Petit Panda

I really enjoy the food options that Petit Panda offers compared to other Asian food carts. I love their chicken bento box with the sweet citrus sauce. Their egg dish is quite unique to me too. They have decent sized, healthy portions of food. The people that run the cart are very nice and personable. If there might be a concern about time, it may be because they cook the order from scratch. I have never had a disappointing experience at Petit Panda. I would always go back for the great food & excellent service.

That’s truly Chinese food！Ma-la-tang are tasty！Hope they have more spicy food.

Grumpy pig do it now!!!
Most amazing braised pork I have ever had. Covered in a spicy cinnamon sauce is the best way to describe it as the meat melts in your mouth. Get the grumpy pig you will not be disappointed!!!

Service was slow but friendly. Food was actually really good! Untill i found a frickin rubber band marinated in my frickin chickin! Enough said. NEVER going to that food cart hazard again.

A nice hipster couple runs this cart, and I like many of the small details they do. The food is just okay. Everythign has a smilar slightly soggy texture (I tired the pork and the chicken), and is pretty sweet when its not outright bland. That being said it’s not bad… just meh. Also the wait was pretty long and the portion was just okay.

Synopsis:
This review was written on their second day of operation. They have a lot going for them. For $ 5 – 6.50 you can get a small variety of pork or chicken dishes with cute names. We opted for the Frickin’ Chicken ($ 6.50), the Grumpy Pig ($ 6.50), and the Petit Pork Hero ($ 5.00). The attendant was surprised we ordered so much, but we are shooting for variety here!
As we ordered, we learned that they had just opened (they bought the cart from Masala, a non-​descript Indian cart) and the attendant was from Hainan, China, by way of Panama. When we asked for chopsticks, she said that they only served things with forks to make their food more accessible.
This made us worry a bit. «Accessible» food is usually altered to an idea of what people think their audience wants, not to an actual palate that is in reality. It’s like «Chinese and American» restaurants: it’s simply the worst of both worlds.
One of our dishes exemplified this miss: the Petit Pork Hero. The pork was marinated in a sweet-​soy sauce which worked really well. It was topped with a mildly spiced mayo which neither added nor detracted from the dish. But all of that sat on a soggy, uncooked, white-​bread hot dog bun (unlike their pictures, which features a more ciabatta/​grilled looking bun). Neither of us could force ourselves to eat the bun. It just looked… sad. The Frickin’ Chicken was better: it had a nice tang of an authentic Chinese vinegar and the rice was topped with a bit of nori-​sesame seasoning for a slightly oceanic flavor. The steamed broccoli accompaniment, though, was a limp, unappetizing addition – try stir-​frying it with garlic next time. The Grumpy Pig was the best of the three: marinated pork belly with a great selection of pickled vegetables and a side of rice. It felt fairly «authentic» to us.
We recommend that they go with the cooking of Hainan instead of trying to pander (say that like a Brit!) to their audience. There are zero Hainanese restaurants in town (in America?), and they’re off to a really good start.
Scores:
Time: It took us about 8 minutes to get our food. They cooked it fresh to order. We walked to the park and finished our meal in under 25 minutes, so we’re good for a quick meal.
Value-​3:
Maybe we were hungry that day, but the attendant’s quip about ordering three ended up being inaccurate: the two of us polished off all three (sans bun and broccoli) dishes pretty easily. We felt the portions were smallish, but that was reflected in the prices of around $ 6 a plate. So, this is a so-​so value.
Gut check at 3pm: I had to eat at 3:00. I was hungry.
Sustainability-​3: They use Go Box and organic chicken and vegetables. Again, good idea and good start, you guys. Their regular packaging, though, is totally plastic and not recyclable.
Fear Factor-​1: I think they’ve ameliorated any fears that a grandma would have: they have a super clean cart and a cute, disarming menu. There’s not a lot of challenge here, even flavor wise, we’re not pushing envelopes for people who eat even Americanized Chinese food. I would actually recommend that they up the fear factor in this case with something a bit more challenging to the American palate.
Staying Power-​3: This is hard to predict, of course, but based on their value and quality, I’m going with a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ here. I’d return to try this again with hopefully a few more daring entrees. Even without the daring entrees, I’d eat the Grumpy Pig again.
Creativity-​4: This is different from many of the Chinese places that tend to go the deep-​fried-​meats-​with-​sweet-​sour-​sauces direction. Petit Panda encompasses the fresher angle of authentic Chinese cooking, with marinated meats, pickled vegetables and steamed vegetables. And they have cute names for their food. The Petit Pork Hero was also quite a creative dish.

Get the Petite Pork! It’s super gingery and cooked-​all-​day tender, making for a very happy mouth with this light and bright tasting meal. The frickin chicken is made with a very sweet fruit, maybe a marmalade even, that was sweeter than I like my savories, but the pork completely makes up for it.

Reading the other reviews, perhaps I just got Petit Panda on a bad day. However, I was completely underwhelmed. Their service was A+, but the Frickin’ Chicken bowl was weak. The portion size was small for the price (Bento Box around the corner will give you double the amount for $ 1 more), the chicken tasted processed, and the only «vegetables» in my rice bowl were some yellowed pieces of iceberg lettuce and a few tomato slices.
I’m not saying I won’t go back, but there are so many other good food trucks on this block with similar-​but-​higher-​quality offerings for a comparable price.

I’ve had their Grumpy Pork and their chicken now and both were delicious. Portions are right for lunch and fairly priced at $ 6-​$ 7– you can add extra meat for $ 1.50. It’s fresh, tasty, and doesn’t fall back on frying the meat so its not too heavy.
Also worth noting that service was super friendly and polite and the nicely done cart/​branding doesn’t hurt. Definitely adding this to the weekly food cart rotation.

I’ve had most of their bentos now and they’re all tasty. I especially like the Grumpy Pig and Frickin Chicken. The Grumpy Pig meat is very tender and delicious. The Frickin chicken has a tasty sauce. I’m a fan of the pickled veggies and the rice with furikake.
I still need to try their drinks though…

My first time trying Petit Panda and I will definitely be back! A perfect portion size (filling but not too much/​over priced) and just succulent meat, crisp veggie, and full of flavor. Seriously, so much flavor. Got the chicken, which was so tender, I can’t believe I’ve ever eaten any other chicken. The sauce was tangy and citrusy but of course nice and salty. The broccoli salad was also superior, the sauce was much nicer then the typical plain steamed broccoli. And the proportion of veggie to rice to meat was just right. All served in a GO box, which is awesome (less waste). The owners are very friendly and sweet, I will definitely be trying everything on the menu. Which is limited, as a good food cart should be. Keep up the great work, Petit Panda!