Panda Express

Convenient location.
You can shop all day on the three floors at MacArthur Mall or check out a movie or two, then grab a bite to eat in the food court.
So yeah Panda Express is located on the 3^rd floor in the Food Court of MacArthur Center Mall. The mall usually opens at 11am and I assumed the food court opens up at that time too.
Well because of the New Year’s Day sales, I was at the mall since 9am. It’s about 1055am and I’m hungry. I stepped in the Panda Express line and one of the employees advised, they will be ready to serve in a few minutes.
It’s 1105 am now and they still aren’t ready to open up. I’m thinking this must be some mistake; they weren’t ready at the appropriate time. Nevertheless, about 1130am they were open for business.
Everything is visible for all to see before deciding on what to get. They offer samples to help you decide on what to choose from.
I tried something new today. The Beijing Beef (I think that’s what it’s called) with noodles and the spring rolls. I usually get the kids meal portion but today I chose the bowl.
Well my sample piece was good but my meal was just ok. The beef was a bit tough. It seemed like it was cooked awhile before they opened up. Very disappointed!
The restaurant just opened up… we were their first customers. As a result, my food shouldn’t of been anything less than fresh and hot. :(
This was my second visit here and I’m definitely not a fan. Now I must say the portions are generous and the service is friendly. But I came for the food!
Oh well, not sure if I’ll return again, but they do have several options to choose from so you’re likely to find something that peeks your interest.
I highly recommend you sample what you plan on ordering. But as you have read sometimes that doesn’t help.
Go at your own risk.
Enjoy life :)

The orange chicken I received was very good nice and crispy with flavorful citrus sauce and the teriyaki chicken was tasty as well with a nice crisp breast and good traditional teriyaki sauce. The chow mein noodles though were rubbery and tasted like they had been cooked in burnt water there was a very strong smoke flavor that was not very palatable. I would choose a different establishment next time I feel like Chinese

This is located in MacArthur mall. Love their Kung Pao Chicken! Just beware, it’s spicy and has peanuts.
Most of the staff seems pretty polite; however, the cashier handed me my change and just walked away. No «thank you», and didn’t acknowledge me when i thanked her for my change.

I am recovering from the worst food poisoning I have had in my life. I had the brown rice with the chicken broccoli kale. I didn’t finish the dish because it didn’t taste good.
I stopped in north folk … On my way to the south and almost made it to the hotel before I threw up all my food in my car.
I am now eating toast.
Stay away!

Panda is like comfort food to me – you can find it pretty much anywhere you go and they always have your favorites. Not all locations are alike, though.
I came in around dinner time with one person in front of me and it took 5 minutes before they took my order. These customers were a little slow, but the employee was VERY slow taking and filling their order. When she got to me she did offer me a sample of chicken, which was nice. My go-​to, somewhat healthy option is a panda bowl with chow-​mein and chicken with mushrooms. She didn’t make much of an effort to top off the bowl, which I thought was strange since I doubt they would get much more business later anyway.
The thing that will keep me from coming back to this location was the taste. I would bet that the food I bought (at $ 6+) had been sitting there for at least 4 hours. The noodles were rubbery and the chicken/​mushrooms were soggy.
Overall I still like panda, but this location is a little sad (probably the reason why it’s always so empty when I pass by it). Unless you’re really hungry or willing to take a chance of getting non-​fresh food, I’d say skip this location.