Peter Chang Express

Simply the most authentic and absolutely overwhelming portions and delightfully delectable food.
I ordered the chicken dumplings-​so good! Kung Pao chicken filled goodness. The cheese wontons were a little sweet with the apricots in the feeling.
I got a spicy chicken entrée and it was so flavorful! My companion got something similar and we did major damage, or so we thought… So many leftovers!!!
I can’t wait for my next visit.
This is my new go to Chinese place.

Food was delicious and hot! Some of us ordered flounder, chicken, and beef. This was our graduation party for my nephew and it was his first trip to Peter Chang Express he was impressed. Thank you for an enjoyable dinner. I recommend this place.
Thanks,
Irene Lano

This is an interesting place. It’s not quite a traditional chinese restaurant, not quite a Chipotle-​style spot, not quite an AYCE buffet. Walk in, go to the counter, place order, get a number, help yourself to soup and condiments (which the employee didn’t tell me about until I was wandering around). They bring your entrée to your table.
I ordered the fish & shrimp hot pot with white rice and bean sprouts. The hot pot was super fantastically hot so of course the first morsel I put in my mouth was like lava and I nearly spewed it across the restaurant. My method was to take from food from the hot pot an put it over my rice to cool. Food was tasty and spices were on point. The bean sprouts were hot as a mug– but that kind of hot where you had to keep on eating them even though your mouth is on fire. Saddest part is that the hot pot remained so hot that the fish on the bottom of the pot just stuck to it and I couldn’t eat it.
In the end, I’d say 7 out of 10 stars. It’s not the fanciest place with the absolute bestest food, service, or ambiance, but it’s not trash either. Good lunch spot or casual drop by with some friends.

My husband and I were underwhelmed. On a positive note, it was inexpensive, service was friendly, and the portions are large enough for two people. I didn’t love the «express» concept. It was one (well, maybe two or three) step above going to McDonald’s. The food simply wasn’t as good in comparison to their location in Landstown Commons. I ordered the garlic sauce with chicken sans mushrooms (because fungus is gross, that’s me, though) fried rice, and stir fried cabbage. My husband ordered the same but with beef. My food was okay. It was spicy, which I liked, but I couldn’t taste the garlic. My husband didn’t care for his food, at all. His meat had a soapy after taste. Would I give them another shot, though? Definitely!

Wow one of the best Chinese takeout I’ve had in this area! I mean Chinese food begins to taste alike after a while but this place takes it up a notch with service and taste.
On today’s taste buds, I was going for something beefy and spicy and different, which led me to try the beef Sichuan. The beef was marinated and tender wonderfully. It had tons of scallions and cilantro with red chili peppers. It all married well! Sichuan dishes are spicy but nothing that white rice can’t tone down. I also tried the shrimp fried rice and Lo mein, and those were also so good. It wasn’t greasy, a plus in Chinese food (you know what I’m saying). The fried rice wasn’t dry and still flavorful without a whole lot of adding soy sauce.
If I’m ever in a Chinese mood I know where to go!

We were a bit worried when we entered… Friday night at 730pm and only one other table there. Was wondering if it was going to be good. The food was amazing! Freshly made and large portions. Biggest downside. .only sit down restaurant that I have been to that doesn’t serve any alcohol! Water or Coke products. Dinner for 2 was approx $ 40 (no drinks)

Waited over 35 minutes for the soup dumpling appetizer… And at the time we were the only party ordering food. The waitress advised us that the lady who makes the appetizers was not in and the cook who made the dumplings messed up and had to start over.
When we finally got the dumplings, we were glad to see they actually had soup in them. The dough was thin but the flavor of the soup and the meat inside was mediocre. These were better than the ones from Judy’s… Being that these are indeed soup dumplings (the ones from Judy’s didn’t have any soup inside their dumplings… I’m still traumatized by their «soup dumplings») but they’re still not worth $ 8 for 6 dumplings.
My search continues for good soup dumplings here at Hampton Roads. Meanwhile, a trip to NY Chinatown may be in order.

My family and I frequent the Peter Chang in Landstown Commons because of its vicinity to their home. However, I believe that they favor this Peter Chang. Peter Chang «Express» doesn’t have the same ambiance as its Landstown Common counterpart but based on service alone, I definitely prefer this venue as well.
That said, the service we had was phenomenal. Our host was bright and welcoming and our server was exceptional. She was attentive and kind despite how busy it was tonight because of Mothers Day. Her name is Jasmine I believe. She was incredibly sweet and made our visit pleasant
The food was very good as well. For appetizers, we ordered the cilantro fish spring rolls, & steamed dumplings (shumai). All delicious. We also ordered a cup of egg drop soup, hot and sour soup, and wonton soup ($ 2 each). The hot and sour soup was the best. I don’t really recommend the the egg drop soup or wonton soup to be honest.
For the main course we ordered the chicken and mixed mushroom (which is something we always order), seafood pan fried noodles, and fish and shrimp hot pot which is curry based and served to you sizzling in a stone pot. Yum ! The serving here is HUGE… More so than the one in landstown commons so keep that in mind while ordering. My family of four only ordered 3 main dishes but we barely put a dent in our food. It’s probably because we filled up on appetizers but we always leave with leftovers. Their food is always good after the next day.
Today, one of the staff members passed out beautiful roses to the women customers for Mother’s Day. I thought that was extremely sweet and such a nice touch. We eat Peter Chang a lot & this place has a very casual feel, but I’m glad we took my mom here today. Great food, great service.

Been here a few times with family and friends, and every time I’ve been here I at least try one new dish. Let’s just say all their dishes has been very delightful and delicious!!!
The first time I came here, I came here with the sis and friends. We had such a great waitress, she had such a great personality and smile. The only thing that was weird was during the middle of ordering, she would leave as a bell rings and brings out food for the other customers. But once we ordered our food, it came in big portions to share which was awesome. We all tried each other’s dishes and had to even grab another table for the extra dishes we had ordered. For an appetizer, gotta try their bubble scallion pancakes (literally a bubble to pop), crispy pork belly (to die for), and dried fried eggplants (a must try). As entrées, they have so much to choose from but my favorite has got to be the their beef dish with pepper and garlic mixed with Snow Peas, Asparagus, Leek, Red Bell Pepper and Fresh Garlic Sauce which a tad bit spicy. Also tried the sweet and sour pork, and man oh man its was so crispy and their sauce with it was amazing!
PRO: The food here is exquisite and oh so delicious! Customer service was wonderful, our waitress was very sweet and attentive.
CON: Didn’t like how our waitress had to keep leaving in the middle of ordering our food, and temperature in the building is very cold.
Overall, I definitely recommend this place for all people that love to try a different way of Chinese cooking, not just the orange chicken, general tso, beef broccoli or pepper steak. This is the go to place for their flavorable and spicy Chinese dishes!

Kind of a bad experience here this time around. Not with the food, but with the temperature of the restaurant. We’ve had some cold days lately and I thought a restaurant would have kicked the heat back on. Not here, we froze! We initially got seated by the exit door, which was not only howling with the wind being sucked by iy, it was also super cold. Ended up asking to be moved to another table, but it was still cold there. Just a crummy condition to keep your restaurant in.
Despite that, I really enjoyed my food. I got the smoked tofu with chicken and bamboo. It was delicious! Next day it didn’t heat up well and the tofu was too chewy, oh well. My friend got the eggplant pot, she said it was ok.

We stopped by to pick up some dinner last night. We ordered the cold cucumber mixed garlic and crispy pork belly for apps. The cucumber was good. It was cold and crisp. Tasted alot like just cucumbers in some sesame oil. Had very little to no garlic. Crispy pork belly was a definite fail. Maybe it would’ve been better if we ate it there or. i dont know. They had these little balls in it. Looked like peppercorn but did not taste like peppercorn. It left an overwhelming flavor and feel in our mouths that would not leave. It turned me off from eating any more of the dish. I ordered basil chicken and my fiancé ordered Lo mein for our entrees. The lo mein was just ordinary. Nothing special about it. My Basil chicken was pretty good though.
I will say that i’m really only giving this place 3 stars because the people that work here were attentive and fast. Even though I was just picking up, I definitely felt welcomed. I probably won’t come here again by choice.

Got to finally try this place/​location for the 1^st time with my sister, boyfriend, and friend, for last-​minute dinner plans on the weekend.
As we entered the restaurant, we were greeted and sat quickly. It was a bit busy when we arrived, and it took a little longer to get our orders in, bc everytime we tried ordering, our waitress had to respond to a ringing bell in middle of taking our order (happened 2x) which meant food is ready to be served. I didn’t really get that, bc there were plenty of other workers who could of helped to bring that out.
As, i guess 3^rd time is a charm, she finally took our orders and we were crazy hungry by then. We had ordered a bunch of food to our table, that we needed to add another table for our food, LOL!!!
We had ordered, 2 orders ofshrimp dumplings (yummm) in 1 order it’s quantity of 3, crispy pork belly (mouth orgasm), dried fried eggplant (I’ve been missing out, so good) style of frites, scallion bubble pancakes with a curry dipping sauce (pancakes are great with/​or without sauce), as for our entrees: my sister and I ordered the Beef dish with the X.O. sauce (stir fried slices of beef mixed with snow peas and house sauce)*spicy dish, my boyfriend ordered the shrimp and tofu hot pot (omgggg spicy on level 2) cooked with numbing oil *spicy dish, and for our Last order, we ordered the Pork with Sweet and Sour sauce (each bite are so crispy and saucy). Each entrée came with a choice of Steamed rice or fried rice. She gave an extra bowl of rice, for being patient with her, (we are Asian, we need it). We couldn’t finish it, so we had food for 2 more days haha.
This place is highly recommended by me, especially if you love spicy foods! Despite the wait for our ordering, our waitress displayed great customer service and was very attentive.
Thumbs uppp on the food quality! I’m coming back to try their express!

This was the very first time that I actually had went into the restaurant and was surprised since reading the other reviews thinking that I would walk up to the counter at have an express style meal. I was offered inner surface and was able to be set at a booth and a server was immediately available to assist the person who SAT me down welcome you to the restaurant and showed me some of the menu offerings and how to decipher the pepper rating that was listed on the menu board.
I ordered a egg drop soup which was very delicious, I also ordered a hot Szechuan chicken chili dish which was excellent and I would recommend taking a few pieces of the chicken and dropping it into the egg drop soup. I then also ordered Szechuan hot pot with chicken which came out sizzling hot at the table.
The hot pot came with a small bowl of white rice and if you want to order extra rice it would be a dollar more. If you want to also get fried rice that is also an open option. The food came out rather quickly will served fresh and very delicious I would recommend that if you were to drive the dishes and if you like spicy food to start with one pepper rating and then try something else was to pepper where is Three would be extremely spicy.
The service was extremely friendly and helpful and the attendant who assisted me never ceased to smile and always keep a positive attitude! I would definitely return back to try some more of the dishes and also some of the desert.

The location is easy to find. The parking lot at night confused me, i thought there was a speedbump in the lot but it actually separates two lots so be careful. They have lots of seating, booths and tables to easily accommodate any party size. I love the cups! If you go to the website, you can place your order online, pretty cool.
We got to sample a variety of items from the menu at an event. The numbing noodles were my favorite. I liked that they were served chilled and although they were spicy, it was so flavorful! I see this being a summer favorite. The fried pork belly and shrimp toast were also very tasty, something I think my husband would really enjoy. I am looking forward to trying other dishes here.
Thank you for hosting our Unilocal Elite Event. Such friendly servers that were very accommodating. What a treat it was to meet Mr. Peter Chang!

I wanted to try this place out since its closer than the princess Anne location and it was horrible. I wish I could get my money back!
I ordered combination lo mein, orange chicken, salt and pepper calamari, & two orders of egg drop soup.(of course the soups are for two different people!)
The soup pissed me off, they were lazy and just put both orders in one container with no won tons or utensils to eat it with. Egg drop soup also tasted bland.
Salt and pepper calamari was a waste of money. There was no flavor to it, I had to create my own sauce at home for it to give it some flavor so our food and money wouldn’t be wasted.
The lo mein was bland, no flavor and noodles were dry. The orange chicken was just that… The color was orange and the taste was horrible! It didn’t taste seasoned, chicken was mushy, & we asked for fried rice to come with it and that was disgusting! The fried rice tasted like white rice with some peas and low sodium soy sauce thrown In it.
For a first time, I would not come here ever again! I would take my service to the Princess Anne location any time.
Worst service, food, & customer service. Maybe the reviews were meant for the princess Anne location. The stars here did not represent any food service or quality of food that I received today. BTW, I added pictures.

This is an abbreviated version of it’s namesake… But I LOVED it. This review is about their evening/​weekend menu. Fish prepared whole is among muh favorite things, so my husband and I split a $ 18 Black Bean Sea Bass and $ 12 Chinese Broccoli in white Sauce (you’re given the choice of oyster or white sauce). I found the price for the whole Sea Bass remarkably reasonable, but IMHO the veggies were expensive — they were however, cooked perfectly! I gave our meal a ¹⁰⁄₁₀! :)
All dishes are served with your choice of fried or white rice. Our buddy also ordered the numbing spiciness that is Szechuan Beef with side of Broccoli for $ 17.
Peter Chang Express has friendly and welcoming service. This is a no frills place to get a fast, good Sichuan-​style Chinese meal. Will add this to the list of restaurants to frequent!

Lunch menu & soup dumplings (weekends) are what keep me coming back. I’ve had 5 solid visits. Initially, I hesitated coming here because I was not impressed with the main location (when they first opened) and why would I want express!!? BUT, I have grown (not literally or vertically) to learn and love the lunch counter service!
Below are dishes I’ve had along w/​comments & suggestions.
SOUP DUMPLINGS aka XLB’s — My fav! There’s only one other business in the area who serve XLB’s and PC Express is my fav so far. I could be wrong since it has been awhile since I’ve had them. The last time I had XLB’s at another establishment were very disappointing. I highly recommend pulling up a video on how to eat these babies if one has never had them. They are not served with instructions or a demo. They are served with serrated tongs which I do not recommend as it will easily break the dough causing all of the broth to spill. Pick them up w/​chopsticks (don’t stab). I also recommend using Asian soup spoons to gently place the dumplings & slurp the broth. Ohh so good. Everything from the inside out was moist, juicy, filling, & flavorful. The dumplings didn’t fall apart and were full of soup. The ones I had anyway were yummy!
HOT & NUMBING Chicken — for this dish to be super spicy, it sure does have a lot of flavor! I especially loved the lunch portion as I had leftovers for the next day! First time I’ve tried and will def order again one day! Don’t let the looks fool you. The veggies (Bok Choy, broccoli, snowless) are all underneath the bed of spicy chicken! There’s also a good amount of broth at the bottom. Good stuff that will have ones ears burning, nose sniffling, and head sweating!
SZECHUAN DOUBLE COOKED PORK BELLY — another fav of mine and reminds me more of a stir fry. I didn’t think this dish was spicy but, could be me. It was very flavorful & again, had more leftovers for dinner! Can’t beat it!
DRY-​FRIED EGGPLANT — while I enjoyed, I also love eggplant and believe with this dish being fried & spicy (IMO) takes away from the flavor of the eggplant. Personal preference but, still a good dish.
DAN DAN NOODLE W/​BEEF (has peanuts) — I’m confused. It looks like spaghetti. It tastes Asian? I’m confused. After about the 3^rd bite, I could NOT stop & scooped up the broth at the bottom. I love peanuts and spice which this dish provides. I think this dish is one to try.
PORK DUMPLINGS — Can’t go wrong with these & my 11yr old loved them! She’s picky!
SCALLION BUBBLE PANCAKE — it took me about the 4^th try to appreciate this appetizer. It’s not like other (flat) scallion pancakes I’ve had. Initially, it’s all for the selfies and pics anyway! Living on the edge with an edible bubble! My 11yr old likes this app & wants it every visit w/​out the sauce. I don’t dig the sauce much either. However, there are a ton of other sauces available one can use or no sauce at all.
PAN-​FRIED CHICKEN BUN — this had a kick. Daughter didn’t like it. I thought it was ok but, not something I’d order again. IMO, it was bland. One of those spicy but, bland dishes. Looks pretty in pics though! Again, personal preference.
WON TON NOODLES — these are the fried crunchy yummy things for the soup or whatever else one wants to use them for. CRACK! :) One visit there was a bad aftertaste to them. I recommend using new/​fresh grease and not cross frying with anything else especially seafood. Not sure if that was the case but, that’s what it tasted like. All of the other visits… CRACK & I can’t stop eating them!!! Lol
As far as everything else, place appears clean so far. I believe there should be a street sign so folks know it’s there. It’s tucked & hidden between other shops within the very small strip & limited parking. There are other buildings along the Blvd where this Express location would thrive! Hint hint.
Service is acceptable. I see smiles when I walk in the door. They all seem to at least try to ensure customers are satisfied and served (dinner & dim sum). Thank goodness.
Thank you Peter Chang for opening up the Express location! I’m HOOKED!

So, I decided to try this establishment after seeing the chef and owner featured on Bizarre Foods. I wasnt disappointed. After looking at all the pics submitted by my Unilocal teammates, My companion and I decided to try a bunch of different things for lunch. Meals include a soup at the self serve bar, a veggie, rice, and an entrée. So let me share what we found…
The soups are hot and sour and/​or egg drop. They were both average, fresh, but not extra ordinary. We opted for 3 appetizers. The crispy pork belly was really good, like spicey bacon. That was enjoyable. The dry fried eggplant was OUTSTANDING! ¹⁰⁄₅ stars for that one dish. Both appetizers were large enough to be a meal. We also got the scallion bubble cake. Liked the cake but not the sauce it came with. Meals come with a veggie which was a salad with hot chili sauce; Amusing mix of cold/​crisp/​spicey and enjoyable but not worth buying alone. The rice was average.
My companion got the hot and numbing chicken. It comes in a cast iron pot. I am pretty sure this is because the incendiary spices used could eat through lesser materials. I barely tasted the sauce and it set off an oral thermonuclear reaction… nope, not even kidding. My companion loves VERY HOT (thai hot x 10) and really enjoyed this dish. If I could afford the resulting tongue transplant, I am sure I’d eat it too. So while my companion tackled his gastric hazmat event, I had the Golden Mountain beef. What a treat that dish is. Super yummy with the best sweet/​sour sauce it has twice cooked beef with carrots and celery. Definitely will have it again… no doubt.
We spent 48.00 for 3 appetizers and 2 lunch meals with veggie, rice, and soup, and 2 fountain drinks. Counter service so no tipping We have enough leftovers for 2 more meals (provided the hot and numbing chicken doesnt melt through the take out Styrofoam… Im keeping a wary eye on it).
Definitely will eat here again!

This is Peter Chang’s first Express location. If it proves successful, the next one is slated to pop up in either in Richmond or the Washington D.C. area.
That’s the plan, according to a conversation I had with their manager. They clearly have a lot riding on its success. After four visits, I am most impressed so far.
Located on Virginia Beach Boulevard, it is sandwiched between a Firestone and an American Title Loans store. The original Phở 79 is stationed right behind them.
Upon entering, you go straight to the counter and place your order. You are given a glass for your beverage and a number to place on your table, where a large stack of napkins is already neatly placed. Your food order usually arrives in about five minutes.
While waiting, you can go up to the front to get your beverage from the self-​serve dispenser and pick up whatever else you may desire. Separate eating plates are available. A large variety of sauces is also provided, and I have taken a special liking to their hot and fiery Ghost Pepper Chili Sauce.
Their menu is divided into five sections: (1) APPETIZERS & DIM SUM (2) CHINESE STYLE NOODLE (3) SPECIAL NOODLE (4) HOT APPETIZERS (5) ENTREE.
Their Entrees come with your choice of Hot & Sour or Egg Drop Soup, your choice of a vegetable in the form of a salad or their dry fried string beans, and steamed white or fried rice. Brown rice is available for a dollar more and steamed lo mein for two dollars more.
Your choice of soup is self-​serve from the front. Their Hot and Sour Soup is the best I’ve had in years. It comes with a rich dark stock and includes those dark wood ear mushrooms I have always loved. The balance between the hot and sour flavors is perfect for me, with its accent leaning toward the hot side.
My vegetable choice has been their dry fried string beans, which has combined deliciously with each of my entrees so far. During my last two visits, I requested their brown rice for a dollar more and enjoyed their full bodied flavor and texture.
So far I have ordered the following dishes:
GRANDMA’S NOODLE: This one is found on the CHINESE-​STYLE NOODLE section of their menu and is rated with three chili peppers. The noodles are of the wide flat variety, which have never been my favorite. Overall, I found its flavor profile to be a bit flat and not quite as spicy as desired.
NOODLE WITH MAPO TOFU (BEEF): This one is found on the SPECIAL NOODLE section of their menu and is rated with three chili peppers. I liked this one much better with their thinner noodles, and its heat index was more satisfying as well. Whether by accident or design, pieces of tofu and beef were both included, and I enjoyed the medley of flavors.
From the HOT APPETIZERS section of their menu, I have ordered the following:
CRISPY PORK BELLY: Rated with one chili pepper, this was my favorite appetizer from their Landstown Commons location. Several pieces of crispy pork belly are served with bits of cilantro, scallions, and chili peppers nestled inside a conical bamboo container. The crunch and flavor of the pork belly pieces are divine.
SAUTEED DICED CHICKEN WITH SZECHUAN CHILI: Rated with three chili peppers, this is the same dish as the SHAN CITY CHICKEN at their Landstown Commons location, where it was my favorite entrée. The chicken comes with dried chili peppers, cilantro, and sesame seeds, served again in a bamboo container. It blew my taste buds sky high to nirvana and still remains as my favorite dish.
From the ENTREE section of their menu, I have tried the following:
SZECHUAN CHILI CHICKEN/​BEEF with Onions & Dry Chili Pepper. Rated with three chili peppers, I chose the Chicken option. This dish was enjoyable and satisfying, with a heat index that rose slowly to a nice crescendo, giving me a good sweat as I was leaving.
BASIL CHICKEN/​BEEF with Leek, Celery, Jalapeño, and Basil Leaf. Rated with one chili pepper, I chose the Chicken option. It exhibited a very nice flavor profile with a mild and tingling amount of heat and spice.
HOT & NUMBING CHICKEN (FISH) with Napa Cabbage, Broccoli, Carrot, Mushroom, & Celery. Rated with three chili peppers, Again, I chose the Chicken option. Although enjoyable, it was served in a metal kettle in a soup format, which was unexpected. My suggestion would be to describe it as such on their menu.

SZECHUAN DOUBLE COOKED PORK BELLY (CHICKEN) with Leeks and Cabbage. Rated with three chili peppers, I chose the Chicken option once again. This is my favorite entrée so far, and it paired beautifully with the SAUTEED DICED CHICKEN WITH SZECHUAN CHILI appetizer I enjoyed that visit. I might add that Peter Chang himself was also cooking that day.
Reaching a state of fullness during my last three visits, I availed myself to their self-​serve containers and their plastic tie bags at the front to take home and enjoy what I couldn’t finish.
In closing, Peter Chang can count me in as a regular customer from now as I look forward to each of my future visits.

Interesting… This is an express set up. Convenient for being close to the Town Center and business areas on Virginia Beach Blvd. You’re in and out much faster. Before taking a seat, you stand in line and place your order. You simply choose what you want from menus displayed on the big screen TVs. Take your number and grab a seat and someone will come out to bring you your food order.
No wait staff. The fountain drinks are set up like a Jason’s Deli or Chipotle. You’re on your own when it comes to soup. Egg drop and hot and sour is located next to the fountain drinks. Help yourself.
Same menu items upon first glance. I ordered my dry-​fried eggplant and Szechuan chili beef. Both dishes were on point. Strong in flavor. Very bold and distinct tastes with their blend in spices. It’s sneaky hot. Not hot as in burn your tongue but I found myself to be sweating pretty hard while eating.
Definitely liking this place!
Side note. I ran into Dennis C there. Super nice guy. I was crammed for time so I only stopped by to say hi. Next time, we’ll enjoy a meal together.
It’s 50% off today as part of their grand opening (9÷9÷15). Come say hi if you see me there tonight for dinner!