Panda Express

I had never been to a Panda Express before I moved here a few months ago. But, we had to find a Chinese food take out here… our go-​to was Top Wok in Monroe, where we lived a few years. Now, Panda Express is our go-​to. It’s consistent. My first experience was really good. The gal we ordered from found out it was my first time there and started putting every little morsel from every dish on a toothpick for me to try. I really appreciated that. But I have my 3 favorites… Kung Pao, Walnut Shrimp and Teriyaki chicken with fried rice… and once I find what I like, I have a hard time ordering anything else even though it’s all good! We’ve been a handful of times now and it’s always spicy, fresh and tasty. Not bad for a fast food joint.

My husband and I got orange chicken on 9÷11÷15. After a few hours we felt terrible sick and throw up everything. We had to stay in bed for at least 48 hours after that. We’ll never go back there again.

I haven’t been to one of these in over a decade or longer. Back in the area and took the kids to try it out. Buffet basically, but we found some good surprises here.
I had a steak/​mushroom dish that was amazing. It cost an extra $ but worth it. We all got a 2 dish combo meal to try as much as we could. The orange chicken is by far one of the best dishes. The gyoza just ok. Noodles were decent.
We had a good meal but it was costly. I would try for just a small plate (1 dish) next time or split a plate with the kids to save money.
Portions were big but we opted to not take any home.
We might come back… it was just ok.

Why review a Panda Express? Aren’t all Panda Expresses in a mall with old food sitting under a heat lamp?
I too had my doubts. I wasn’t ever about to set foot in this establishment until a friend of mine told me it was pretty good and forced me to go with them to try it.
Yes, those are heat lamps over the food, but they always look super fresh… what I like to do is watch and see if anything ever gets changed out while I am in line because I really haven’t had anything bad here yet.
My favorite is the chicken and green beans because, well, you gotta get your vegetables somewhere!
I don’t know what it is with Issaquah, but it makes these low-​to-​mid-​end food chains awesome. Take for example, MOD pizza. I hated that place in Bellevue, but I love it over in Issaquah. I have those same feelings towards this Panda Express. I am a fan!

Food is constantly great. Always warm and they have never been out of my favorites! Some staff members could be a bit more friendly but we all have «off» days.

I think I am probably the only few Asian that actually like Panda Express. Because it’s so Americanized. However, I am a sucker for the orange chicken. I Loved it! I am happy they opened one in Issaquah so I can get my quick fix!
Keep the receipt, do the online survey and you get 3^rd entrée free the next visit.
Basically free 3^rd entrée every time!

Shhh… don’t tell anyone but sometimes I like shitty Chinese food. Salty, sickeningly sweet, 0 spice level, low-​budget ingredient, chilling under heat lamps drenched in strangely colored sauces. Obviously I know my Chinese cuisine, but sometimes I crave this crap. This location does it like all others, quick, clean, and reasonably priced. I’ve never understood why anyone goes to a PF Chang’s when they serve the same stuff here which actually tastes better and at a fraction of the price.

Update: been here several times now. Hate surf n turf night, we have shrimp allergy. Hard to find anything here to eat anymore. Everything has wheat/​gluten and soy on it. I loved the honey sesame chicken that is now discontinued. Love the sweet fire chicken. Green bean chicken is good, just wish it was soy free.
Our usuals are Kung pao chicken, sweet fire chicken, orange chicken, green bean chicken, Beijing beef.
They now have steamed brown rice! Some days it’s good other days to much water.
Definetly not healthy for you. Everything that is breaded is deep fried. Too much soy sauce on everything. But hubby loves it.
This is my favorite panda!

I tried there couple times and never disappoint. I went there again last night had a usual Chow Mien + Honey walnut prawns+ Sesame chicken it was yummy and cheap. Me and my boyfriend spent less than $ 20. They earn my 5 star because the guy behind the counter is always nice, polite and well trained!, the food was so yummy and the restaurant was clean as you can see their cut veggies in walk-​in freezer. I wish they could accept the tips as my appreciation. Definitely come back :)

For fast food Chinese food, this is exactly what I expected. For the price, I got more than enough fried rice, just enough of the Orange Chicken but not nearly enough of the Chicken with Green Beans. That was delicious! Next time I think that will be the main entrée!

They were busy yesterday but tasted just like any other Panda Express. The food was fresh except for the Orange Chicken which they replaced with a hot portion and apologized. The place has always been clean and employees professional. I will definitely return.

We come here all the time. I guess Panda is the kind of Chinese restaurant that you just need to fill yourself up but not spending so much money.
One day, my son requested we eat there… but since I worked late, he fell asleep so I took the rest of the family. I got him a take out, but when we left, I forgot the bag. I called as soon as I arrived at our place and they swore up and down we didn’t leave it behind. I was so upset. I told them I’ll call their owner and see if they have cameras. I was calling restaurants left and right to see who still sells at that time of the night. We were staying in a hotel. Ended up at Dennys. No, not good dinner food at all. Anyhow, I didn’t want to go back to Pandas anymore. But then, I gave it a try again … I ended up talking with the manager and she offered to give me one free one, just like the one I left behind before. She told me, apparently one of the staffs threw it away. My question was why couldn’t they just tell me that the time I called in for the pack. Anyway, they gave me a freebie of which my son used and I still take them there for cheap Chinese food. Want savory and tasty… maybe Got Rice or the Sichuanese restaurant would be a better choice.
The orange chicken is what my kids prefer… The chow mein is definitely not good. The honey walnut is okay as well as the Surf and Turf.

Great fresh Chinese food. Clean place!

I made the mistake of stopping by this restaurant for cloyingly sweet Beijing beef instead of going over to a real Chinese restaurant and is my first and last time. They are supposed to be serving fast food but had trouble getting food on their service line in a timely manner. There were a lot of people standing around and partial boxes of food (waiting for the missing entrees) sitting around and getting cold. I waited for 20 mins and then asked for a substitution just to get out of there.
I would have given this restaurant the lowest rating possible except for service provided by the cashier, Ryan. He had his arm in a sling and was still doing his best to provide great service, pitching in to help other team members and trying to improve the experience for customers.

Rude staff and food tasted like it had been sitting out for a while. This was Friday evening Feb. 15^th

Well hell, if you’re craving American-​Chinese, what is there not to like about some orange chicken from Panda?!
Pros?
–There’s always orange chicken… let’s be honest, everyone gets it for a reason
–Cheap = good, sometimes
–Shareable!
–The fried food is a bit crunchy on the outside, unlike most places where it gets all mushy and nasty
Cons?
–It’s still just American-​Chinese fast food…

As veteran chinese food consumer, the first panda express I went to blew me away in terms of expectations. So I when I heard that there was a new one in Issaquah, I was excited to check it out. It was a bit dissapointing, especially since the special entrees and shrimp entrees were a dollar extra. The food looked like it had been sitting there for a while (this was 1:00 p.m. mind you). I took a while to choose since nothing looked especially appetizing. Food was okay. Might come back in a couple of months.