Pei Wei

Sweet. Syrupy. Salty.
Were you surprised?
I’ve been an infrequent Pei Wei customer for about five years. I generally eat here about five times a year, then immediately wonder why. The food just isn’t that good.
Funny thing: I don’t think I have ever eaten at any other Pei Wei location. Just this one. But I imagine that the food is fairly consistent across the chain, so I will focus more on the location.
If you study here, work here or are here on business, Pei Wei is a likely choice because it’s quick and easy. They flip tables fairly quickly. And there is an outdoor patio that is kept nicely shaded. But be forewarned: The pigeons are well fed here, so you might find a flock staring you down whilst you they and enjoy your high-​sodium, high-​fructose eats.
There is also a separate cash register for to go orders — popular with folks who wok in the area.
The staff here work very quickly, and they tend to be helpful. It’s not a warm feeling — so probably best not to come here for a date, or if you are courting a prospective business partnership. It’s just too busy and loud.
One other challenge might be parking. Granted, there are two parking garages very near here. There is also metered parking.
But one boon, in addition to being immediately off campus, is that this location is along the Steetcar route and within the Main Gate Square — so lots of shopping and, sometimes, activities going down nearby.

Messed up my order, but made up for it by giving us lots of free food! Cute worker too.

I won’t call it Chinese food. Very greasy and the flavor just doesn’t ring a bell anything close to Chinese food.

A little disappointed. It was OK but, the Pei Wei on Broadway much better tasting food!

Over priced generic food. My husband ordered the vegetarian udon which was basically spaghetti and brown sauce. I had chicken lettuce wraps which were in a thick syrupy sauce. The wontons were soggy. But it was quick…

I have to first start by saying that my family and I love Pei Wei. We used to go all the time when living in California, frequented several locations when living in the Phoenix area, and will drive 30 minutes just to come to this location. We will now be extending to the drive by 20 minutes to go to the location that is farther north due to how uncomfortable it is to dine here.
I have no complaints about the staff or the food at this location. My complaint lies strictly with the environment. There is always a table full of 4 – 6 homeless people that are under the influence of some sort of substance and make it very uncomfortable when you’re dining or trying to get your drinks/​silverware/​sauces. They often say rude and inappropriate things and my husband and I have witnessed at least two drug deals while dining.
This is an establishment where we usually like to being our daughters and have a nice family meal. This is something that we no longer feel comfortable doing at this location. This is not a cheap fast food chain where you would expect to dine with intoxicated/​high homeless people. Pei Wei should definitely have done something a long time ago to fix this very obvious issue.

Bad Customer Service
We went at 8:50 and the first thing the lady at the counter said was she was closing at 9:00 and that we have to have a take out. This is the second time something like this happened with the same person at the counter. She always seems to be in a hurry during closing hours. Will never visit again

Average food from your stereotypical Americanized Asian restaurant. I ordered the Dan Dan noodles and got 80% noodles, 10% water (what I assumed to be sauce, but definitely didn’t coat anything), and 10% veggies/​chicken. It tasted fine, but mostly bland; pretty pricey for mostly noodles and water. The staff was super friendly, but that doesn’t make up for the pricey, boring food. I would skip over this place if you’re considering it.

Can’t say much about Pei Wei. The staff is friendly, but the food… It is just way too americanized and can not be called as chinese food at all.

Pei Wei is cheap and cheerful, corporate asian food. The consistency in service and quality is great. Even among locations. Parking is rough at the University, so I rarely go there. Especially for a chain asian place, but after happy hour sometimes you need a layer of pad thai.

I haven’t been back to this particular Pei Wei for a couple of years for two reasons: access and sodium. Access by car to this location is terrible. Parking is extremely limited plus it’s that backing in slant type. There is the optional parking garage a few blocks away, but that kind of defeats the purpose for fast food takeout for me.
If you’re health-​conscious, the food is good, BUT check the nutritional value. Come on. 5000 mg of sodium in an order of Pad Thai?
So, the food is pretty good, the restaurant is very pleasant, and they have the nicest takeout plastic flatware, napkins and carry out bags in the area. Nutrition/​Parking-​Conscious Buyer Beware!

As a college student with not much to eat on campus, I have been to Pei Wei frequently. It’s an okay place to eat– the prices are good for a location on campus, and they have a lot of food options. My complaint is that the food is pretty bad– the sushi I had was dry, the sauces in the bowls were a bit much, and the fried rice was oily and salty. But what can I say? It’s on campus and convenient. Perfect for starving college students.

Pretty solid food. Its an American style Chinese restaurant. No table service although this allows for cheaper prices this is the same company as PF Chang’s. Free fortune cookies as many as you want. They have oranges to garnish you orange green tea. We eat here at least once a month. Wish they had a reward program

This review is strictly on the food quality and taste. If it were based on the location, service and parking situation, it would be around 2 stars.
The food was delicious. What to order? Here’s what I ordered:
Chicken lettuce wraps — diced chicken in a some sort of sauce, the sauce is what really sets this dish apart. It’s fantastic.
Kung pao chicken — extra spicy on fried rice w/​o peanuts, this dish was by far the best one. The chicken is breaded and tossed in a spicy sauce and it’s got fresh snap peas and carrots.
Overall, the food was really good. I’m usually not a huge fan of Asian chain restaurants but the food is delicious.

I admit that I don’t like chain American pseudo Chinese food but heard much about it so decided to try it out. Just potstickers and edamame for a start, these can’t go wrong eh?
Well, edamame is fine except the serving is pitiful for the large size that we ordered — not satisfying.
Potsticker is the most horrid I’ve ever tasted. The skins were tough as cow hide, the filling dry and separated from the skin as if it’s the unwilling partner. Great disappointment as crispy but moist and tender potstickers are our favorite. The only redemption is that the potsticker sauce is good.
Don’t think I’m tempted to go back again.

If you want an ungodly amount of salt in your food. this is it! Prepare to be served food doused in sickly sauces and oil. Yes its cheap, yes its fast… and yes you will get sick if you traditionally eat very healthy and then end up here for a meal. If you have an ironclad stomach and rarely get sick from eating gross amounts of salty foods cooked in oil then this is the place for you! The only thing I ever get here if I am forced to eat here is a bowl of steamed rice. and some shrimp entrée with no sauce or sauce on the side. Even their healthy options here are oversalted or smothered in sauce.

I hope someone from Pei Wei corporate reads this review, because I’m writing it with the specific intention of them knowing how great the staff is at this location.
My husband, son and I have lunch here almost every week – it’s fast, food is always good, and it’s kid friendly. If you’ve been to any other Pei Wei (regional chain I think), it’s very consistent with the other Pei Weis.
What makes this place stand out is the service. One individual in particular is exceptional is Laine (Layne?). She always welcomes us, is kind, friendly and helpful. There’s a regular staff of familiar faces there, and they all couldn’t be more friendly folks.
There’s a lot of dining options on University. We go back to Pei Wei all the time, because they are great in dealing with my 3-​year old, food is always good, and the staff is always amazing.

So I actually hadn’t been to pei Wei in awhile because my chicken hadn’t been cooked properly a few times — now that time has passed we decided to try them again– and it was absolutely delicious and fully cooked chicken! We tried their new menu item the Thai Chili and Lime and it was delicious finished the entire plate — looked so yummy forgot to snap a pic (doh!) and then I tried the sesame chicken super yummy! Oh and the staff super friendly and helpful!

I start my review with a caveat that I am not a huge fan of chain restaurants and I am not a huge fan of Americanized, corporate Asian food.
That said, Pei Wei has never really been my first choice but the boyfriend had a craving so there you have it. He got the Pad Thai and I got the ginger beef as take out.
Pros: fast, cheap… I appreciate that they have restructured their menu to include an emphasis on gluten free items. Asian food is deceptive to the GF world since you think that a protein, veggies, and rice or rice based noodles should be an easy GF yes… Little do most restaurants publish that a fair amount of gluten finds it’s way into the sauce. Tricky. So, good for you Pei Wei, I genuinely appreciate that you are looking out for the Gluten sensitive of the world.
Cons: salt, salt, and a bit more salt. I am offended by any restaurant that markets and brands itself on the guise of being fresh and healthy when most of the menu items are boasting of a sodium content of 2,000 mg per serving or more. Setting aside my concern for my blood pressure and cardiovascular health, when I can’t eat my broccoli because it is so salty tasting, I would call that a fail.
Further fail: the beef in my ginger beef was indelibly tough and overcooked. I ended up spitting it out after chewing on it without success for about a minute. The tofu in the boy’s Pad Thai crumbled like sawdust because it was so overcooked. The veggies in his dish were the highlight of the two meals, well cooked so that they were still crunchy and not overly sauced. The beef was a bit on the well side but I could say that is more of a preference thing than a it’s inedible thing.
Moral to the story: next time Pei Wei comes up as a dinner choice, I don’t think I will cave in the spirit of compromise. Not coming back. There are so many better options that are local and truly fresh!

Truth be told, I don’t like Chinese food… at least not the Chinese food here in Tucson. Growing up in Los Angeles, there were so many authentic, delicious options available. In comparison, I find that most of the Chinese food here tastes like Panda Express.
But my husband loves it, so Pei Wei is our compromise. The ingredients are pretty fresh, there are plenty of vegetables to choose from, and since they stir-​fry everything made to order, they are happy to accommodate special requests. Sesame oil, stock, soy sauce, chili, yes please. Sugary, corn starchy, goopy sauces, no thank you. I like that brown rice is an option here, the orange ice tea with sliced oranges is refreshing, and the won ton soup is light and flavorful. Plus, the service is quick and efficient, so it’s a great place to come for lunch when you’re pressed for time. We’ve brought the kids here on the weekends, and it’s pretty easy to find menu items that appeal to them as well.
One of these days, maybe I’ll find a Chinese restaurant that appeals to me. For now, Pei Wei, you’re the one.