Current Events > Never been to Panda Express - Is it really better?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Is it really better than just your typical Chinese place?

I wouldn't say it's better, but it's good, IMO.

No, it's actually lower quality. It's cheap and fast though, which is why it's a good spot to go to.

it's fast food dude. lol

It's alright.

Orange Chicken is delicious.

Wouldnt say its better than traditional Chinese food, but it is good.

its like chipotle.

I've been to traditional Chinese food places that served their food faster than Panda Express did.

I'd go in, order, and it'd come out 5-10 minutes later, like they were just keeping a bunch of stuff warm rather than cooking it.

still good, but still...

Its better than traditional Chinese Food

GeraldDarko posted...

Is it really better than just your typical Chinese place?

Lol wat? No one has ever said it's better. It's fast food

There's a bunch of videos on youtube of mainland chinese citizens trying panda express for the first time and saying it's "really good".

I feel the hate for the chain comes from EOP suburbanites who think AMERICA = BAD, CHAIN = BAD, SO PANDA EXPRESS = BAD.

It depends on where you are, but generically no it's pretty trash versus other Chinese options. It is consistently fine and you will probably like it if you like standard American creations of other nation's foods (such as spaghetti and meatballs, and Teriyaki) but it is far closer to KFC than it is to a Chinese steamer place.

The Honey Walnut Shrimp and the Sesame Chicken is great.

It's honestly a lot better than a low-effort Chinese food place.

Which there are plenty of. And it's usually obvious if you just step in and look around at how the place is run.

Compared to what I consider a "real" Chinese food place? It's definitely just a pale imitation, imo. But it's still ok. Does the job for what it is.

Depends on the location tbh

Some of them are super clean and make everything fresh, some suck and will give you food poisoning

Also depends on where you are in the country. The SF Bay Area or New York? Much better places.

North Dakota or Kansas or Idaho? It might as well be the premier Chinese food restaurant.

Their signature Orange Chicken also tastes unique and is amazing when fresh.

Wat. There's basically no reason to go to a panda express if ther are any other local Chinese places around.

It's the McDonald's of Asoan food.

It's good fast food

I love the orange chicken there.

Panda Express isn't super popular here...

The more crappy authentic Chinese places I end up trying the more I appreciate panda

but Thai food >>> anyways

It has consistent quality and fresher food, but it's pricier and you get smaller portions. Get a kid's meal want something cheap. it's cheaper than a small box of 1 item and you get more food.

It's good for what it's worth.

I eat my local Chinese place more, but I do like it.beijing beef is really good

Local Chinese place is a meme. They go too heavy on the vegetables/sauce and the meat if often tiny pieces hidden in batter and it's very dry. Maybe you have a good hole in the wall place somewhere but they are more rarer than FOODIES want you to believe.

Literally no one says it's better than your local Chinese place.

The best menu items (like orange chicken) are slightly better than a typical cheap local Chinese place. The other menu items are slightly worse. I don't think anything is bad, it's just bland and mediocre.

Obviously if you know a good, authentic Chinese place it's going to be way better than Panda Express.

It is what 15 year olds like

As far as fast food American Chinese goes, it's not bad. Better than the infinite number of generic Mom and Pop fast food Chinese restaurants. But if you get into the places that actually care, Panda Express falls behind.

The orange chicken, as other people have said, is legitimately good. The rest tends to run the gamut from mediocre to decent.

action52 posted...

The best menu items (like orange chicken) are slightly better than a typical cheap local Chinese place. The other menu items are slightly worse. I don't think anything is bad, it's just bland and mediocre.

Obviously if you know a good, authentic Chinese place it's going to be way better than Panda Express.

The guy who started Panda Express was born and raised in China, and all of the food are from family recipes...so it is authentic Chinese food.

bad food items from Panda Express:
-any of their noodles.

just taste like salt in dry noodle form

Panda reverses the sizes in entree/portions, but their chow mein is heavenly, their orange chicken is beast, but their Teriyaki chicken dries too fast, and you get the least volume out of the Broccoli and Beef.

I like it myself. Stupid inflation....but the rangoons went up about 15 cents (not as much as I thought), and they are made of cream cheese, so....they are better than imitation crab.

Panda Express sucks ass and it's over rated

https://youtu.be/Fo59LlkTDe4

It's fast food, so put your expectations realitically. For what it's worth, it's pretty decent but avoid their chow mein and fried rice.

its Americanized Chinese fast food. They've got some really tasty stuff but a lot of it is ridiculously unhealthy. Fried, swimming in sauce, salty, sweet and delicious. My guilty pleasure there is Orange Chicken, Beijing Beef, half chow mein, half friend rice. Probably like 2,500 calories in one meal.

Never been to Panda Express - Is it really better?

As far as health concerns, statistically no.

Depending on management, it can be worse for your health than a McDonald's in Memphis, Tennessee.

Allanon23 posted...

No, it's actually lower quality. It's cheap and fast though, which is why it's a good spot to go to.

yep this

i dislike it.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/5/8/AAaB-xAADtr2.jpg

The orange chicken is decent but everything else is meh especially their fried rice which has little flavor. If given the option to go there or a hole in the wall Chinese restaurant I would pick the hole in the wall. The place isn't terrible but anyone saying it's amazing is lying.

You know the first few times I had it I loved it but every time since those first 5 or 6 times has been not great. Idk

DirkDiggles posted...

The Honey Walnut Shrimp and the Sesame Chicken is great.

Our area got rid of honey sesame chicken

I've never tried it, but this topic is making me want to give it a chance.

Deedice posted...

Our area got rid of honey sesame chicken

they got rid of the sweetfire chicken breast on the one occasion i decide to go there to eat.
so expensive because of the inflation (my money hasn't kept up with it).

It's decent for what it is, which is cheap Chinese fast food. Some of the items are either dry or greasy.

The beef n broccolio, wontons, and honey walnut shrimp are tasty as hell. Never liked the noodles or egg rolls.

If you get it fresh, its amazing

if not, it might be the worst food in the world

If anything, its worse. Typical American Chinese places tend to at least hold back a little on the sugar glaze.

PE Orange Chicken tastes like theres no chicken there.