First and always, Beijing beef. It's substantially crunchy rather than simply crispy, and I love the sweet-sour flavor profile. Calorie count is kind of appalling, but, hey, worth the splurge. I usually get it with the (pretty similarly flavored) sweet fire chicken and white rice for a daunting calorie blowout, but save the rice to make congee the next day. Wish they'd bring back the mixed veg, or cook the super greens longer and season them more interestingly.
The Beijing Beef and Honey Walnut Shrimp are my favorites at PE. The teriyaki chicken at my PE is served with teriyaki sauce on the side - if you didn't get sauce, they probably just forgot it.
As a worker at Panda, I've literally never once seen Kung Pao chicken that looked remotely like that. Also the teriyaki chicken are thighs instead of breasts.
That's one of the main problems with Franchise-based food chains (since these does not have a way to have a Standarized Producction unlike Subcontractor-based ones like McDonnalds or Subway): While all franchises share the same menu items, the quality and appearance of those items vary from one franchise to the next since other thing that escape their control come into play
The food at the Panda Express we get food from in Casa Grande, Arizona is usually tasty. The Kung Pao Chicken has lots of red peppers, The Fried Rice is usually pretty tasty too. The only complaint is that the Chow Mein is usually very oily. The Teriyaki Chicken is usually pretty good sometimes they don't completely slice through the chicken though. I wish they would get the General Tso's Chicken again. They had it down here for a while then it went away and hasn't been back since.
That one in video looks fully cooked and actually has thickened sauce. Very legit........... The one I get always has undercooked veggies and very thin sauce.
I treat myself to a Panda Express once a week, there is one a mile from where I live. My order is always the same, 50/50 fried rice/noodles, king Pao chicken and Beijing beef. May try the orange chicken today. Eaten a lot of Chinese food over the years, I would give Panda Express a 8/10 mark, always pretty consistent. Wish someone would start a similar franchise with Indian food.
Wow i have never had panda look like what you guys got. That kung Pao normally had red bell pepper, bright green zuchini and dried chilis. I usually get 3-4 per serving. Probably due to supply chain issues
can’t agree with this episode. You might need to visit few other Panda Express before jumping to a conclusion. Most of the issues you mentioned here have never showed up in my experience with Panda Express across different states.
Yeah Felix it's like any kind of franchise or chain joynt you know. you get the one that's great then you get one that sucks. I have two Taco bells within a 10 minute drive of my house and they both suck big time LOL. Yet if I'm willing to drive 25 minutes away there is a great run Taco Bell
@@truckerkevthepaidtourist You're absolutely correct but it sucks that it's come to this. The big attraction of chain restaurants when they became a thing many years ago was consistency - you knew what to expect. Now, it's like any other crapshoot in choosing a restaurant.
Overall, I agree with the fact that Panda Express isn't the best "Chinese". You should go to a Chinatown or a reputable Chinese restaurant. Having said that, there are two points that I want to make: 1) When are honey walnut prawns served with a vegetable or with onion? It's served alone. Yes, the ones in your order look sad, indeed. 2) Don't complain about how long noodles are in a real Chinese restaurant! They're representative of longevity. If Panda Express is cutting your noodles short, then maybe that should be a hint.
I used to work at panda and a lot of the complaints in this was because those items were not fresh all of those dishes that claim crispy are crispy when they first come out but becomes soggy over time and the sesame seeds and walnuts get mixed and a lot ends up at the bottom of the serving container
I stopped by there today. Not a usual stop for me. The Chow Mein was dry as hell. The Bejing beef was dried out and guey. The orange chicken wasn't terrible. Top it off with a small drink and it was over 11 bucks. Wasn't worth half that. I won't be stopping in there again anytime soon.
I tried Panda Express for the first time a few days ago, fried noodle, orange chicken, Beijing beef. Their taste is not different from authentic Chinese food, but the cooking and flavor are only at the level of street food stalls or the food courts of Chinese supermarkets.
I ate at Panda Express at Universal Studios Anaheim and got sick on two different occasions. I have enjoyed Panda Express in my home city and almost everything is delicious.
I've tried the chicken with string beans at Panda Express. I thought the green beans were crispy and well cooked. Overall, it was a reasonably good dish IMHO. The fried rice was good, and another dish which I liked, which is not included in this review, is pepper steak.
I went to Panda Express Thursday for the first time ever and the joint was jumping. There was a line of cars waiting when I got there, and there a line when I left. I left my house right after I ordered and was a minute or two early. I got enough food for 3 meals and just finished it at 2:30 Friday morning. The Beijing Beef was good but mot great. The Kung Pao Chicken had 2 whole chili peppers that I picked out of the bowl as I was eating. Thankfully it wasn't hot enough to melt my face off, but it made my eyes water the whole time I ate it. I had chow mein with the beef and fried rice with the chicken. Since I didn't have either one by itself, I couldn't say if they were good, bad, or just okay. The crab Rangoon were perfectly cooked and may not have had any crab in it, but they tasted great with sweet & sour sauce anyway. I didn't try the egg rolls this time but did have some spring rolls. They were okay but nothing to write home about. And I had apple pie rolls for dessert. Those were great and I'll definitely be getting more if they don't run out next time. My mom made some those when I was a kid but they were half the size, and nowhere near as good as these. They ran out when I was picking up my order, but I got mine. I watched the video to get an idea about what to try next. If the Panda Express I went to sucked like that one I'd never go back. Since almost everything was bad there, I still don't know what to get, but I'm reading some of the comments. I'll probably go through the whole menu except for the greens and the one thing with tofu after a few more visits.
Panda Express is definitely a prime example of "bait & switch" in the world of advertising. Real life servings from East to West coasts are the same in the aspect of not being close to what they advertise. Prices are too high to compete with real local Chinese restaurants. You can get much better quality & recipes from your local 'ma & pops' Chinese restaurants.
Unfortunately where I live near Hollywood, CA we don't have that choice. You've got the outstanding high quality Chinese restaurants with high prices and the food loses something when you take it home instead of eating it hot and fresh straight out of the restaurant kitchen, and you've got Chinese fast food - most of which is just plain abominable or wildly inconsistent day to day. My long deceased parents lived 30 miles out of town in a suburb where the "in between" Mom & Pop Chinese restaurants were perfect as to quality and price.
I ate at the Panda Express 6 Mile Cypress in Fort Myers, Florida once. The cook was Middle Eastern and the Counter Person was Latino. Not a single Chinese Person was in sight. I can't remember what I ordered but I ordered 3 different type of dinners and everyone said they were terrible and it cost over $30. I have never been back and have no intention of returning. We ended up ordering pizza elsewhere. Oh, and you couldn't even order Chicken Wings which is a staple of Chinese Restaurants.
Chicken wings aren't a staple of Chinese restaurants. They're more of a bar/snack food. A Hong Kong style cafe is more likely to carry them than a northern or southern style dine in restaurant
@@ohnosmoarlulcatz Not going to argue with you but I have never been in a Chinese Restaurant that didn't serve them until Panda Express. Just like going to a Chinese Restaurant and ordering a Pork Dish. This is where you can tell if the Restaurant is ran by Chinese or a different faction. If they don't serve Pork, I assure you they are not Chinese
@@michaelkatz6572 You can tell by the breading whether it's Chinese or not. If the breading is thicker like KFC or Panda Express, it's not Chinese Fried Chicken. The outer coating for Chinese frying is a lot thinner. EDIT: For traditional fried chicken, only the skin is crispy and there is no breading used at all.
@@michaelkatz6572 Panda Express only has had pork seasonally or as Chef's Specials. They don't have it regularly as far as I can tell. But like I said, chicken wings aren't traditionally part of the Chinese restaurant menu. That applies to Chinese-American Panda Express as well. It's more unusual to see chicken wings at a Chinese restaurant than to not see it. Maybe if there's a Chinese bbq tied to it next door you might see chicken wings. Seeing fried chicken wings would be like the definitive proof that it isn't authentic.
I’m glad you like corn in your fried rice. I do too. I love making corn fried rice with egg. Just corn and rice with egg prepared to your personal preference served on top.
@Sandra Gruhle, I think so. The Panda Express I go to is very good and the food is always fresh. Lots of veggies, pretty good sauce. I have liked everything I ordered there. I find that eating it at the restaurant makes a big difference. For fast food, it beats most of the other places around my negihborhood.
Our local Panda Express makes excellent teriyaki chicken, power greens, spring rolls, mushroom chicken, kung pao. I got the string bean chicken once and agree that the beans seemed off, but all in all, I love their food!
The honey sesame chicken i ate at the Panda Express at regency Orlando was the best I've tasted. I'm not a fan of chicken breast but this was awesome and it didn't look anything like mentioned in this video.
Their grilled teriyaki chicken on top of brown white rice is fantastic. The beef and broccoli is just as good. Honey walnut shrimp not too shabby. Love the orange chicken that's what I first originally started coming from but that being said got a little burned out on it after a while. But if I had to pick one there's just something about the healthiness of that grilled teriyaki chicken it's just fresh cut chicken breasts and it's always yummers
I DONT KNOW IF YALL INTENDED FOR THIS TO BE FUNNY, BUT I LAUGHED SO HARD AT THOSE PICTURES!!!! YALL MUST HAVE BEEN TO A BAD LOCATION!!! IVE NEVER SEEN THAT FOOD LOOK SO BAD!!! LOL
Personally I don’t like Panda Express. I’d rather support a mom and pop Chinese restaurant then this overcooked, tasteless food uninspired items. PE caters to folks who’d rather fill their appetite, then going for for descent Chinese food. Next? 👎
I got to hand it to Panda, first off I always find it hard to find a decent Chinese food restaurant where I live. Their (Panda) food is tasty, but low bang for your buck. I took the iniative to learn how to cook some of these classic dishes and now eat them often and save a ton of $$$.
the panda i got to in houston, TX has a chinese manager. the food is pretty decent for fast food. likewise i wouldnt really call it chinese (more like chipotle akin to "tex mex") but i think the food was well prepared.
That's one of the main problems with Franchise-based food chains (since these does not have a way to have a Standarized Producction unlike Subcontractor-based ones like McDonnalds or Subway): While all franchises share the same menu items, the quality and appearance of those items vary from one franchise to the next since other thing that escape their control come into play
Teriyaki chicken does come with sauce on top or on the side, but you might have to ask for it in some places, and there are some that charge extra for the sauce! The main attraction for the teriyaki chicken is that it's 37g of protein without much anything else, like breading. Combine this with broccoli beef and super greens, and you have a really heavy 2-entree plate with gobs of protein (and broccoli!) and less than 800 calories for the whole thing.
I'm from Colorado and I had the bad experience just like you're explaining right now. I thought it was just a bad day. Now I know it's a bad restaurant.
I'm not really a big Panda Express supporter especially since the food isn't really Chinese. But it's definitely not as bad as some of the photos you've shown of the dishes ordered. Especially the photo of the teriyaki chicken. It's one of the items I've ordered often. All that to say sometimes what you get depends on the store you go to.
That's one of the main problems with Franchise-based food chains (since these does not have a way to have a Standarized Producction unlike Subcontractor-based ones like McDonnalds or Subway): While all franchises share the same menu items, the quality and appearance of those items vary from one franchise to the next since other thing that escape their control come into play
I give up. Never tried PEx & was going to, but not now. I hurt my back & cant get out of bed to stand to cook. Thought i might try them. My Honey Chicken w glazed walnuts is A-MAZ-ING as is my orange sesame chicken, with cornstarch added to the flour & another trick to keep it crispy even the next day!fried rice or chow mein. Brocolli/ 'shroom beef excellent & i put fresh shrimp in my rangoon wontons with ginger instead of onions. My eggrolls are so so as I can't make them tight. I learnt my recipes from RUclips host Souped Up Recipes. Shes amazing. Give yourself a treat & take the plunge of cooking. Easy & quick. You CAN do it.
My PE stopped offering black pepper chicken, which was my favorite. Now I get the mushroom chicken, and it is the only chicken they offer that is NOT spicey hot.
You forgot oily. Panda Express Chow Mein usually is oily at the Panda Express in Casa Grande, Arizona. I miss the General Tso's Chicken they had for a while too.
Back in the day, PE was the only place that would make General Tso's extra hot on request. I requested everywhere, and PE was the only one that made it hot enough.
I mean it really depends on the cook who's cooking the food, there's always gonna be that one lazy cook who either blanches or deepfry something for so long that it comes out looking over-fried and burnt and unappealing.
That's one of the main problems with Franchise-based food chains (since these does not have a way to have a Standarized Producction unlike Subcontractor-based ones like McDonnalds or Subway): While all franchises share the same menu items, the quality and appearance of those items vary from one franchise to the next since other thing that escape their control come into play
i've never been fan of orange chicken anywhere. i wouldn't be surprised that an overwhelmingly large % of the customers at the location you went to go there exclusively for that dish, so it is served much fresher compared to the other items.
I think the Kung Pao Chicken is vary in most places that have certain ingredients on hand. But like I said, it may vary with most of the state that have all the ingredient. Also, Guam has a good fried rice. But, I might have to be careful with one of the store add bit more on the soy sauce.
I always order the Kung Pao chicken and I’ve never had any that look like what was showed. I’ve always gotten plenty of chicken, veggies, red peppers and spice.
Not all Panda Express the food looks the same not sure where you got your food at but the couple of places I've eaton at the food look great so if you are trying to get your rating up it's not working. Thumbs down for this episode. 👎😒
Noodles- Beijing beef -honey walnut shrimp- Kung pao chicken- chicken teriyaki- are all the best. You gotta get it made fresh and go early or during lunch. Late in the evening they don't make too much because they don't want too many left overs. #BringBackThePotStickers 😊
It's kinda sad, they opened a new Panda Express near me, but they haven't quite found their footing. Every time I go they have a limited menu, and the dishes they do serve, are really bad. Crazy because before that, the pand closest tooe, was very good.
You should do a review of the Canadian (I think at least) version.. its called Manchu wok and its like a cut cut rate panda express.. I'm not sure if I've ever gotten a hot plate of food from that place and I try and be nice and give it a try every five or six years and its gack every time.
The best thing is teriyaki chicken because it's thighs and I think it's maybe the menu item that doesn't sit as long. The orange chicken was good at first but then it kind of became too sweet
You must have been there at the wrong time. Every time I order Kung Pao Chicken at Panda Express in Casa Grande, Arizona I get a lot of the spicy red peppers I eat them along with the other stuff in the meal.
That's one of the main problems with Franchise-based food chains (since these does not have a way to have a Standarized Producction unlike Subcontractor-based ones like McDonnalds or Subway): While all franchises share the same menu items, the quality and appearance of those items vary from one franchise to the next since other thing that escape their control come into play
The entrees do look like the pictures to a certain extent only when fresh though. After sitting on the steam tables for a while, the veggies become soggy and the chicken won't be crispy. Edit: actually nevermind. @Mashed needs to report this panda express. I've been working at a panda express location in McKinney Texas for the past half year or so, and our food looks completely different than the pictures in the video. The veggies and meats are suppose to be cut a certain way, not randomly cut just to make small. For example, the mushrooms at 4:05 and the big chunk of chicken at 3:10. The cooks are suppose to use timers to fry stuff, and theres a whole large poster in the kitchen that tells them the ingredients + cooking time for each dish. They're suppose to click the timer for the item before cooking, so I don't even know how they messed up the cream cheese rangoons cause the temperature of the fryer is the same for all items (meats and appetizers) For the broccoli beef, the portion of meat to broccoli is 30/70 and you can't ask the workers for more beef that broccoli because the next customers only going to get broccoli. Also honey walnut shrimp Is 7 pieces for order. In conclusion, I think every panda express restaurant is different. It really depends on the workers and how they prepare the food
The menu is small and when we tried to order an item with mushrooms they at current have no mushrooms in a middle Tennessee store and they skimp on their vegetables they'll load you up with the rice and the lo mein but you won't get much in the way of meat or veggies especially veggies
Well, I disagree, since the Honey Sesame Chicken is my favorite entree there! But I do like the Chow Mein noodles instead of the Fried Rice, and the Chicken Egg Roll is pretty good.
One reason I really favor PE over the more authentic Chinese food is because they do not use MSG, which makes me very sick. I agree with y'all that each PE location can vary in quality.
Maybe it was just the location you visited, but all of these dishes looked terrible, and the descriptions of what you actually got indicate that the chefs either didn't know what they were doing or just didn't care. I'd be interested to see a comparison to a different location. Maybe Panda Express needs to invest some more training time for their cooks.
I always order Chow Mein and Orange Chicken! They are, to me, the best they offer. Their white rice is way too gummy and starchy! The Kung Pao Chichen is too hot for me. I always order their family special with their Kobe (beef) Steak, which is worth the extra cost. All that I mentioned makes a great combo and it's a lot of food, serving 4 people, depending on how hungry everyone is. Great video! You seem to be right on all food descriptions!
My usual go to order is 2 servings of orange chicken and 2 servings of chow mein😂 sometimes I will do honey walnut shrimp and orange chicken with chowmein and fried rice😂 it's not the best food but it's pretty fuckin good most of the time
The beef and broccoli is great The orange chicken is delicious panda peeve I got now is with their delicious teriyaki chicken when they went to those goddamn packages. No longer fresh teriyaki with a spoon into the little cups they got rid of making the fresh teriyaki.
Which of these items are your favorite?
Orange chicken
Teriyaki chicken
Chicken Egg Roll
Egg Fried Rice
Kung Pao Chicken, Fried rice with sweet and sour sauce , Teriyaki Chicken,.
beef and broclie is always my go to and sweet sour pork and sweet and sour chicken balls.
First and always, Beijing beef. It's substantially crunchy rather than simply crispy, and I love the sweet-sour flavor profile. Calorie count is kind of appalling, but, hey, worth the splurge. I usually get it with the (pretty similarly flavored) sweet fire chicken and white rice for a daunting calorie blowout, but save the rice to make congee the next day. Wish they'd bring back the mixed veg, or cook the super greens longer and season them more interestingly.
The Beijing Beef and Honey Walnut Shrimp are my favorites at PE. The teriyaki chicken at my PE is served with teriyaki sauce on the side - if you didn't get sauce, they probably just forgot it.
As a worker at Panda, I've literally never once seen Kung Pao chicken that looked remotely like that. Also the teriyaki chicken are thighs instead of breasts.
That's one of the main problems with Franchise-based food chains (since these does not have a way to have a Standarized Producction unlike Subcontractor-based ones like McDonnalds or Subway): While all franchises share the same menu items, the quality and appearance of those items vary from one franchise to the next since other thing that escape their control come into play
Oh, good to know! I love dark meat instead!
The food at the Panda Express we get food from in Casa Grande, Arizona is usually tasty. The Kung Pao Chicken has lots of red peppers, The Fried Rice is usually pretty tasty too. The only complaint is that the Chow Mein is usually very oily. The Teriyaki Chicken is usually pretty good sometimes they don't completely slice through the chicken though. I wish they would get the General Tso's Chicken again. They had it down here for a while then it went away and hasn't been back since.
Thank you for letting us know😊I really enjoy the chicken teriyaki
That one in video looks fully cooked and actually has thickened sauce. Very legit...........
The one I get always has undercooked veggies and very thin sauce.
I treat myself to a Panda Express once a week, there is one a mile from where I live. My order is always the same, 50/50 fried rice/noodles, king Pao chicken and Beijing beef. May try the orange chicken today. Eaten a lot of Chinese food over the years, I would give Panda Express a 8/10 mark, always pretty consistent. Wish someone would start a similar franchise with Indian food.
Wow i have never had panda look like what you guys got. That kung Pao normally had red bell pepper, bright green zuchini and dried chilis. I usually get 3-4 per serving. Probably due to supply chain issues
The bejing beef has never let me down so far.🙂
🤣🤣🤣👍
The portions are a quarter of the size that they serve at mom and pop Chinese places. And the price is about twice as much.
Where u getting a 5$ plate? 😭😭
I think you're overstating your point, but what you say is true to a less extreme extent - at least where I live.
can’t agree with this episode. You might need to visit few other Panda Express before jumping to a conclusion. Most of the issues you mentioned here have never showed up in my experience with Panda Express across different states.
Yeah Felix it's like any kind of franchise or chain joynt you know. you get the one that's great then you get one that sucks.
I have two Taco bells within a 10 minute drive of my house and they both suck big time LOL.
Yet if I'm willing to drive 25 minutes away there is a great run Taco Bell
I totally agree with you!
@@truckerkevthepaidtourist You're absolutely correct but it sucks that it's come to this. The big attraction of chain restaurants when they became a thing many years ago was consistency - you knew what to expect. Now, it's like any other crapshoot in choosing a restaurant.
Honestly, I have tried and like just about every single item at Panda Express 👍👍👍
Overall, I agree with the fact that Panda Express isn't the best "Chinese". You should go to a Chinatown or a reputable Chinese restaurant. Having said that, there are two points that I want to make: 1) When are honey walnut prawns served with a vegetable or with onion? It's served alone. Yes, the ones in your order look sad, indeed. 2) Don't complain about how long noodles are in a real Chinese restaurant! They're representative of longevity. If Panda Express is cutting your noodles short, then maybe that should be a hint.
I used to work at panda and a lot of the complaints in this was because those items were not fresh all of those dishes that claim crispy are crispy when they first come out but becomes soggy over time and the sesame seeds and walnuts get mixed and a lot ends up at the bottom of the serving container
I stopped by there today. Not a usual stop for me. The Chow Mein was dry as hell. The Bejing beef was dried out and guey. The orange chicken wasn't terrible. Top it off with a small drink and it was over 11 bucks. Wasn't worth half that.
I won't be stopping in there again anytime soon.
Beijing Beef, Chow Mein, and Orange Chicken at the top! Than you for confirming what I told my friends!
Mushroom chicken is my fave!!
Yall tripping about the honey sesame chicken SAN DIEGO PANDA ALWAYS FIRE THANK YLU GUYS KEEPING ME ALIVE WITH YO FOOD LOL
I tried Panda Express for the first time a few days ago, fried noodle, orange chicken, Beijing beef. Their taste is not different from authentic Chinese food, but the cooking and flavor are only at the level of street food stalls or the food courts of Chinese supermarkets.
I ate at Panda Express at Universal Studios Anaheim and got sick on two different occasions. I have enjoyed Panda Express in my home city and almost everything is delicious.
I've been to a few panda express restaurants, and the food always looked fresh....
I've tried the chicken with string beans at Panda Express. I thought the green beans were crispy and well cooked. Overall, it was a reasonably good dish IMHO. The fried rice was good, and another dish which I liked, which is not included in this review, is pepper steak.
ye they fry to string beans for 10 seconds before sautéing it
I went to Panda Express Thursday for the first time ever and the joint was jumping. There was a line of cars waiting when I got there, and there a line when I left. I left my house right after I ordered and was a minute or two early. I got enough food for 3 meals and just finished it at 2:30 Friday morning. The Beijing Beef was good but mot great. The Kung Pao Chicken had 2 whole chili peppers that I picked out of the bowl as I was eating. Thankfully it wasn't hot enough to melt my face off, but it made my eyes water the whole time I ate it. I had chow mein with the beef and fried rice with the chicken. Since I didn't have either one by itself, I couldn't say if they were good, bad, or just okay. The crab Rangoon were perfectly cooked and may not have had any crab in it, but they tasted great with sweet & sour sauce anyway. I didn't try the egg rolls this time but did have some spring rolls. They were okay but nothing to write home about. And I had apple pie rolls for dessert. Those were great and I'll definitely be getting more if they don't run out next time. My mom made some those when I was a kid but they were half the size, and nowhere near as good as these. They ran out when I was picking up my order, but I got mine. I watched the video to get an idea about what to try next. If the Panda Express I went to sucked like that one I'd never go back. Since almost everything was bad there, I still don't know what to get, but I'm reading some of the comments. I'll probably go through the whole menu except for the greens and the one thing with tofu after a few more visits.
I loooove garlic shrimp ☺️☺️☺️
I love the orange chicken , beef and broccoli usually get fried or white rice with my sriracha great meal
Panda Express is definitely a prime example of "bait & switch" in the world of advertising. Real life servings from East to West coasts are the same in the aspect of not being close to what they advertise. Prices are too high to compete with real local Chinese restaurants. You can get much better quality & recipes from your local 'ma & pops' Chinese restaurants.
Unfortunately where I live near Hollywood, CA we don't have that choice. You've got the outstanding high quality Chinese restaurants with high prices and the food loses something when you take it home instead of eating it hot and fresh straight out of the restaurant kitchen, and you've got Chinese fast food - most of which is just plain abominable or wildly inconsistent day to day. My long deceased parents lived 30 miles out of town in a suburb where the "in between" Mom & Pop Chinese restaurants were perfect as to quality and price.
Great review of an American favorite
I ate at the Panda Express 6 Mile Cypress in Fort Myers, Florida once. The cook was Middle Eastern and the Counter Person was Latino. Not a single Chinese Person was in sight. I can't remember what I ordered but I ordered 3 different type of dinners and everyone said they were terrible and it cost over $30. I have never been back and have no intention of returning. We ended up ordering pizza elsewhere. Oh, and you couldn't even order Chicken Wings which is a staple of Chinese Restaurants.
Chicken wings aren't a staple of Chinese restaurants. They're more of a bar/snack food. A Hong Kong style cafe is more likely to carry them than a northern or southern style dine in restaurant
@@ohnosmoarlulcatz Not going to argue with you but I have never been in a Chinese Restaurant that didn't serve them until Panda Express. Just like going to a Chinese Restaurant and ordering a Pork Dish. This is where you can tell if the Restaurant is ran by Chinese or a different faction. If they don't serve Pork, I assure you they are not Chinese
@@michaelkatz6572 You can tell by the breading whether it's Chinese or not. If the breading is thicker like KFC or Panda Express, it's not Chinese Fried Chicken. The outer coating for Chinese frying is a lot thinner.
EDIT:
For traditional fried chicken, only the skin is crispy and there is no breading used at all.
@@ohnosmoarlulcatz Except you can't get chicken wings at Panda Express and the one here, you can't get Pork Dishes either
@@michaelkatz6572 Panda Express only has had pork seasonally or as Chef's Specials. They don't have it regularly as far as I can tell.
But like I said, chicken wings aren't traditionally part of the Chinese restaurant menu. That applies to Chinese-American Panda Express as well. It's more unusual to see chicken wings at a Chinese restaurant than to not see it. Maybe if there's a Chinese bbq tied to it next door you might see chicken wings. Seeing fried chicken wings would be like the definitive proof that it isn't authentic.
I miss when there was an egg shortage. The corn substitute in Panda's fried rice during that time was delightful.
I’m glad you like corn in your fried rice. I do too. I love making corn fried rice with egg. Just corn and rice with egg prepared to your personal preference served on top.
Same thing each time I have Panda, Teriyaki Chicken, Mushroom Chicken & Chop Suey & a nice cold Dr. Pepper! 🌼
Honey Walnut Shrimp is one of the best fast food meals of all time, I want what you're smoking if you think orange chicken is better than that
I’ve eaten at Panda and had the veggies all there even the hot peppers! For fast food it was pretty great!
Is it possible every Panda Express franchise performs differently?
@Sandra Gruhle, I think so. The Panda Express I go to is very good and the food is always fresh. Lots of veggies, pretty good sauce. I have liked everything I ordered there. I find that eating it at the restaurant makes a big difference. For fast food, it beats most of the other places around my negihborhood.
Yes. Some locations are better than others. Most of the ones I've been to are not good. Panda Inn is pretty good.
Our local Panda Express makes excellent teriyaki chicken, power greens, spring rolls, mushroom chicken, kung pao. I got the string bean chicken once and agree that the beans seemed off, but all in all, I love their food!
It hasnt been the same since they changed their mixed vegetables to "Super Greens". It was a cost cutting measure.
The honey sesame chicken i ate at the Panda Express at regency Orlando was the best I've tasted. I'm not a fan of chicken breast but this was awesome and it didn't look anything like mentioned in this video.
Their grilled teriyaki chicken on top of brown white rice is fantastic.
The beef and broccoli is just as good.
Honey walnut shrimp not too shabby.
Love the orange chicken that's what I first originally started coming from but that being said got a little burned out on it after a while.
But if I had to pick one there's just something about the healthiness of that grilled teriyaki chicken it's just fresh cut chicken breasts and it's always yummers
The orange chicken has never let me do so far.
I love garlic shrimps or beef brocoli. Im a simple man.
I DONT KNOW IF YALL INTENDED FOR THIS TO BE FUNNY, BUT I LAUGHED SO HARD AT THOSE PICTURES!!!! YALL MUST HAVE BEEN TO A BAD LOCATION!!! IVE NEVER SEEN THAT FOOD LOOK SO BAD!!! LOL
the sesame one is always crispy at my location
I have not had many things from Panda Express.... but there are many places i would rather order from.
Honey sesame chicken is my favorite thing there
Personally I don’t like Panda Express. I’d rather support a mom and pop Chinese restaurant then this overcooked, tasteless food uninspired items. PE caters to folks who’d rather fill their appetite, then going for for descent Chinese food. Next? 👎
hater
@@thisperson6655Bro’s addicted to sugar 💀
My favorite is celery the bamboo like vegetable too
Sounds like they went through the drive-thru near closing time....
Eat the teriyaki chicken out of it's container with your utensil of choice, not excluding your hands.
I think the Kung Pao rocks and I get plenty of peppers!
The black pepper chicken is GOAT
I got to hand it to Panda, first off I always find it hard to find a decent Chinese food restaurant where I live. Their (Panda) food is tasty, but low bang for your buck.
I took the iniative to learn how to cook some of these classic dishes and now eat them often and save a ton of $$$.
the panda i got to in houston, TX has a chinese manager. the food is pretty decent for fast food. likewise i wouldnt really call it chinese (more like chipotle akin to "tex mex") but i think the food was well prepared.
That's one of the main problems with Franchise-based food chains (since these does not have a way to have a Standarized Producction unlike Subcontractor-based ones like McDonnalds or Subway): While all franchises share the same menu items, the quality and appearance of those items vary from one franchise to the next since other thing that escape their control come into play
Teriyaki chicken does come with sauce on top or on the side, but you might have to ask for it in some places, and there are some that charge extra for the sauce! The main attraction for the teriyaki chicken is that it's 37g of protein without much anything else, like breading. Combine this with broccoli beef and super greens, and you have a really heavy 2-entree plate with gobs of protein (and broccoli!) and less than 800 calories for the whole thing.
yep, love it, and it is especially delish when combined with the chow mein!
The point of the Teriyaki chicken and super greens is it's about the only no-carb "fast food" available.
I'm from Colorado and I had the bad experience just like you're explaining right now. I thought it was just a bad day. Now I know it's a bad restaurant.
This video feels like an American telling a Chinese how to cook Chinese food.
Most Panda Express food I've had was disappointing.
I Work At Panda Express On Our Campus & Being A Cook This Definitely Caught My Eye 🤣
I'm not really a big Panda Express supporter especially since the food isn't really Chinese. But it's definitely not as bad as some of the photos you've shown of the dishes ordered. Especially the photo of the teriyaki chicken. It's one of the items I've ordered often. All that to say sometimes what you get depends on the store you go to.
That's one of the main problems with Franchise-based food chains (since these does not have a way to have a Standarized Producction unlike Subcontractor-based ones like McDonnalds or Subway): While all franchises share the same menu items, the quality and appearance of those items vary from one franchise to the next since other thing that escape their control come into play
This review sounds personal, lol but Panda Express does need to step their game up.
I'm a product of the 50's and I like my vegetables done. Not Crispy. Not wild about crispy (RAW) green beans.
I give up. Never tried PEx & was going to, but not now. I hurt my back & cant get out of bed to stand to cook. Thought i might try them. My Honey Chicken w glazed walnuts is A-MAZ-ING as is my orange sesame chicken, with cornstarch added to the flour & another trick to keep it crispy even the next day!fried rice or chow mein. Brocolli/ 'shroom beef excellent & i put fresh shrimp in my rangoon wontons with ginger instead of onions. My eggrolls are so so as I can't make them tight. I learnt my recipes from RUclips host Souped Up Recipes. Shes amazing. Give yourself a treat & take the plunge of cooking. Easy & quick. You CAN do it.
This is like choosing the best food out of your garbage can.
🤣
That's not true. Maybe your area is poor and sucks. Sorry.
My PE stopped offering black pepper chicken, which was my favorite. Now I get the mushroom chicken, and it is the only chicken they offer that is NOT spicey hot.
Everything is just too sweet at Panda Express.
You forgot oily. Panda Express Chow Mein usually is oily at the Panda Express in Casa Grande, Arizona. I miss the General Tso's Chicken they had for a while too.
Back in the day, PE was the only place that would make General Tso's extra hot on request. I requested everywhere, and PE was the only one that made it hot enough.
Damn the honey sesame chicken is my favorite
Order the Sum Yang Gai !!!!
I mean it really depends on the cook who's cooking the food, there's always gonna be that one lazy cook who either blanches or deepfry something for so long that it comes out looking over-fried and burnt and unappealing.
That's one of the main problems with Franchise-based food chains (since these does not have a way to have a Standarized Producction unlike Subcontractor-based ones like McDonnalds or Subway): While all franchises share the same menu items, the quality and appearance of those items vary from one franchise to the next since other thing that escape their control come into play
i've never been fan of orange chicken anywhere.
i wouldn't be surprised that an overwhelmingly large % of the customers at the location you went to go there exclusively for that dish, so it is served much fresher compared to the other items.
I think the Kung Pao Chicken is vary in most places that have certain ingredients on hand.
But like I said, it may vary with most of the state that have all the ingredient. Also, Guam has a good fried rice. But, I might have to be careful with one of the store add bit more on the soy sauce.
I always order the Kung Pao chicken and I’ve never had any that look like what was showed. I’ve always gotten plenty of chicken, veggies, red peppers and spice.
Not all Panda Express the food looks the same not sure where you got your food at but the couple of places I've eaton at the food look great so if you are trying to get your rating up it's not working. Thumbs down for this episode. 👎😒
George loves Kung Pao
will stick with my local family owned chinese resturant.
Sweet Fire Chicken is the best menu item.
The 1st and only time I ate at Panda Express led me to sitting on the toilet for the next hour.
Noodles- Beijing beef -honey walnut shrimp- Kung pao chicken- chicken teriyaki- are all the best. You gotta get it made fresh and go early or during lunch. Late in the evening they don't make too much because they don't want too many left overs. #BringBackThePotStickers 😊
It's kinda sad, they opened a new Panda Express near me, but they haven't quite found their footing. Every time I go they have a limited menu, and the dishes they do serve, are really bad. Crazy because before that, the pand closest tooe, was very good.
You should do a review of the Canadian (I think at least) version.. its called Manchu wok and its like a cut cut rate panda express.. I'm not sure if I've ever gotten a hot plate of food from that place and I try and be nice and give it a try every five or six years and its gack every time.
The best thing is teriyaki chicken because it's thighs and I think it's maybe the menu item that doesn't sit as long. The orange chicken was good at first but then it kind of became too sweet
You must have been there at the wrong time. Every time I order Kung Pao Chicken at Panda Express in Casa Grande, Arizona I get a lot of the spicy red peppers I eat them along with the other stuff in the meal.
The teriyaki comes with sauce on the side lol
I went there once and was not impressed
When I’m constipated and there is a Panda Express nearby it tends to do the trick.
There's a sauce packet that has teriyaki sauce, you can ask for it.
my favorite is orange chicken.
Agreed that it isn't the best but having tried each of the dishes you showed each of the negatives mentioned were not the case at my local store.
That's one of the main problems with Franchise-based food chains (since these does not have a way to have a Standarized Producction unlike Subcontractor-based ones like McDonnalds or Subway): While all franchises share the same menu items, the quality and appearance of those items vary from one franchise to the next since other thing that escape their control come into play
Honestly just get what just finished cooking at Panda, otherwise your food probably won't be very good(overcooked or soggy)
The entrees do look like the pictures to a certain extent only when fresh though. After sitting on the steam tables for a while, the veggies become soggy and the chicken won't be crispy.
Edit: actually nevermind. @Mashed needs to report this panda express. I've been working at a panda express location in McKinney Texas for the past half year or so, and our food looks completely different than the pictures in the video. The veggies and meats are suppose to be cut a certain way, not randomly cut just to make small. For example, the mushrooms at 4:05 and the big chunk of chicken at 3:10. The cooks are suppose to use timers to fry stuff, and theres a whole large poster in the kitchen that tells them the ingredients + cooking time for each dish. They're suppose to click the timer for the item before cooking, so I don't even know how they messed up the cream cheese rangoons cause the temperature of the fryer is the same for all items (meats and appetizers)
For the broccoli beef, the portion of meat to broccoli is 30/70 and you can't ask the workers for more beef that broccoli because the next customers only going to get broccoli. Also honey walnut shrimp Is 7 pieces for order.
In conclusion, I think every panda express restaurant is different. It really depends on the workers and how they prepare the food
The menu is small and when we tried to order an item with mushrooms they at current have no mushrooms in a middle Tennessee store and they skimp on their vegetables they'll load you up with the rice and the lo mein but you won't get much in the way of meat or veggies especially veggies
Well, I disagree, since the Honey Sesame Chicken is my favorite entree there! But I do like the Chow Mein noodles instead of the Fried Rice, and the Chicken Egg Roll is pretty good.
One reason I really favor PE over the more authentic Chinese food is because they do not use MSG, which makes me very sick.
I agree with y'all that each PE location can vary in quality.
We ate at Panda Express one time and that was enough. The dishes shown here look as though they died a horrible death.
What Panda Express did you go to? I've never ordered food from them and have it come to me looking like that.
Me niether
orange chicken. 🤣
Maybe it was just the location you visited, but all of these dishes looked terrible, and the descriptions of what you actually got indicate that the chefs either didn't know what they were doing or just didn't care. I'd be interested to see a comparison to a different location. Maybe Panda Express needs to invest some more training time for their cooks.
Most of the locations I've been to are like this video.
İf you really want good Chinese food, your best bet is to go to an independent Chinese restaurant where the kitchen staff ıs Chinese.
Geez I never want to visit the panda they went to. The panda I go to is usually on point and the kung pao is way more colorful and delicious
Yeah, they used to care about their name! Just like I used to eat there!
I always order Chow Mein and Orange Chicken! They are, to me, the best they offer. Their white rice is way too gummy and starchy! The Kung Pao Chichen is too hot for me. I always order their family special with their Kobe (beef) Steak, which is worth the extra cost. All that I mentioned makes a great combo and it's a lot of food, serving 4 people, depending on how hungry everyone is. Great video! You seem to be right on all food descriptions!
Never ever again. How do they even stay in business ☠
My usual go to order is 2 servings of orange chicken and 2 servings of chow mein😂 sometimes I will do honey walnut shrimp and orange chicken with chowmein and fried rice😂 it's not the best food but it's pretty fuckin good most of the time
The beef and broccoli is great
The orange chicken is delicious
panda peeve I got now is with their delicious teriyaki chicken when they went to those goddamn packages.
No longer fresh teriyaki with a spoon into the little cups they got rid of making the fresh teriyaki.