Panda North

I wish I could give this place more stars because the staff are friendly and the food that I’ve had is good… but they have some serious issues that prevent me from giving more.
I’ve had a couple of dishes from their regular menu, but mostly, my husband and I stick to the all-​you-​can-​eat sushi menu ($ 22 for dinner). I think that it’s pretty consistent in taste and quality which I would say is somewhere maybe in the B-​C range… but definitely not on the same level as a high-​end sushi restaurant (you get what you pay for). So, if that’s what you’re looking for… move along.
We really enjoy the all-​you-​can-​eat special… however, as of late, I only order one roll and maybe a spring roll to go with it. We were told that even though you’re ordering from the special sushi menu, they still itemize out what you order so if you don’t order more than $ 22 worth of food, they will only charge you for what you do eat. Nice deal, right? Well… in theory, yes. But watch your bill. I have been been charged twice now for the full $ 22 special price when all I ordered was a panda roll and veggie spring roll (should cost somewhere around $ 10 — $ 12). I brought it up both times to the server and manager, and they changed the bill for me, but not without asking me if I ate any of my husbands food. I guess it’s a fair question… some people take advantage. But it felt a little odd to me.
The other issue I have with this place is the slow service. Depending on the night and who is waiting on us, we can sit there for 20 plus minutes before someone will come to even get a drink order. What’s frustrating is this will happen when there are literally only two other tables in the restaurant being waited on. I wish they would devote a little more time to training their staff on quicker turnaround/​table service. It would really improve the customer experience.
Lastly…this place is a dive. I so would love to submit this place for a restaurant makeover on HGTV. It really needs some TLC. That said, this little place has grown on me and I’ve come to love it as is, but I do make an effort not to look too closely at the corners and definitely try not to use the bathroom.
This place has a lot of potential… and it definitely hits the spot for me and my husband when we’re in the mood to chow down on some sushi and not pay an arm and a leg for it.

Three of us ate here for lunch with my wife ordering all you can eat sushi ($ 16.95), my daughter the pad thai, and I the Thai red curry.
The sushi was rice-​heavy with excessive amounts of mayonnaise.
The pad thai greasy/​vinegary lacking in flavor.
The red curry was flavorless and unlike any red curry I’ve ever had. Instead of a soupy, tangy, coconut broth poured over rice, this curry had the appearance of stir fry with a thick coating reminiscent of corn starch.
The décor features plastic/​rubbery tablecloths with matching seats. The carpet old and dark. The whole place feels as if it’s slowly being reclaimed by the body of water below.
Asked whether everything was okay when the waitress noticed my dish with only a few bites taken, pushed to the side, I informed her how unsatisfactory I found the «red curry.» Her response amounted to, «It is too bad you did not like it.» I was surprised to see the item still on our bill.
We will not be back.

I love this place! Being from kind of a small tourist town, I’m used to places that look w little rough around the edges, so if that doesn’t bother you give this place a try! The miso soup could use work but the sushi is actually really good quality for its price and the restaurant has an extensive menu to choose from! The tempura, friend rice and phad Thai are all really good! Sometimes the staff can be absent minded but they have such a huge menu and they try very hard! I’m pretty sure it’s family run too so that’s pretty cool!

We are regulars here. Love the sushi rolls. Sometimes the service is a little slow, but we go for the sushi. You can’t go wrong with the Philadelphia Roll, California Roll, Spicy Tuna or Panda Rolls – these are by far our favorites. We try to come at least once a month, if not more. Don’t let the dated atmosphere fool you, the food is definitely up to date.

Came here a few times, the first couple times they had fresh sushi and good food. Then the quality keeps going downhill, the last time we went there, the quality was so poor we decided not to go there anymore

Spent a lot of time talking to the owner on a very snowy day. He was so much fun to talk to and learn things from.
For the most part this is a Sushi bar. For those who say its limited, yes it is limited with other option, but isn’t limited as far as sushi options.
I had California Roll, Traverse City Roll, Shrimp Roll, Octopus Roll, Squid Roll, and Eel. All of it was amazing. My husband had all vegetable rolls with the exception of California. We both got dumpling soup and he got a bunch of other stuff. Their menu is pretty standard for sushi house. You get it and then check off what you want.
It is $ 16.95 all you can eat. Better start small and work your way up. If you order and can’t eat you will be charged for what you don’t eat. Good way to break up the waste or charge those who are just trying to take stuff home.
I have eating at a lot of sushi houses around our state. While this place isn’t the best in the state, it is still really good.

With limited Chinese restaurants in Traverse City, there really isn’t anywhere else to go, especially at this price point. I wish Panda North was better, but it is just okay. I rarely ever eat in the restaurant (I think I have only 2 times in the 10 years I’ve lived here), but I usually order take-​out. The inside of the restaurant is definitely nothing special and family owned. Half of the restaurant has been turned into their family living/​play area, which is very tacky. If you order take-​out, ALWAYS make sure you received everything you ordered. I will say, 80% of the time I’m missing something, whether it is fried rice that I paid $ 2 more for, a sushi roll, or even a full entrée. Not getting everything I paid for happens when I’m ordered for just me, 2 people, or 6 people — it seems to always happen! Last night they forgot the fried rice, even after I waited 5 more minutes because they were still making it, but somehow it never ended up in my take-​out order.
Regarding the food — I usually stick with the staple entrees and sushi. Their sushi is average, but you have to understand you get what you pay for. It is nothing like Red Ginger, but you are also paying half of the price. If I’m craving sushi, but don’t want to go to Red Ginger, I will order from Panda North (or just go to Meijer deli). The sweet & sour chicken is always good, but you only get two pieces of pineapple and green peppers, where I wish there was more. The sesame chicken is hit and miss — sometimes the meat is perfect and other times it seems very old, hard, and gross. The egg drop soup is always good and the egg rolls are again hit or miss.
Another issue I have is the prices are never the same. You can look online at their menu to order take-​out, but go in and pay 1 to 2 more dollars for everything you ordered, and it seems to randomly never be the same. Half of the time I feel they just make up prices as they go or they try & go off of memory, but it is never the same.
ALWAYS:
1. Double check your take-​out orders to make sure you are receiving everything you paid for because they always forget something.
2. Double check your tab and make sure you are being charged the correct amount.

Service can be a little slow sometimes but it’s a family run business without a lot of extra staff. Food is consistent every time we go. My sister and I come in for sushi a couple times a month and we have never been disappointed. It’s not the best I’ve ever had but it’s definitely not the worst and it’s the only ayce place for miles haha. Everyone is always friendly here and we keep coming back

Great sushi and wonderful staff. Just don’t be misled by their «all you can eat sushi bar». It’s not one flat rate as long as you eat everything out is but if you don’t they charge you a large carte for what’s left over. Nice atmosphere and staff.

Very good! Their all you can eat sushi is amazing! The service was a little slow and the staff wasn’t the friendliest, but the sushi made up for it! I recommend the crunchy spicy salmon roll!

my least favorite sushi experience ever… I was in town for a conference and we decided to go here for a quick lunch. I ordered 4 rolls, the sushi chef told me that I only needed 2 to start? lol I informed him that we is was on tight schedule and I wanted all of my order, about 15 mins later 2 rolls are handed to me? I ate the very bland over riced rolls, my coworker was still waiting for his order when I cashed us out. the host was great.

I was hoping for better even though I knew an all-​you-​can-​eat sushi place could be iffy. But I have had amazing AYCE sushi several times with great quality and portions at Fujiyama in Grand Rapids for around the same price.
Unfortunately this place could not compare. My order (2 rolls and 6 pieces of sushi) took over 30 minutes to arrive. They intentionally use ridiculous amounts of rice to try and fill you up. Removing half the rice from my sushi pieces helped restore a bit of fish-​to-​rice balance. Tough though with the very thin cuts of fish. Wonder if they will charge me for not eating that overly heavy/​gummy rice ball. I will say that the quality of the sushi was decent. Not worth a return trip, but I don’t have any fear of being sick tonight.

Up here in Michigan it is hard to find anything but burgers and I am so glad my husband and I stopped here one day about 2 years ago. We have been going often since then because the sushi is amazing. We always get the all you can eat, the Panda Roll is his favorite I like the Rainbow Roll and there is so much to chose from. It is about $ 20 per person AND YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR THE SUSHI YOU DON“T EAT so only order a few items at a time. We go here with our friends and they get the chinese and they love it.
The building that its in looks a little run down but don’t let that turn you away!
Also great view of the swans that are usually in the river.

Good sushi for a great price! AYCE lunch sushi buffet for $ 16.95. Not your typical buffet-​you order from a menu then it is prepared to order.

Growing up we used to order take out from here a lot… I mean a lot. I have very fond memories of opening those take out boxes and loading up my plate.
Now I haven’t indulged in their take out in quite some time since I live on the opposite side of town; however, I have indulged, and I mean INDULGED, in the AYCES (all you can eat sushi). AYCES means you pay a flat rate (I think 22.95) per person and then you order what you want and they make it to order… we typically go with another couple and make a night of it and proceed to eat so much that we have to be rolled out of there. AYCES choices include a ton of sushi options, egg rolls, rangoons, tempura appetizers, soups and I am ton of other things I am forgetting to mention. There is one catch: you pay for what you don’t eat. Just order in waves and you will be all set.
Tip: Do yourself a favor and order a godzilla roll or two!

Prior to dating my girlfriend, I had only tried sushi a few times. Each time I had to rush it thru my mouth and drink it down. I was never able to get past the idea of raw fish and sea weed. Last year my girlfriend made me try sushi at Panda North. She loves sushi so I was obligated to try it again. I got the most simple roll there is, a Philadelphia roll. Setting my per-​notions aside, I was able to eat it and actually enjoy it. I had a couple pieces of her Panda roll and Shrimp Tempura roll and was soon hooked. We’ve recently moved down to Grand Rapids and have tried half a dozen places down here and none compare to Panda North. Whenever we go up north, we make it a priority to stop at Panda North.
The restaurant itself is a mid 90’s Chinese restaurant décor that is very ugly and outdated. Don’t let this fool you though.
The prices per roll are okay but a much better deal is their all you can eat buffet. You pay one set price $ 16.95 for lunch before 4:00 or $ 22.95 for dinner after 4:00. All rolls on the buffet are made to order. The dinner buffet has a few more specialty rolls and more soups and appetizers than the lunch. If you love sushi then you know how expensive it can be and will realize these prices are very reasonable.

The hubs and I ordered take out, so this is simply a review based on the chow. We had egg drop soup and chicken coconut soup for starters. I absolutely loved the chicken coconut soup. The hubs had beef pad thai and that was super tasty. I ordered the thai vegetable red curry and was very happy with my selection — be careful with the spice level you order!

Very friendly service and the sushi was delicious. Really hit the spot after so much pub type food during our trip.

Since my trip to Firefly for sushi had less than stellar results, I had pretty low expectations for the sushi here. Walking through the door, we were greeted with a very odd smell, which I was a bit disturbed by. There were two menus — one for the all-​you-​can-​eat sushi, and a regular menu. After perusing them for several minutes, all of us decided to order from the regular menu. I was pretty skeptical of the sushi, and decided to go with a bento box, with salmon nigiri on the side. The other members of my party ordered different sushi plates and rolls. I was horrified to see the miso soup served with a side of crackers. The nigiri was mediocre. I was also pretty disappointed in the bento box, as the chicken was dry and bland, and the veggie tempera consisted of some peppers, onions, and and one piece of broccoli. The other folks at the table agreed that it wasn’t fabulous sushi, but it served as a sort of comfort food after being stuck in Michigan for a month now. The one stellar offering is the sweet potato roll.
There was only one sushi chef working, so our table of five people received our food in dribs and drabs, which was too bad for the last person who was just starting to eat when the first of us had finished.

Well then. I went into Panda North with my friend and his family for his birthday. He’s a big fan of sushi and Japanese food to begin with, so his parents and their spouses kind of had to suck it up. I have to say, I was excited, as I hadn’t had this stuff in a while.
We ended up ordering a whole variety of things, but my heart was won when I saw they had a page of Thai entrees. Now, they were limited and kind of Americanized, but that’s alright– I’ve gotten used to it.
Anyway, the staff were nice, helpful, and obviously determined to do the best they could. If nothing else they have that going for them. The food was good. Not anything spectacular, but I would, without a doubt, go in there again if I was craving some Chinese.
It is a little pricey, so be careful. It adds up fast when you’re paying between 10 and 15 dollars a dish, but realistically speaking, Traverse City is not going to offer you much better Asian cuisine. Golden Chopsticks is good, Dynasty is getting there (woot woot!), and I’ve heard mixed reviews about Red Ginger though I’ve never been in myself.