Panda Express

How are you going to be a food establishment and can’t keep the food hot and ready to be ordered. I have to wait 14 minutes for pepper chicken… What a bummer. The workers are very slow… Not a good thing.

Probably the slowest Panda Express I e ever been to so long in fact that I’ve been here for 20 minutes been waiting for a scoop of fried rice which finally came 10 minutes ago but they failed to hand me the to go box still staring at it. Food is getting cold… Still waiting… –_–

I’ve come here a handful of times over the years and my experience is pretty much always the same. I won’t ever come here unless a friend wants to and I have no other options but to be forced to go with them.
One of the only bearable things on the menu is the mushroom chicken, and even that isn’t too great. It seems the food is always bland, dry, burnt, or on a really bad day all three! The fried rice I got was really dry and had no flavor. The mushroom chicken was OK but could have used more veggies and seasoning.
I will say that every time I’ve been here the inside has been clean and we’ll kept up. Also the service is fast and the employees are polite and helpful. These two things saved my review from 1 star.

I’ve been coming here for years. It’s always crowded during lunch and dinner so you can expect to wait in a long line. Depending on what you want, they might be out of it and have to wait for them to cook it when it’s busy. I love the eggplant tofu dish. It’s a little spicy. Sometimes spicier depending on who is making it. Sometimes they don’t cook the eggplant long enough and it’s still pretty firm. If they don’t have it out, you can ask them to make it for you. I first had it at Fresno State and so far they’re the best Panda Express I’ve had it at. The tofu was crisp on the outside and the eggplant was soft and tender, but not mushy.
Today I got the SweetFire Chicken and Mushroom Chicken with half chow mein and mixed veggies. The SweetFire was good and I got a good mix of chicken, bell peppers and pineapple this time. It’s like their orange chicken, but a milder sweet sauce. The mushroom chicken has smaller bits of tender chicken cooked with mushrooms and squash in a light sauce. It’s also one of their lower calorie entrees, but it doesn’t taste that way. The chow mein was good and not overly greasy feeling. The let down was the mixed veggies. I like to get them because I like vegetables and I also want to eat more vegetables. The mixed veggies has an assortment of cabbage, broccoli, carrots, string beans and squash. Today they weren’t even cooked except for the squash. It’s like they just kinda tossed them around in the wok for a minute and called it. I got 2 string beans and I managed to eat one, but the other I couldn’t finish because it was raw. Don’t get me wrong, I like raw vegetables on their own, but I didn’t order raw veggies. The carrots were hard, but they’re ALWAYS hard, even when the other veggies are cooked. The broccoli pieces are like mini trees because they always leave the florets big. That can make it hard to eat, especially if you have a small mouth. The cabbage piece was big, but I was ok with that since I love cabbage. However, a 2“x2”+ piece of cabbage might be a bit much for most people. Overall the food quality here is inconsistent.
On another note, they recently remodeled the inside to a more contemporary design and I love it. Better seating and décor. They have a TV in the corner by the entrance that loops a slideshow on the history of Panda Express and some fun facts.

This location has it’s days. I never like to go during lunch or dinner because it’s always packed and try to avoid it if I can. I recently went during lunch because my husband wanted to go (unfortunately). We got our food on plates instead of the to-​go containers that we normally do, I guess that’s because I said it was to eat there, no big deal. My husband ordered broccoli beef which they were out of; they lady told me that when it was done someone would come out and give it to us. The cashier seemed less than interested to be there, and couldn’t care less about her job. She ended up giving my mom a free drink because she wasn’t paying attention when she asked her for a drink. She didn’t even ask me if I wanted a drink, she just told me my total, I had to ask her for one. My husband waited patiently for his broccoli beef to be finished, which took at least 10 minutes. I figured they were too busy to come over and give it to us to I was going to go over there and ask for it. I took out my receipt and the chick didn’t charge us for a plate, she charged us for a bowl. I guess I’m partly to blame because I didn’t make sure she understood that the big half full plate still needed food on it. I just figured she would use her common sense and figure it out, or at least ask. Needless to say I will never be going back there during lunch hour again.

Orange chicken is the best here– I judge all other orange chickens off of this one– my favorite is actually the Kung pao chicken, spicy chicken with peanuts! Bomb !!!

Main dish we wanted was not ready. Our sides sat in boxes, on the counter, getting cold. We see, what we wanted is now finished but being served to other customers. We were not the only ones in this situation. Also, wanted ice tea. The only sweetener was sugar. Very odd. Asked for money back. The kids/​employees, could have cared less. They need some true management. I have had other PE in other locations. As others have said, their food has been going down hill. There is no way it is chicken breast. It is odd, fatty chicken pieces. Went down the road to In and Out. Had great customer service and great burgers!

I have gone to this Panda location a few times because it’s near my home. I rarely can ever get chicken that doesn’t have grizzle or is rubbery in texture. It’s suppose to be white chicken breast but i guess that’s a lie. We have gotten our money back because the meat was so gross. I have gone to the one in Riverpark and that’s a hit or miss. Sometimes there will be a better cook on duty and cook the meat done like it’s suppose to be.

Maybe they had an off day but my food tasted very charred. Not good at all.

I ordered some shrimp mixed with some veggies (forgot the name) & they said «we charge $ 1 more cuz its shrimp» & I’m like ok. So I got my food & left home. And oh my gosh! When I started eating I looked for shrimp under all those veggies, & I swear I found 1 shrimp! $ 1 MORE FOR ONE FREAKIN SHRIMP! Unbelievable!

I hate this location! It seems like they have just given up.
They forgot 3 items that we ordered, and half the food wasn’t fit to eat. I seldom toss stuff into the trash, but today I did.
The white rice was burnt and stuck together. How can they fricken serve burnt-​browned white rice. Throw that crap away and make it fresh!
The new fried rice is gross as hell. It now is made with brown rice. Brown rice should not be in fried rice, whats the point. That shit was dry as hell and just unpleasant.
If you feel you must eat Panda, skip this location and hit up any other one. I’m sure your meal will be better at a different location.
This one should just close!

I’ve already written a review about another PE, but this will be my last visit EVER.
Strike 1) What happened to my Mandarin Chicken? I know you say you replaced it with a «better quality» product, but to be quite honest? It sucks.
Strike 2) Brown rice… Really? You guys are THAT desperate to follow the «health food» craze that you would completely obliterate the integrity of a centuries-​old staple? Again, it sucks.
Strike 3) Your new Teriyaki Chicken that is supposed to be SOOO much better and tastier than the former Mandarin Chicken? Mouth full of bones and grizzle. Kind of strange since it’s supposed to be 100% breast meat… Seriously, this crap is inedible. I watched your people cut it (with the same knife they used to cut green onions just prior… side of shugella anyone?).
Overall, whatever is happening with corporate absolutely sucks, and you guys are just about on par with Abercrombie & Fitch. At least you haven’t told me I’m fat and not to shop at your store… but still, your food sucks now.
*Just had to update: Seriously, what birds are you getting your breasts from!!! I’ve now taken FOUR bites of your new Teriyaki Chicken Breast, and every damned bite has had chine bones and grizzle. You guys are using the worst fucking product in the world… and «brown» fried rice on top of that!
Taco Bell is more ethnic than you now…
** Update Number 2: I’m packaging up the rest of this shit, and sending it to your corporate office. Your «new and improved» Teriyaki Chicken is fucking inedible. I’m not lying… nothing but bones and grizzle. This is BY FAR the worst meal I’ve EVER received from your concept. 110% unacceptable. Hey CEO who decided to make the change to the new Teriyaki Chicken… Just eat a bite of this shit and figure out why your sales are plummeting.

This PE is an ok location. The food seemed fresh, the chow mein was good. The meats were tender and not overcooked. The place seemed clean and the staff was friendly! Not my go to place for asian food, but ok for a quick meal!!!

Since I am required to give 1 star, I will say that 1 star is for the good orange chicken. Otherwise it would be a –1 star.
The steamed rice: Horrible
The fried rice: Horrible
Most of the food: Horrible
So, Mandarin Chicken, and Orange chicken are good. If you want anything other than those two, go elsewhere.

What could I possibly say about Panda Express that you don’t already know? This epicenter for faux Chinese food sells a lot of things that look kind of look Chinese food, and sort of taste like Chinese food, but in reality its about as Chinese as I am.
Sure it has some of the same names as a dish that you might get at a legitimate Chinese restaurant, but I can guarantee it won’t taste anything like the real thing. The only thing that keeps this place in business is people who do not go to regular Chinese restaurants, and people who are in a rush for something fast to eat. (Or in my case, my first lunch choice was packed and I didn’t have time to wait there.)
So if you are in the market for some rubbery chow mein and sickeningly sweet orange chicken, then by all means have your next meal at Panda Express. But if you are looking for something more authentic, go to an actual Chinese restaurant.

Ehhh… I hate getting panda cuz there’s so much better and authentic Chinese food in Fresno. It’s ok for something quick and their orange chicken is great, but I hate their chow mein… Why not freakin pan fried noodles?!? Seriously if they had PFN I would go more often. This location always has a huge line wrapping through the place… don’t eat it here if u want people’s asses in your food or babies screaming.