Finding a good neighborhood Chinese fast food restaurant like we did in the old days is all but gone entirely. Panda Express was a pretty good supplement for a while until the cost has gone up and the portions have gone down. The other smaller named such places often charge less than Panda but the quality just isn’t good. Panda Wok is somewhere in the middle of Panda Express and the«others». What happened to the days when it didn’t matter what Chinese fast food joint you stopped in the food was not only hot but good and each time you ordered something it looked as if they were trying to give you every drop of it in the store, not a few spoon fulls as all of them seem to do these days. This Panda Wok was priced well, the food was okay but only room temperature. What stood out most was how nice the workers were. I might just return to see if I can catch them when they are just placing the food choices out.
Grace C.
Place rating: 5 Gardena, CA
i like this place. quick, convenient and healthy(order smart!). i would probably come here all the time for lunch if i worked in the area. the string beans and chicken was legit. prices and portions are HUGE, but you can ask for smaller portions. service is friendly. storefront is clean. lots of small tables to dine-in. credit card accepted for my grand total of $ 5.44. hmm. what else? oh! and real chinese people cooking in the kitchen. whoa. ill be back.
Vadim P.
Place rating: 5 North Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA
As far as cheap chinese food this place is great. You’re not going to get a gourmet meal here but if you want lunch under $ 10 this is a solid bet. They had chow mein, rice, and glass noodles. All the rest were the general options you get anywhere else. Orange chicken was good, so was the bbq pork. They also have some good specials like buy 3 get one 1 and free soup with meal purchase. Make sure you ask.
Patty R.
Place rating: 4 Inglewood, CA
My son tried this place out after school with his friend, he brought a decent amount home due to the portions served. He gave me a bite to try and it was tasty food with good flavor, I ended up going back to grab me dinner. I had their combo B with rice noodles, chicken mushroom and beef broccoli. Their portions are big enough to share, their food is fresh and tasteful portions are definitely shareable. I also got to try their Thai tea with boba, the boba was a little hard but tea was good. My son had the mango smoothie and it was yummy. I will for sure return again.
Andrew Q.
Place rating: 5 Lomita, CA
My favorite spot for my Chinese fix in the South Bay. Super affordable & fresh! The food is dine-in quality with a take-out only price! Check it out now, It’s open!
Edmund B.
Place rating: 3 Long Beach, CA
Not bad but nothing great either. The fried rice and noodles were good. Garlic chicken was okay. The chicken wings and coconut shrimp were a little dry. Better than Panda Express in my opinion
Rico S.
Place rating: 1 Hawthorne, CA
discovered restaurant been closed because of construction. Disregard one star rating, have to rate in order to post. Have not tried the food so can not give opinion
J L.
Place rating: 4 Redondo Beach, CA
I don’t like to put bad reviews but my dinner tonight was not good at all. It tasted old and I don’t like the way they cook their teriyaki chicken. They leave the skin on it. Not a fan of their«chewy» spicy fish. I think I’ll go a little further down the street to Panda Express because I know they use fresh ingredients there. I give them 4 stars because of their friendliness, larger portions, and quick service.
Paul K.
Place rating: 3 Redondo Beach, CA
New Chinese place, much better than the old place that was there. Portions are large, but the food was just average. Price is right. Had Chicken with jalapenos(decent), eggrolls(just so-so) and Kung Pao shrimp(good). Came with rice(the usual) and chow mein(not the greatest). No Ice tea.
Amy S.
Place rating: 5 Los Angeles, CA
The customer service here was exceptional we walked in after all day in a hospital visiting my mom we were starved looks like they were closing the trays in the bar thingy were empty but after finding out why we were so hungry he said he will make us food to order off the menu above so we did and he gave us free sodas the hot n sour soup was so good! I added a little more Heat to it I like it spicy. We got combo chow mien and Kung pao chicken n green beans since we don’t like onion or bell pepper. He stayed open for us and not that many people would do that. So thank you I will be back for your food it was delicious!
Tom T.
Place rating: 4 Redondo Beach, CA
I’ve eaten here a couple of times and they offer healthier versions of old classic Asian favorites. They don’t try anything in this place. Its all cooked fresh so its not fast food. It smells like real food and it tastes like real food. Both times I went in this place, I had a hankerin’ for seafood and the portions of these are pretty big. You won’t leave hungry. They also make healthy smoothies on the cheap(under $ 4) and I will try that next time I want a cheap and fast stomach filler. The place seats about 35 people and the outside appearance almost gets swallowed up by the Von’s grocery store next door.
Iris B.
Place rating: 3 Wilmington, CA
Got combo b. Servings r good. But the chow mein was ok. Over cooked. But the orange chicken and other side i got was really good. Would return for the meat! Ill try their other noodles next time
Isa J.
Place rating: 3 Redondo Beach, CA
The food is as uninspired as the name, unfortunately. I sampled: — Chow Mein — I liked it. I’m not the biggest Chow Mein fan, so I’m glad they also offer: — Glass Noodles — yum! I loved them! — Beef and Broccoli — broccoli was fresh and crisp, cut in big, healthy chunks. Unfortunately, the beef was mostly gristle. — Walnut Shrimp — yummy fried sweet goodness. I got the first scoop of a new platter brought out from the kitchen. Not one walnut on the platter, which was fine with me because I’d rather have the shrimp. — Spring Rolls — great texture, perfectly crisp even though I forgot about them until after the meal. — Orange Chicken — this is why I don’t like Orange Chicken. Mostly breading, fat and very little meat. As others have noted, portions are huge, especially for the rice/noodles. Also, they win sad points because the area has slim pickings in the Chinese food department. My apologies if you’ve made it this far. This review is pretty boring. Sadly fitting. So is the restaurant. :(
Felix T.
Place rating: 5 Placentia, CA
This is a solid fast food Chinese restaurant! First off they have genuine Chinese items on the menu, like there glass noodle chow mien which has so much flavor! Everything is cooked fresh and doesn’t sit around! Unlike other fast food Chinese places they, actually have entrees that taste different and serve large portions! 2 item combo cost $ 7.07 and you can barely close the lid since it’s so full! I highly recommend this place if your on the go and want something flavorful and filling!
Debra D.
Place rating: 2 Lawndale, CA
Just noticed this new place on Sunday on my way to grocery shop. Thought I would try on my way home from work today. Only one person eating in and a few people waiting for their orders. They had a dozen or so trays of prepared foods to look at. The menu on the wall depicted pictures of «make to order» items as well. The prepared items didn’t have descriptions of what they were. I mean you can pick out the broccoli beef and maybe a chicken with mushrooms, etc. There were many dishes with ‘tempura’ battered items that were difficult to know if they were seafood or chicken. After perusing all the items I decided on the«make to order» Hawaiian BBQ plate which had a sampler of chicken, ribs(kalbi) and beef on a bed of seasoned cabbage. It came with two scoops of rice and a scoop of macaroni salad for $ 9& change. It was a lot of food for the $$. I first tried the macaroni salad. It was very bland, overcooked and watery. Just noodles and a hint of onion. The meat items were okay. The Kalbi ribs and beef were tender. The chicken was on the dry side. If you like thick sweet teriyaki sauce slathered on everything, you won’t get that here. The sauce is more on the watery side which was fine with me. The cabbage was cooked perfect with the slight sweetness of teriyaki sauce. The white rice that was not next to the macaroni salad was good. No paper menus to take away, just as well. Just go the extra few blocks to Panda Express.
Alice L.
Place rating: 5 Lawndale, CA
I would definitely recommend this place for a quick Chinese food fix. Most of their items are pre-cooked and ready to go like Panda Express, but they also have a separate menu that they cook when you order. I ordered two different combos: Combo A — entrée and 1 side and Combo B — entrée and 2 sides. They load up the entire container to the max. I loved the taste of the food. Everything was cooked well and you can tell they took their time(unlike Panda Express where the food quality varies from too much sauce, too greasy, or too dry). The broccoli beef I ordered was very savory and the broccoli was cooked all the way through. I also tried their orange chicken which is sweet and tasty. The chili fried fish was also cooked very well. Overall I am very happy with my first experience here. I will definitely be returning to get my Chinese fast food when my cravings call. The prices are cheaper($ 5.49 for Combo A, I believe, and a dollar more for Combo B) and the food is better than Panda Express. 5 stars. The only thing I wouldn’t recommend is the little packets of sauce at the end called«Chinese Mustard» which turned out to be a odd liquid version of mustard sauce.
Amy L.
Place rating: 5 Los Angeles, CA
I’m rating this restaurant based on my impressions of other Chinese fast food I have had in LA(including Panda Express). Service — the owner and staff are really welcoming not only to me but also to other customers. They asked several times if I would like to try before ordering. Food — portion is generous. Price is reasonable(6.99 for two entrée and chow mein). For the entrée, I got jalapeño chicken and chili fish fillet. For their grand opening, they are offering soda for free with purchase of food. Their chow mein was much better than Panda Express(not dry at all, and the flavor was just right for me). Environment — tables and chairs are all clean. I hope they will keep it up. Overall, I was really satisfied with my lunch. I will definitely come back for a quick lunch when I’m in the area.
Eduardo S.
Place rating: 5 Lawndale, CA
I have been waiting for this place to open. Abs when they finally did, I found my new Chinese food spot. I have taken about 10 friends and family here and they all liked it. The orange chicken is way better than any other Chinese food place. The portions are huge! I went with the pickiest person in the world and he really liked the orange chicken and bbq pork. This is the only Chinese food place that they are nice to you. The one on Inglewood and Rosecrans they always look at you like a bother. This one has the best service. I gave up on panda express years ago on their cardboard taste. I highly recommend it!
Dave G.
Place rating: 2 Lawndale, CA
This location recently opened at the former Mongolian Express location next to Von’s on the corner of Marine and Inglewood, so in the hopes of finding quick, decent Chinese food nearby I decided to give it a try. Mongolian Express was lousy and I wanted to give the new owners a shot. It’s basically similar to many Chinese fast food places — all the food is on the steam table, ready to be served. The staff was very friendly, wanted me to try samples, and gave me huge helpings. The price was good too. But when it comes down to brass tacks, the food is just not that good. Using Panda Express as a standard for this type of establishment, Panda Wok would be graded a D. The orange chicken was okay, but the rest of my meal was substandard. The fried rice tasted like it had been around all day, and the string bean chicken was bleh. So, your best bet at least in this neighborhood is just to take yourself over to Panda Express, as their food is better, and they have a better variety, plus a nicer place to eat in, if that’s your choice(there’s a lot of homeless/meth heads in this area and I’m sure they will love this place).
Karyn V.
Place rating: 5 Lawndale, CA
Awesome food. This place opened this week. Great prices. I ordered the shrimp fried rice. Good texture on the rice, just wish an extra shrimp or two more. But overall, happy with my purchase. The lady who served us was friendly and didn’t hesitate to give us a sample. I told her I wanted to taste before I ordered anything else next time. I’m particular about where I buy my chinese food. This place is going to work out!