Panda Express

Have a Taiwanese friend who claims their Gong Bao, or Kung Pao for my Merican’s, is some of the best she’s had… hmmmm, veeery suspicious look her way
Myself, having not ever eaten at a Panda Ex before, heard its mythical terribleness and greatness, depending on the source or the way the wind is blowing, but more I had to check out this Gong Bao she was so on about.
Allow me to illustrate via the text while dining at this Panda Express.
Me: Sends two pics of the GB Chicken
Me: Chicken has interesting texture
Me: AE (meaning «Arrow Eyes”/suspicious look)
Her: What are you talking about ?!
Me: Kinda Rubbery
Me: It’s spicy though.
Her: AE back
Me: Lots of onions, too many
Her: What the F are you talking about?
Her: Calling me, (in short) ummm, remember i don’t get pics via text. lol …No wonder the confusion, lost in textlation.
…back to text:
Me: Do you get the Gong Bao w rice or chow mein?
Her: Mixed, of course.
Me: Very professional eater you are, take your Panda Ex very serious, like master.
Her: Of course
Me: Well, i will say when stepping to the counter you have to come prepared, the folks in front and behind were like machines on auto, know the process very well, these ppl come here often it’s obvi.
Her: Don’t mess w the Panda Ex’ers, we know our food
Me: Egg roll standard but great sweet and sour sauce for dipping. I think i’ll do a shot of it to wash this mess down.
Her: You would
Me: I seem to be in minority here. lol, all black, a few Hispanics and a lone Asian. lol
Her: I’m off 290
Me: Still eating, meet me at Panda Ex, bring some legitimacy and authenticity to this joint, we’ll head to Target and Home Goods after.
Her: Righto in a jiffy
The End.

decent, nothing too different from other panda express.

It’s Panda Express … Not a 5 star restaurant. If the girls give you food they give you a proper amount. The cheep Indian dude who is either manager or owner is a tight wad and literally u watch him mentally penny pinch the food lol seriously tho it’s ok. its better than some of thr crappy Chinese spots in neighborhood.

This is the first time I ate at a Panda Express. The entrees were dry. Over rice it became a glob of dry food that was hard to swallow. The lomein noodles were also very dry and without taste. I didn’t even finish the meal. Wasted $ 13 in my opinion.

Beef broccoli over cooked. Crab Rangoon had basically no stuffing. No salt packets. Tried the chicken mushroom for the first time was actually really good.

The service is top-​notch. Staff is friendly, professional, and helpful. The food is what you’d expect from a fast-​food restaurant: a little greasy and full of flavor. The cost is competitive with other fast food options and the portions are large. A good place to stop in if you are hungry, don’t know what else is around, and need a quick Chinese food fix. There are plenty of other options in Chicago if you are looking for good Chinese take-​out, such as En Lai and Lao Szechuan.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of the Panda and eat at the one near my office downtown at least once a month. But, this location needs some help in the freshness department as well as the common sense department if they want to get me to come back. I got a two item to go and literally nothing in it was fresh. The shrimp was chewy and had to have been in the tray all day long (I was there around 6 pm). The orange chicken was totally dried-​out — again, too long under the lamps. Even the rice was dried-​out! I got it to go and only after driving away did I see that they didn’t give me a fork! WTF? So, it also got cold while we drove the rest of the way home. I understand that you don’t want to «waste» food, but quality shouldn’t suffer because of cheapness. It also sucked that I paid $ 14 for this crap (two drinks and the upcharge on the shrimp) and threw 75% of it away.

This place sucks! The food was cold, my noodles were stiff like a bread stick. The steak with mushroom left an awful after taste in my mouth. Never coming here again.

It’s American based oriental food offerings are edible, but I prefer Thai springrolls (not fried) to what they offer. I was struck by the fact that they seem to use no traditional ingredients instead offering American equivalents or omitting the ingredient altogether.

Just like every other Panda Express. Same style, same menu. Still love their orange chicken.

The food at this Panda is the same basic menu you will find elsewhere throughout the chain. That, however, is not necessarily a bad thing! Fresh veggies mixed with a wide variety of meats and sauces make a perfect combination of hot, on-​the-​go stir fry meals.
This location offers a 10% discount to employees that work at others stores in the Mannheim Mall area. Just tell the server that you work for a neighborhood business and they’ll take the 10% off when you get to the register. Also, if you request, they will often provide you with coupons for future visits. Don’t be shy in requesting savings!
The only reason why I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is because from time to time they have let the rice get a bit sticky. Panda Staff, please either turn down the heat or don’t cook such a big batch. Other than this small setback, the food here is highly addictive! Recommended.