Poll of the Day > How's Panda Express?

(+) Yeah! (+)

There is a Panda Express opening near me, how is it?

idk, there's been a Panda Express "opening" near me for like 12 years and I still haven't gone in there

It depends on the location. It can be very mid, or something can be subpar or worse, like the orange chicken's batter in Utah during the time I was there more than a decade ago (that was awful). It's a gamble. So naturally people buy it up with little thought as to how much they're paying.

Is there a non-express Panda restaurant?

Entity13 posted...

It depends on the location. It can be very mid, or something can be subpar or worse, like the orange chicken's batter in Utah during the time I was there more than a decade ago (that was awful). It's a gamble. So naturally people buy it up with little thought as to how much they're paying.

Even with the same location it's a gamble. My local one is fine like 90% of the time but occasionally the chicken will be chewy for some reason or sauce will taste so different you almost have to wonder if they used the right sauce when cooking the food.

slacker03150 posted...

Even with the same location it's a gamble. My local one is fine like 90% of the time but occasionally the chicken will be chewy for some reason or sauce will taste so different you almost have to wonder if they used the right sauce when cooking the food.

Ah yes, the difference in cooks. I know that painfully well working in a similar place inside a grocery store, and one of our four cooks is... not great. The food she makes is edible for the first two to two-and-a-half hours it's in the hot case, but it's not as good as what we other cooks make.

Total ripoff they don't have any panda on the menu

cheap but tasty.

I like it But not all of them are good

captpackrat posted...

Is there a non-express Panda restaurant?

We have a Little Panda and Panda Express here The Little Panda is definitely not express

American made chinese food. Good in a pinch but nothing like the real thing

mid on a good day

Surprising lack of pandas in the establishment.

Bit of a gamble with low odds.

I like it, but then I like chinese and american chinese food.

It's okay, nothing of quality obviously. If you do go there I recommend ordering the stuff with the most vegetables in it.

It's fine, but they can have poor customer service.

Lordkill posted...

American made chinese food. Good in a pinch but nothing like the real thing

I personally prefer panda express orange chicken to any Chinese restaurant I have ever gone to >_>

Tora_Sami posted...

I personally prefer panda express orange chicken to any Chinese restaurant I have ever gone to >_>

The orange chicken is really good That said, I also like the teriyaki chicken, as well

LinkPizza posted...

The orange chicken is really good That said, I also like the teriyaki chicken, as well

Speaking of teriyaki I have this combo that I do. I get orange chicken, Beijing beef, and fried rice then I get two packets of their chili sauce and two packets of their teriyaki sauce. Then I mix everything together and it's amazing!

I like their Shanghai Angus steak, honey-walnut shrimp, and mushroom chicken.

Its alright. They're famous for Orange chicken I think.

For me it's fairly mid most of the time, occasionally gross.

I have much better success with local Chinese takeout so I usually avoid Panda Express.

There are so many Chinese places here, a Panda Express opening at this point would just get lost in the shuffle. Lots of them even have the Panda Express style service.

Ive been there once before.

My estimation they are mid level, really just underwhelming chain stuff. They aren't going to be as bad as the $4.99 buffet from a local place that probably has health code violations out the wazoo, but most asian places will be better.

Of course, that said, some people love it, some people don't. It's really not that remarkable imo

It's usually pretty good but the portions they give you are incredibly small, I'm especially convinced if you get it to-go you're paying for a much smaller portion too.

Honey walnut shrimp is good. Take that off the menu and id never go again though.

TheFalseDeity posted...

Honey walnut shrimp is good. Take that off the menu and id never go again though.

I sort of want to try that, but I cant Well, safely

They vary in quality, but for the most part, I think they're pretty good. I usually get chow mean, vegetable-fried rice, cream cheese rangoon, and/or veggie spring rolls. In my experience, the ones in single buildings tend to be better than the ones in food courts.

LinkPizza posted...

I sort of want to try that, but I cant Well, safely

Allergic or just intolerant? If the latter id try it, if the former sad panda, sad pizza.

TheFalseDeity posted...

Allergic or just intolerant? If the latter id try it, if the former sad panda, sad pizza.

Allergic My doctor said deadly allergic

LinkPizza posted...

Allergic My doctor said deadly allergic

Tragedy. Only ground cherries for me as far as food allergies go thankfully. Though i did find out through experience and i did like them lol.

TheFalseDeity posted...

Tragedy. Only ground cherries for me as far as food allergies go thankfully. Though i did find out through experience and i did like them lol.

I found out at the doctor for sure. But I did have shellfish multiple times before that

It's pretty good. Obviously if its a slow location or a slow hour you're not going to get fresh stuff like any fast casual place that serves like that. And you should know by now never order through drive-through or from some app/ delivery. Go there, see whats fresh. They will serve a human, human portions rather than going by the manual reading down an order.

dedbus posted...

It's pretty good. Obviously if its a slow location or a slow hour you're not going to get fresh stuff like any fast casual place that serves like that. And you should know by now never order through drive-through or from some app/ delivery. Go there, see whats fresh. They will serve a human, human portions rather than going by the manual reading down an order.

I always go in. If I go through the drive-thru, they get my order wrong

Is it fair to say that Panda Express is to Chinese Food what Taco Bell is to Mexican food?

BlueFlameBat posted...

Is it fair to say that Panda Express is to Chinese Food what Taco Bell is to Mexican food?

That depends. Was Taco Bell invented by a Mexican couple looking to market on the US perception of their culture?

BlueFlameBat posted...

Is it fair to say that Panda Express is to Chinese Food what Taco Bell is to Mexican food?

Panda Express is American Chinese food. That's a distinct kind of Chinese/American food. I don't think Taco Bell is exactly trying to be Tex-Mex but its technically just "bad/inauthentic Mexican food" I suppose.

Anyway, I'll always have a soft spot for Panda Express. American Chinese food is not really a thing outside of North America and I occasionally get strong cravings for it. Oddly, I got an Instagram ad for an American Chinese food restaurant this very afternoon so maybe it'll carve out a niche abroad as well.

I think it's good for fast food, and I'd rather get panda over mcdonalds or something, but it's not great compared to any of the local Chinese takeout places I go to.
Like, if I get food at the place down the road, I'm 100% convinced they put crack in their food because I'll eat all of it even if I'm full, it's just plate after plate after plate. but with panda? I'll eat half or something and be like "okay, that's enough of that"

BucketCat posted...

Like, if I get food at the place down the road, I'm 100% convinced they put crack in their food because I'll eat all of it even if I'm full, it's just plate after plate after plate.

Probably MSG. It's common with many Chinese restaurants in the US.

Entity13 posted...

Probably MSG. It's common with many Chinese restaurants in the US.

You should cook with MSG, it's a very convenient way of steering flavor.`

I like it. The noodles can be kinda dry though and the vegetables aren't always cooked as nicely.