Panda Express

The employees are really nice and take care of you — but the food is awful :(Panda express is like the McDonalds of Chinese food. You can get authentic Chinese food for a lower price and it tastes way better. I work in the same plaza at this restaurant and there have been times where I am so hungry and almost contemplate eating panda express but once I’m inside the restaurant, I decide I rather starve and go back to work. It’s so bad, my co-​workers and I made a joke about whoever makes the least sales has to eat panda.

I normally prefer to go to more authentic Chinese restaurants, but when you go with coworkers who are hesitant to do so and prefer a more «Americanized» version of Chinese food, you end up at places like this. For what it is, its fairly decent, and definitely better than what you’d find in the mall food court. I’d have to also compliment them on not using MSG… or so it says on their sign at the counter. So, ff you have nothing more authentic in the area, or you just have really picky eaters that won’t eat something more authentic, you can’t go wrong at Panda Express.

Why did I have the urge to eat here randomly? No clue. I knew it would suck and it did. I hate fast food and especially fast Asian food. I got the Orange chicken, noodles and the cheese puffs. The chicken was marginal, the cheese puffs were terrible, and the noodles were dry. So why am I giving it 3 stars instead of something worse? Because I’m sure the food tasted good for Panda Express quality. It’s not like I should expected fine dining taste. So due to the fact that the service was fine and nothing was wrong with my food, I’m giving it a 3. However, I should know better next time and stick to some place less fast food like.

I love this panda express on main st! The majority of time I go the food is fresh, and if not they will make it fresh! I go here all the time especially since they have added ribs to the menu! Will be coming back Panda.

We ate here Tuesday the food was warm not hot, trying to get napkins from the napkins holder is a pain in the butt.

Great workers good food but until they stop the homeless and panhandlers either outside or coming in to hit you up for money I will never walk in the door again!

It’s such a shame I can give this location 2 stars only because the food was good. We got the family feast and all our food was made fresh BUT we took the food to go because the restaurant was super dirty. The customer service was horrible, way to crowded and we didn’t get our fortune cookies

Avoid this particular Panda Express location.
I’ve lived close to them for a couple years now, and gave them plenty of opportunities, but I am done trying now. Almost every time I go the experience is the same. They are out of or low on 1/3−½ of the entrees. They’ll tell you that they’re just 7 – 8 min away, but that is usually an underestimation. The employees clearly do not care at all and are really uncoordinated. I tried going back twice today around 4:30−5 PM. They were completely out of Orange Chicken both times. And that’s one of their most popular signature items, so you’d think they’d try to keep it stocked. And no, they were not really busy, so there was once again no reason they could not keep up with demand.
You should also be aware that they apparently stop cooking anything at least like an hour before closing time. I’ve gone in in the past and asked about certain items (once again, usually Orange Chicken, which they’re out of) and they’ll tell me they’re not cooking more because they’re about to close. Ummm… you’re still open for like an hour.
If you really want Panda Express, bypass this location and go to the Meyerland Panda Express (8705 W Loop S).

Don’t come here if you are hungry because they usually are out of most entrees. I’ve been here twice recently, close to closing time, (not that close, 1hr before closing time) and they have only 2 – 3 items left to order. Even these items look like they have been sitting out for a good while. They must stop making food very early before they close.
If you ask them to make any items fresh, the employees will refuse. Actually, 1 employee refused initially and then another came and agreed to make the food like it was no big deal. This makes it seem like some of the employees are just too lazy to do the work. Customer service is obviously not a priority for whoever owns this place.

It services its purpose.

This was by far my worst ever Pexpress experience all across the land. Pexpress was one of my favorite cost-​effective uses of my per diem money from my last firm when I was out on the low highway. However, it was such a calamitous failure on their part today I would have gladly donated my lunch to one of the many homeless gentlemen nearby if I thought they would accept it, but even the smell was slightly off putting, and I didn’t need to add another crusty-​homeless-​man-​rejecting-​my-​charitable-​offerings story to my repertoire in addition to the crusty homeless man in Oakland (Cokeland) not accepting my In N Out fries because they were animal style, and the even crustier homeless man outside of Zuccotti Park that would not accept my double bacon cheeseburger because it was not vegan. So nuh uh girlfran, I did the sensibly English thing and binned it.
When I had walked in at 11:30 nearly all entrees were on the dregs and nothing was about to be replaced, the other reviews nailed the total lack of coordination up in here. I was at peace with that since I wanted food ASAP as possible and the line at Chipotle next door was already way too long.
They didn’t have Coke in the soda dispenser so that is a hit against them. It’s the gold standard, come on.
There were zero soy sauce packets which is nearly the worst crime imaginable at your average shitty «Mall Food Court Chinese» places. Ya know, I don’t walk around with a bottle of soy sauce in my pants. The fried rice needs soy sauce juices to mask the bland flavor of the prison grade fried rice. That’s right, I went there. This would be cruel and unusual punishment to give this to a prisoner. However there is no recourse for me paying $ 9 for this. $ 9 is a lot of games of Galaga.
Even worse, this is the first time that I got four literal clumps of rice buried in the mound of fried rice. They were rock hard and so large they were the same size as the orange chicken piece. Four large clumps of unusable rice that I can’t even soak in soy sauce to soften up. Fail.
Had they had any soy sauce I would have just sprayed the clumps down, let the juice soak in, and continued on business-​as-​usual. But just dry and unimaginative it sat there in the styrofoam package mocking me as inedible, with cacophonous laughter emanating from the rubbish bin because the bad rice had won this round.
This lunch was a crime against humanity. If there was oil underneath 8505 S Main then the federal government would have already invaded and spread freedom all over this restaurant for their impressive ability to fuck up a greasy, admittedly low-​quality food that is only utilized at its best as an edible hangover cure for when your problems have learned to count all the way up to one hundred proof.

Do not come here! My husband had the beef and rice and 7 hours later began vomiting his guts out. He continued retching through the night until he ended up at the ER requiring units of IV fluids. And just an hr before a morning of exams to top things off.

As a general rule, I like Panda Express, this location however is always hit or miss. It seems that every single time I go; there isnt any fresh food and I have been told by the staff that they wont be making any unless the crowd picks up! GASP** so you expect me to order and pay for your old and cold orange chicken – no thank you! I dont get that concept… so I stay away for this location. Obviously, they dont want my business.

The food is– eh, better than mall Chinese food, but less than your average restaurant. Why the 5-​stars? Today I witnessed something that I’ve only seen happen on TV or movies. A regular patron (from what the manager said), forgot his wallet and was clearly embarrassed at the cash register. One of the managers who helped serve at the time said «ah, just pay me back tomorrow, because I know I will see you then.» I was shocked that an employer/​customer relationship similar to this still exists. Kudos to you management staff at Panda Express Med Center! Kudos!

Hot, fresh and tasty. I had not been to a Panda Express for years and despite the guy out front begging for change, this was a great experience. The serving size was large and it was all good. We had a slight delay as we had to wait for them to make some fresh veggies… but I don’t mind waiting if it means the food is fresher! For less than $ 10 when you want Chinese-​ish food on the go, what more can you ask for?

It was cute for what it was. I got the shrimp and orange chicken.
Everybody knows what Panda Express taste like so I’m not going to waste time talking about the food. But can y’all tell me why that chow mien is always so damn dry. Oh my Gawd! Taste like cabbage and shredded newspaper!
Anyway I got the rice. Still wasn’t all that great. Buy hey it’s Panda Express and I’m gonna keep going cause the chicken is so good.
Orange chicken and the newspaper and cabbage combo please!!!

Great stop for lunch… not my favorite Asian food, but pretty good for fast food. They also have a new chicken item, honey sesame, which was good, I usually get orange chicken.
Service is always great here.

Are you in the mood for crappy Chinese food, but too lazy to go to the mall? If the answer is yes, then Panda Express is the place for you. I go here when I am too tired to cook and want something quick and Asian (or semi-​Asian). Prices are cheap, around $ 7-​$ 9 for meal with 2 entrée items.
Typical fast food Americanized Chinese food, steam rice, fried rice, noodles, Orange Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken, Mushroom Chicken, Beef & Broccoli, Pepper Chicken, and so on. The chicken egg rolls are also tasty but I only eat those when I am having a bad day. My 2 favorite dishes are the Fire Cracker Shrimp and Pepper Angus Steak, these are premium items so they charge an additional $ 1 for each item.
I haven’t been back here in a while because the last couple of times I went here the food was very greasy and I didn’t even order any of the deep fried items. There’s an Asian girl that works there and every time that she has made my order I feel like she skimps out on me. It’s usually 2 meals for me, but when she does it I can finish an entire order. I suppose I should thank her for portion control…

this review is only for the free orange chicken promotion that they had today promoting their new open-​late hours. the portion came in a really small take-​out box. i guess you couldn’t really expect a free full portion.
nothing to complain about, since it was free. the orange chicken was standard. tasted like something you’d get from those chinese places in the food court at the mall. i wouldn’t pay to eat here. there’s so many other better places to go.

Like any well-​run chain, the food is of consistent quality and presentation. I’d give 3 – 4 stars for the food, but it’s heavily marred by some staff behind the counter.
UPDATED 2013.02.04: Higher star rating. See note at bottom of review.
The service is quite uneven, however. I’ve stopped in there before at 11:15 a.m. and ended up in a line because the staff is still prepping (putting out food under the lamps, heating up the cooking area, etc.). And even when your order is finally taken, sometimes the lone order taker/​food scooper/​cashier (there’s occasionally a second) gets hung up chatting with a customer while everyone else in line glares.
The worst offense, though, was when I stopped in one day and, moments later, one of the staff made a Bruce Lee-​style «hoowahhh» noise, and they all laughed for quite a while. (That particular day, the staff was non-​Asian.) Heck, the serving lady was even sniggling with the customer before me in line! Racial/​ethnic sensitivities aside (I’m quite un-​PC in my humor), it was just plain unprofessional, and clearly the manager didn’t care to address it. I’d be writing this here regardless of which group to whom the slur was directed.
We’re all human. I get it. But when you work in a service industry, you’re not just a person, but a face for your employer, and how you perform reflects on you AND your employer.
I should probably not buy from Panda Express any more, but I still like their food. I’ll just go to another location.
UPDATE: I decided to give this location another chance, and am glad I did. At lunchtime, there’s been a new supervisor/​manager named Maddie, whose attention to customer service and satisfaction more than canceled out the horrible experience I had earlier. When you have good or bad service, it reflects on the organization. Employees can eventually leave, and I’m glad I stopped by again to give this location a chance, because it seems like the offensive ones are gone, replaced with an employee who understands the bigger picture when it comes to customer service.