Panda Express

Decent food for the price and super quick service. The crispy shrimp and the honey walnut shrimp are both great, so is the sweet fire chicken. The fried rice and noodles are both lacking in flavour and are a little dry. Overall though, great place to eat!

So long as you understand the quality of the food you’re going to get here, then you know what to expect. I came here since I had an appointment in the area on a Saturday. Even after 11 AM, it was already filled with diners eating early lunches/​late breakfasts (I guess). The employees were friendly and polite, gave a couple of samples, made sure to explain that certain items cost more than others and that we could get additional sides if we wanted.
The restaurant was fairly clean and I sat down to eat. The soda machine and condiments area seemed to be stocked and all in working order, no trash or spills that I could see.
Food is standard for this type of place. I got the Shanghai Angus Steak (which is more expensive), fried rice and mixed veggies. I was pleased to find the steak not chewy and tender and nothing seemed overcooked or dry or left out (I probably came when it was still relatively fresh).
Also used the bathroom and it was clean. I’d say for negatives the restaurant is kind of weird-​shaped (it’s like a L corridor) and for the price the food isn’t that great, but that’s to be expected at a place like this.
I wouldn’t go back too often, but if you want fake Chinese food, this is certainly a place to get it in Columbia Heights. It’s also super close to the Metro (like when you exit you can probably spot it if you know where you’re looking), so if you’re on the go it’s an option.

Consistent quality. The orange chicken and chow mein are great. Easy to know what to expect and does not disappoint.
During Chinese New Year, I ate at Panda and got a red envelope (hong bao). Enjoyed the little surprise!

I love love love Panda Express and this location don’t disappoint you in terms of food quality and customer service.
I typically get the panda bowl as their portion is usually big. But today I decided to get 2 entrée plate with orange chicken and teriyaki chicken. I regret getting the teriyaki chicken as it lacked of flavor.

This is one of my favorite Chinese food restaurants in Washington, DC. They have a buffet for serving the food, but you ask the clerks to dish it out. And do they dish it out! Boy howdy, this is everything you need in a Chinese food restaurant. I really like the service, the staff is always smiling, excellent, and ready. These guys do a great job, and they deserve some compliments! Much like my complementary fortune cookie! Fortune cookie says: Go to Panda Express for some great food!

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE PANDA EXPRESS!!! They can do no wrong by me – actually – except for last night.
I title my review: «Wait, wheres my soy sauce beeoch?»
Picture it. Columbia Heights, 2014. Im on my way to an Urban League meeting. Rather than mull through a possbily boring meeting. I rather rummage through some AMAZING American Chinese Food (lets face it, aint no way in hell people in China are eating this greasy ish).
I order (for my first time in life) a bowl. (Trying to watch my caloric intake) I order the walnut shrimp (shhh dont tell my Pastor) and lo mein. Love love love the walnut shrimp.
Im ready to check out and specifically ask the cashier for 2 of each sauces and chopsticks. I get to my meeting and to my horror. SHE FOR GOT THE SAUCES. My experience was crummy. I love adding soy sauce, mustard and duck sauce to my food. And whats more I got the cream cheese rangoon and there was no red SAUCE!!!
Beooch! Where are my sauces?
FAIL

Panda Express ***
Do you like chinaies food?
Do you like orange chiken?
Then you will like panda express. They have everything
They have orange chiken, fired rise, white rise, fired noodles, egg roll, vegbles roll, hot orange chiken, and other chinaes food. It teast really really really good.
If you give Chick fl a a ten star rating I give Panda Express a 900 star rating. SO go to Panda express!
I comed you to go to Panda Express. Please go now! Come on!
To conclude, go to Panda Express. I love Panda Express.
Lauren Age 7

If you have been reading me for a while you know how I feel about Panda. I think it just might be my favorite chain restaurant of all time. I seek them out in every city I live in. So this Panda is A-​OK as far as Pandas go. I hate the parking situation and the constant crowds in the area but that might be a good thing to keep me from going as often as I did when I was in Cali. Panda tends to be consistent and I love that they constantly add new items to mix things up. Much prefer Panda to most neighborhood Chinese hole in the walls with the exception of the old staple China Wonder on Georgia Ave. Sentimental value for that place. I digress.

First, can we please sic the Federal Trade Commission on this place for the words «Gourmet Chinese Food» in the branding and signage?
Ok, that’s done. Still with me? I know it’s wrong, but I still love you Panda. Your tantalizingly crispy, vaguely Orange Chicken. Your insufferably sweet Honey Shrimp and those wacky candied Walnuts. Your lumpen Firecracker Chicken Breast. Your saggy baggy Krab Rangoons. And don’t get me started on the greasy umami bomb that is the Chow Mein. You are precisely what Michael Moss meant when he titled his book «Salt Sugar Fat.» Mmmmmmmmmm… and the best thing about this location is (technically) you don’t even have to enter a mall food court!
If loving you is wrong, Panda Express, I don’t want to be right!
Note to self: Gotta remember to bring cash so the wife doesn’t see «Panda Express» on that Discover statement at the end of the month…

I love Panda Express. It’s consistent go-​to Americanized Chinese food. I always get the two-​entrée plate and their chow mein. The one in Columbia Heights has never disappointed in terms of quality of their food (some places have dried out orange chicken! I cry, I cry!).

Fast food Chinese. Staff was good and the food was hot and had good flavor. The crab Rangoon was terrible though. Panda Express is always good for a quick Chinese craving.

11 times.
I kept count how many times I’ve been here in a span of less than a year. It’s 60% convenience and 40% teriyaki chicken. Some people don’t like the charcoal grill marks on those teriyaki chicken, but that hits the sweet spot for me. I have tried every dish they had (either ordered or sampled), and I would steer away from chicken & mushroom (no distinct taste), kung pao chicken (the spiciness isn’t consistent), and the string beans + chicken (typically cooked unevenly). The Samurai surf and turf is decent but they don’t give you a lot of shrimp and the Shanghai steak is pretty decent.
My typical go-​to combo: orange chicken + teriyaki chicken (with sauce on the side) and lo mein. Delicious!
Service is a hit-​or-​miss depending on who you get. Some of familiar faces there recognize me and are very nice — others are aloof.
Tips:
— You can try any dish before you commit. Don’t be shy! One occasion they burnt the orange chicken and the teriyaki chicken, so I let them know and walked out.
— If you go during peak hours (6 – 8:30pm), you may have to wait but your food will be fresher (they turn them around quicker). Off-​peak hours, some of the dishes taste stale (especially orange chicken). You can request for them to cook you a fresh batch, but you’ll have to wait at least 10 minutes.
— Besides white rice, there’s really no vegan option.
— The lo mein can be greasy so take a peek to see how shiny it is. Obviously the shinier the greasier, so eat at your own discretion :)
— Based on several Panda Express cooks’ opinions, Shanghai steak is probably the freshest ingredient that they cook from scratch.

Should’ve known better, but I hadn’t eaten anything all day and didn’t feel like walking around. Is it really that hard not to scorch that ridiculously greasy lo mein? I ordered the honey walnut shrimp bowl (which I admit was better than what I’ve attempted at home), but they were a little stingy with the shrimp and walnuts. The servers seemed to be polite, though.

This place is the damn devil. I constantly find an excuse to eat in here whenever I need to go Target or Bed Bath & Beyond at Columbia Heights. I always get the honey walnut shrimp with lo mein or fried rice. I try to switch it up by adding a veggie eggroll. I swear they put crack in their food. Well, guess Im a crackhead for Panda Express cuz Im not going to stop going! LOL!

Sticky floors. Mixed veggies and Kung Pao are the best. Orange Chicken tastes unhealthy. Fortune cookies have a delicious vanilla taste. A little too pricey for fast food.

The people behind the counter are patient and friendly, doling out free samples to everyone (school children who come in for a bite to indecisive people who want to try everything).
Boyfriend and I are no frills and placed our orders faster than the people in front of us. We also got our food and were almost halfway through before the people in front us had received their food.
I don’t like the crowd that comes here. They are pretty rude and obnoxious. However, I will say the food is pretty good for what you pay and you get it pretty quickly.

Went here for a quick lunch during a rain storm. It was a bit difficult to find and parking was annoying — had to pay for parking. However, the food got the job done and the prices were low. Will definitely visit again if I needed something quick, cheap, and yet satisfying.

I prefer the shady takeout chinese joints (i.e. Johnny’s Carryout) over Panda Express when I’m craving greasy chinese food — they tend to be better and cheaper too.

Lived in Beijing for a year, this was my first «Chinese» food after returning.
Mao would spin around in his glass, on display for the world, possibly only containing a wax replica, no photos allowed, coffin if he paid 8 bucks for this culinary abomination.
Hao chi it ain’t.

I cannot hide it any longer — this love affair that I have with Panda Express.
I don’t care if it’s imitation Chinese food or the fact that is it greasy, full of sodium, or heart-​clogging. I will still love this place. I love the lo mein and the crispy orange chicken. The chicken is fried to perfection and it is deliciously coated with processed flavor inducing orange sauce. The noodles have a great texture and bite with sprinklings of cabbage, bean sprouts, and celery. I also had the beef and broccoli, but it wasn’t as memorable.
They have plenty of seating and a fairly clean bathroom for customers. I would eat here more often if it was closer, but Columbia Heights is a hop skip away.
Also, you get a fortune cookie with every meal. Run and play those lotto numbers. Thank me later with cash.