Panda Express

I like Panda Express, but this particular one never has any of their dishes available for some reason. They always make me wait for them to cook it. They also take FOREVER to cook and you’re waiting there for 20 – 30 minutes. This has happened multiple times (I have no idea why I still go here). You’d save time going to another Panda Express that is better managed. This one wins the award for the worst managed Panda Express on the island.

A quick lunch under $ 10 with a drink? Check.
I figured out how to not spend $ 20 a day on lunch, get the bowl with one choice of starch and one choice main dish. Quick, safe, and nominally delicious. Bonus– the employee that took my order today spoke understandable english!!!

Like Hawaii Panda Express because they offer eggplant tofu and chow fun, something I haven’t found on the east coast. Unfortunately, today they said there was an 8 minute wait for it, so I got my same old string bean chicken, chow mein, orange chicken and chicken with mushrooms. I was offered a sample of the chow fun, and took it, but the noodles were hard and I was disappointed. I was able to use a coupon though, so I was happy. I’ll keep going back, hoping for the eggplant.

I visited Panda Express not so long ago because I had grate experience from Kaneohe, HI Panda Express so I chose panda again for the dinner from many of choses but the server Hazel T who look my order on the day had bad temper and horrible attitude and then started yelled roughed at us telling me pick my choices so many time even though I asked her could you please help the person behind me first because I want to wait on the side until the vegetable to becomes ready but she didn’t let me and yelled over and over me again and again… I told her nicely please stop yelling at me because my 2 years old daughter looks very afraid of you. I was very shamed because all the customers was looking at us. I didn’t understand why she doesn’t give me a time or didn’t let me order when I am ready. I wanted to eat in but I couldn’t because of her. I am very very disappointed. I wish never happen to any body else who likes to visit panda. I would never ever want to see her again and go to the word panda store.

At Ward, I usually frequent the sit-​down restaurants, so I haven’t had the opportunity to try this Panda before recently. I came in during a Friday lunch on a day off, thinking it would be a quick and easy lunch before my next appointment of the day. I was wrong. This restaurant is tiny; it’s sandwiched between Starbucks, the parking garage, and Big City Diner. It almost feels like the kind of place you should get take-​out, but I don’t understand why a essentially shopping mall style restaurant would have this option. The inside is small and cramped– the counter was like a cattle chute. As I was standing waiting to order, a huge line appeared behind me. I was never greeted before my order, just a blank stare waiting for my instructions.
I was patient and ordered my food. What I did have was consistently good Panda fake-​Chinese food; I ordered healthier fare. When I got through the line and waited even longer to fill my water, I went outside for a table to no avail. Not the fault of the restaurant, people were hogging all the tables without actually having any food yet. This bothered me especially later, since by the time I was done eating, they still didn’t have all their food. I went back inside to eat at the only table available. I’d advise going elsewhere, but if you really want Panda and in the area, there’s nothing wrong with eating here.

Smiles and good service. Tasty food and reasonable prices. Very good thanks and keep it up. Was speaking non English language appropriate at the counter for the entire customer floor appropriate whether talking about work or personal subject?

I have 4 year old daughters who are carb-​heads. Given the opportunity, they’d happily eat mac and cheese for every meal, every day, for the rest of their lives. On the other hand, getting them to eat protein (any type of protein) can sometimes be a Herculean task. Fortunately, they’ve taken a liking to Panda Express’s orange chicken. And if they’ll eat it, I’ll buy it.
I much prefer coming to this Panda Express location (Ward) versus the Ala Moana Center Food Court location. The ongoing construction at the mall has made parking a nightmare there. If I come to this location during lunch time, there’s always lots of parking available and it’s rarely crowded. Dinner time might be more challenging however. Service has always been very pleasant as well.
Until my daughters expand their culinary tastes, I’ll be back (again and again).

Came in today. And they were out of the two things I came here for. The cashier asked if I wouldn’t mind waiting 5min and they will cook some fresh ones for me. I thought sure why not. Cashier than offered me a cup of water. He very friendly and apologetic. He kept checking to see if my food was ready. Once ready he promptly got my plate together and was gonna walk it over to me but I stood up and got it from me. By far the best customer service I’ve received from a Panda Express on Oahu. I now know what location to come to when I’m craving pandas.

I had lunch there today. Tonight, I’m puking my brains out. Food poisoning. Thanks, Panda Express.

I’m somewhat embarrassed writing this review…
Yes, I do know what REAL Chinese is and probably more so than most Chinese on this island! Definitely more than the average wannabe foodie!
Yes, I’ve frequented the most authentic Chinese restaurants east and west of Hong Kong!
Yes, I have maybe 10% Chineseeey! So, I have legit cred!
Yes, I once was engaged to a native San Franciscan, who btw was Cantonese and her Dad a celebrated top chef at the exclusive Fairmont Hotel!
So yes, I know Chinese food… And y’know what?
I actually like…
PANDA EXPRESS!
Okay, okay… I do admit it’s not authentic Chinese, per se. I mean c’mon now they have these restaurants scattered in very non-​Chinese neighborhoods on the mainland! Sometimes with very non-​Chinese servers! Yup! I’ve seen it! I mean we live in a generation of EOE now, right?!
And y’know what? I still like this Chinese fast food place…
PANDA EXPRESS!
No, it’s not exactly cheap. No, it’s more like «guialo» cuisine served in plastic bowls or paper plates, but guess what? Something must be working here ’cause this chain is everywhere! When I lived in Burien, Washington… A location was just a mile away from my house, in the boondocks! So yes, it’s here, there and everywhere!
The location of my review is at Ward Center — underneath the theaters! Yet, I could be speaking of the one at Ala Moana, Pearlridge, King St., Burien, etc., etc. It’s never, ever my first choice, but it’s convenient and you know what to expect, like…
My favorite:
ORANGE CHICKEN!
I mean that thing is the most «guialo» thing in the universe, but so is chop suey! Didn’t know that about chop suey, eh? Yup, one of the Chinese foods invented in the USA!
But dang it… That…
ORANGE CHICKEN!
Oh my! It’s like opium, but better! One piece? Please. I won’t share! Juicy chicken morsels with a crisp exterior and glazed with that addictive IDK what! Give me one piece or two dozen pieces and I’ll inhale it all! The Orange Chicken, silly… Not the opium!
PANDA EXPRESS!
The location at Ward is like any other location, I guess. I like that all locations give you a sample, if you so choose. Umm, Orange Chicken please. And now they have a sinful thing of Orange Chicken with BACON! PURE GENIUS!
PANDA EXPRESS!
Not authentic, not the cheapest, not the best, but you know what? These guys sure know the «guialo» appetite!
For «racially mixed» me, maybe 10% Chinese, maybe 5% white, and definitely 85% everything else… I’ll stick with that addictive ORANGE CHICKEN & Freebie Fortune (always positive) Cookie… Pseudo Chinese! Oh yes! Inhales!
And for those that don’t know what «guialo“is… It’s simply someone non-​Chinese. No, I’m no hater;)
OVERALL GRADE: 3.8-STARS!
UPDATED GRADE: 3.2-STARS!
Note: I had the Orange Chicken a week later and quite frankly it fell flat, but it was still good enough. Consistency? Hmm.
LIVE ALOHA…
Unilocal REVIEW #393

The server Mira tried to serve me raw teriyaki chicken. As she was cutting it up, I noticed that it was still raw in the middle. I’m not talking about «slightly pink», but transluscent, completely raw.
I said, «uh…the chicken is raw.» She turned the pieces over to look at it and separated the fully raw middle from the end pieces and tried to put the end pieces on my plate. I was like, «That chicken is fully raw.» At which point she became irritated at me and snapped back, «So you don’t want it?!»
No, I don’t want raw chicken. Sorry.
«So you have to wait.»
Sure, I’ll wait for chicken that’s edible. And what does she do? She puts the raw chicken back into the serving dish. WTH! Warning: apparently Mira, who works at this Panda, thinks it’s ok to serve raw chicken to guests. And don’t disagree with her either!

I was at the Ward Panda Express waiting on Unilocal Movie Night for Horrible Bosses 2 to start. I was there to pick up the tickets early and decided to get something to eat.
The staff at this establishment was really friendly. They welcome you when you walk in the door and thank you as you’re leaving out the door. They ask you if you want to sample any of their dishes. The guy in the light blue shirt who I’m guessing is the manager, asked me if everything was ok. I said yes and he thanked me for coming. The staff was friendly to everyone who walked through the door.
For my starch, I got a mix of fried rice and chow funn. For my entrees, I got honey walnut shrimp, Beijing beef and honey sesame chicken. Everything was good and cooked to perfection. I like how they cook everything in small batches so that the food doesn’t just sit there. Everything is fresh because they’re cooking it as it sells.
The reason why I didn’t give this place 5 stars is because they AC wasn’t on. The place was so hot. I was sitting in there and just sweating. It didn’t matter where you were sitting in the restaurant, you could feel the heat coming off the woks that were cooking the food. I don’t know if the AC was broken or they were just trying to save on electricity. It was an oven. I hope when I go back the next time, the AC will be on.

Ordered the family feast. Orange chicken and walnut shrimp were overcooked and hard. The shrimp was dry and awful – made much worse because it costs extra Perhaps the food was sitting under the lights too long.
Worst meal ever! Maybe not a good idea to order online like we did. Not worth $ 40 plus we spent.

I am glad that this location has a good self service drink station. I am glad to get a free item entrée when you purchase a 2 item combo with the survey that I did for panda express. I am glad that I ate here before going to the movies and love the free fortune cookie with any food purchase. So I will totally recommend this place if you are in the Ward area as well as the other locations. I really love brown rice and I will be back again soon. Good service and the guy was really generous in giving extra teriyaki chicken.

This location is not as busy/​crowded like the one at Ala Moana. Finding a parking spot can be a challenge (depending on the time of day you come), especially since they closed the parking lot across the street.
My family’s usual order: orange chicken (of course!), eggplant tofu, beef broccoli, fried rice and chow mein. Yummy.

I have to admit, that for the longest time I refused to eat at Panda’s. I had that bad taste in my mouth from before when everything was too salty, or too sweet, soggy and just plain unappetizing. Wow. Panda’s has really stepped up their game. They have healthier options, including their mixed veggie side that can be chosen instead of rice or noodles. Their honey walnut shrimp is reasonably priced and not too shabby for fast food Chinese. I personally like the mushroom chicken, and their new chicken kale entrée. The hot and sour soup is also not bad. The service hasn’t changed much, but I don’t have high standards for a place like that. It’s a great place to catch a quick bite before a movie. In fact, my boyfriend and I come here almost every Tuesday before watching a $ 6 movie at the theater. I don’t eat much, but I get the three entrée option, eat half, and save the rest for tomorrow’s lunch.

I call panda express Chinese McDonald. where can you go get good chinese food where it’s ready to go. im a huge fan of panda express because its fast yet decent price and it taste good.
I always get mixture of rice and noodle for starch and they don’t cost extra to do half and half which i think it’s super. Other chinese restaurant would charge double if you want chow fun and fried rice together but panda would consider as 1 item. other think i really like from there is kong pow chicken which is mixed with peanut and spice with some vegetable.
Beiing beef is my second favorite item from panda, it show to menu not long ago, it was a battle between orange chicken and baijing beef but customer like it so much they decide it to keep both in the menu.
i always have hard time to choose items due to so many good flavor food but i always end up with those two items. i would like to get more i know i can’t finish. it seem like my eye is always more hungry then what my stomach can handle.
If you can’t finish 2 choice plate there is also panda bowl where it’s 1 starch and 1 choice for $ 1 cheaper. If you have a kid, you can also get kids meal size which is smaller but also little bit cheaper.

I’ve always been a fan of Panda Express ever since i was in junior high! It’s my go to place whenever im at a mall food court! You just can’t go wrong here. The Panda Express at the Ward is where i usually go to. They are always friendly there & my daughter & i like to sit outside & people watch.
I am a big fan of their orange chicken!!! And most recently their honey walnut shrimp. I love how they serve brown rice now. Other menu favorites: sweet & sour pork, beef & broccoli, fried shrimp, & chicken spring rolls.
It’s a little expensive especially in some locations where they increase the prices for the tourist. I still love it!

ORANGE CHICKEN IN DA HOUSE!!! Man, this stuff is straight up crack. They should have options to put the orange sauce on everything! Orange beef, orange shrimp, orange tofu, orange broccoli, orange rice…
I had the brown fried rice, orange chicken, and eggplant tofu. Everything was tasty and the portions were pretty good. I must say, whenever I eat here I know I’m gonna get a consistently tasty meal for a reasonable price.
The service was quick and friendly, the restaurant was clean and food presentation was great. No complaints over here!

I love this location! Instead of boring rectangular shaped food pans, they display the food in little wok-​shaped pans — so clever! The pans are always at least half-​filled and the staff is always attentive and friendly.
My favorite entrée items are the chow mein, orange chicken, chicken with string beans, beef broccoli. They recently added a white fish (for $ 1 extra) that rocks! I normally don’t like to select the items that are $ 1 extra (it would be very un-​Chinese of me to select those) but I’m making an exception for the fish.
Don’t throw away your receipt because you can get a free entrée item on your next visit if you take a short survey (either online or over the phone), write down the validation code at the end of the survey on your receipt, and present it to the cashier on your next visit. That’s a savings of $ 1.25!