Oriental Express

Tucson, United States

4

20 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 520-624-5798
Address:
982 E University Blvd, Tucson, AZ, 85719
West University
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
370 ftMain Gate Square/University Boulevard
930 ftOlive Road
0.4 miHighland Avenue
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Today

Today –
Local time (Tucson) 10:00 PM Wednesday, June 18, 2025

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Vicinity

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20 reviews of Oriental Express

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Place rating: 5
Phoenix, AZ
Love this place. Great food and great service. I almost go here once a week and it’s always the same nice lady working that owns the place. She’s very friendly and always asks me and my about our classes. Lunch specials are a great price and you leave feeling full. Place gets busy but not to loud so you can have a conversation here and get some work done if you wanted to. Overall oriental express is a must on university.
Place rating: 4
Oakland, CA
I am a Bay Area native transplanted in Tucson, and I have to say that Oriental express is some of the best Chinese food I’ve found around the southwest. Affordable and fast, it’s the perfect place for students to grab a good bite between classes. The combination plates come with fried rice and an egg roll on the side of your main item. I’ve become a regular and tried quite a few choices on what is a pretty big menu and nothing has disappointed.
Place rating: 5
Richardson, TX
I am in Tucson for business and had limited time for lunch. I trusted Unilocal,and it didn’t let me down! This place is awesome. The owner is very friendly, the Fun noodles were excellent and I got them spicy. The boba tea, I had taro, was also exquisite. Great food for a great price.
Place rating: 5
Tucson, AZ
My coworkers and I call this place «Upstairs Chinese» as a reminder for any newbie who hasn’t yet come here as religiously as many of us. So head up the flight of stairs off of University Blvd and don’t miss it!
Always consistently good and inexpensive food. The lunch specials are great — try the cashew chicken spicy, it’s great that way. Also good fresh brewed iced tea.
Place rating: 5
Peoria, AZ
A family owned Asian concept that serves freshly made, delicious Chinese and Vietnamese inspired cuisine. It is located at the SW corner at Park and University upstairs walking distance from UofA. The won ton soup, egg rolls, pork dumplings, Mongolian beef, shrimp chow fun, and sweet and sour chicken are all delicious. The orange chicken, lo mein, curry and Phở are also amazing. We tried the boba drinks, snow style, and they were delish! A must try if you are in Tucson!
Place rating: 2
Tucson, AZ
Had phở soup and chicken wings as appetizer today. Phở was mediocre at best. It was too sweet and the meat wasn’t fresh like most Vietnamese restaurants. The chicken wings were terrible — cold inside and I sent them back to kitchen. The wings were extremely dry and not fresh after they reheated them. Obviously the wings were cooked and frozen/​refrigerated and then reheated using microwave oven.
If you want Americanized Chinese food, simply go to peiwei or Panda Express. If you want to try something authentic, there is a bunch of other good choices in Tucson.
Place rating: 3
Tucson, AZ
Mediocre Chinese food at a dirt cheap price. For the price and quality, it does its job of keeping me full. The lunch specials are decent, but the soups are all bland and lacking in substantial ingredients. I got the wonton soup and it had 3 dumplings and chewy instant udon noodles. The boba is sad and chewy as well, and they give you the tiniest amount in your drink. I would skip over this place if you want a good lunch, but if you’re on a budget and in a hurry, this place will do the job.
Place rating: 5
Phoenix, AZ
I’ve been here a total of twice. The atmosphere of the place is shady. Tacky décor, sticky floors and tables, poorly lit menu boards. But don’t let that fool you they have the best orange chicken I’ve had in Tucson thus far. It’s not breaded and fried like so many other places, all it is is succulent chicken tossed in a lovely orange glaze served with a side of steamed rice. I will definitely be back again to pursue their other menu item.
Place rating: 3
Tucson, AZ
Decent lunch for a cheap price. I had the Szechuan Chicken combo. Comes with a fried rice and egg roll. Not a fancy ambience but it is pretty good for what you pay. The lady at the front desk seemed very friendly and helpful.
Place rating: 5
Homer Glen, IL
I came to this restaurant for the first time ever today. It was during the lunch rush hour and I ordered the cashew chicken. Wonderful, and inexpensive. The staff is extraordinarily friendly and quick. The place is a bit small, but that adds to the cozy atmosphere inside. I will be returning.
Place rating: 5
Catalina Foothills, Tucson, AZ
I was blown away by my experience this evening! We walked up just as they had closed and the wonderful woman who works the front reopened to serve us. I will certainly come back to support this establishment.
Place rating: 4
Tucson, AZ
The food is decent, not the best but you definitely get your moneys worth in quantity !
Place rating: 5
West University, Tucson, AZ
This place is located in a great little spot down university where you can sit upstairs and people watch. I was a bit worried at first because the place looked dead on a Saturday night at dinner time. However I was pleasantly surprised with kind service and a quality meal! Prices were good and portions were large! Can’t wait to go back :)
Place rating: 3
New York, NY
it’s the closest «traditional» Chinese place near me (Pei Wei is too modern fusion-​y for my tastes). The food takes FOREVER and the interior is kind of gross. However, the food is pretty good-​better than average but no quite great. The workers are usually friendly too. If the wait time wasn’t so long it would be a four star place.
Place rating: 2
Tucson, AZ
The restaurant is located in the 2nd floor, the elevator is a TRAP! be very careful if you use it, it hit my mom. The food it’s ok but nothing to worth the trip to the place. The restaurant says is family friendly but they don’t have 1 high chair, my baby had to eat in my arms.
I won’t come back… Many other good places to eat in the university ave.
Place rating: 1
Irvine, CA
The meal is terrible here. Seems like they were using stale vegetables and meat. The meal is not fresh. Spent the same amount of money, I’d rather to go to PeiWei instead. The waitress here is cold-​face. Anyway, this is my first and last visit here.
Place rating: 4
Phoenix, AZ
They serve chinese and vietnamese foods here. It is a very small place so they do get very busy; especially during lunch on a weekday. So expect some wait time. I had several of their lunch specials and was not expensive; it is reasonably priced. They have some yummy bobas and I love their watermelon milk tea boba; I can drink like 5 of those. Yum!
Place rating: 5
Tucson, AZ
Since my initial review, this place has grown on me. The staff is really friendly and actually remember what everyone’s «usual» is.
I no longer work in the area, so I have to make a special trip down to the University every once in a while to get some great food.
Place rating: 5
Tucson, AZ
My favorite is spicy sesame chicken with crab puffs. Never a disappointment! Wonderful family establishment that has been around for ages! A great place especially in the summer when the crowds are away.
Place rating: 4
Cincinnati, OH
My favorite place by UA to get my rice fix… but let’s face it, Tucson is not a great place for Chinese. Lunch specials are priced well ($ 5) and filling. The cashier lady (owner?) is nice and recognizes regulars. Food is not the best, but consistent. Decoration is not the best, but that’s not really what most people are looking for when they come here. The worst thing about this place, though, is that you cannot use your card without being charged 50 cents! (that’s right, there is not min amount you can hit to not be charged)
In short: Good, cheap, and simple. $ 5 lunch specials are great for lazy students on a budget. 50 cent charge to use card.