Panda Express

We used to love the Panda Express here in Lawrence! Seems like the last couple times we’ve been it was overly busy, garbage piled sky high in the garbage cans and no food to serve one visit. Decided togo again a few days later thinking they were just busy and overwhelmed… No one was in the restaurant as far as customers, no food to serve, we had to wait on everything we ordered. What was prepared was old or overcooked! We received a free drink for our long wait for our food, sad thing was the freshly cooked food was under cooked, our egg rolls were over cooked after we asked for fresh ones and the food was just not very good at all. The staff was mostly just standing around doing nothing while there were over half the items not even available… Sigh… Disappointing to say the least!

The place was busy, but there’s no excuse for waiting for food in a buffet style restaurant. By the time I got my food after a long wait, it was undercooked. The other Pandas I’ve been at are good, but this one it seemed like the people are inexperienced.

When it comes to Chinese Fast Food, Panda Express is usually a safe bet. Location and staff can make your experience enjoyable or turn the visit into a nightmare. Don’t expect grade-​A quality Chinese food often found in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and other big cities. We all know the saying: «It is what it is.»
The new Lawrence, Kansas location is not much different than all the other Panda Expresses. Tons of dark meat (chicken) selections, chewy beef dishes, unimpressive and salty rice dishes, overly sweet orange & sesame chicken dishes, overcooked veggies, sometimes greasy, sometimes dry dishes, and on and on and on. Oh yea, for some reason the Panda Express soda fountain drinks are always too syrupy and sweet.
My recent meal wasn’t terrible by any means. Rice, noodles, chicken, veggies, and crab rangoon. It was ok, but not outstanding. Always feel the need to run home and brush my teeth after eating at certain Chinese places. Can’t explain it, but some of you know what I mean.
So why 3 stars? Well, Panda Express is a big hit with young people and teenagers. Lawrence is the perfect town for Panda Express. They are always bright and clean establishments with plenty of hot food. Be sure to save your receipt and participate in the short survey in order to get a free entrée on your next visit. Not the cheapest place in town, but I’d rather eat at Panda Express than Hy-Vee’s Chinese Kitchen or some of the other disasters in Lawrence that offer so-​called Chinese food.
By the way; one of the best dishes ever served at Panda Express is their annual offering of ‘Firecracker Chicken’. It’s all white meat (breast) with a nice kick of dried red chillies found in East Asian cuisines. Why one of their best dishes are only offered occasionally, I have no idea.