Alaska Airlines, Flight 20, SFO-JFK

Update Review, December 2025 Flight

I know this by now, but, it does still always slightly surprise me.  The Alaska first class experience really is ... nothing like any of the competition.  And I don't mean that in a good way.  It just is lackluster on nearly every dimension - seat comfort (horrible!), layout (2-2), amenities (super thin blanket, nothing else), wine selection (just one red, one white, one sparkling), attentiveness and service ... communication ... but, it is sooo much cheaper than everyone else, and thus, I'm stuck with it.

Our flight did disconnect from the jet bridge on time, so technically pushback on time, but we spent quite a while waiting around, and eventually joined the queue of planes in line for takeoff.  No proactive communication nor information provided, unlike other airlines that well tell you "Well, we've pushed back, but we are waiting on X" or even "We are number Y for takeoff".  Just, nothing.  

In fact there was just no communication from the flight deck at all.  The seatbelt sign was literally never turned off the entire flight, and no mention of this was made.  We hit some fairly significant turbulence, and no warning given.

The FAs served us our meal, cleaned it up, and vanished.  So, service-wise, eh.  Comfort? Miserable, my back hurt within 15 minutes.  But they got me, and my bags, there, relatively on time, and it was cheap (comparatively).

Menu.

The menu had 5 options: 1 meat, 1 chicken, 1 seafood, 1 vegetarian, or the standard fruit/cheese platter.  It was filled with things that were all almost tempting.  I didn't want the short rib or broccolini, but wanted the chow-fun rice noodles and roasted butternut squash that came with that dish.  I read so many great reviews of the shrimp option, and I like shrimp, but I wasn't excited about the risotto, the favas, nor the lime sauce that completed the dish.  People love the vegetarian curry, and I like cauliflower, but I'm not thrilled about turmeric or cumin spices, nor the rice and edamame sides.  And a cheese platter isn't a meal to me.  And thus, a crazy choice on my part: chicken ravioli.

"Red Wine" & Seltzer.

Drink orders were taken once underway, and our pre-orders for meal confirmed.  I asked for the red wine; the FA didn't know what varietal it was.  I also had sparkling water, just standard Polar brand.  The red wine was inoffensive, but also quite boring.  As is standard with Alaska.  No nuts were provided, which I had forgotten they don't do.  Not that I necessarily wanted them, but it did feel like yet another bit of lesser service, a missing element.

Meal.

Our meals were served about an hour after takeoff, row by row.  On the tray was my main dish I expected, plus a small side salad, roll, and ... wow, and appetizer too?  I wasn't expecting that.  The menu online and in the app didn't give any details on these other elements, so the salad toppings and existence of an appetizer were a surprise to me.  Also included were salt & pepper, Sysco butter, and balsamic vinaigrette.  I didn't particularly like the meal, but much of that was my own preferences, not a fault of the catering.

Carrots.

The appetizer was chilled cooked and spiced carrots, sprinkled with I think feta, and sliced almonds.  I guess they were fine, but I mostly only like raw carrots, I dislike feta, and wasn't into the spicing.  If this was listed on the menu, I would have asked to skip it.  I used the almonds and the springs of whatever the green were on my own creation of a dish using bits and pieces from all of the others.  I can't really judge this, as it just isn't something I like, but I don't think there was anything wrong with it.

Roll.

The roll was warm, soft, and loaded with seeds.  It was decent.  It didn't taste stale nor dried out.  Good to soak up sauce. 3/5.

Salad.

The salad was pretty small, and not exciting to me: arugula (fresh enough, crisp), with sunflower seeds and tons of dried cranberries.  I picked off the toppings the best I could as I didn't want them, and added my own salad ingredients and some components from the other dishes to at least utilize the arugula.  I don't like balsamic vinaigrette so I didn't try that, but I had my own condiments bag with me. 2.5/5, there was nothing wrong with this, just not toppings/dressing I care for.

Smoked Chicken Ravioli.

"Smoked chicken ravioli in a caramelized onion cream, paired with roasted kabocha squash and garlic shallots, finished with aromatic dukkah spices."

And finally, the main dish, the ravioli.

This was a mixed bag for me, as expected.  I got this because 1) I love kabocha squash, 2) I loved the idea of garlic shallots, 3) caramelized onion cream sounded great, and 4) I have had some great pasta on Alaska flights before.  I choose to look past the fast that, well, I hate chicken, and didn't really want dukkah spice.

The highlight?  100% that squash.  It was super flavorful, well cooked (not mushy), and there were two good size pieces of it.  I was very happy with that squash.  4.5/5 squash.  The garlic shallots really seemed to just be soft cooked shallots (I didn't detect garlic) but they were pretty delightful too. 4/5.

Then there was the sauce ... I wanted to love it, but the first few bites, I was really displeased with it.  I'm not quite sure why, but I just wasn't into it.  It was a orangey color that made my brain think squash, and it was a mushy puree like baby food, so nothing like what I was picturing as a caramelized onion cream.  I wanted it to be less puree-like, more cream forward, and, well, just something different.  But once I adjusted to it, I did appreciate the sorta oniony taste to it.  I used it as a sauce on my salad and stuffed pieces of bread with it, and did lap it all up.  3/5 sauce.

Ravioli: Inside.

And then of course the ravioli.  4 very large size pieces, much larger than standard ravioli.  They were kinda over cooked, pretty soft.  However edges where there was no sauce were a bit dried out in a way that was almost like al dente, so I amusingly liked those bits more than the parts that were what I assume was "properly" cooked.  The ravioli was stuffed very full of a ricotta? mixture, that had bits of chicken in it.  No big hunks of chicken or anything.  Kinda standard ricotta filling.  I'm pretty lukewarm on ricotta soft ravioli to begin with, so this was all pretty "meh" to me, but other than being kinda too soft/mushy, it was likely fine.  Low 2/5 for me, but, again partially due to preferences.

So overall, I'll give this a low 3/5: I was happy to use the sauce, veggies, and edges of the ravioli with my bread, almonds, arugula, and my own additional vegetables, but I can't say it was something I'd get again.

Dessert: Salt & Straw ice cream.

A while after our meals were cleared, ice cream was offered.  A seasonal Salt & Straw Alaska exclusive as always, this time, Peppermint Cookies & Cream.  I believe this was rotated in on Dec 1, after the Pumpkin Spice Latte I had in September that stuck around all fall.  It was served at a decent eating temperature, not rock solid.  No bowl provided, just the mini tub.

Salt & Straw Peppermint Cookies & Cream.

It was ... ok.  Mine wasn't properly sealed, and it was a bit freezer burnt.  I wanted more peppermint flavor.  I feel like a broken record here, but, I don't really like cookies & cream in general (really, I don't care for Oreos), so I wished it was something more like mint chip, but I think this is likely a crowd pleaser.  Low 3/5.

About an hour or so before landing a snack basket was passed with Lesser Evil cheddar popcorn, Community All Dressed chips, Kind granola bar (blueberry I think?), and lemon Skinny Dipped almonds.  I grabbed the popcorn and almonds, as always.

Update Review, August 2024 Flight

I don't fly with Alaska Airlines much (in fact, I hadn't flown with them at all until 2 years ago), so I am not yet well calibrated to the service and food standards.  Overall, it seems to me like a good compromise airline: the prices are generally lower, the food is decent, the service and amenities minimal, the comfort mediocre.  So, depending on your priorities, a compromise on something at least.

Flight Details:

• Flight #: 20
• Departure: 1:25pm (scheduled) 3:12pm (actual)
• Arrival: 9:25pm (scheduled) 
• Route: SFO to JFK
• Seat 3C

Service & Amenities

There is not much to say about Alaska amenities as there isn't much to them.  

Seatback.

Standard domestic first class seat, that at least has under seat storage, and a small cocktail table with cup holder, but little else.  Not a very comfortable seat, no adjustments other than recline.  Yay for a foot rest.  Thin blanket provided.  No pillow.  No seatback tvs.  Pay for wifi. It is fine for short flights, but definitely leaves much to be desired for transcon.

A pre-departure beverage of water, orange juice, or a can of sparkling wine was offered.  I selected the sparkling wine, and was handed the can.  Before takeoff, orders for drinks to have post departure were taken, and our pre-orders confirmed.  Those who didn't pre-order really did not fare well.  The first person got the chicken (only 1 loaded), the next two had a choice of salmon or pasta, the 4th person had only salmon option, and the rest ... sorry there is nothing.  No main dishes left.  This seems like a mis-cater? They were offered a snack box from the back.  Wow.

Service was not particularly friendly, and remarkably not proactive.  Empty drink glasses were never collected.  Refills never offered.  I saw every passenger need to lightly aggressively get attention to take their empty glasses away.  I was particularly amazed when I asked for two more drinks (water and wine), and was handed them, and the two empties I had on my tiny cocktail table were not taken as they were delivered.  He just gave me two more, even with no where to put them.  

Food & Drink

PDB: Waterbrook Brut Bubbles.

The pre-departure offering of sparkling wine was Waterbrook Brut.  The can was handed to me unopened, but chilled.  It wasn't bad really. I don't gravitate towards bubbles, but it had a nice balance of dryness and sweetness.  ***.

I'd get it again.

Wine & Sparkling Water.

Once underway, I started with red wine.  No choice of reds, and no explanation given of what varietal, let alone winemaker.  Served in what I think of as a water glass, tall and thin.  Not really what you want for red wine.  Anyway, it was fine, average, table wine though, very fruit forward, no real structure to it.  At least low acid and tanin. Bo-ring.  Low ***.

I also asked for sparkling water.  I was not given the option to decline ice.  It came with more ice than water, and I needed a refill nearly immediately.

Tip Top Old Fashioned.

Later on I moved on to an old fashioned, as I've enjoyed them before on Alaska flights (they are the canned Tip Top brand).  It was served with more ice than cocktail, and got watered down far too fast.  But otherwise was great, very boozy, very classic old fashioned. ***+.

Nuts.

Awhile after, not with our beverages, nuts were brought.  Lightly warm.  Good mix of almonds, cashews, and pecans.  Very low (if any?) salt level.  ***.

Finished beverages were not proactively cleared when the nuts were brought (a theme throughout the meal).

Menu.

Alaska does have a fair amount of variety in their meal choices, even for a domestic flight, I had 5 options, including fish (salmon), white meat (chicken), red meat (well, just sausage in a pasta), vegetarian, or, a cheese plate.  Pre-order was available.  

As I don't like cooked salmon, chicken, or quinoa/rice, my decision was easy.  Pasta it was, and the dish did sound pretty interesting, better than the standard ravioli choices so many airlines tend to do for pasta.  Shells, creamy cheese sauce, now we are talking!

All dishes are served with salad, bread, and dessert, although not listed on the menu.  Tray tables were not pre-set with table clothes prior to meals being delivered.

Tray.

My meal tray arrived unceremoniously and was served without a word, e.g. no "here we have the pasta" or anything.  My drinks were empty, but no refills were offered.  The tray included a salad, bread with pat of butter, and salt/pepper packet, along with napkin and cutlery. 

Roll.

The roll was warm, and not bad actually.   Simply white roll, but soft, good chew to it, and most importantly, not stale.  Better than average airline bread.  It was perfect for soaking up the chili crisp from the pasta, and the pesto from the salad. ***+.

Appetizer: Salad.

The salad was meager in the greens department, just some very sad compressed spinach that really didn't seem fresh.  The body of the salad was 3 balls of mozzarella, 4 juicy sundried tomatoes, and pesto.  The sundried tomatoes and pesto were both really quite flavorful, and I enjoyed them with the bread.

* greens, ** as a salad, but *** for those two components.   

Pasta Primavera with Italian Sausage.

"Pasta shells tossed in a creamy white cheddar cream sauce, served with summer squash, sun-dried tomatoes, edamame beans, and savory Italian sausage. Topped lightly with a chili crisp."

The main attraction, the pasta.

Well ... this was a very mixed bag.  As you can likely see, the "creamy white cheddar cream sauce" was ... not there.  At all.  It wasn't on the bottom of the dish.  It wasn't anywhere.  I was looking forward to that creamy cheese sauce, but alas, I had plain pasta.  That said, the shells were well cooked, not mushy, not totally dried out.  The chili crisp oil was flavorful, and added something to it at least.  The edamame were tender and tasted fresh if that makes sense, the sausage was actually very good, classic Italian sausage.  The tomatoes in here were different from the sundried tomato in the salad, they seemed just like roasted tomatoes, although the menu said they were sundried.  Juicy.  The squash I didn't care for at all, patty pans, that were just strangely bitter.

So, meh to the squash, yay to the sausage and chili crisp in particular, and better than average pasta, but a shame I didn't actually have any cheese sauce ... *** overall despite the lacking sauce.

Dessert: Salt & Straw Strawberry Rhubarb with Cinnamon Crumble.

We all finished our meals.  All trays were cleared.  No refills were offered.  No empty drink cups collected.  I thought ... dessert must be coming next right?  I waited and waited.  No sign of dessert.  An hour passed.  I finally asked if there was a dessert.  I was told there should have been.  The FA who I asked seemed as confused as me that it hadn't happened.  About 10 minutes later, it came out.  Served directly in the tiny tubs, with a far too big spoon to go with it.

It was Salt & Straw ice cream, as per usual with Alaska.  For the summer, they introduced two new flavors on flights, and I was quite happy to see that we had the strawberry rhubarb with cinnamon crumble flavor.  I don't think this is sold directly by Salt & Straw to consumers, I think it is a special collaboration with Alaska.  The ice cream featured swirls of strawberry rhubarb jam and cinnamon snickerdoodle cookie pieces.

It was served quite hard, but it did melt nicely eventually.  It was fabulous ice cream, smooth, rich, creamy, and the fruity swirls of jam were quite flavorful.  I liked the texture from the softened snickerdoodle bits.  It was a flavor I could enjoy on its own without adding too much to it (although, of course, I did add some fresh strawberries too).

****.

Original Review, August 2023 Flight

Flight Details

Flight: AS 20

Aircraft: 737-9 Max

Departure: SFO, 2:25pm

Arrival: JFK, 10:25 pm

Seat: 3D

Service

This was my second ever flight with Alaska Airlines, and my first longer flight (previously I had only flown SFO-SEA, which you can read about here).  We were slightly delayed boarding because the plane was deemed too hot to be safe (!), and then slightly delayed pushing back because bags were still being loaded, but, the delays were minor, we took off only 15 minutes late.  We had significant tailwinds helping us still arrive early.

No PDB, although there was boxed water at our seats.  No amenity kits, no pillow, but a thin blanket was waiting at our seat.  It was really quite cold on board, and the little blanket didn't do much to help.   The flight attendant was efficient, but barely spoke to us.  She wasn't unfriendly, she just ... didn't really talk to us.  No hello, meal trays dropped off without a word, no offers of refills, that sort of thing.

Food & Drink

The main meal served is ... linner.  The timing of the meal on this flight is definitely awkward, 3:40pm in SF time, 6:40pm in New York time.  Too late for lunch where we came from, too early for dinner, but, at what will be dinner time where we are headed.  When there was exactly 2 hours remaining, a snack basket was passed with Border Canyon chips, Lesser Evil popcorn, Kind bars, beef jerky, and Karma toasted coconut cashews.  I was pretty happy to see the popcorn, as it is definitely my snack of choice, and the flavored nuts definitely called out.  I've had many of Lesser Evil's popcorns before, but had never tried their basic Himalayan Gold, which is what the snack basket contained.  Drink refills were also offered.

Drink Menu.

Orders for our drinks were taken once underway. There was only one choice for red wine, even though the menu listed two. 

Seltzer, Nuts.

Our drinks were served with a small thing of nuts (almonds, cashews, tiny bits of pecans). Not warm.  The sparkling water was Polar seltzer.  I was given a (mini) can and ice, it wasn't poured for me.  No offer of lemon nor lime garnish.

Ste Chapelle Winery Red Blend.

I went for the red wine, which turned out to be Ste Chapelle Winery Red Blend.  This is a cheap $12 bottle, definitely not as premium of wine offerings as the competitors on this route.

It was non-offensive.  No complexity at all, but, not too much tanin nor acid, so it was fine.  ***.

Straightaway Oregon Old Fashioned.

"The Old Fashioned is revered for its versatility and simplicity. This variation on the classic speaks to wistful days spent in Milton-Freewater, OR, and we’ve transposed our fondness for the Pacific Northwest bouquet into our own bitters. Whether consumed around a mountain-top campfire or from the safety of your drawing room, tradition has it that one’s first Old Fashioned should be served by a friend."

Later on, I moved on to the Old Fashioned, which I'd had before.  I was handed a can, and glass of ice.  Not poured for me, no garnish.  I still thought it was a nice cocktail though, same as my previous review.  ***+.

Menu.

The menu was available online to pre-order, which I did.  Pre-order gave 5 options, 2 of which were pre-order exclusives (the fruit & cheese plate and vegetarian white bean chili).  I nearly went for the chicken dish, not for the chicken obviously, as I'm extremely chicken adverse, but, for the grits, asparagus, and lemon caper sauce, all things I quite like!  But I opted for the lemon fennel manicotti instead.  

For those who didn't pre-order, they could select from the 3 onboard choices.  Well, technically they could.  The steak ran out in row 1, seat A.  Um, yeah.  They loaded 1 for the entire non-preorder cabin!  The chicken ran out in row 3.  I was surprised how few people had pre-ordered, perhaps lots of upgrades?

Meal service was pretty quick, with the first row getting served at exactly the 1 hour post-takeoff mark, mine arrived within 10 more minutes.

Linner.

So at 3:40pm, my meal showed up.  I had eaten a fair amount in the lounge (mac and cheese!), and definitely wasn't particularly interested in food at this point.  Which turned out to be fine, as the meal was pretty lackluster.

Meals come all one one tray, with a roll, salad, the entree you ordered, along with butter, and packet of salt and pepper.

Bread, Butter, Dressing.

The roll was lightly warm.  Pretty average airline quality.  Not stale, but, not particularly good, no real crust to it, just, soft. 

Salad dressing was fairly solid, seemed to be lemon vinaigrette.  Butter also very solid, impossible to spread. 

**.

Salad.

The menu didn't provide any details on the salad, and everyone got the same.  It was just mixed greens, with a few bites of cooked beets, a few pickled red onions, and goat cheese.  Given that I loathe goat cheese, and don't really care for beets, this was a miss for me, but, I suspect if you liked those things, and liked the lemon vinaigrette, this was a decent salad.  The greens were fresh and crisp.  **+.

It was also served in a bowl that was kinda too small, it was hard to eat without bits falling out.

Lemon Fennel Manicotti.

"Lemon ricotta stuffed pasta | grilled baby fennel | tomato basil ragout."

The main dish was served moderately warm.  I certainly wanted it hotter.  The portion was three large manicotti, plus a decent amount of fennel and the chunky tomato ragout.  

The pasta was microwave dinner quality.  The pasta itself was not dried out or overcooked at least, but was as boring as it gets.  The filling was, well, ricotta.  Some minor lemon flavor.  Very, very boring, and essentially cafeteria/frozen dinner quality.  I gave up on it after eating one of the three tubes. *+ pasta.

I did like the fennel, it was well cooked and flavorful, and the chunks of tomato and onion in the ragout were tasty as well.  *** toppings.

I combined the salad + fennel + tomatoes + onions to make a quasi-ok dish, but I certainly wouldn't get this again.  I wish I had gone for the chicken, just for the grits, asparagus, and tasty sauce.

Salt & Straw Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons.

"Our reimagination of the classic. We spike our cream with just enough Guatemalan fleur de sel to bring out its nuances, then drizzle in ribbons of our hand-burned caramel."

After our trays were cleared, the flight attendant came through offering ice cream.  Just as I was shocked by how many people didn't pre-order, I was even more shocked by how many turned down the ice cream.  Yes, timing was odd, but ... Salt & Straw is good ice cream!  The flavor was Salt & Straw's most famous, sea salt with caramel ribbons, which I've had before, and loved.

It was served quite solid, so it took a while to become possible to eat it.  But once it softened, I dug right in.  It matched my memory of the flavor - nice quality base ice cream, and TONS of very gooey, very sweet, caramel.  I added my own fresh strawberries and sprinkles, and quite enjoyed.  And then I enjoyed an extra, which I volunteered to take off the flight attendants hands (so generous of me, right?).  She happily obliged, given how many extra there were.  ****.

Read More...

Panda Express

Update Review, November/December 2025

Another few Panda visits as I work my way through more of the menu ...

Panda Cub Meal: String Bean Chicken w/ Super Greens. $8.80

My server really loaded up my Cub Meal this time.  Good distribution of everything in both compartments too.

Panda Cub Meal: Eggplant Tofu w/
1/2 Super Greens, 1/2 White Rice. $8.80.

The main dish (eggplant tofu) in this Cub Meal looked a bit skimpy, in comparison to other dishes.  I'm not sure if that was just this server, if it is intended to be a smaller portion, or if others have been erroneously large.

I think this was my first time having the rice.  It was fine. White rice.  No clumps.  Fresh tasting.  I don't really like white rice like this, but I threw it onto my panini press to crisp it up, and enjoyed it that way.  3/5 rice.

Crispy Sesame Shrimp & Beef. $9.
1/2 super greens, 1/2 rice. (Premium +$1)

Another one, with entree portion loaded up decently.  The distribution of rice and veggies in my half and half however was a mess, with rice just dumped on top and overflowing, and there weren't many veggies under the rice either.

String Bean Chicken Breast.

"Chicken breast, string beans and onions wok-tossed in a mild ginger soy sauce."

"But Julie, you don't like chicken! And this isn't even breaded nor smothered in delicious sauce!", you might be saying.  Indeed, these things are very much true.  I don't like chicken, I barely ever eat it, only truly when it is battered/fried and smothered in tasty sauces, which, yes, Panda Express orange chicken counts.  So why on earth would I order a chicken breast dish?

Because I was craving string beans.  And I like onions.  I figured I could pick around the chicken, and have a vegetarian meal, combining the string beans and onions with the other side dishes.  Plus, I had never tried this dish before, and I generally applaud Panda Express for having actually crisp snappy veggies, and that is very much what I wanted.

I eagerly plucked out a string bean.  It was good!  Blistered, still crisp, generic Asian-ish sauce.  Exactly what I was hoping for.  I was also thrilled to see the large hunks of onion.  They too were crisp and well prepared.  The elements I cared about entirely delivered.

The chicken ... well, I tried it for research purposes, and it tasted like ... chicken.  It seemed well prepared, moist, all white meat breast, but the light sauce didn't really mask the fact that it was chicken, so for me, meh.

4/5 on the beans/onions though.

Eggplant Tofu.

"Lightly browned tofu, eggplant and red bell peppers tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce."

This is not a dish I'd ever normally order, and I think many people do not as most Panda Express locations don't carry it (it is regional, and limited, and I guess pain for them logistically since the eggplant used is fresh and quite perishable), but I read many rave reviews of it.  I was not interested in the tofu at all, but what was interesting to me, besides the fact that I do like eggplant, is that they actually use the same orange chicken sauce ... just without adding the orange extract at the end.  This also explains why what sounds like a healthy enough dish of veggies and tofu, turns twice the calories/etc as many other dishes on the menu, and is on par with the honey sesame chicken (orange chicken still trumps it of course).

My portion looked a bit skimpy; it had 3 batons of tofu, and 7 pieces of eggplant.  I had mixed feelings on it.

The eggplant was surprisingly decent - not mushy, not spongy, just pretty good.  I read this is why most locations don't carry it - eggplant is super perishable, and they get it fresh, so it is difficult for the restaurants to not waste.  The tofu was tofu, firm tofu, whatever, not my thing.  I tried it, and then ditched the rest.  I didn't appreciate the red bell pepper slices, as I don't like bell peppers, but that is just me and preference.

Now, for the interesting part: the sauce! It was good, but very sweet, and without the orange it was a bit boring and slightly cloying.  After a few bites, I wanted a reprieve.  In particular, I wanted heat (so I added red pepper flakes).

Overall, it was definitely interesting, and if you like eggplant, it's worth a try, but I don't see myself getting it again unless I was really wanting eggplant and happened to be at Panda Express.  3/5, but lower end, really carried by the strength of how well prepared the eggplant was.

Crispy Sesame Shrimp + Beef.

"Succulent shrimp, crispy beef, and veggies wok-tossed in a spicy sesame sauce."

This was a new limited time offering in the fall of 2025.  It uses the same battered shrimp from the Honey Walnut Shrimp and the crispy beef from the Beijing Beef.  Given that I've liked the honey walnut shrimp quite a bit, and always had the Beijing Beef as my "next to try" item, this seemed perfect.  Plus, it was marked spicy!

The veggies turned out to be the usual suspects of red bell pepper and green beans (no onions).  My order had two shrimp, and a decent amount of strips of beef.

It was good.  I liked the blistered green beans, I easily avoided the bell peppers.  There was a lot of the promised sesame - the beef and shrimp were both well coated. It had fair number of big red chiles, so had a bit of heat, but also still had the kinda signature Panda Express sweetness too that gets to be too much pretty fast.  I haven't had the Beijing Beef before, but now I want to try it, as I really quite liked the crispy fried beef.  I haven't had fried beef of that style in like 25 years, it brought back memories from my younger years.  The shrimp was great, as expected as the honey walnut shrimp is my favorite dish there normally and it is exactly the same, just, with sesame seeds.  Well battered, crispy, juicy succulent shrimp inside.

Due to the shrimp, this was a premium dish, so, +$1.xx depending on the meal size.  This is a new limited time menu item, one that would be a fav for me if it stuck around.  4/5.

Kung Pao Chicken.

"A Sichuan-inspired dish with chicken, peanuts and vegetables, finished with chili peppers."

Once before, I enjoyed this dish.  Even though it seems like I mostly shouldn't as, 1) it is chicken, and I dislike chicken, 2) the chicken isn't even battered or breaded or masked in any way, 3) the veggies in it are bell peppers and zucchini, neither of which I care for.  And yet I tried it once, and really liked it.  It was spicy, I loved the plentiful peanuts, and even tolerated the rest of it.

But then I had it a subsequent time, and disliked it.  I got it this time hoping it would be like my first encounter, but, alas, no, I did not like it.  The zucchini was actually fairly soft, unlike most Panda Express veggies that I really appreciate for being al dente.  It did have tons of red chiles in it, but somehow wasn't spicy at all.  The sauce was kinda gloopy and just not enjoyable.  The peanuts were fine, the chicken was chicken.  1.5/5.

Update Review, July 2025

Another year, another set of Panda Express visits, continuing to get the Panda Cub meals, that I then round out a bit with my own salad base or other veggies.  The bigger meals tend to just be a bit too heavy for me.

Build Your Own Cub Meal: super greens, wok-fired shrimp +$1). $12.20.

My orders this year all came properly packaged in the special Panda Cub box, with reasonably full side dishes.  The apple chips and fortune cookie were properly included in most as well, although I never want the apple chips and I've since learned when I order online I can use the notes section to say I don't want them, although sometimes that seems to mean I also don't get my fortune cookie.

The super greens are fine as always, a good mix of broccoli, cabbage, kale, all nicely cooked and not too mushy, although I needed some additional seasoning sometimes. Consistently fine though, high 3/5.

Build Your Own Cub Meal: super greens, cheese rangoon. $11.20.

Some Panda locations allow you to get an appetizer as your main dish in a Cub Meal, which I took full advantage of, and tried all of the appetizers this year.  That said, most locations don't allow this, so, you kinda have to seek them out intentionally (there is one location in midtown Manhattan that allowed it when ordering online which is how I discovered it as an option, not something I would have known otherwise.).  Getting one cub meal with an appetizer, and one with an entree, both with different sides, makes a great meal!

Build Your Own Cub Meal: white steamed rice, hot orange chicken. $11.20.

This was my first time ever selecting the white rice, but I disliked the chow mein and fried rice, and thought that with the sweet orange chicken, actually white rice sounded like a good pairing.  And it was.  Yes, it was just simple steamed white rice, but it was fairly fluffy, not clumped together, grains not too hard, just, fresh enough steamed rice, and yes, it did help balance out the cloying sweet fried chicken crack.  3/5.

Entrees

This year I focused on getting a few of the limited offering choices, as I'd already explored all the standard menu.

Wok-Fired Shrimp (Premium, +$1).
(limited).

"Succulent shrimp and vegetables wok-tossed in a delicious sweet and spicy sauce."

One day I wanted a light, healthy, easy dinner, as I had consumed a heavy big lunch, a massive pile of pastries from Petit Chou (review coming soon!), and had more pastries lined up for post-dinner.  The new-ish wok-fired shrimp seemed like a good choice that would give me protein and veggies, and not be a gut bomb like say the signature orange chicken.  Panda even agrees, as this is considered one of the "wok smart" (e.g. high protein and lower calorie) dishes. The other wok smart items, if you care, are things like the simple grilled teriyaki chicken, the string bean chicken breast, and broccoli beef.

Panda also designates this as spicy, which was laughable.  There was zero spice to this dish.  Zero.  The orange chicken, sure it has a little, sorta.  Some batches of the kung pao have a decent amount.  But this had zero.  Zero.

My kid's size portion was 5 shrimp, a couple pieces each of onion and colorful bell pepper, and 4-5 green beans.  I believe this is the proper portion (although I got 7 last time in my honey walnut shrimp Cub Meal, which I think was more than it should have had).

The shrimp were cooked reasonably well, not too rubbery, still slightly bouncy.  They were properly cleaned.  Not too fishy.  Small-medium size.  Pretty average lower end shrimp basically.  The green beans retained a bit of snap and were properly trimmed.  I picked around the bell peppers.  Basically, it was all fine, no real issues, but not exactly high quality fresh product.  What did let me down however was the overall taste.  The sauce really just lacked any flavor.  Definitely not spicy, but also just not much to it, and woefully under seasoned.  Luckily I had requested the full array of sauces, and had some furikake and salt and pepper with me, so I jazzed it up fine, but it was just very bland on its own.  Eh.  Low 3/5, maybe even just 2.5.

As a premium dish, like the other shrimp option on the menu, this is $1 additional charge.

Hot Orange Chicken.
(limited)

"Crispy chicken bites wok-tossed in our signature orange sauce with more HEAT."

The hot orange chicken was introduced as a limited time offering in 2024, and was brought back again in summer 2025.  Given that I like actual spice, this sounded great to me.

They say this has six times more chilies than the original in the sauce, AND has the dried chiles from the kung pao chicken.  Given that I haven't ever found the original remotely spicy, and the kung pao not really either, I had my doubts it would be actually spicy, but it seemed more fun to try.

It was also my first orange chicken in quite a while, and damn, I forgot just how good it can be.  Yes, it was at least 50% crispy batter, and yes, the chicken was entirely lost and mostly just kinda questionable bits of dark meat, but, 1) I don't like chicken anyway, 2) it was still crazy crispy and addicting, and 3) this is just a vessel for the sauce, anyway.  It is crack, really.  The sauce was still very, very sweet, this was candied fried bits more than anything, but there were indeed large size pieces of dried chiles, and if you got one of them in a bite, it really truly did have some heat.  It wasn't balanced though, when you didn't get one of those intense hits of heat, the base was still just candied and really dessert, not a savory dish in any way.  Fantastic, yes, but, a little goes a long way in the too much sweet department, so the white rice actually was a very good pairing.

I liked it even more than the original.  4/5, and I'd gladly get it again if craving something heavy, fried, and sweet.  And spicy of course.

Appetizers

I think most people don't really get appetizers from Panda Express, but they have several.

The quantities of the appetizers are just kinda odd.  If you order them a la carte, chicken egg rolls come only as singles, veggie spring rolls as a duo, and the rangoons as a trio (if you get the small size, $2).  For the large size, the egg rolls and spring rolls come as 6 or 12, respectively, for $11.40, a slight discount over the small size pricing, and the rangoons come only as a dozen for $8.  Just kinda odd.  Anyway.  I've tried them all.

Veggie Spring Roll (2). $2.

"Cabbage, celery, carrots, green onions and Chinese noodles in a crispy wonton wrapper. Note: At some locations, celery may be substituted with green beans, mushrooms, onions and tofu bean curd (or vegetable protein)."

First up, the veggie spring rolls.

These were not awful, but they weren't great.  Mostly, they were a contrast of strengths and weaknesses.

On the positive side, they were remarkably crispy.  They did have seasoning, the ginger in particular was quite strong.

But on the negative side, the filling was just mush.  Yes, it was cabbage/carrots/etc, all finely shredded, but it was so, so, so mushy.  And kinda wet.  And, besides the aforementioned ginger, not very flavorful.

With some dipping sauce (I used sweet and sour as a dip and copious amounts of soy poured into them) they were ok-ish, but wow, that mushy interior just was not very good.  Kudos on the crispy shell though.

1.5/5, maybe 2 if I'm feeling generous.

Cream Cheese Rangoon (3). $.2

"Wonton wrappers filled with cream cheese and served with sweet and sour sauce."

Next up, cream cheese rangoons.  These were really not bad ... with some help.

To start, they weren't actually crispy, really quite soft.  So, if eating them "fresh" at the restaurant, I would be sad, but I suspect this is just luck of timing, if you get a fresh batch or not.  I clearly did not, even though it was prime lunchtime (12:15pm, Sunday).  I had one there, at lunch, alongside my meal, and brought the other two home to air fry later, which greatly improved things.  So, crispy factor was a fail on this visit, but easily saved, with a bit of effort on my part.  The wonton wrappers were fairly standard, not too greasy tasting.

The filling is just cream cheese, these are *not* the more common crab (or, krab) rangoon you see at most Chinese restaurants.  These are vegetarian cream cheese rangoons.  I think this surprises some people, but I knew to expect it.  They do have green onions in them too, so slightly savory, but mine really didn't have much.  They were fairly generously stuffed, the filling was warm and soft, and, well, tasted like cream cheese.  I definitely wanted sauce for them, they come with sweet and sour, but of course you can request any additional sauces they have if you want to make them spicer.  I think you could easily pretend these are dessert and drizzle with a fruit sauce or sweet syrup and dunk in whipped cream, as they are pretty similar to a cheese danish or, well, cheesecake for that matter. 

Overall, I think an uncommon choice for folks at Panda Express, but I liked them the most of all the appetizers, and would get again if in the mood.  High 3/5.

Chicken Egg Roll. $2.10.

"Cabbage, carrots, green onions and chicken in a crispy wonton wrapper."

The egg roll is the one appetizer that I had tried previously (and disliked) but I wanted to give it one more try for completeness.  I ordered via the app as I walked up, and frankly, had I gone inside first and seen what the egg rolls looked like, I probably would have changed my mind ordering it.  It really didn't look fresh nor appealing in any way.

It was packed up to order, so I did eat it as hot and fresh as it was going to be.  It was ... yeah.  About how it looked.  Over fried.  Kinda crispy, but kinda soft at the same time.  Didn't taste like very good oil.  Inside was a bit doughy.  

The filling though was still definitely not for me.  Lots of ground chicken, so much chicken flavor (and I hate chicken).  Lots of vermicelli.  Vague Asian seasoning and shredded cabbage mush.  Big meh to the fillings. 

I think the wrapper could be good if you got a good batch, but seems highly variable. 1/5.

Update Review, August 2024

In my initial days of unemployment this summer, I handled the situation by making some curious choices, like, eating Panda Express kid's meals for dinner many days.  I had only discovered Panda Express a year prior (yes, I know, I'm a late bloomer?), and had only visited twice ever, and found it fairly amazing.  Kid's meals are also relatively cheap, and a good portion size for me (I usually tossed it all on top of a base of other veggies / salad greens), so I thought I was being frugal and responsible, while drowning my sorrows in fast food.  Like I said, "curious choices".  Let's just say, I'm completely uninterested in eating any more fast food Chinese food for a while.  But I did enjoy working my way through the majority of the menu. 

Build Your Own Panda Cub Meal.
$9 (+$1 premium entree, +$2.20 premium drink)
1/2 fried rice / 1/2 super greens w/ Honey Walnut Shrimp

This Panda Express location didn't have the cute boxes for Panda Cub Meals.  I think the result is that I got larger portions?  It certainly seemed like a dramatic amount of fried rice in particular (this was just a 1/2 portion of fried rice), and my entree had as many shrimp as the bowl normally does (9).  For some reason, my order didn't include the apple slices, but I didn't care, as I didn't want them anyway.  I think perhaps they screwed up and gave me NOT a kids meal?  Two days later when I visited, they did have the Cub Meal boxes.

For $12.20 total due to the premium items I selected, this was a great deal, very filling, and well rounded.

Build Your Own Panda Cub Meal.
$9 (+$1 premium entree, +$2.20 premium drink).
1/2 chow mein / 1/2 super greens w/ Black Pepper Angus Steak.

Another day, another Cub Meal. This one with the proper cub meal container, half chow mein and half veggies as the base. Portions seemed more Cub Meal appropriate than the previous day with the big container at the other location.  This time I did receive my apple slices.

Build Your Own Panda Cub Meal.
$9 (+$1 premium entree, +$1 premium drink)
Super Greens w/ Beyond Orange Chicken.

Another day, another Cub Meal.  Proper cub meal container again, but at the same location as the one that gave me the big container 2 days prior, so I think they really did mess up and not give me a cub meal then.  Portions were as expected for cub meal.  The apple slices weren't included by default, but the person handing over my order asked if I did indeed want them.  I suspect adults ordering Cub Mmeals isn't all that uncommon, and most adults don't want those?

Build Your Own Panda Cub Meal.
$9 + $1 premium drink.
Super Greens w/ Kung Pao Chicken.

I've determined that they really did give me the wrong size meal on my first visit, as every subsequent one has been an appropriate sized Cub Meal.  Apple chips were missing again this visit, as were all the sauces I ordered.

Orange Chicken Panda Cub Meal.

Another normal size, another missing apple slices.  Consistency in packing up orders really doesn't seem to be their forte.

Sides

During my first Panda Express experience last year, I tried both the chow mein and super greens, and kinda fell in love with super greens (and didn't care for the chow mein).  This year, I gave it another try, and also tried the fried rice, but, for me, the super greens reign supreme.  I didn't try the plain white rice.

Fried Rice (1/2 portion)

"Prepared steamed white rice with soy sauce, eggs, peas, carrots and green onions."

So, I'm not a rice girl, and I know people say the fried rice is kinda blah, but, I wanted to try it for completeness sake, and I thought it would pair well with the honey walnut shrimp.  I did do 1/2 rice and 1/2 veg, but was still blown away by the hefty portion of rice, even in a kid's meal.  This was only about 1/3 of it.

It was indeed very lackluster fried rice.  Shockingly lackluster really.  It was dry, and had no real flavor at all.  The grains were lightly colored, and I guess it must have had some soy sauce in it, but, it sure didn't taste that way.  At least none was clumped together, but in some way that would have been a better sign that it was actually ... fried?  This just seemed like steamed rice.  Blah to boring dry flavorless rice.

The mix-ins didn't improve things.  The veggies in Panda Express's other dishes have always impressed me by their seeming freshness, vibrancy, and non-mushy nature, but the carrots and peas in here were elementary school cafeteria / frozen or canned veg quality.  Tiny cubes of mushy carrot.  Mushy peas.  Meh.  The egg bits were flavorless as well.

Yes, covering this in copious amounts of sauce helped, but, wow, just such a boring dish.  I wouldn't get again.  *+.

Chow Mein (1/2 portion).

"Stir-fried wheat noodles with onions, celery and cabbage."

I had this once last year, and found it not great, too greasy, but I wanted to give it another try.  This time was no different, just a bit too greasy for my taste and not particularly flavorful. The noodles did have a decent chew to them though.  **.

Super Greens (1/2)

"A healthful medley of broccoli, kale, and cabbage. "

The super greens were just as good as I remembered.  I don't really understand how a fast food place can do vegetables so well.  The veggies were vibrant, not mushy, and lightly sauced.  My mix was pretty evenly distributed with brocoli/kale/cabbage.  Pairs well with basically anything, and genuinely delicious just to eat on its own too.  ****.

Entrees

I visited 7 times, and got different items every time.  Three were repeats from my first visits to Panda Express, the other 4 were new to me.

Honey Walnut Shrimp (Premium, +$1).

"Large tempura-battered shrimp, wok-tossed in a honey sauce and topped with glazed walnuts. "

I was very excited to try the honey walnut shrimp.  I'm primarily a pescatarian, and so I always gravitate towards seafood, and I haven't had honey walnut shrimp from anywhere in many years.  I couldn't wait, even though I had read plenty of lackluster reviews.  I was even more thrilled when a fresh batch was brought out as I stepped up to order.

It was a home run for me.  Just as good as the orange chicken, probably even better, as I prefer shrimp over chicken.  

The shrimp inside were fairly large, juicy, succulent, good snap to them, not fishy.  The batter was thick but well seasoned, flavorful, and remarkably crisp.  I'm sure that a few minutes of sitting in the serving area would decrease its quality quickly, but, when fresh, it was fantastic.  It was coated in a sweet, clearly honey based sauce.  Yes, it was sweet, but, I knew it would be.  This isn't everyday food.  I wouldn't want this and orange chicken (or any of the other sweet dishes) side by side, as that would be too much.  But, in this portion, with the veggies in particular, it was great.  I don't think they use mayo like most honey walnut shrimp?

The only real gripe I have about the dish is that mine had exactly 1 walnut.  1!  Only 1!  It was great, a candied walnut, but I definitely wanted more than one.  Speaking of portion in general though, my research tells me that the bowls get 7 pieces, and kids meals should get 4-5 (depending on the source).  I had 7, even in the kid's meal.  Score!

I'd get this again in a heartbeat, probably over the orange chicken, when I was up for a breaded and sweet dish.  ****.  I'm docking them slightly for the sole walnut.  Definitely worth the $1 upcharge for kid's meal ($1.50 for adult).

Black Pepper Angus Steak (Premium, $1).

"Angus steak wok-seared with baby broccoli, onions, red bell peppers and mushrooms in a savory black pepper sauce."

Next, I splurged for the other premium offering, the black pepper angus steak.  I had to wait 3 minutes for a fresh batch to be brought out, which I definitely didn't mind.  The fresher the better!

This was the first Panda Express entree that I just didn't like.  It did have a good mix of veggies - mine had a single mushroom (that was a bit slimy and soft), a few pieces of crisp sharp onion, one snappy piece of baby broccoli (which was interesting to see, since all the other dishes use standard American broccoli, I guess this makes it feel even more premium?), and a slew of red bell peppers (they definitely dominated).  And the beef itself seemed decent quality, good size pieces, no fatty bits, just, decent.  

So why didn't I like it?  Simple.  The sauce.  I really did not like the sauce.  It was smothered in it.  A thick sauce, and just ... not a flavor I liked at all.  Gloopy, savory but not enjoyable.  Not sweet like other Panda sauces, no spice to it, just ... I am not sure what it was about it, I just genuinely did not care for the sauce.

Execution wise and ingredient quality wise this was fine, but, the sauce just ruined it for me. *.

Beyond Orange Chicken. (Premium, +$1).

"Just as craveable as The Original Orange Chicken you know and love, but now made with Beyond Meat's plant-based protein."

I was actually excited to try the Beyond orange chicken, not because I'm vegetarian, but because I adore the orange chicken, despite it being chicken, which I generally loathe.  Also, I knew people raved about it.  It was originally on the menu just as a short time special, but after it went away the masses revolted, had a petition, yadda yadda, and now it is back (at select locations) as a regular menu item.  So I knew it had a fan following, but I'll admit I didn't actually research it much.

It definitely is not as attractive of a dish as the real orange chicken, as the pieces look more like nuggets, all the same size. My portion was 10 nuggets.

The sauce I believe is exactly the same as the original orange chicken, and is just as awesome.  Sweet, a bit spicy, addicting.  Love love love this sauce.  ****+ sauce.

The nuggets themselves were well battered and fried, super crispy.  Probably more crispy even than the regular chicken or the shrimp.  But ... that is where my accolades end.

Beyond Orange Chicken: Inside.

I was really surprised by the actual inside texture and taste.  I didn't care for it, too much like tofu for my tastes (even though I know it isn't tofu).  I think I expected it to be more like Impossible nuggets (which, if you haven't had them, are uncanny is just how much they taste and seem exactly like McDonald's Chicken McNuggets!), or more like Quorn breaded chicken products.  Granted, I had not researched what the Beyond chicken actually was like, not here at Panda, nor anywhere else, I just assumed if people raved so much about it, that it must be better than this.

So ... great sauce.  Great exterior.  Meh to actual Beyond chicken.  I wouldn't get this again, but was glad to try it.  **+.

Broccoli Beef.

"A classic favorite. Tender beef and fresh broccoli in a ginger soy sauce."

I had this once before, and was happy to have it again.  I was again impressed by how tender the pieces of beef were (although I had one that was a bit chewy), and again loved how huge they keep the broccoli hunks in this.  It was very sauce-heavy, but I think that is what makes the dish.  The broccoli just absolutely soaks it all up, and it's really quite flavorful.  Simple broccoli beef, yes, but, they do it well.  ***+.

I was a bit sick of Panda Express side dishes at this point (I was on day 4 of Panda Express in just 5 days), so I actually just saved the veggie sides, and brought my own big hunks of romaine to make lettuce wraps.  I drizzled them with the Panda Express hot mustard, and really loved that combo (the mustard and beef were a great pairing).  The lettuce wraps helped cut down a bit of the greasiness too.  **** my way, and I loved my creation.

"Chef's Special"

One Panda Express location I was regularly visiting always had a "Chef's Special".  When you ask the staff what is in it, they kinda shrug, but it always looks loaded with chile peppers, so I finally gave it a try, hoping this would be the dish that really brought the heat at Panda (I enjoyed the kung pao chicken before, but lamented the real heat).

This was actually pretty good.  A mix of chicken bits, lots of red and yellow bell peppers, onion, string beans, and of course, the chiles.  Basically, the string bean chicken meets the kung pao chicken (-peanuts, -zucchini).  I think it was chicken thigh, but not positive.  

The bits of chicken were tender, and just tasted like nuggets of sauce, so I didn't mind them.  The string beans were sadly over cooked, a bit shriveled.  The onion was a bit harsh and a bit raw I think.  I avoided the bell peppers (two colors) as I don't care for them.  The sauce was savory and spicy.  And yes, tons of full chile peppers to really amp it up.

I appreciated the spirit behind this dish, but it did suffer from the uneven cooking job of the veggies (which normally are done pretty well at Panda Express!).  I still enjoyed the flavor, and the chicken even, but wished the green beans were more snappy (and they do always look better in the string bean chicken dish) and wished the onion was a bit more cooked.  Fun to try something off menu too. ***.

Kung Pao Chicken.

"A Sichuan-inspired dish with chicken, peanuts and vegetables, finished with chili peppers."

I had this once before, and was pleasantly surprised by it then, although I found it lacking in the heat.  Today's batch was an even bigger letdown.  It had zero heat to it, no chiles, and barely any peanuts.  I had to dig around looking for them, and my entire order had only 2.  2!  The crunch from the peanuts is a key element to kung pao (well, along with the spice).  The chicken too was a bit lacking, all just small bits of dark thigh meat that I wasn't as into as other times.  Lots of big hunks of red bell pepper, a few slightly mushy pieces of zucchini, and a few bits of green onion rounded it out.  Coated in sauce, that was sorta sweet-savory, but definitely not spicy.

For a generic chicken and vegetable stir fry it was fine, but, it wasn't really what I was looking for from kung pao.  **+.

Orange Chicken.

"Our signature dish. Crispy chicken wok-tossed in a sweet and spicy orange sauce."

Well, I went to the location I know isn't as good, but I still thought the orange chicken would be great.  Alas, it was not.  It was not crispy, it was soggy.  The sauce was overly sweet.  The chicken even seemed less good, more chewy, more gristle.  Still ok overall, but not nearly the magic it should be.  Low low ***.

Update Review, October 2023

In fall of 2023, Panda Express made a major menu change.  They added a dessert item.  Yes, 40 years of being in business, and they finally added a dessert, besides the fortune cookie you always get with a meal.  Let me cut the chase: what they came up with is just as magical as their orange chicken.  Run, don't walk, and get one.  Stat!

Apple Pie Roll. $2.

"A sweet and fun American Chinese creation featuring a combination of juicy apples, fall spices, and cinnamon sugar like a classic American apple pie and wrapped in a crispy and flaky wonton wrapper, like a quintessential Chinese egg roll."

OMG.  Well, Panda Express, you have done it again.  It may have taken many years to have a dessert item, but, the wait was worth it.  This was shockingly good.  It is the love child of an apple pie, and a egg roll, and a churro, and just as amazing as it sounds.

I expected to need to bring it home to properly crisp it up in my toaster oven, I expected to want to add ice cream or whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel, but of course I tried a bite fresh, and ... wow.  It needed nothing.  Perfect as it was.

Super crispy fried shell, really well spiced and not too mushy apple pie filling, covered in all the cinnamon and sugar you could possibly want.  It had just the right amount of fried goodness, was so crispy, and the insides were gooey and satisfying, and didn't taste "cheap", not like apple pie filling from a can.  And the cinnamon sugar coating just takes it over the top.  Yes, it likely is improved by dunking into whipped cream, but, really, this is a beauty, and I'd get another in a heartbeat.

****+.  Perhaps the best fast food dessert I've ever had?

Only $2, or 6 for $11.40.

Original Review, November 2021

This is a story of my discovery of Panda Express.  No, I am not telling a story from my days of youth, but rather ... of last week.  Yes, I somehow made it this far into adulthood, without ever visiting a Panda Express location.

"Chinese Inspired. American Made. From our world famous Orange Chicken to our health-minded Wok Smart™ selections, Panda Express defines American Chinese cuisine with bold flavors and fresh ingredients. Freshly prepared. Every day."

In case you've never been to a mall, student center, amusement part, airport, or the like, or are otherwise thus unfamiliar, let me start with the basics.  Panda Express is mass produced, buffet style, americanized fast food chinese, found in food courts across the country.  Panda Express has been around since 1973, started in Pasadena.  It wasn't a hit right away, but now does have 2000+ locations, including some seemingly random international spots like Guatemala.

I've walked by Panda Express locations many times, even recall stories of friends absolutely raving about the signature dish (orange chicken), but, I never had any interest in visiting one.  I know not why, as I do like generic americanized Chinese food from time to time ...

Spoiler: I've been missing out.  Seriously, seriously missing out.  Many things are not worth the hype, but, Panda Express orange chicken really is.  I was shocked that on all my visits I found items to be far higher quality than I expected, but even more surprising, the execution of the dishes was all really well done.  The veggies were always cooked well, never mushy.  Proteins seem to be good quality, no chewy bits, no cartilage.  It seemed reasonably fresh, even though sitting in a buffet line.  That said, I can't imagine going all that frequently, because it was really, really heavy food.  It did not sit lightly ...

My First Panda Express:
Kids Meal & Egg Roll.  $10.10.

The first time I visited, I was cautious.  I really didn't expect to like it, and I know Chinese food can sit kinda heavy, so, I opted for a kid's meal, along with an appetizer. 

I was so in love with the experience, that I returned, literally, two days later.

My Second Panda Express:
Plate + Extra Entree: $11.10.

My next visit, I went all in.  No kid's meal for me.  Nope, not the regular adult Bowl either (with 1 entree and 1 side), I went all in, and got 3 entrees and 1 side, yes, all for me.  I wanted to try everything, and, really, who doesn't love Chinese food leftovers?

I can't wait to go back.

Setting

The location I visited was inside the Westfield Mall, with a small seating area adjacent dedicated to just their customers.  I opted for takeout each time though, going to eat in the larger communal seating area nearby.

Assembly line buffet.

Like all Panda Express locations (I think?), the setup is a buffet with all the items laid out, and a staff member creates your dish for you, they pass you down the line to finish it off.  

Sides: chow mein, super veggies, fried rice
Entrees: Crispy Almond Chicken, Beyond Orange chicken, Black Pepper Angus Steak, Honey Walnut Shrimp

You start by identifying which size you'd like, and your side dish.

I noted that Panda Express just so happens to lay out all the premium dishes first - the ones you stare at as you wait your turn, and as you start assembling your dish.  I do not think this is accidental.  All the dishes here, besides the crispy almond chicken, came with a $1.50 upcharge.

Several entrees:
Kung pao chicken, broccoli beef, orange chicken.

Next are the entrees, where you select 1-3, based on what type of meal you are getting.  Each one is well labelled, and seemed to be prepared in relatively small batches, so things stayed fairly fresh.  I appreciate being able to see them in advance.

Appetizers, entrees:
Tofu eggplant, teriyaki chicken, spring rolls, egg rolls, rangoon.

Finally you are asked innocently if you'd like a egg roll (yup, there is a charge, don't be fooled!), or you can add on another fried appetizer, and then you are passed off the cashier, who also handles beverages.

They never offer you sauce, but you can ask for soy sauce, hot mustard, and sweet and sour sauce (the later does come with appetizers).

Food

Meals at Panda Express are either Bowls (1 entree), Plates (2 entrees), or "Bigger Plates" (3 entrees), each of which also start with a "side", which is really more of a base.  The kid's meal is like a bowl, but, smaller portions.  You can also order dishes a la carte, I don't think people do that frequently.

Kid's Meal: Box. $7.30.

My first order was a kid's meal, and I kinda loved the box.  How cute was the panda?!

Plate: Super Greens, Broccoli Beef, Kung Pao Chicken. $11.10.

My second order I went all in, skipping past the regular adult size Bowl, and moving right on to the Plate, which comes with 2 adult portion entrees.  The "Plate" came in a generic large size white styrofoam box, much less fun than the kid's meal.  

Oh, and then I added a third entree on too (not pictured).  The extra entree I added came in Panda Express branded standard Chinese takeout mini container.

Appetizers

Panda Express offers 3 appetizers, all fried: spring rolls (veggie, sold as a pair), egg rolls (chicken, sold individually), and cream cheese rangoon (not crab rangoon, just cream cheese, sold as a trio).  All come with sweet & sour sauce on the side.

While the sides and entrees are relatively suited for steam tray buffet style serving, fried foods generally are not, so I didn't have great hope for these.  But still, I had to try, because, what is Chinese food without some fried wonton in some form?

Chicken Egg Roll. $2.

"Cabbage, carrots, green onions and chicken in a crispy wonton wrapper."

For my appetizer, I picked a rather unusual thing for me: the chicken egg roll.  Unusual as I don't like chicken, but, I do really like egg roll wrappers, and egg rolls were only available with chicken.  Plus, the spring rolls (thinner, not egg washed) had thin noodles in them which I don't care for, and the rangoons ... were just cream cheese?  I guess even imitation crab is too fancy for Panda Express?

So, the egg roll.  First, it was ... not really warm.  On the cool side.  Which was not a good thing.  Fried food should be hot and fresh!  And ... it seemed to have the thin noodles in it, the same noodles I was avoiding by not selecting the spring roll.  Sigh.  Since it was not hot enough, wasn't really something it seemed like I would like, and I had plenty of other food, I took a bite of it when I first got it, and decided to take it home.  I hoped my air fryer could save it.

I heated it up that evening, and it did indeed get both hot and crispy.  So those elements were fixed.  But it was still fairly mediocre - the wrapper didn't particularly have a great flavor, and the filling was quite heavy in the chicken department.  It tasted far more chicken forward than I liked.  I salvaged it by adding copious (and I mean copious) amounts of duck sauce I had at home, but, I felt pretty gross after eating it, and kinda wished I had just tossed it.  I would not get another.

**.

Sides

Most meals at Panda Express are formed from a "side" and 1-3 "entrees", where sides are steamed white or brown rice, veggie fried rice, veggie chow mein, or "Super Greens" (a mix of broccoli, cabbage, and kale).  You can also opt for 1/2 and 1/2 of any of these.  The side portion is extremely generous.

Since I don't really care for rice, my choice the first time I visited was pretty easy for my side: I'd do a half and half with the other two options, chow mein and super greens.  My second visit, I dropped the chow mein as I was not a fan, and just went with the Super Greens.  I'd consider trying the veggie fried rice sometime ...

Chow Mein

"Stir-fried wheat noodles with onions, celery and cabbage." 

Ok, I don't really like chow mein very much either, but, it seems like an essential part of a Chinese meal, and is the sort of thing I have certainly loved as cold leftovers before.  Plus, this was literally piping hot, the fresh wok full was placed on the line as I stepped up to order.

And ... yeah.  It was chow mein.  Hot and fresh, yes, but kinda soft.  I like it with a bit more chew to the noodles.  It was very, very greasy, and didn't have any particular flavor to it.  The bits of cabbage, onion, and celery were fine.  I ended up adding soy sauce and duck sauce, and ate some of it, but, meh.  I would like it more chewy and flavorful.  And far less greasy, although I know that is kinda the point.

**.

Super Greens.

"A healthful medley of broccoli, kale, and cabbage."

My other pick on my first visit was the Super Greens, because I actually wanted some vegetables.  

I was fairly pleased with this pick - a few large hunks of broccoli that was still crisp and not mushy, a bit of cabbage, and like one half a bite of kale.  Certainly not much kale, but this was fine.  The veggies seemed to have been stir fried, not steamed, and had salt added ... they were saltier than I expected, which was fine, but, beware if you are expecting simple steamed veggies.

Nothing exciting nor earth shattering about the veggies, but it was nice to have something to balance the greasy noodles and the very sweet and decadent orange chicken.  I'll certainly pick this again in the future.

***.

Update: My second visit, I went for just veggies as my side.  The larger portion was good so that I got more kale, and considerably more cabbage as well.  I was again fairly impressed that the veggies weren't too soft, but was again struck by the fact that they definitely were not just steamed, healthy greens.  There was a lot of salt, but also, some kind of very light sauce?  I can't say I loved the veggies, but, they were a better choice for my tastes than rice or chow mein.

Entrees

For entrees, Panda Express is very chicken heavy, with a few beef options, a single seafood option, and now two vegetarian options (tofu, Beyond Chicken).  I find it interesting that they don't have any pork on the menu anywhere - isn't pork fried rice a quintessential Chinese staple?  Panda's version is veggie fried rice only.

My particular Panda Express had 6 of the 9 chicken options available, including of course the signature Orange Chicken and its new fried Crispy Almond Chicken friend (they look much alike!), plus some healthier chicken breast options like string bean chicken breast, mushroom chicken, and grilled teriyaki chicken.  Kung Pao rounds out the chicken lineup.  If chicken isn't your thing, beef is an option, with two choices, the healthier classic broccoli beef or the fried spicy Beijing beef.  You can also splurge for an upgrade to the Black Pepper Angus Steak, for $1.25 more.  Pescatarians have only one option: crispy fried honey walnut shrimp, also a premium upgrade.  Vegetarians at most locations just can opt for Eggplant Tofu, but some select locations, mine included, offer a premium Beyond Chicken version of the orange chicken.

Kid's Meal:
Chow Mein & Super Greens (1/2 & 1/2) with Orange Chicken.

The Original Orange Chicken

"Our signature dish. Crispy chicken wok-tossed in a sweet and spicy orange sauce."

I couldn't visit Panda Express, and not try the signature dish.  Right?  Even though I truly hate chicken ... I had no choice, right?

So, orange chicken it was.  And, spoiler, I did NOT regret this decision.

ZOMG.  It took one bite, scratch that, *half* a bite, for me to totally and completely understand the hype.  This stuff is good.  Really, really, really good.  ZOMG.

I'm sure it helped that I had a fresh batch, but, it was perfectly crispy on the outside, smothered in delicious sweet sauce, and just downright addicting.  I could care less that chicken was what was hidden under all the tempura batter and sauce.  I can safely say it did not taste like chicken.  The chicken seemed to be a mix of white and dark meat.  Did the sauce taste like orange?  Not exactly, but it was sweet, but not in a cloying way.  It had a slight, slight level of spice, I'd certainly love more, but I get that this is for the masses.  And I tell you, this member of the masses was quite pleased.

The dish has nothing else to it.  No vegetables.  No garnishes.  Just, crispy chicken smothered in sauce.  And really, it doesn't need anything else.  I appreciated my Super Greens to balance out the sweet and fried, and I do think rice would be appropriate alongside.  I also think it is the stuff leftover dreams are made of, even though it would lose the crispness.

I don't want to be dramatic, but I think this was fairly life changing.  Hands down the most I've enjoyed chicken as far as I know.  Literally, no memory of enjoying chicken more.

****+.

Crispy Almond Chicken Breast.

"Our new, delicious Crispy Almond Chicken Breast features juicy, all-white meat chicken raised without antibiotics, with our crunchy, signature puffed-rice breading that is wok-tossed with toasted almonds & freshly chopped green onions in a savory soy garlic sauce."

My second trip to Panda Express, I decided to venture out, and try something else, even though, I must admit, the Orange Chicken was pretty hard to pass up.  For my first entree, I opted for the dish that looked a  lotlike the Orange Chicken, the newly added Crispy Orange Chicken Breast.

Of course, I knew this wouldn't be the same, as the sauce was described very different (just soy garlic sauce, not sweet and spicy), and the chicken promised to be higher end all-white meat breast, and even the coating was different (with puffed-rice?!), but it still looked pretty similar at first glance, and I hoped it would deliver in the same way in the crunchy department.

It turns out, it really was nothing like the Orange Chicken.  That doesn't mean it was bad, just, actually totally different. 

First, the pieces were significantly bigger, more like just slightly small chicken fingers.  While the orange chicken pieces were about 2 bites each, these were more like 3.  The ratio of chicken to breading was quite different as a result, these clearly fell more deeply into the chicken department, less into the "yay yummy coating and sauce!".  The "chicken finger"-esque aspect was further amplified by the fact that they were large pieces of actual chicken breast, they ate like ... well, chicken.  It did seem to be fairly high quality all white meat breast, no chewy or odd bits around.

The coating also was totally different.  It was equally delightfully crisp, but this coating had the puffed-rice in addition to the batter itself, which made the coating thicker overall, and just, different.  I'm not sure which I preferred.

And finally, the sauce.  This was just a sticky soy sauce, not a sweet and spicy orange sauce.  It was quite savory, coated the chicken well, and tasted fine, but it didn't have that "ZOMG GIVE ME MORE STAT!" quality the orange chicken sauce has.  The toasted almonds I barely noticed, as the crispy coating really added more crunch than they did.  And that was really it, like the orange chicken, no veggies to be seen.

Overall, I'm glad I tried it.  If you like white meat chicken, or want something a bit more wholesome (but still clearly quite fried), or just want to change it up, this was a good dish.  But ... if I'm getting crispy fried chicken at Panda Express, no question, I'm getting the orange chicken.

***+.

Kung Pao Chicken.

"A Sichuan-inspired dish with chicken, peanuts and vegetables, finished with chili peppers."

My second entree pick on my second visit was the Kung Pao Chicken, a very odd pick for me on the surface since 1) it is chicken, and this time, not hiding in breading and 2) I don't really seek out bell peppers nor zucchini, and those are the primary vegetables in it, but, I really wanted something spicy, and I was craving the peanuts.  Plus, it really always did look great, and quite fresh.  I figured it was worth the gamble, given that I was getting 3 full size entrees after all, if one was a flop, nbd, I had plenty of other food to eat.

I was beyond surprised when I quite liked it, although it really was not spicy at all.  For a dish that is marked spicy, and did indeed have big visible red chili peppers in it, I expected at least ... some heat.  This truly had none.  Besides the utter lack of heat though, it was good.

I think what I appreciated the most was how fun it actually was to eat with chopsticks.  The eating experience was just great - the small, hard peanuts, the bite sized zucchini and red pepper pieces, and then totally different sized bits of chicken, some a very big bite, but many just little morsels.  It was so easy to pick through with chopsticks for the next great bite.

The veggies were certainly not ones I'd normally seek out, I'm just not into zucchini or bell peppers, but I was pleased with how they both remained quite crisp, not mushy.  The zucchini in particular added a juicy element.  I only had 2 chunks of red bell pepper, but I didn't mind.

And finally, the chicken, which I truly, truly expected to just pick around, and eat the nuts and veggies with my other food instead ... was, uh, fine?  It was mostly thigh meat I think, but was absolutely free from all gristle, was not chewy, was really, just, fine.  Even without breading to hide in ... I didn't mind it.

It was all coated in a sauce, seemingly soy based, but it did have something else too it that I couldn't quite pinpoint, not sweet though.  And, not spicy, alas.

Overall, I actually enjoyed it, and took the leftovers home to make a kung pao mashed potato bowl ... which I know sounds odd, but, I had leftover mashed potatoes, and used them as my carb base instead of rice, and topped it with the kung pao chicken leftovers, mixed with stir fried fresh celery, baby corn, broccoli, onion, and mushrooms.  Oh, and chilis, because, it really needed the heat.

****.  I don't know if I'd order it again necessarily, as I'd still like to try more things, but, I wouldn't be opposed to it, which I certainly did not expect.

Broccoli Beef.

"A classic favorite. Tender beef and fresh broccoli in a ginger soy sauce."

My final (third) pick of entree on my second visit was the Broccoli Beef.  I selected it because I wanted something other than chicken, didn't want to splurge on a Premium (e.g. the angus beef or shrimp), and didn't want another fried option (the tempting Beijing beef), so, Broccoli Beef it was.

It was a pretty classic broccoli and beef dish, like you can get from any Chinese restaurant - thin strips of beef, lots of big juicy broccoli, savory salty sauce.

The beef, much like the chicken, surprised me in that it seemed quite reasonable quality - it was tender as described, and not a chewy bit to be found.   I really loved how much broccoli was included in the dish, and the fact that they left the broccoli in huge chunks.  I was also pleased at how crisp the stalks still were.  The broccoli soaked up the sauce quite well.

Overall, nothing earth shattering here, but well executed, and definitely above my expectations for a buffet.  A good choice to have something other than chicken, and it did make me want to splurge for the black pepper angus next time ...

***+.

Dessert

Every meal at Panda Express is served with a fortune cookie.  No other desserts are offered.  You can buy additional fortune cookies for a whopping $1.50, which seems totally crazy to me.

Kids Meal: Apple Crisps and Fortune Cookie.

I said no other desserts are offered, but kid's meals actually come with a bag of apple crisps.  Maybe those count as a dessert?

The fortune cookie was a pretty standard fortune cookie, which I enjoyed - it was crisp, fresh, and had a Panda Express branded message inside.

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