Ark Bagels

Ark Bagels is a bagel shop I walk by daily, literally right across the street from my office. I've never really given it a second glance.  It doesn't look particularly interesting, I've never heard it mentioned.  It opened in 2023, so it has lasted a few years, but reviews are mediocre-average.  I likely wouldn't have ever set foot inside, if it wasn't the summer of Paze*, and I opted to get a few orders there due to convenience.  Even though it was very convenient, the staff were friendly, my orders were always ready on time, I don't see myself returning as it just wasn't very good.  

*If you are unfamiliar, Paze is a digital wallet system (like Paypal or Google Pay) that you can use to check out with some merchants.  In the summer of 2026, when they launched, they had a promotion with most major credit cards and banks to give you back a $10 credit, up to 10 times, per card/account, if you spent $10 and paid with Paze.  One of their launch partners was Clover, the company behind many restaurant POS systems, so if you ordered online through their Clover storefront, and paid with Paze, you got $10 free (over and over, again, 10 times per card/account).  Tax, tip, it all counts towards the $10, so you could get something <$10, and just tip up to the $10 to trigger the credit.  I love a freebie, and I love excuses to check out places that I wouldn't normally stumble into, so I used Clover and Paze to go on little missions every weekend, gettings $100s in free food along the way

Bagels

Given the business name, you can guess that bagels are their main focus.  They make all the standard varieties, offer cream cheese and other spreads, and make breakfast egg or omelettes on a bagel, and lunchtime bagel sandwiches.

Poppy Seed. $1.99.

I tried one bagel, poppy seed, something I used to get frequently back in my regular bagel eating days.

It was very average bagel.  Probably above average for not New York, but, average for here.  Big, puffy, decent enough chew.  Well coated in seeds.  But otherwise completely unremarkable. 3/5.

Pastries

Near the registers they also have a variety of muffins and danishes.  Unsure if they are made inhouse, baked off in house, or acquired from elsewhere.  Some were fairly unnatural looking.

Banana Nut. $2.99.

This is one of the most unique banana nut muffins I've had.  To start, it used peanuts, not the more standard choice of walnuts.  This was fine, as peanut (butter) and bananas go together very well, but it does break from the mold.  The nut element however was extremely minimal - just the visible scattering on top.  The peanuts were chopped McDonald's hot fudge sundae style.

The muffin was evenly baked, slightly crisp top, moist enough inside, consistent crumb structure.  But no nuts within.

Banana Nut: SO YELLOW!

Inside the muffin was also a surprise: SO YELLOW!  The taste was banana but banana "flavored" not banana like banana bread.  So I guess artificial, although it wasn't a bad taste.  Just, clearly banana flavor not banana. 

It was a passable muffin, about what I'd expect at a generic cafe or hotel breakfast, not a real bakery fresh muffin.  3/5.

Deli Sides

They also have a small deli counter with salads, e.g. tuna, chicken, white fish, and the like.  One co-worker got the chicken salad and said it was horrible, but I love macaroni salad, potato salad, and slaw, so I still tried.

Macaroni Salad. $2.49.
(1/2 pound)

I was so excited for this.  I like even generic low end deli or grocery store macaroni salad.  When I saw it had both corkscrews and macaroni noodles I got even more excited.  It seemed actually homemade? And they ran out of a noodle type?

But ... yeah, wow, it was not good.  The pasta was really hard and gummy at the same time.  The overall taste was harsh and too acidic.  It had a very bad aftertaste.  I tried to mix it in with my regular salad, but the texture and flavor were both bad enough that I gave up and ditched it.  0 stars?

Potato Salad. $2.50.
(1/2 pound)

The potato salad fared slightly better than the macaroni salad, but it still was not something I'd get again, and seemed a bit sus in terms of freshness.

The potatoes were not too mushy nor too hard, so they were properly cooked.  The pieces were relatively small but fine.  But there were a lot of black spots that concerned me.  There was minimal anything else, just some unidentifiable bits of some kind of vegetable.  Reasonably well dressed.  But another meh here, and the black spots on the potatoes really did worry me.  2/5.

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O'Briens Bar & Grill

A sports bar near Madison Square Garden.  Definitely not a place you'd expect me to stumble into, and yet, I did, to O'Briens Bar & Grill.  I never would have discovered if it wasn't for the summer of Paze*, and this isn't one I'll be returning to, but it was quasi-interesting to check out.  The service wasn't particularly friendly, and my orders were never ready when they said they would be, but at least that meant I got hot fresh food.

*If you are unfamiliar, Paze is a digital wallet system (like Paypal or Google Pay) that you can use to check out with some merchants.  In the summer of 2026, when they launched, they had a promotion with most major credit cards and banks to give you back a $10 credit, up to 10 times, per card/account, if you spent $10 and paid with Paze.  One of their launch partners was Clover, the company behind many restaurant POS systems, so if you ordered online through their Clover storefront, and paid with Paze, you got $10 free (over and over, again, 10 times per card/account).  Tax, tip, it all counts towards the $10, so you could get something <$10, and just tip up to the $10 to trigger the credit.  I love a freebie, and I love excuses to check out places that I wouldn't normally stumble into, so I used Clover and Paze to go on little missions every weekend, gettings $100s in free food along the way.

Exterior.

The outside looks like basically any bar anywhere.  No outside seating, no particularly inviting signage.

Inside.

Inside was considerably bigger than I expected, with two long bars with seating, table seating, and booths on the other side.  Pretty classic sports bar setup with TVs too.

It was entirely vacant the first time I visited at 12pm on a weekend, but quite full during the week at 7:30pm.  Clearly an evening venue.

Onion Rings. $5.50.

The first time, my order was still being prepared when I arrived, so my onion rings were served hot and fresh out of the frier.  They were pretty greasy, and seemed like they were left in a bit too long (or maybe I just prefer a lighter golden color), but I liked the sizes and the amount of coating (although the batter could be more flavorful).  Basically, they were fine, I enjoyed them, but I wouldn't go back for them.  Higher 3/5.

They don't have any dipping sauces available, but included a bunch of ketchup, along with a single mustard and single mayo.

Apple Crumble. $7.95.

Who orders takeout from a sport bar and gets ... the apple crumble?  Um, yeah, me.  I saw it on the menu when I was browsing a few days prior, and I couldn't get it out of my head.  I really wanted apple crumble!  I also wasn't quite sure if this would be a slice of pie with crumble topping, an actual fruit crisp/crumble, or even something more like a crumb cake.  I really didn't want a crumb cake, but either of the previous options would be fine with me.

The answer?  A crumble topped pie. I had pretty low expectations, I knew it wouldn't be made in house, or anything special, so I was quite surprised when I opened my takeout bag to find that 1) they served it warm, 2) they included several sauces, 3) they included whipped cream!  They actually were trying here.

The slice of pie was actually kinda small, I mean, it was a reasonable portion in terms of what a human should eat, but certainly not standard restaurant sized, and felt a bit skimpy for the price.  But that said, it was pretty decent pie.  It had a generous crumble on top that was sweet, crispy, and pretty satisfying, slices of well seasoned and not too mushy apples that didn't have too much goo, and a strangely crisp back and bottom crust that wasn't really standard flaky pie crust, but also wasn't a shortcrust either.  Besides the crust being overly crisp, it really was quite decent.  The crust wasn't bad, it just wasn't any standard kind of pastry crust, and the level of crunchy certainly isn't expected.  Again, I'm sure they purchase this frozen and just reheat it, but hey, it was good. 3.5/5 pie.  That is ... until I found mold.  Yes, mold.  In my pie slice.  I obviously stopped eating it when I tasted (and then saw) it.  Clearly, they have some issues with expiration dates.

 

The whipped cream was a thoughtful touch to include for takeout, and I'm sure when you get it in the restaurant it stays looking nice, but I live a 5 minute walk away, and it was entirely deflated when I reached home.  I'm sure it was standard spray can whipped cream, and that just never holds up.  It didn't taste like plastic-y Reddi-whip, which earns them another point.  I drizzled it over my pie like, well, cream, instead.  

The sauces were a complete surprise to me.  I really didn't expect sauces included, and wouldn't have expected them dining in either.  One was standard chocolate sauce, which made no sense to me with apple pie, and sorta screamed out tacky plating style with chocolate sauce drizzled on every plate for no reason.  But hey, now I have some chocolate sauce for my next ice cream sundae at home.

The other was ... I'm still not sure.  It sorta tasted apple to me, like, cidery almost, which could make sense drizzled over apple pie.  But it was sorta reddish and looked more like a strawberry sauce.  I find it crazy that I can't really tell you which of these things it was, if either, but it sorta tasted like both and neither at the same time.  I did like it though, both with the pie, and I suspect I'll enjoy it on ice cream later too.

Overall, this was a really pleasant surprise, until the whole mold situation.  For a sport's bar dessert, far, far above average, let's even say 4.5/5. If it was served a hotel buffet/restaurant, still quite a bit above average, 4/5.  If I compare to regular mid-range restaurant, about on par, 3/5.  That leaves me somewhere around 3.5/5 as a overall rating, particularly because they included the sauces.  But, they sold me old, moldy pie, and that is unforgivable.  0/5.

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Nuovo York Pizza

I moved to New York, and became a cliché.

After years of not caring about pizza, I suddenly crave it, all the time.

"We focus on delivering authentic New York style pizza built on consistency, quality, and precision. Every slice is designed to meet a clear standard with balanced flavor, proper texture, and a reliable experience you can count on every time you search for great pizza near you. Our process starts with carefully selected ingredients and a dough that is fermented for optimal flavor and structure. From the sauce to the cheese to the final bake, every step is controlled and repeatable. We do not rely on shortcuts or guesswork. We rely on systems, measurements, and constant refinement. That is how we maintain the same quality across every order. Rooted in classic New York pizza tradition, our approach is focused on improvement, not imitation. We aim for a clean and well balanced slice with the right crisp, the right chew, and a flavor profile that stands out without being overwhelming. "

In particular, what I've been craving is classic New York slice shop slices.  Yes, I've also had all the fancier well known places (e.g. L'Industrie Pizzeria, where I was completely blown away, finding their crust to be exceptionally crisped and lightly chewy, and their signature burrata slice to be totally flawless and well worth the hype, Slicehaus Pizzeria, that I noted that while it is far more accessible than its peers with no crazy lines and great 48-hour fermented dough, and Mama's Too!, where I found their heavy Sicilian-style square focaccia bases to be far too greasy and spongy, though I did enjoy the toppings and sauce on slices like the upside-down and poached pear). But lately I've been into trying out random slice shops (ok, not totally random, at least ones that have good reviews, just not ones I see anyone really talking about much).

Setting

Nuovo York Pizza is one such place, located in the East Village.

Slices.

The setup is pretty standard slice shop, with mixed pies on display, and slices plucked from there and heated up to order.

Seating.

They had a reasonable amount of seating, with a few seats at tables, and high chairs along a counter.  Oregano, garlic, red pepper flakes, and hot sauce available to garnish.  Slice shop style, so no table service or anything.

Food

Pizza comes in two styles: round or square.  Round has the largest selection with 8 styles by the slice (your standard cheese, pepperoni, margherita, plus common white or vodka, then three more unique ones: pepperoni pesto, "cherry charm" (with cherry tomatoes and fresh burrata), and their signature spinach and mushroom white pie), plus two more that are whole pizza only.  Squares are either plain, pepperoni, or bbq chicken or buffalo chicken by the slice, or a few more whole.  No custom orders.  Pizza is available by the slice, one size only round pie (18"), or one size only square pie (16").

For sides, they offer 3 kinds of dough based products: garlic knots (orders of 3 or 6), parmesan bread bites, or cheese sticks. There are no salads, fries, wings or other options for sides, just more pizza dough based items.

Garlic Knots (6).  $4.

For a side, I went for the garlic knots, not really wanting more cheese along with the very cheesy pizza. 

The garlic knots were great.  Puffy, nice golden edges, great garlic flavor.  Buttery but not overly oily.  I really enjoyed these.  3.5/5.

The marinara sauce was fairly standard, a sweeter style but not overly so, nicely seasoned.  Some small chunks of tomato.  Not necessarily better than a really good jarred sauce, but still good. 3/5.

These are available as a trio for $2 or half-dozen for $4.  I actually ordered just 3, but got 6.  One dipping sauce is included, choice of marinara/ranch/blue cheese.

Spinach Mushroom White Pie. $33.

I'll admit that a white pie was an odd choice for me, as I usually do want the marinara.  But I saw so many reviews raving about this pizza, and I knew it was their signature thing, so, hey, why not try it.

My pizza was ready right as I walked it, plucked from the pizza oven and boxed up on the spot.  Can't beat that freshness.

It was a well executed pizza: NY slice thin crust (not fancy thin crust), thick enough to hold up to being eaten without utensils, but not overly bready.  Nicely crisp, slight char on the undercarriage.  Back crust was sufficient for holding but not bigger, so you didn't fill up on crust.  Fairly classic New York slice, executed pretty well.  The slices were massive, 8 to a pie, and 18" diameter, so these were very big, although not very evenly sliced (which I preferred actually, but for a brand that talks about precision, the slicing was not).

The cheese was a very thick layer, and it had nice cheese pull to it.  The white sauce ricotta was creamy under it all.  Definitely some garlic and seasoning in it.  The spinach wasn't dominant, and was barely noticeable, but I suspect it did add a bit to the flavor, even if I didn't quite detect it.  I liked the hearty style of mushrooms used, but they weren't particularly evenly applied.  The toppings came together well, and I liked how creamy it was, but it was pretty heavy with all the cheese.  I think I'd prefer a little less of it.  

So overall, a reasonably well executed slice, and a slightly unique offering, but, not completely assembled with care, and probably not something I'd get again.  I still enjoyed it though.  3.5/5.

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Grandma's One Pizza

Regular readers of my blog are likely bored of hearing my intro about pizza in my life, so I'll keep it brief this time:

• I grew up in a family that ate a lot of pizza.  Not good pizza, but a lot of pizza.  Usually homemade from that crust mix that comes in a packet that you add water to, generic canned pizza sauce, generic cheese.  Several nights a week.
• We did also get Pizza Hut as part of the Book-It program as reading rewards as kids, and people ordered Little Caesars for birthday parties.
• In college ordering slices late at night was definitely a regular occurrence, and in grad school, every school event featured pizza.  I ate a lot of mediocre local pizza in those years.
• I moved to San Francisco, discovered nicer pizza (both Chicago style and "Californian" fancier pizza), and ate it relatively regularly the first few years.
  
• Then I just stopped eating pizza.  For probably 20 years.  When I'd visit home, the family still had pizza every week.  I didn't participate.
• My final two years in SF I discovered Square Pies Guys, and fell in love with Detroit style pizza.  
• Then I moved to NY and became a cliché who suddenly loves classic slices.  

I've since been enjoying trying more off-the-radar slice shops (although I've of course hit all the bigger names too, e.g. Joe's, NY Pizza Suprema, L'Industrie, Slicehaus, Mama's Too, Prince Street).  My adventures lead me to Grandma's One, in Greenwich Village.

Spoiler: I adored this place.

Setting

Unassuming Storefront.

Located on Bleecker Street, but relatively generic looking storefront, obviously even less appealing with the construction going on the day I visited.

Seating.

Inside has character though with deliberate pizza related signs, a TV that presumably airs something interesting from time to time (it was just set to the music station when I was there), and a few small tables for dining in.

Bar Seating.

The other side of the space has stools along a bar for solo quick dining, more pizza paraphernalia on the walls, and condiments station to add your own red pepper flakes, garlic powder, oregano, or s&p.

Pies.

The layout is classic slice shop, with all the pies on display, all nicely labelled.  Slices are taken from here and heated to order for a few minutes.

Sides.

Besides the slices, they also had knots and pinwheels in the display.

Slices

For pizza, you have your choice of style: classic NY round pies, square Grandma-style pies, or square Sicilian style.  Different topping options are pre-set for all styles, e.g. if you want bbq chicken, buffalo chicken, or baconator, those only comes in square form, similarly veggie or burrata or white spinach come only in round.  Some basics like cheese, pepperoni, margarita are available in multiple styles.  Best I can tell, you can't create your own, even if you get a full pie.

Pepperoni Grandma Slice. $4.50.

"Savor a thin crust square pizza loaded with pepperoni, rich tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and a dash of basil."

For my first slice, I felt like I needed to get a Grandma slice, given the business name.  I adore cupping pepperoni, so the moment I saw that they used cupping pepperoni, I was all in.

I loved this.  It also may have been the first time I've had a Grandma slice ... I've had plenty of other styles of square pizza, but they have a much thicker crust.  This really was just regular NY thin crust, just, square.  Well, huh.  Speaking of the crust, I really liked the thickness, just thick enough to hold shape and not be too fancy seeming, but not too filling.  Very different from Detroit style squares I got rather addicted to back in San Francisco.  It was perfectly crisp, but not too crunchy.

The sauce was a highlight for me. It had such a vibrancy, and I loved the bright flavor.  It was sweet but not too sweet.  It was generously applied but not too saucy. The cheese had a great pull due to the use of fresh mozzarella rather than standard pizza shredded mozzarella (which they do use on some of the pizzas).  The cheese covered the slice, but not too thickly. 

And then of course the pepperoni, 9 pieces visible, but most were doubled up, which delighted me even more once I realized it.  Perfectly cupped.  Not scorched.  Again, better than standard quality.  It was garnished with a drizzle of oil, fresh basil, fresh parmesan.  

I have nothing I'd change about this slice.  The balance of the thickness of the crust + the level of sauce + the amount of cheese achieved great harmony.  The flavors popped.  They really have perfected the craft of making a great slice.  4.5/5.

Grandma. $4.50.

"A thin-crust delight with tangy tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and vibrant basil leaves."

My next visit, it was no question that I needed another Grandma slice, and I decided to keep it super simple with the basic plain (margherita style) slice (side note: I do find it interesting that they don't offer a plain cheese Grandma slice, given that the crust is the same style as the classic NY round, and that comes in plain cheese ...).

This slice was a bit more sloppily made it seemed, a very saucey slice, cheese not fully covering it.  But otherwise it was the same - nicely crisp crust, vibrant sauce, lovely cheese pull.  I enjoyed it at home later with some sliced red onion on top, which really complimented it well.  4/5.

Margherita. $5.

"A classic Margherita with tomato sauce, melted mozzarella, and fresh basil on a thin crust."

I finally tried a classic NY slice too.  I went back and forth on getting the simple cheese as that is definitely their biggest seller (while I was there waiting for my other pizza to be finished, I saw quite a few slices get sold, and the plain cheese NY slice was probably 70% of the orders; the pepperoni NY slice was another 20%, and then the rest assorted grandma slices) or this fancier option, the margherita.  Given that I had loved the fresh mozzarella so much on my previous slices, I decided to stick with that.

I had this slice literally right out of the oven, as I was there waiting when it came out.  Removed from oven, basil thrown on top, sliced, handed over.  Doesn't get fresher than that.

The crust was absolutely perfect, you could fold it in order to eat it one handed walking down the street, but it certainly wasn't floppy.  I think it was the same thickness as the grandma slices, so thick enough to hold its form, but not heavy, and not overbearing. The back crust was easy to hold onto, and the flavor was so good I did find myself really wanting the crusts, which is somewhat rare for me without a dipping sauce.  This seemed more back crust forward than the grandma to me, but I'm not sure why, as I don't think it actually has more. 

It had the same great sauce as the grandma slices, just such a bright sauce that I truly enjoy.  It covered the slice well, but it wasn't saucy.  The cheese also covered it well, and had a great cheese pull.  Fresh mozzarella really is perfect for that.  The ratio of sauce and cheese were excellent.

This was a simple slice, but every element was really well executed, the ratios were right, and it was enjoyable to eat.  I'm really not sure which format I prefer, round or grandma, as they are so similar in components and taste, just, a different eating experience.  This one felt more "right" to eat walking down the street though.  4/5, and I'd gladly get it again if I wanted a simple slice.

Meat Lover. $6.

"Loaded with tomato sauce, pepperoni, sausage, meatball, and fresh basil on a classic Sicilian pie."

I know I don't like Sicilian style pizza normally.  But ... 1) I like to challenge my sense of dislikes every so often in case I've changed and expanded my horizons, 2) I was so happy with every other style Grandma's One makes that I thought if I was ever going to like Sicilian, this could be the time for it, and 3) I adored their cupping pepperoni and really wanted to try more meats, and this is the only style a loaded meat slice comes in (you can get pepperoni only in several styles, or sausage or meatball only, but nothing else loaded up).

This pizza wasn't ready when I arrived, so I waited for it to finish cooking, and got it hot and fresh.  It really was loaded up with meats: just as much pepperoni as the pepperoni slices had, plus a few slices of a very pale looking sausage (I think that was the sausage? Or a very pale meatball), and crumbled meatball (or was that the sausage?).  I'll admit that if I had seen this in person I probably wouldn't have ordered it, as the sausage wasn't the style I was thinking it would be (definitely thought ground hunks), and it just looked kinda unappetizing, greasy, and not well cooked (the cheese was very lackluster looking, not fully melted, but the crust looked overly brown).

The pepperoni was incredible as in my previous slices, and I loved it so much.  Thick cupping style with great flavor.  So good. The other meats, which I could barely guess which was which, were far less good.  The crumbled one was very dry and greasy and not good at all, the pale slices were better but still not something I would want more of, although I did eat it all.

As for the base pizza, it was ... yep, Sicilian style.  The crust was much thicker, more focaccia-like, very oily, quite crispy on the outside, yet very soft and doughy and almost undercooked within.  It instantly transported me back in time, as this was the style of crust my family always had.  The taste and doughiness, at least in my memory, was uncanny.  I still didn't like it all that much, as I prefer the other crusts, but this was serious nostalgia for me.

I'm not sure if this is sicilian style or just a less well made pizza, but it had minimal sauce, and only that blob of cheese on top here, so there wasn't much to mask the dough forward nature of it (even with all those meats).

I'm glad I tried this, and I did get some enjoyment out of it, but I wouldn't get it again.  I might still rate it 3.5/5 as the pepperoni is so amazing, and it did bring back so many memories.

Sides

Appetizers/sides include the pizza place standards of garlic knots and wings, plus a few flavors of pinwheel. 

Spinach Pinwheel. $4.25.

"Delight in layers of fresh spinach and creamy cheese spiraled into a savory pinwheel!"

I went for the spinach pinwheel, very randomly, but I wanted to try something totally different.  It too was garnished to order with fresh parmesan and basil.

This was actually considerably more filling than a slice of pizza which I didn't expect.  I was thinking "oh, a little appetizer pinwheel" but the dough is so much thicker it is like eating a full order of garlic knots or breadsticks, as the size really is hefty, bigger than the slices in girth (and obviously much thicker).  It did give me a chance to really appreciate their dough quality, and could imagine liking a slice with a more substantial crust too.  

I loved the cheese skirt around it from where cheese had seeped out, as it was crazy crispy and obviously cheesy, and fun to pick off.  The bottom of the roll though was quite greasy from all the cheese.  Again, this ate a lot heavier than actual pizza.  The spiral itself was fine, filled with a decent amount of spinach and cheese.  It basically was just a more fun form of a garlic knot that happened to have spinach for extra flavor.  I did desperately want something to dunk it in though, and would recommend getting a side of marinara (or ranch or blue cheese or whatever your dip of choice is, they have them all).

This was good, and I am glad I tried something different, but I wouldn't get it again unless I had a specific craving.  3.5/5 without a dipping sauce, I'm certain it would be a 4 with one though (and that's just my bad for not ordering one).

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Domino's Pizza

I realized I don't know anything about Domino's Pizza at all, as I've probably only had it once or twice in my life, perhaps at an event in grad school or something.  I know it exists, and has generic pizza, but that's about it.  Just not something I've ever ordered, or lived in a city with (not growing up, not in college, not near me in SF for the 21 years of my adult life ...).  But I moved to NYC during the summer of the $10 Paze promotion (spend $10, get $10 credit back if you pay with Paze), and Dominos was one of the launch partners.  I can't resist a freebie.

But I was in NY, surrounded by amazing pizza, I was most certainly not getting pizza at Dominos.  Did you know Domino's has pastas? (and sandwiches, and many other things, it turns out). I didn't, but the pasta is what jumped out most to me on the menu once I started browsing.  They have three pastas: 5-Cheese Mac and Cheese, Spicy Buffalo 5-Cheese Mac & Cheese, or Chicken Alfredo.  All use the same penne pasta, and all use alfredo sauce as well, the mac and cheese just loads on more cheeses (white American, cheddar, Parmesan, Asiago). 

Chicken Alfredo Pasta. $8.49.
(-chicken).

"Try our savory Chicken Alfredo Pasta. Grilled chicken breast and creamy Alfredo sauce is mixed with penne pasta and baked to creamy perfection."

I was drawn to the mac and cheese, but was actually craving alfredo, so, chicken alfredo it was.  I got it without the chicken, which is easy to do from their online ordering page (side note: why don't they just have a regular alfredo option?  And then make it possible to add chicken, or bacon, or any pizza topping you want?).  I arrived at the specified time, but it wasn't ready yet, so I was able to see it being baked to order in the pizza oven.  It was handed over insanely hot and fresh, inside a small pizza box, which turned out to be quite useful as the foil bowl was extremely hot, as it was baked in it.  I can't say it won any awards for how it looked, a bit meager in the pasta department, and drowning in very cheesy sauce.  I did appreciate the slightly crispy top.

I was fairly confused by this though, as it seemed really cheesy, in a way you don't expect in alfredo, and in a way that didn't seem like it could be from just parmesan and asiago.  The pool of melted cheese on top really screamed out mozzarella, but, they say it only has the hard cheeses.  I believe this is the same alfredo sauce they use on the pizza.  

It ... was pretty underwhelming, fairly thick and gloopy, and didn't have much flavor to it (it has a bit of garlic, but barely noticeable), and it desperately needed salt and pepper ... and red pepper flakes ... and, well, anything.  The flavor was bland and flat.  I realize I'm talking about alfredo sauce from a generic pizza franchise, but even jarred alfredo from a grocery store is better than this.

The pasta too was underwhelming, as generic as can be, just, basic penne.  It wasn't too mushy, but it certainly wasn't al dente.  While it had a tiny bit of color on top, it wasn't really crispy.  

Overall, um, meh.  I could imagine this being better with other pizza toppings added in, and a drizzle of their buffalo sauce, but, at the end of the day, it is low end penne and alfredo sauce, mixed together and put in an oven for a few minutes.  2/5.

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Bánh Mì Cô Út

I am not really a sandwich person.  I haven't ever been.  I did have one gas station in my hometown growing up that had bulkie bun sandwiches I liked, but besides that, sandwiches have been something I begrudgingly ate.  My family never went out to actual restaurants when I was growing up (like, ever), but we had a phase of going out on Saturday night to one of Subway or Del Taco.  I always voted against Subway. In grad school, every once in a while my group of grad student friends would splurge and go out for lunch, and I was always saddened when the sandwich shop was the destination of choice for the group.  Going out was a real splurge for me, and paying for a sandwich I didn't really want always made me grumpy.  So suffice to say, you'll never see me seeking out sandwiches of any kind (is a hot dog a sandwich?  Let's not get into that, and yes I adore hot dogs, although I'd prefer a corn dog or bunless generally).

But when I do have a sandwich, a banh mi is pretty high up there on the actually interesting list.  Is it because I like the fillings and find them novel as I didn't grow up with them?  Well, mostly. Do I still dislike the actual sandwich part, and find that particularly with bahn mi the bread is too hard and I discard half of it?  Also yes.  Still, I was sorta craving banh mi, and did a little research on where I should go.

Bánh Mì Cô Út is routinely cited as having the best bread in Manhattan for banh mi. Since that is the element that usually lets me down the most, I decided to optimize on my best shot of having bread I appreciated, and thus, Bánh Mì Cô Út it was.  They make their own bread fresh daily, and yes, it really does make a difference.

#1: Bánh Mì Cô Út Special. $11.10.

"Pork belly, boiled Vietnamese ham, fried Vietnamese ham, jambon, pork floss, pate, mayo, cucumber, cilantro, carrot & daikon."

I went straight for the one with ~everything. There were at least 7 kinds of pork in here: pate and floss, 3 kinds of luncheon meats, two kinds of more standard pork (although, yes, I know the description only lists 6 kinds).  

The pate was spread along the bread on one side, and it was a fairly thin layer, but it was good.  I love pate, so this was a highlight for me, as minimal as it was.  The pork floss was on the other end of all the meats, in the middle of the sandwich, adjacent to the veggies.  I love pork floss too, and this was also good, but again, give me more!  I sorta wished it was positioned differently though, as it got lost in the very center a bit.  These were my two favorite elements, no question.

Next were the three kinds of processed loaf meats.  I'm not sure what they all were, two were sorta pale cold cuts style (one was the boiled Vietnamese ham, the other probably the fried version?), the third was full of all the bits and pieces.  I liked all of these, as again, I just tend to like anything in the bologna/mortadella space, although the one with all the color variations, fat circles, and just kinda mystery bits was my least favorite of the three.

The regular sliced pork was fine, not too tough, but pretty boring (is this the jambon?).  The other had a slight colored crust on it and had a bit more flavor (maybe this was the belly?).  These were the least interesting to me.

Then, all the veggies. There was a generous amount of pickled shredded carrot and diakon which really helped offset the fattiness and saltiness of the meats, and a little cucumber. These all were about as expected, and played their parts well.  I don't really like cilantro, but I understand it has its place in here too.  I barely noticed any mayo, I would prefer more.  I also wanted some jalapeno.

And finally, the bread.  It was very good for banh mi bread. Super crispy/crusty, but quite soft inside.  Clearly very fresh. Better than average, no question.

Overall, this was a good bahn mi, and I enjoyed the adventure of trying everything in it.  I think my ideal would be just the boiled and fried Vietnamese ham loaves, 2x the pork floss, 3x the pate though.  3.5/5.

Banh Mi Lap Xuong Tuoi. $10.20.

"Vietnamese fresh pork sausage, mayo, cucumber, cilantro, carrot & daikon, and homemade soy bean sauce."

Since I was there, I also got my second choice, one with pork sausage, just to try a second item too.  Again some great fresh bread that was shockingly crispy yet soft, same attention paid to ratios of veggie to meat fillings - more veggies in this one, which worked with the more solid meatier sausage.  Alas, no pate nor pork floss in this one.

Banh Mi Nem Nuong: Inside.

The sausage was shockingly good.  Very juicy, but the aromatics were particularly impressive.  Just so well spiced.  

I'm not sure which of these sandwiches I liked more, as they were really quite different, but this was just as good as the first ... if not better. 3.5/5.

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Panda Express

Update Review, July/August 2026

Panda Express in San Francisco closed several months before I moved away, so I wasn't able to enjoy it for a while, until I moved to New York.  These visits were to several locations in Manhattan this summer.

Honey Sesame Chicken.

"Crispy strips of white-meat chicken with veggies in a mildly sweet sauce with honey."

I decided to mix it up, and get another form of battered sweet chicken, the honey sesame chicken.  I had been on a sesame kick in general, so this was quite appealing.  It uses a slightly different form of chicken that other Panda Express entrees (white meat chicken breast strips), along with green beans and yellow bell peppers.  The sauce is a vinegar, honey, and sesame oil based sauce, rather than soy sauce based like many others.  So really something a bit different even though it looks similar at first glance.

The pieces of chicken were quite varied in size.  All were indeed white meat chicken, nicely battered, somewhat crispy outside, moist inside.  The sauce clung well to them.  At first it seemed like just better quality chicken orange chicken really, but the sauce was distinctly different, considerably less sweet, obviously not soy nor orange, and the sesame seeds added crunch and flavor.  The honey was present but not as sweet or dominant as I expected.  This dish felt really familiar to me, but I couldn't ever quite conjure up the full memory of where it was coming from.

The veggies were all crisp and I quite liked the string beans.

Overall, a nice choice if you still want fried battered chicken and want to deviate from the orange chicken and just want something less sweet.  I'd get it again.  3.5/5.

Panda Cub Meal: Hot Orange Chicken
1/2 white steamed rice + 1/2 supergreens. $9. 

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

It's ba-ack!  Yup, when Hot Orange Chicken came back this August, I immediately sought it out.  

My batch was good but not quite as crispy as it usually is, perhaps a bit less fresh?  But otherwise, well coated pieces of chicken, all various sizes, and I really liked having the tiny nibs that were basically just batter and sauce, along with the bigger pieces.  I don't actually like chicken, but in this application, covered in batter and smothered in sauce, I truly don't notice the chicken, so it totally works.  The sauce was sweet as candy, but had a bit of spice to it.  I still found overall very, very sweet, but if you actually ate one of the chilies, they had legit heat.  Bites without a chili tough honestly didn't seem any different from regular orange chicken.  I enjoyed this, but wished it was crispier.  Flavor-wise, it wins over the regular version.  Low 4/5.

As always, I got a kid's (er, "Panda Cub") meal, with 1/2 veggies and rice.  The veggies and rice were completely as expected, which is to say, quite good.  I had a reasonable distribution of veggies, the sauce was mild but present, and the rice was fresh and not clumped (although I put it into my panini press to try it into a crispy rice anyway).  These sides are simple but reliable, 3.5/5.

Panda Cub Meal: The Original Orange Chicken
1/2 white steamed rice + 1/2 supergreens. $9.

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

The same time I got the hot orange chicken, I also got the OG. I wanted to compare them side-by-side for once, rather than just my memories of what they were each like.  I got the same sides, they were, well the same, although I had kinda a wimpier serving of veggies in this box.

The OG Orange Chicken seemed to have more standard size bites of chicken, although maybe that was just random.  Otherwise, the sauce was much the same, although it ate sweeter without the chilies.  I enjoyed my candied batter and generic Chinese food taste.  This was nicely crispy and seemed quite fresh.  It was better executed than the hot version, but I preferred the taste of hot. 4/5.

Panda Cub Meal:Beef & Broccoli.
1/2 white steamed rice 1/2 supergreens. $9.

"Classic tender beef slices and crisp broccoli florets wok-tossed in a traditional ginger soy sauce."

This was a fairly wimpy portion of everything, but perhaps appropriate for a child.  Even if the portion was perhaps correct, the supergreens was all kale and cabbage, no broccoli.  The person serving this up really just didn't seem to care.  Anyway.

The beef & broccoli was fine.  The beef was tender, not chewy, not fatty.  Broccoli soaked up the sauce well and was fairly crisp.  The sauce seemed a bit gloopy.

Overall, one of least impressive showings from Panda Express, but still enjoyable. 3/5.

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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