Panda Express

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  If this were based on taste, I'd give it 3.5-4.
  But the last three times I've eaten here, I've reenacted the spaghetti dinner scene from Alien the next day at lunch.
  Something punches its way out of my digestive system, and it isn't pretty.
  It looks like parasites but I know it was Lo Mein.
  Cast Iron digestive systems might love it, I am apparently a fragile old man.

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  Posted on 09.04.11 John B.

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  This place runs like that proverbial well oiled machine.  Even when there is a line stretching on for what seems to be forever, I've never had more than a five minute wait during the lunch rush.  And with such volume of customers, fresh pans of food are constantly being brought in.  
  
  But it's during the non-rush periods that this place can sometimes disappoint.  Yes, the service is still friendly and quick, but the quality of food is severely lacking.  The chow mein and rice gets dried out, and they only have one or two main dishes available.  As much as I like their orange chicken, (which they always have) I would like to try other things on the menu.  
  
  Still not bad for a quick and cheap lunch in the loop.

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  Posted on 08.26.09 Michelle H.

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  I don't really know where all the hate comes from, but to me Panda Express is a solid lunch option for relatively cheap.  Its tasty, fast, and not fried to within an inch of it's life.
  
  This location is alright, but they never seem to have Barbecue pork in supply to make orders so I end up waiting or ordering something else.

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  Posted on 06.22.09 Mike D.

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  I used to go to this Panda Express fairly often. I didn't expect authentic Asian cuisine. I knew what it was: bastardized, Americanized, fast, Chinese food. I always got double Orange Chicken with fried rice. It was decent, and exactly what I expected. The chicken wasn't too greasy, a common problem with fast Chinese food. The rice, peas, and carrots were soft and moist. It was enough food for two meals, for under $7. But 2 months ago, the quality went downhill.
  
  One fateful day, I went there for my usual entree. But this time, the fried rice was more like "burned" rice. It was very odd. The rice didn't look or feel burned, but somehow, it smelled and tasted like someone put a cigarette out in it. So, I decided to stay away from the place. Then a couple of weeks ago, I decided to give them another shot. Maybe they just had an isolated mishap? Maybe there was a new guy who forgot to set the timer and screwed up the rice?
  
  No such luck. Again, the rice smelled and tasted like it had been steamed over a tire fire. Awful. I'm done with this place, at least this specific location.

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  Posted on 04.07.09 Darnell T.

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  Panda Express, why did I eat you two days in a row?  The Panda Bowl with Chow Mein and Orange Chicken seemed like a good idea.  Twice.
  
  Lunch lines can get crazy long.  So long that you think, "Oh, this must be the end of the line."  But no.  It's further back.  At least it moved quickly.  And the food was fresher that going an hour later and no line was to be found.
  
  The Chow Mein is good when it's not too dried out, which is kind of hard to tell, unfortunately, just by looking at it.  The Orange Chicken has been consistently good (at multiple locations).  Sweet and crispy.  And for some reason I always select the chopsticks in the purple paper wrapper (they're located by the pop machine) as opposed to the other colors they offer.  I mean, really, the chopsticks are all the same.  But the fact that it's purple does brighten my afternoon.

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  Posted on 08.14.08 Sarah M.

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  this is for the panda express in the ogilvie transportation center.
  
  chow mein - somewhat dry and tasteless.  surprising since it seemed like the batch hasn't been sitting that long.
  
  beijing beef - their newest entree advertised on their commercial; what lured to this mess in the first place.  no surprise - super sweet.  tasted like sezchuan beef, but with the ubiquitous meat syrup drenched on.
  
  kung pao chicken - not much pow, and tasted watery.  how do you mess this up?
  
  egg roll - texture seemed ok, but the inside was bland.
  
  i went expecting very little, and yet they somehow manage to even screw up americanized chinese food.  a waste of $7.57, and now my stomach's grumbling.  it's amazing how a line three times as long as the counter can form during lunchtime.
  
  btw i didn't know the chow mein is considered an entree.

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  Posted on 04.03.08 Tiem S.

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