Dragon Express

I’ve gotten food here twice. Lost my appetite both times. The food is way too salty and the flavor is pretty bad. It’ll be desperate times if I ever eat here again.

Good chinese asian food. The price is affordable. The food comes out fresh (er) because they cook it when you order.

Great classically American Chinese food. I used to always forget they only took cash, which I barely carried, but I had to make sure I did just in case a pang of the American Chinese food hungers overcame me. I love the shrimp chop suey.

Dragon Express is my life’s guilty pleasure. For those of you who love fine dining and being waited on, this is probably not your type of restaurant. For those of you who are more like me and love informal meals and would rather be left alone while eating, you may like Dragon Express. The atmosphere is more like that of a canteen than a restaurant, there is no hokey erhu music to accompany your lunch/​dinner, and the staff is very good. I have never had any problems with my food.
I’ve noticed that people tend to either love or hate Dragon. To me, Dragon is a lot like comfort food — it’s very rich, very filling, and you quickly go into a food coma afterwards. That’s part of the Dragon experience. Usually I can’t stop shoveling all the awesomeness down my throat, only to feel a bit of remorse afterwards when it hits me like a brick. I am sure every Dragon connoisseur knows what that feels like. And like a masochist, I keep coming back for more.
(But seriously, the home style bean curd is one of the best things in this world).
Some Unilocalers have complained that the Chinese food in Dragon is not authentic and therefore not delicious. However, my Malaysian friend from Australia absolutely loved Dragon. She said that Sydney Chinese restaurants are all solely authentic Chinese restaurants, and that they do not taste anywhere as good as Dragon. Both of us prefer Dragon over Lucky Express and Chow Bar. Take from that what you will.
Dragon Express accepts only cash or check, so your trip might need some preparation if you only have a debit or credit card. Also, you might not want to eat there if you have an important presentation, audition, or performance a couple hours later — the food coma can get pretty intense. Lastly, if you have trouble keeping warm in the winter, definitely check Dragon out.

For (American) Chinese take away, this place is awesome. Bean curd with garlic sauce, hot and sour soup and the steamed dumplings are my go to dishes. Always under $ 6

THIS IS NOT CHINESE FOOD AT ALL! Seriously, even i can make better Chinese food than they do. They just put manufactured bulk sauces with raw meat and vegetable and claimed the combination Chinese food. Please stop doing this to depreciate the reputation of Chinese food.

This is my favorite Chinese place in town.
Is it the nicest? No. Is it the cleanest? Probably not. But, it’s the best and they pass their health inspections (I checked). They recently updated the interior and it’s better, but still not nice inside. I hate their use of styrofoam. But the food is just so good. And so cheap. It’s a great place for take out. Don’t let looks deceive you, this place is great.

Best thing about this place is the location, right by campus. The food… heh. Same greazy American style as everywhere else in town. Oh but cash only.
Singapore noodles is usually one of my faves, this place has it, but it tastes a bit off.

The food is okay. What really sucks is the girl at the front who treats you like you’re nothing but an annoyance. If she could at least pretend to not be completely miserable for the two minutes it takes to write down my order, I wouldn’t feel like an asshole for wanting food… Something they should expect to have to serve at some pont right? If they change their attitude I might change my review.

I’ve been here a few times before and it was close by today so I thought I’d stop in for an early dinner. There are a couple of spots of designated parking for Dragon Express immediately in front of the restaurant and it was easy for me to find a place to park.
I ordered the small size of the bean curd and tofu with garlic sauce which came with lots of white rice. I didn’t specify whether I was dining in or getting take out, but I think they serve everything in styrofoam to-​go containers regardless. I was also given a styrofoam cup if I wanted to help myself to the free hot tea (which I did).
My food was brought out to me at my table in styrofoam quickly and there were plastic utensils available at the table. I’m not a fan of styrofoam and plastic utensils at all – especially when I am dining in.
The food tasted ok. I was about to give a three star review before I bit into a snow pea that tasted like bleach, but that definitely was a deal breaker. No reason to come back here anymore.

Been here at least 20 times over the last 5 years. I would never give it a star for décor or atmosphere. For all of the people giving it one or two stars based on the décor… you are simply idiots. The place is a hole in the wall Chinese spot. It doesnt try to be a nice sit-​down restaurant. If your looking for amazing table-​side service and beautiful tables and chairs then you should never have walked into Dragon Express to start with. That being said, the food is delicious.
Its not for the faint of heart. They serve up everything from orange chicken to fried chicken feet to whole steamed fish head and all. But its good. Definitely best Chinese in Btown.
Also…its cheap… as hell. Its an all cash spot so leave your card at home, though they do take check and there’s an ATM about 1 steps from the front door. But you can get a massive meal (way more than can be eaten in one sitting) for under $ 10.
Today the girl behind the counter recommended curry beef ($ 5) and I also got a pint of egg drop wonton soup ($ 2). With tax it came to $ 7.89.
The good is always good. My only complaint is that sometimes dishes taste a little top similar. But the menu is MASSIVE. And when I say massive I mean massive. It boasts over 200 items. Usually this would be way too many offerings for a restaurant to be able to cook up well but since many ingredients are similar between dishes they manage just fine. And thus I give them a break on the similar taste of many dishes.
Its also quick. No order takes more than 10 minutes to arrive at the table or be ready for carryout.
Overall, if you’re looking for easy, cheap, good Chinese in Btown and aren’t so worried about décor or amenities this place is a must.
*Don’t forget to ask for chili sauce with your order

I’ve been ordering the spicy string beans here since 1995. In recent years, The menu keeps on expanding and I’ve begun to branch out at bit and was only disappointed with the eggplant. The interior atmosphere is not fancy by any means, although the new chairs and floor are nice upgrade. This is a great place for takeout.

Very good broccoli in garlic sauce, I’d have it again for sure. No plastic policy, bad water, and styrofoam cups and bowls are strikes against it though. Also, the prices are higher than you would usually see at a hole-​in-​the-​wall (I think it’s a flat rate of $ 4.75 per pint or $ 8.50 per quart, pre-​tax). The quart is about how much you’d be given at a Chinese restaurant for a dinner plate. Pretty dumpy atmosphere, not much more to say, really.

Bob Knight once said (and I’m paraphrasing) «We all learn to write in third grade; most of us go on to do more useful things than that.» I feel that way about Dragon Express — everyone who’s a student goes through a Dragon Express phase. Most of us grow out of it and move on to actual decent-​tasting chinese food.
The flavors this place provides you are not memorable. The interior of the place hasn’t changed in at least 20 years, and that’s not because of nostalgia… I mean, wow. They REALLY need to redecorate, as the inside is like a hospital cafeteria. The menu really has nothing inspiring on it. Some people enjoy the place. Most of those people are younger and haven’t developed those nagging little things called standards. Yes, as the other reviewers say, it is passable as cheap and quick chinese food — which is why I give it two stars instead of one. But that’s a rather weak second star.

I used to go to Dragon about once a week when I was a student at IU simply because of its convenience, but eventually the quality became so hit-​or-​miss that I stopped going. Sometimes the food totally fulfilled that craving for cheap, Americanized Chinese, but other times, the fried portions were far too breaded and crunchy. Occasionally the sauce on the General Chicken tasted like it had been watered down. I did observe a loose correlation between busyness and food quality. Like others, I wish that they offered an actual brown rice option.

I wonder if this review, along with the other one-​stars, will be relegated to the filter. The only reason this place survives, so far as I can tell, is its location, which at 3^rd and Jordan, is in the middle of the IU campus.
It has a huge selection; that selection is the gamut of American Chinese cuisine that you’ve seen in countless faceless restaurants across the land. This one has the added deficits of an interior designed from a prison cafeteria or an abandoned church basement, no credit cards, and while the counter person is somewhat helpful, one gets the feeling that the rest of management cares not one whit about *you*.
So, the prices are high, no CC, holding cell interior, what’s left? Oh, the food. Passable in two samples, but barely. Quite high temperature and fresh. Decidedly greasy, as other reviews have mentioned. It was delivered quickly for take-​out. Having been at Chinese restaurants across the planet, including many in China, Singapore, HK, KL, and even Paris, I can tell you that it deserves one star. Not zero, and not two. It survives on its location, not its charm, cuisine, service, décor, or pricing. You won’t die. You will wish you were elsewhere.

This is a great little Chinese spot close to the IU campus. There’s better Crab Rangoon to be had in town, but their General Tso’s is awesome. Much spicier than most places make it. Friendly staff and decent prices.

In the mood for some cheap Chinese food? Dragon Express will provide.
If you eat in, prepare to be unamazed by their card tables and cafeteria chairs paired with their uncoordinated wall hangings. The inside of this place needs some TLC.
But, the food is warm, tasty enough, and there are a million different options to choose from. The staff were accommodating to my request to change an order, and if you dine in, they give you tea for free.
Overall, if you’re looking for some quick and inexpensive take-​out, this could be your place!

The food was average and it only takes cash. It’s definitely an IU staple since it is so close to campus. Everything about this place screams, eh. I guess it’s a good value. The food was affordable and portions were decent sized. It’s ok if you’re in a hurry, but it’s not anything I’ll be craving in the future.

This is a B-​town staple. If you lived on campus and haven’t tried this place you are kidding yourself.
Yes — it looks shady
Yes — the owner’s a little creapy
Yes — they only take cash
But there lunch and dinner specials are a college students dream. Just go and look at the menu! They also have some of the best fried rice I have ever had, they put cut up pieces of roasted ribs in there and its to die for. If you are in town for an extended period drop by here for lunch one day, its awesome!