggest me what to eat based on my taste !!

My daughter has been there before and she recommended me to go.I had Basil Tofu and it was excellent.Service was very quick and price is very reasonable too. My daughter had noodle with seafood and it was tasty too. This is Malaysian cuisine restaurant but I'm not sure any different from Chinese dishes. There are many veriety of food on the menu.Unfortunately just two of us ,so we tried just tow dishes.I'd love to go back and try diffent dishes.

A nice location in Chinatown after walking around a bit. Staff was warm and happy to explain dishes and help assess levels of spice. Fun puffy roti canai and yummy satay. Noodles were fresh and prepared with house special soy sauce.

I went with friends on a busy night, but the service is so efficient that you never have to wait long. I enjoyed the Beef Ho Fun. The atmosphere is very comfortable, not fancy.

Someone told me that this was a great Chinese restaurant which it wasn't, but the food was very good. No alcoholic beverages however.

The menu is a mixture of Chinese, Thai, and Malaysian/Indonesian dishes. I made the mistake of ordering Beef Rendang, I dish that should be very spice with lots of chillies (I have had this dish many times in South East Asia so I know how it is supposed to taste). The dish didn't have much in common with beef rendang. There was absolutely no chillie in this dish, the taste was bland. My friends were also not impressed with their dishes. If you are interested in genuien Malay cooking, there are much better options in Philadelphia

This is truly amazing experience. At the end of the meal all that could be said was "How good the food was was" Service along with the food very professional and friendly. The staff is very willing to give recommendations on what the order. We also have optional menu options that cater to dietary restrictions.

Lots of good food and not expensive. Went on a Friday night and we were able to be seated right away. We got the Poh Piah to split; we never had that before and it was very good. We each got an entrée, and then split the fried banana dessert. Everything was great and cost less than $32 (before tip) for the 2 of us. This is a BYOB. People brought boxes of wine and 2 liters of soda with them, and we even put our wine in a platypus so that we didn’t have to carry the glass bottle around. It was pretty funny but worked great, and no one there cared. It was noisy, but it sounded like happiness, so it didn’t bother us a bit.

We went to Banana Leaf after the Philadelphia Flower Show because we had eaten there a few years ago and had enjoyed the food very much. Sad to say this visit to the restaurant will be our last. We ordered three dishes for two people. The chicken satay appetizer was served fried(satay is grilled meat) and when we asked the waiter if that was the case he simple shrugged and said he didn't know. It was tasteless and oily and the dipping sauce was very sweet. The main meal was a disappointment as well with the "coconut" rice being the most bland, overcooked bowl of rice that probably had no coconut in it. The last straw was when they overcharged us for the shrimp dish. When we told the manager he said the waiter wrote it down as a jumbo prawn dish and that is what we were served. When we pointed out the shrimp left over in the dish still on the table they reluctantly corrected the check. There are many other wonderful restaurants in this area and one can easily get a good meal but not at Banana Leaf

I always loved banana leaf n was their huge fan but after my dinner last nite I won't go back.the service is Sooo unclassy n so laid back its unbelievable.our waitress came to take our order and sge just passed the food where the wall seperation n didn't even come to put it on the table.the roti cannai was not nice n hit n crispy n fluffy.fried rice too as a so so.sizzling chicken was terrible.we asked to make our food vvvv spicy but guess they cudnt.i was at Penang 2 weeks ago n will definately go back their anytime even though Penang is not a BYOB

Visited restaurant with 5 friends. Large variety on menu from Chinese influenced dishes to Thai influenced dishes. We had a nice green curry soup, a tasty chicken curry dish, and a nice beef with aromatic spices. The flat bread appetizer was also excellent. Only drawback was it was really noisy and packed on Saturday night. Prices were modest. I will definitely go again.

The decore is interesting but not why you come here. I discovered this restaurant just after it opened and I was very pleasently surprised. There is a full menu of soups, hot pots, rice dishes and so on, ALL at a very reasonable price. Sushi, did I mention they have sushi? The wait staff is pleased to see you and attend to your every whim. Well, not EVERY whim but when asked where I wish to go for dinner, you will find me HERE.

Drove by this restaurant during a bus tour and had to walk back to get a meal before my train ride back to Newark. It was past the lunch hour and on a weekday so not many diners. I was excited to hear languages from my hometown and to be able to converse with the servers. I wanted it all but being pressed for time and solo, I ordered two dishes - roti with curry and char koay teow. They brought me chinese tea and a soup to start. The soup was warm on a cold day and hit the spot. Well seasoned and tasty. The roti with chicken curry brought back childhood memories spent with an aunt. Delicious. The char koay teow noodles served in an adorable wok. Although I like the wider noodles they use back home I know it’s hard to procure so the narrower noodles didn’t surprise me. The dish itself was yummy and I wanted to eat it all. But had to leave so took the rest for another meal. I would love it if I lived closer to this state and could come back soon.

Let's be clear. The poor rating has more to do with the experience than the food. The place was rather large and had many many empty tables yet they chose to seat is in a line practically on top of two other parties. When the table next to us paid and left it was a little roomier but they the. Sat another couple minutes later. The whole looking at menu the waiter came over and took the menu from me to flip it over and practically demanded I order an appetizer. We didn't. The food we ordered was very good. The wonton soup especially was very good. Coconut fried rice was very good. Mango chicken said spicy, but was far from it. A beef dish we had was also good and rich flavors. As others have stated they swooped down to clear plates almost sensing the last grain of rice leaving a plate. We must have had five or six different staff come by to drop off or collect dishes. When paying they also made me tell them the tip when taking my credit card. I had never experienced that before. If you want Malaysian in China town go to Penang.

This restaurant doesn't look like much from the outside or inside but the food is very authentic Malaysian/Singaporean Chinese food. The Laksa, the Roti, the Guai Tiu, the fish head curry, they are all what I remember from Malaysian restaurants in Hong Kong and one trip to Singapore. If you are caucasian the waiters may try to talk you out of ordering some of the more pungent offerings but go for it. I eat here every time I visit Philly. You've got to try it.

Greasy and bad service. I really can't understand anyone rating this cafe as positive.

We had a very enjoyable lunch here. Food was very good and service was excellent. Price wasn't too bad considering it is in Philadelphia. I would visit again if I were in the area.

People who are craving for Asian food you may visit this place for it because they have a lot varieties of asian food! Their price are reasonable and food just great!

We went with a large group. Very accommodating, and food very tasty. The seating is a bit squished. Overall, would return.

Great Atmosphere and good food. There is a mix between business professionals and college kids. Best time to go is Friday night!

Sooo good and soooo cheap! I love this place! The food is really great, the service is always good and it's open late. It's the best! I've never had a bad meal :)

I was hungry. Scratch that. I was FAMISHED! Luckily, a good friend of mine was as well and he owed me a decent meal. I recommended something different... Singaporean-style or Malaysian-style "Chinese food." (Not truly accurate in either case, but it helped with the explanations.) We drove to Philly's "Chinatown" and found what we were looking for by accident while looking for another excellent nearby restaurant. In fact while looking we passed Banana Leaf twice and decided that the smell was too good to pass up a third time. Once inside we noticed two things right away. One, the smells were incredibly good. Two, the place had a good sized crowd that seemed rather pleased with the food. This was a very good sign. After sitting down and being re-greeted (the first time was at the door coming in), my friend asked me to order since he was new at Malaysian food. I ordered the Shrimp Puff appetizer and the Satay Chicken, and for our meals the Chicken Rendang (but boneless chicken) and the Masak Beef. For drinks, I had the Malaysian Iced Tea while my friend had the Malaysian Iced Coffee (both similar to "Thai Iced" drinks in flavor and both delicious). First the appetizers... and a WARNING. The Shrimp Puffs (minced shrimp wrapped in bacon and deep fried) are served EXTREMELY HOT (temp-wise). They are also quite delicious! Served with a sort of mayonnaise (kewpie?) they were a treat. The Satay Chicken had a wonderful grilled-flavor and the American-favorite peanut sauce matched it perfectly. Served with the obligatory red onions and cucumbers, it was perfect. The chicken arrived next and in a timely manner as we'd just finished the appetizers. The slices of boneless chicken were smothered in a coconut-flavored yellow curry with onions, chili and other spices and was wonderful. Not too heavy like some coconut curries, it was perfect for what we were both looking for. After a few bites of the chicken, the Masak Beef arrived. Forgive the "allcaps" but OH MY GOODNESS!!! When I say that the Masak Beef was the most wonderful Asian beef dish I'd ever had, I am not exaggerating in the least! Tender sliced beef in a brown spicy and slightly sweet sauce with carrots, green and red peppers, ginger and onions - I WILL have this again! My friend (who has similar tastes and food experiences worldwide) agrees with me on both the appetizers and the main courses. Both entrees were served with steamed white rice by the way, and everything was perfect from the service to the food to the follow-up on additional items if we'd wanted them. To finish the meal we were offered a sort of "dessert soup" made from red beans. Slightly sweet and served warm (not hot), it was a nice way to finish the meal. I would've preferred something cold (since it was a warm day outside) but wasn't going to complain as it was nice regardless. I didn't deduct a star for price though I was tempted to; Banana Leaf isn't cheap. There are MANY cheaper restaurants in the area. However, the food was so delicious and promptly presented to us that it was worth the extra expense. With wonderfully large portions (that can be shared though i don't know if they charge a "sharing fee") and very tasty food, I will definitely be back!

We dropped in here for a quick meal at the end of a US holiday. Being a Malaysian from the foodie heaven of Penang, I decided to check out their laksa, and was very pleasantly surprised. The only improvement I'd suggest is a bit more shredded pineapple, and some mint leaves. My hubby liked his fried noodles too. Prices were more than reasonable. Bring your own alcohol.

OK....maybe it nis the only malaysian in downtown Philly but still it nis good. My wife (a malaysian) says the food is very authentic. The owner is very attentive and makes sure you get what you ask for. There is also sushi (yuck...hate sushi) and some chinese dishes. Maybe a little pricey but still good food and great service.

Just returned from a delicious dinner here. Every dish was full of flavour and delicious. Quick service, as always in an Asian restaurant. But no problem with that.

I go to Chinatown a lot but never here. Heard good things so i wanted to try it. The restaurant is bigger than it looks from the outside. The staff was friendly and restaurant was clean. I love Indian mee goreng so I tried theirs. It was spicy with a mild curry flavor. I enjoyed it and would go back again to try other menu items.

I took a friend out for her annual birthday dinner. We decided to go off the beaten path and try Malaysian. In Philadelphia the Malaysian food culture has not made the impact yet as it has in Pacifica, Australia or New Zealand. Whether it is Mamamk, Hainanese or Penang style cooking, it just starting out in Delaware Valley. Banana Leaf is a good place to start. They seem to aim to be an Omnibus of this region's cooking. I was pleased to see the oyster omelette on the menu and it was good. The Assam laksa was very good. They have what appear to be two cooking lines in the restaurant. One may have been to just make the roti. The roti was excellent. The only drawback may be that the menu is so big; we couldn't get to taste as wide a sampling as we would like. Chicken Rice is the bell weather of a Malaysian restaurant. The roti and laksa filled me up I didn't get a chance to try any. Some omissions like Milo were strange for such a large menu. It was the quietest Malaysian restaurant I have ever been to. I am used to the buzzing of diners enjoy their meal and their company. This was absent. This may have been that it was was a Sunday night. I look forward to returning and reporting on the other signature dishes. I recommend it highly, good food great prices, the staff was very helpful. And it's in Chinatown, there is just an infectious energy there that you feed off after the meal just walking around.

My favorite malaysian in Philadelphia. Fav dishes Mi Siam noodle, roti canai, beef satay

I like this spot. I come here to pick up lunch mostly. The service is very fast. Whenever I order over the phone its usually a quick thing. I dont think asking questions would be that great idea though because depending on who answers the phone they may speak little english. I normally order the Singapore rice noodles or thai basil noodles. I had sushi here once and it was good. Sucks that you cant order sushi until after 5pm though. I was craving that for lunch one day and found out they didnt serve it until later. Besides that the prices are nice and the people are nice. I dont know what night time service is like but daytime is easy breezy.

One of the best restaurants in Chinatown. Exotic atmosphere. The stuffed pineapple was excellent. I highly recommend.

I will start off by saying I had really high expectations when we set off for this destination restaurant and it is tough to live up to such high expectations. There were five of us so we were excited to try five different offerings. Some were very good some were just OK. First of all the restaurant is nice. It is clean and kept up well. It is a good size restaurant considering its location. It has slightly dim lighting but still a good option for family and kids. The service was pretty good but not real warm, more on the proficient side. We ended up ordering a couple of apps and several entrees for us to share. While everything was decent there was general agreement that two of the five were really good, two were decent and one was lacking. It was a destination restaurant for us because two in our party were from that part of the world and were looking forward to a taste of home. Prices were good and portion sizes were good. We were glad we went but we will keep looking for our taste of home.

After having to leave the restaurant to go find our own wine (!) we had a really nice meal, service was speedy and efficient, food was nice, huge selection, Portions were large enough for two to share - take note!

almost the best if compare to the surrounding ethnic restaurants)Asian or south east). Quite noise when comes the groups of people like college kids and or big parties.

Chinatown has multiple restaurants with different ethnic and specialty focuses. Banana Leaf was a very efficient and well run place with some interesting Malaysian specialties. This place is BYOB so plan ahead if you want something other than juices (they offer carrot juice), teas, etc. Service was very fast but most meals require you order a side of rice. Glad we went.

i love this place. kind of like penang, but better.

If you are looking for something other than ordinary in Chinatown, Banana Leaf definitely delivers. Good food and service. While we did not live everything we tried, we enjoyed most of it. The Pad Thai was very good, as were the sweet bun appetizer (a roti) and the tofu sate (served cold). Much quicker and less crowded than it's Malaysian cousin around the corner (Penang) and equally good.