Panda Cafe

Stop by here regularly in between classes. Food is very similar to Panda Express but maybe tastes a little better and more oriental.

I am very sad I ate here.
I’m not going to go into vulgar detail but suffice to say I was sick for two days.
Panda Café, I know you are one of the only places open around PSU on a Sunday night, but don’t leave your food out for that long. Dummies like me will come along and eat it out of desperation!
Jesus christ I should have gone to McDonalds, I am NOT kidding — my friend who ended up coming with us looked at the food once and said, fuck this, it’s Micky D’s time for me.
I am only sad I didn’t go with her.
Whyyyyyy.

Panda Café isn’t within my normal range of visited establishments however given that I work in the same building and was super hungry on the cheap I decided to pop in and see what they offered. The 1 and 2 entrée deals seemed good enough, I opted for the 1 entrée with Kung Pao Tofu which was their only vegetarian option in the spread. They cooked me up a fresh batch and paired it with what seemed like a full pound of chow mein noodles. The kung pao tofu was actually delicious with chunks of zucchini, carrot and celery, fried tofu squares and scrumptious slightly spicy/​sweet sauce. While the dish had the typical american chinese grease to it, it was still fresh and flavorful without causing digestive upset. For $ 5.50 you cannot beat this amount of food, just wish they offered more vegetarian entrée options.

Set up similar to Panda Express… Always empty when I go. They have mediocre food, not amazing but not bad. Hefty portions, good price. It’s why I keep coming back! You can order a fresh cook of any item which is a plus.

I stopped in here for dinner shortly before eight on a Monday. Their counter is set up like a cafeteria lunch line: you choose between a side of fried rice or chow mein, and then you add one or two entrees. The restaurant was empty, and they only had about four entrees to choose from; half of the steam table trays were unused. They had a few chicken dishes, plus beef and broccoli. I got the chow mien with BBQ chicken and sweet and sour chicken. The food was unremarkable, but okay. The portions were very generous. I got close to a pound and a half of food. Had I known they were going to give me so much, I would have only gotten one entrée. It was inexpensive, too: the food and a fountain drink only cost $ 8.49.
They also have a full menu of Chinese-​American food you can order there or for takeout.
In summary: nice staff, average food, large portions, and low prices. This is a place where you can fill up for only a little money. A solid three stars.

I love this place. Honestly I used to hate Chinese food. never understood why people ate it like its going outa style. then I moved to Portland. Asian food (all parts of Asia) in Portland is just on another level. even places like Panda Café, which is kinda like Chinese fast food, is still miles above what I was used to. they give you huge portions for very cheap and its always hot and tasty. They are always friendly with me, ask me how my day is going etc… and it appears to be family run. which is nice imo. my only complaint is that they don’t update the labels of the dishes when something new is put in its place. it could say sweat n sour chicken and actually be beef broccoli. But I usually just ask for a sample if its something I haven’t tried yet and they willingly grab you a tooth pick. all in all this is my go-​to place for mid-​week Chinese. this being Portland though, you have some serious choices when it comes to ethnic food for a date night or whatever and this is more inline with lunch break food.

Not too shabby a deal. It’s cheap, it’s fast, and really not bad. Much like Panda Express except not as brightly colored. The lady behind the counter was super nice and gave us tons of food (we each ordered a 1-​entrée meal). Great when you’re hungry and pressed for time.

Super cheap and yummy!!! A little harder to notice but definitely good food. The place is small and set up like Panda Express, but their food seems to be less pre-​packaged. The teriyaki chicken wasn’t too sweet or too salty, and the orange chicken was amazing… All around really good.

Below average Americanized Chinese food (which I’m not at all opposed to when done well).
My first bite of fried rice was met with a crunch. After spitting it out, I realized that the culprit was a dime-​sized egg shell. Naht good!
Once I got past the egshell, the food itself wasn’t very good. Everything was super bland. The sauces were watery and relied too much on soy sauce for flavor. On top of it all, they don’t even give you a side of steamed rice with the large entrees.

It’s mall food court food outside of the mall. Nothing spectacular, but it’s not going to attack your tastebuds or your digestive system. Kind of the standard.
The menu is fairly decent, but if you get their close to opening like we did, expect to see only about half the options ready and the rest getting added while you’re busy eating your already ordered meal.
Most stuff was priced between $ 6 – 9 for the entrees and the 1 and 2 entrée combo were $ 4.99 and $ 5.99 respectively. We split a 2 entrée plate and it was more than enough food to satisfy.
Super friendly ladies behind the counter that were offering up samples from the moment we walked in to help us decided.
Probably not some place I’ll be frequenting but it’s not a bad option.