I got the same vibe from the egg roll: "They're perfectly..." ?!?! "Fine. What you'd expect from cheap Chinese... perfectly adequate. I don't dislike it."
It’s honestly rather impressive how they manage to fuck the food up this badly when there’s a place that my grandma likes and we often get when I go to visit her called Panda Chinese Restaurant. It is a very similar style, similar menu, similar method of serving, hell if you got most of the items and just showed someone the packaging they might think it was Panda Express. Except it’s actually really damn good. So not sure how Panda Express managed to make their food that bad.
I have my favorite one in my highschool's town, but I've enjoyed every one I've tried. I know I have both nostalgia bias and a liking for the family that owns it though lol.
There are two identical Chinese restaurants in my area. Same food, same general design for the interior, same exact pictures on the menu. Neither seems aware of the other's existence. I think every city just randomly generates at least one Chinese restaurant.
This series has developed some fantastic food critic vocabulary. Highlights for me: inoffensive, perfectly fine, and the obligatory begging for flavor.
I haven't had Panda Express in over 8 years, but I remember really liking the honey walnut shrimp when I was younger. I'm glad that it didn't make you die inside like everything else, so I don't feel like my memory is completely betraying me.
I ate Panda Express multiple times a week in college since they had one on campus, and everyone saying it really depends on the freshness and cook is spot on. Learning to look at the trays and immediately recognize whether that item was going to actually taste good and not have too weird a texture was a necessary skill. Usually that meant orange chicken was the most consistent since that's what almost everyone got, but if you went at non peak times and it was sitting awhile it became all coagulated and kind of gross. Beijing beef had the most variation in my experience due to the texture ranging from good to almost unchewable.
The trick to panda express is that the food can vary in quality depending on how fresh it is. You can tell just by looking at panda express food which one is fresh off the wok and which one has been under the heat lamp for hours. Case in point: that beijing beef you had looked whack the moment I saw it. That strange texture profile you got is a result of it soaking in the juices under the heat lamp for a WHILE which destroys the breading and the texture. Anyone who has ever eaten at panda is familiar with that frankly disgusting texture, but if you can get a batch as it comes fresh off the wok or right as the store opens, you're in for a good time.
Glad someone else caught this, won't lie panda is kind of mid to begin with, but if you get stuff fresh (Or visit one in a highly populated area where the food is cycling constantly), you generally wont have the mushy garbage he got here.
Yeah, you can't go to a Panda Express knowing what you want ahead of time, you really have to tune into your inner scavenger and find the best trash to eat
I know he said he thought the ones he hated were funnier, but I do genuinely enjoy watching the episodes focused on more pleasant foods. The Cheez-it and Kettle Chip episodes are some of my faves.
What he called the Honey Sesame chicken was not, he was given the String Bean chicken. The Honey Sesame does taste like honey, someone just fucked up his order.
There’s a Chinese takeout plays close to where I I’ve that has many options similar to Panda Express’s menu. But the food tastes way better the portions are larger and the price is even slightly less than you would pay at Panda Express.
The thing about Panda Express is that it really depends on the chef making the food. It might taste great one day and like an oily spicy mistake the next.
I was gonna say, he ate this at home, possibly ubereats-ed, I feel like as amusing as this video is I'm like "dude have you tried it actually in the restaurant?" Totally valid to not like it tho.
I used to like Wendy's food until I got tired of the vast, VAST difference in quality day to day. I can honestly say the best and worst fast food Ive ever had were both at Wendy's. McDonalds might be poison, but its the exact same every time
What I learned: Panda Express is apparently cooked differently in various regions. We have some different entrees (different names), and at least one was the same name but prepared wildly different (Honey Sesame Chicken). In our region, the best dishes to me are Chicken and String Beans (though they have to be fresh or the beans turn into mush) and our version of honey sesame chicken (breaded with sesame seeds sprinkled on and a sweet sauce). We used to have Sweet Fire Chicken which was also quite good with flavor, but they seem to have discontinued it. Probably had too much flavor.
As someone who loves "real" Chinese food, I also love Panda. There's room for both in this world. Sometimes you just want some good old-fashioned so-mediocre-it's-good orange chicken
I dont like panda express but every once in awhile i get a craving for it, buy it, and am like "Wow, this is bad. I'm satisfied though" And so the cycle can continue the next time a craving hits
Same! I low key love Panda Express, and always clean my plate clean when I get it. Chow mein, Orange chicken, and either the string bean chicken or mushroom chicken. Always gotta Sriracha the chow mein and mix it up to coat. I even prefer Panda Express over the local Chinese take out joints in my area.
Having grown up on delicious home-cooked Cantonese food every day, I’ve always been vehemently anti-Panda Express…until I lived in Germany for four years. The Chinese food here is some of the most disgusting and sad stuff I’ve ever eaten. It made Panda Express seem luxurious and now I have a new appreciation for it 😭
I recently started playing New Leaf and there are certain hours of the day I am unable to play the game because all I hear is you reviewing food in various degrees of pain.
I wish this is how he did all of his comparison videos, where it spreads them out through a few days rather than trying to cram it all into one evening. While it can be entertaining to watch him try them all in one sitting, I think it's better to spread it out. Mainly so he doesn't hate it (all) when he's through, and so that he doesn't feel ill afterwards/during.
For the teriyaki chicken, you're supposed to put their signature teriyaki sauce on it yourself, they usually give you the packet of the stuff when you order that meal.
As a Panda Express chef, yeah most of the foods are lacking flavour wise at least a bit. I would actually reccommend anyone who reads this to try the Wok Stirred Steak and Shrimp whenever it comes back. It has a really sweet and tangy steak sauce and is personally my favourite thing ive had there. But yeah, understandable ratings, but dear lord orange chicken sells so much more than every other item that it is disgusting. I basically always keep two bags frying at all times and we still sometimes run out before i make it. Edit: Also, would reccommend you try everything fresh for those that go to panda. When its fresh, its about 200% better.
Definitely agree. Panda food in particular has a lot of items that taste pretty damn good when they're brought out just-cooked. Somehow, though, everything seems to exponentially lose flavor VERY quickly. I'd recommend if you go inside, to just order whatever you see that's just been made, and eat it ASAP. If you do it that way, it's not too bad.
I'm a monster, I know, but panda is better as leftovers. The fresh stuff has all the sauce falling off of it, spills out the box way too easy during transit. Put it in the fridge a few hours and microwave it, everything is a nice consistency that mixes well and doesn't leave a pool at the bottom of the container, throw your own spices on there and go to town.
@@Dorraj I mean. You can ask us, hey do you mind making a fresh batch of something, and if you are willing to wait we can make it for you. If they don't or say no, then im sorry that they are being rude.
Yeah, the brown rice tastes like if they took all possible joy out of eating. the beijing beef was effected by having to eat it in the same day. Fun note, I remember getting the beijing beef when it released in '08 for the olympic games and it was crispy, very spicy, and overall a good time. The quality since has been a shotgun blast, based how much the people making it cared that day.
The first time I went the US I tried "American chinese" food for the first time and although as an full blown asian I wouldnt consider it chinese authentic it was hella delicious. Literally to the point that I was craving Panda Express when I went home over the summer.
Lol I've heard that sentiment before about American chinese food from many Asians. I think panda is fine, but when compared to a local American chinese restaurant panda is kind of okay. Honestly the reason I go there more than anything is it's inexpensive lol
It’s not authentic Chinese, it’s authentic American Chinese! Here’s a video on the history of American Chinese food if you don’t know about it already czcams.com/video/1HFFxihgfzI/video.html
@@michaeltrevino8234 same thought honestly. I have such a soft spot for the local American Chinese place I grew up having takeout from as a treat on special occasions.
16:09 A perfect, "I am still hungry. I have this food. I can eat this and stop being as hungry. But that would mean continuing to eat this. And I'm not sure it's worth it," expression.
the fried rice from panda express tastes like they made it correctly, then extracted every ounce of flavor you could possibly have, and served it to you.
I used to work at Panda--it doesn't "come with it" you have to ask for it at most places. But yes, it dramatically improves it. Personally, the only things I'll touch from panda are the fried rice (which is bland but it's fried rice, it's plenty edible), orange chicken, and teriyaki chicken. The rangoons with sweet and sour sauce are good too, if they're fresh.
@@SwordmasterSeph Panda Express Teriyaki Chicken W/ the Teriyaki Mandarin sauce W/ a massive mountain of white rice = the best fast food meal period. I don't like anything else I've tried from Panda.
I actually like these videos better when it’s a food or restaurant the creator enjoys. Hope you do more videos with foods you love! But this is a super fun series overall
Everyone has different tastes and every location has a different cook so people’s experiences are always gonna be different- nothing wrong if you enjoy the food
Agree with everyone; I think he also tends to eat really salty and needs strong flavor in his food. For me, most items at Panda are salty and too sweet.
My campus had a panda in the main dining hall and we could use our college dining funds there. I ate so much orange chicken and chowmein in the years I was there.
As I’ve watched these trying videos, I’ve come to realize I have a very different taste palette, and I love it. I may not agree with his opinions, but that’s why I like these videos, he brings a different position to the table than mine and I enjoy it
They used to have a beef dish that was REALLY good but they stopped making it when the pandemic hit. I assume it wasn't cost effective to make because it tasted like they spent money on actual ingredients
Going to be honest, the only time I've had panda express (was stuck in an airport so options were limited) I got the orange chicken since I'll admit I'm a basic AF white guy and that's what I get whenever I go to a Chinese restaurant and it's also the thing that people always say is their best item. I was honestly surprised how bad it was compared to literally every other Chinese place I've been to. Instantly recognized Sungwon's comments on the sponginess of the chicken, but I was also really weirded out by the sauce, which while technically sweet and spicy as one expects from Orange Chicken, was otherwise nearly unrecognizable and not at all pleasant. Rangoons were fine though. Hard to mess up Rangoons like he said, but I honestly don't know how you mess up Orange Chicken like that.
Literally just came back from working at a Panda on my uni's campus, and I have to say, the food tastes MILES better when it is fresh. Being located at my uni, we often have to cook more food when we run out, so it's a lot harder for food to just sit out under the lamp for longer than what is needed. Anyways, it's surreal watching this video while still in uniform. :V
I feel like you have a bad location or unfresh food. The Panda I normally go to is on a college campus and it’s so popular that everything is always fresh out the wok. It makes all the difference!
I’ve delivered plenty of panda as a DoorDash driver. it’s always slightly humorous to watch the chefs burn the fucking shit out of half the food with a column of fire. Anybody with a moderate notion of heat control, access to a grocery store, and CZcams can likely cook better Asian food than panda
I don’t understand how the food is so bad compared to local Chinese places. Then you realize the founders went to college for math and computer science but decided to open a restaurant chain instead lmaoo
I've always stuck to getting 50/50 of fried rice + chow mein, and egg rolls as a side from any asian fast food place I go. I never like chicken in anything from them, and my taste buds won't do seafood at all, but I was convinced to try the honey walnut shrimp from here. It was surprising fine. Not that bad.
Imagine being so well off that you can afford mistakes that you can dump in the garbage. Meanwhile, some people are so damn happy to see the food you threw in the garbage because that's a feast for them. Maybe you guys there in Murica are oblivious but just to let you know that poverty is real around the world and it's killing people like the virus. Throwing food in the garbage is such a privilege.
Panda- what is on that steam table is what you get. The entree could have been on the steam table for a minute or 20 minutes, depending on when you go! Chinese restaurant- dishes are cooked to order! So, even if you eat it at home 20 minutes later, it will still be fresher than Panda Express.
@@CalebWimble are you sure that all they do? Because I find that adding more water to vegetables like a steam makes them so soggy that they loose all semblence of flavor. Definitely lack of seasoning on chicken is a huge part to play though.
The video hasn’t even started yet, but, as someone who works at Panda Express… I’m very curious to see how you view the food. Will update after watching the video. Edit: Okay, I’ve paused the video at like 10:03 to write here: it appears to me that you actually did not get the honey sesame chicken breast. That is the string bean chicken breast. Honey sesame chicken is breaded and tossed in a very different sauce from the string bean chicken. Chances are, if you went through the drive thru, they probably just misheard you; the headsets we have are garbage. They cost like hundreds of dollars and they’re the worst headsets I’ve ever worn. It’s like wearing those headphones in school that were like really thin on the top and those bad, pasted on foam bits, but with stupidly sensitive mic. Anyways, honey sesame is sweeter. That being said, I agree that the mushroom chicken and the string bean chicken taste very similar; they are tossed in the same sauce, actually, which is probably the reason. Okay, back to the video. Edit 2: Yeah, what he said. Just get the orange chicken. I know how to cook the stuff at Panda Express, and it is definitely not as varied as it makes itself out to be. The stuff that’s supposed to be “spicy” isn’t made with anything super spicy. The Kung pao chicken (which is supposed to be the spiciest) isn’t made with anything super intense; just chili flakes, garlic, and small, whole chili peppers. It’s nothing super intense…for people who know what they’re talking about. I think Panda Express very much caters to the people who’ve never been to a good Chinese restaurant or who cant afford to. I don’t eat Panda Express in my off time, bc I would rather go somewhere else. Also the thing he said about being one note; very true. That’s what panda excels at; one note dishes. They’re perfectly bland. Most of our dishes are made with sauces that are either loaded with preservatives and/or mostly soy sauce. Also, it’s cooked in a lot of oil. I mean, a lot. If it’s not deep fried in oil, it’s probably cooked in up to 5 cups of oil. It’s good for people who are either on a budget or who can enjoy one note hits. If you can afford it, go somewhere else. The experience will be so much better, I promise. And probably have less caloric intake, too. Edit 3: saw this on some other comments and realized I didn’t mention it: get the teriyaki sauce with the teriyaki chicken. Makes it much better, though still very one note. It becomes sweeter, but the flavor of the chicken and the sauce kinda mix together, so you end up with a very one note flavor.
@@tripleb7899 I think the algorithm “boosts” comments with more replies so that more people see them, so that reply is basically like an upvote. Also what restraunts what you recommend as alternatives to Panda?
@@tofu5086 I live in a pretty small town, so there are aren’t a lot around where I live. I have to go out of town to go to any. But, if you’re ever in Redding, California, there’s a place called CoCo’s Mongolian BBQ. It’s awesome!
I remember going to Panda Express to pick up food for my family. It was about half an hour before they closed and there was a long line in the drive through. I got my food, pulled into a parking spot, checked it… not only was nothing close to what I ordered, but there were two more dishes than I had ordered and half the food wasn’t even combinations that they had on the menu, it was just random stuff. I think what happened is that they had a bunch of customers and didn’t want to make more food, so they just threw a bunch of random shit in containers and called it good. Of course, since the drive through had at least a dozen cars and the inside looked packed too, I decided that Panda Express wasn’t worth going all the way back through xD
"I would maybe order this again, if there were no other Chinese restaurants in the entire world." I only have one Chinese restaurant nearby other than Panda Express, and it's shit, so every time I get Chinese food it's Panda Express. The orange chicken is pretty good, not a big fan of much else.
I like to think of this as Sung-won realizing how shitty it is when bigger channels do the “everything in the menu” challenge and do it all in one sitting and the staff having to make all that shit all at once, he chooses to do it in multiple days to make it easier on underpaid fast food workers
I work at Panda Express, the sauce that we use for the broccoli beef, mushroom chicken, and string bean chicken is just soy sauce, stir fry sauce, corn starch, and water
I've watched a number of these from all over the channel timeline, but "Let's Try 18 DIFFERENT PANDA EXPRESS ITEMS" is the first title that's made me say, "Ugh, let's not"
Local Chinese restaurants are great, but Panda Express is good too. Just like I enjoy going to a nicer burger place, but sometimes McDonalds or other fast food burgers hit the spot
In regards to burgers, I find chain-restaurant fast food burgers are almost always better than the burgers at nicer places. With "Chinese" food, it's all the same stuff - just with a different logo on the takeout box where I live - of course I'm not really a fan of Chinese food to begin with so I only really eat it when somebody else is ordering takeout.
I guess I just have a lower standard for what is acceptable with food? I've eaten (and been content with) Chinese food ranging from this to food from the restaurant of a chef "named as a finalist in the best chef Mid-Atlantic" in 2016 (Peter Chang). Granted, Peter Chang's food is miles ahead of Panda Express. Panda is just what you would expect from an American fast food chain for "Chinese food".
I think Panda Express is ok, orange chicken is my favorite but I just can’t fathom how my parents consider it their favorite chinese restaurant ever lol. They won’t eat any other Chinese place that tastes better and I’m sure it’s because panda is fast and cheap lol.
Panda Express is the La Croix of ‘chinese’ places. Somehow still in business for all the lack of flavor. Teriyaki chicken “its like someone whispered the word “teriyaki” in a room next to where they cooked this chicken” Orange chicken: “the white dude classic. The only flavor in the restaurant. Of course y’all like it”
I don't think I've ever gone to Panda Express. It does look tasty to me from the window I'll say, but yeah, I think I'd certainly trust a mom and pop Asian-style food establishment over them. 😆
“I’m genuinely impressed…”
Oh?
“….How they can take the flavor out of food”
Ah
I got the same vibe from the egg roll:
"They're perfectly..."
?!?!
"Fine. What you'd expect from cheap Chinese... perfectly adequate. I don't dislike it."
He got me in the first half not gonna lie
It’s honestly rather impressive how they manage to fuck the food up this badly when there’s a place that my grandma likes and we often get when I go to visit her called Panda Chinese Restaurant. It is a very similar style, similar menu, similar method of serving, hell if you got most of the items and just showed someone the packaging they might think it was Panda Express. Except it’s actually really damn good. So not sure how Panda Express managed to make their food that bad.
"You surprise me, by how shit you are"
I didn't know there were so many ways you could kill flavor
"Even your local Chinese restaurant will be leagues better" 💯
Shout out/support to all the mom and pop American Chinese restaurants trying to make it!
I like in a small rural town and the American Chinese place in the area is still miles ahead of a Panda express
when the pictures at the takeout place are faded and smoke stained you know the food is gonna be 🔥
man I wish there was one in my neighborhood. I only ever eat Panda Exp because it's a 2 min walk away from my apartment
I have my favorite one in my highschool's town, but I've enjoyed every one I've tried. I know I have both nostalgia bias and a liking for the family that owns it though lol.
There are two identical Chinese restaurants in my area. Same food, same general design for the interior, same exact pictures on the menu. Neither seems aware of the other's existence. I think every city just randomly generates at least one Chinese restaurant.
King Panda sends his regards.
You’ll never save General Tso.
🤣🤣
If I see this joke one more time it won't end well
@ТоmmуGaming 🅥 I'd rather it were
@@calamaribowl8683 I think that commenter got... *the point*
This series has developed some fantastic food critic vocabulary. Highlights for me: inoffensive, perfectly fine, and the obligatory begging for flavor.
Have to shout out the great critique during the Subway video: "it tastes like a flavor"
My favorite thing about the "let's try" videos is his pessimistic sigh of dread as he accepts his inevitable and agonizing fate. It makes me smile.
You make me smile
Life is suffering.
And the food always get "better" as the video goes on because he accepts that everything is lower than his expectations can possibly be
Panda Express is like Little Caesars. You don't eat it when you're craving real Chinese. You eat it when you crave it in particular
Fortunate that the little Caesars by me is actually good
People only eat little ceasers if they are on a budget, hence me! And settle and say it taste good.
And you only eat little Caesar if you crave a little man named Caesar?
@@Faeborn yeah people always forget that it is a god tier pizza for a 5$ pizza
@@ithinki854 the hot and readys aren't good because they sit there but you can get a fresh made peppi for the same price.
I haven't had Panda Express in over 8 years, but I remember really liking the honey walnut shrimp when I was younger. I'm glad that it didn't make you die inside like everything else, so I don't feel like my memory is completely betraying me.
For a kid that probably was delicious since kids usually prefer milder sweeter flavours
I think that's gotta be every child's favorite dish from panda. I remember it being mine as well but now that I'm older, I've grown out of it.
@today was a good day why do you people do this
@@Easy_EZ I've never had Panda Express in my life. I live in the UK, so I can't relate. Lmao!
I had it in college, and it was pretty good. I would eat it again. The fried rice? Absolute trash.
I ate Panda Express multiple times a week in college since they had one on campus, and everyone saying it really depends on the freshness and cook is spot on. Learning to look at the trays and immediately recognize whether that item was going to actually taste good and not have too weird a texture was a necessary skill. Usually that meant orange chicken was the most consistent since that's what almost everyone got, but if you went at non peak times and it was sitting awhile it became all coagulated and kind of gross. Beijing beef had the most variation in my experience due to the texture ranging from good to almost unchewable.
Im late as hell but this guy knows what hes talking about
The trick to panda express is that the food can vary in quality depending on how fresh it is. You can tell just by looking at panda express food which one is fresh off the wok and which one has been under the heat lamp for hours. Case in point: that beijing beef you had looked whack the moment I saw it. That strange texture profile you got is a result of it soaking in the juices under the heat lamp for a WHILE which destroys the breading and the texture. Anyone who has ever eaten at panda is familiar with that frankly disgusting texture, but if you can get a batch as it comes fresh off the wok or right as the store opens, you're in for a good time.
Glad someone else caught this, won't lie panda is kind of mid to begin with, but if you get stuff fresh (Or visit one in a highly populated area where the food is cycling constantly), you generally wont have the mushy garbage he got here.
Yeah, you can't go to a Panda Express knowing what you want ahead of time, you really have to tune into your inner scavenger and find the best trash to eat
That’s really the case for a lot of fast food. At least with Panda Express you can see what you are getting before ordering.
Always get it during the lunch rush, never fails me.
i also noticed something.. A panda express inside of a mall? is usually consistently better in quality than the standalone panda express locations.
I know he said he thought the ones he hated were funnier, but I do genuinely enjoy watching the episodes focused on more pleasant foods. The Cheez-it and Kettle Chip episodes are some of my faves.
Still waiting for a ranking of all Marie Callender’s pies
this!!!!!!
Yeah!
this is a great idea, i would love sungwon's official ranking
Marie Callenders went out of business, at least I thought they did
@@trinidad510 Nope
0:44 Mushroom Chicken & Fried Rice
2:18 Chow Mein
3:03 Broccoli Beef
4:09 White Steamed Rice & Honey Walnut Shrimp
5:28 Super Greens, Crispy Almond Chicken Breast, & Cream Cheese Rangoons
7:30 Brown Steamed Rice & Beijing Beef
9:26 Honey Sesame Chicken Breast & Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
11:08 Orange Chicken & Kung Pao Chicken
13:08 Chicken Egg Roll
13:55 Black Pepper Chicken
14:43 Black Pepper Angus Steak
15:16 Recap (Best & Worst)
Thank you
What he called the Honey Sesame chicken was not, he was given the String Bean chicken. The Honey Sesame does taste like honey, someone just fucked up his order.
Thank you
You are an angel 💙
Now I like to see you try everything at your local Chinese restaurant since their menus are never ending
Yeah the Chinese takeaway by my house has a menu so big they had to split on to three different menus
Well it's all usually the same 5-7 sauces with a different protein, starch, and veg
I wonder how long would the resulting video be and how long, in terms of days, it would take him to try everything.
When you say never ending menus I think diners.
There’s a Chinese takeout plays close to where I I’ve that has many options similar to Panda Express’s menu. But the food tastes way better the portions are larger and the price is even slightly less than you would pay at Panda Express.
The “honey sesame chicken breast” you got, is their “string bean chicken” 💀 I used to work there, I know 😂
Exactly, I used to work there too. I agree.
The thing about Panda Express is that it really depends on the chef making the food. It might taste great one day and like an oily spicy mistake the next.
I’ve skipped a closer panda to go to the “good” one.
I was gonna say, he ate this at home, possibly ubereats-ed, I feel like as amusing as this video is I'm like "dude have you tried it actually in the restaurant?" Totally valid to not like it tho.
I used to like Wendy's food until I got tired of the vast, VAST difference in quality day to day. I can honestly say the best and worst fast food Ive ever had were both at Wendy's. McDonalds might be poison, but its the exact same every time
"oily spicy mistake" is a phrase and a half
@@skeetsmcgrew3282 what??? McDonald’s is so inconsistent too. Sometimes the fries or burgers are even cold
What I learned: Panda Express is apparently cooked differently in various regions.
We have some different entrees (different names), and at least one was the same name but prepared wildly different (Honey Sesame Chicken). In our region, the best dishes to me are Chicken and String Beans (though they have to be fresh or the beans turn into mush) and our version of honey sesame chicken (breaded with sesame seeds sprinkled on and a sweet sauce).
We used to have Sweet Fire Chicken which was also quite good with flavor, but they seem to have discontinued it. Probably had too much flavor.
I like the string bean chicken too. I agree watch out for freshness
i miss the sweet fire chicken
I just had sweet fire the other day. I was wondering why he didn't mention that but he did get the "new" almond chicken.
I'm almost certain that wasn't actually honey sesame chicken. Looks like they gave him the wrong item
Where do you live? Are you just in a different region of the US or a different country altogether?
As someone who loves "real" Chinese food, I also love Panda. There's room for both in this world. Sometimes you just want some good old-fashioned so-mediocre-it's-good orange chicken
But local Chinese places make orange chicken and it's better lol
@@ronbuil6923 Sometimes you just want some good old-fashioned so-mediocre-it's-good orange chicken
Exactly how I feel about Little Caesars lol
I highly recommend trader joes’ orange chicken for that craving. I throw it in the air fryer and it’s fast and amazing
@@ronbuil6923 Not where I live. Haven't found a place yet around me that beats Panda.
I dont like panda express but every once in awhile i get a craving for it, buy it, and am like "Wow, this is bad. I'm satisfied though" And so the cycle can continue the next time a craving hits
I'm quite late but you don't gotta call me out like that lol
You described my relationship with Little Ceasers
my guilty pleasure as a korean person is genuinely enjoying panda express
Dude what
I'm from East Asia and I love Panda Express.... like it's a new presentation on Chinese food and it's great.
Maybe its just the landa express near me or what I get but I love Panda Express
Same! I low key love Panda Express, and always clean my plate clean when I get it. Chow mein, Orange chicken, and either the string bean chicken or mushroom chicken. Always gotta Sriracha the chow mein and mix it up to coat. I even prefer Panda Express over the local Chinese take out joints in my area.
Chinese American food is actually really good but Panda Express is not.
Having grown up on delicious home-cooked Cantonese food every day, I’ve always been vehemently anti-Panda Express…until I lived in Germany for four years. The Chinese food here is some of the most disgusting and sad stuff I’ve ever eaten. It made Panda Express seem luxurious and now I have a new appreciation for it 😭
Omg! 😂
you wouldnt expect germans to cook chinese food... right?
@@dirtspritestuff5850 This might come as a surprise to you but there's not only Germans living in Germany.
I recently started playing New Leaf and there are certain hours of the day I am unable to play the game because all I hear is you reviewing food in various degrees of pain.
😭😭🤣🤣🤣
I wish this is how he did all of his comparison videos, where it spreads them out through a few days rather than trying to cram it all into one evening. While it can be entertaining to watch him try them all in one sitting, I think it's better to spread it out. Mainly so he doesn't hate it (all) when he's through, and so that he doesn't feel ill afterwards/during.
I am emotionally crushed to discover that Panda Express is in fact NOT a service that delivers live pandas directly to your house.
Aren't we all 😪
yet
Lol
ikr?
IKR
For the teriyaki chicken, you're supposed to put their signature teriyaki sauce on it yourself, they usually give you the packet of the stuff when you order that meal.
As a Panda Express chef, yeah most of the foods are lacking flavour wise at least a bit. I would actually reccommend anyone who reads this to try the Wok Stirred Steak and Shrimp whenever it comes back. It has a really sweet and tangy steak sauce and is personally my favourite thing ive had there.
But yeah, understandable ratings, but dear lord orange chicken sells so much more than every other item that it is disgusting. I basically always keep two bags frying at all times and we still sometimes run out before i make it.
Edit: Also, would reccommend you try everything fresh for those that go to panda. When its fresh, its about 200% better.
Definitely agree. Panda food in particular has a lot of items that taste pretty damn good when they're brought out just-cooked. Somehow, though, everything seems to exponentially lose flavor VERY quickly. I'd recommend if you go inside, to just order whatever you see that's just been made, and eat it ASAP. If you do it that way, it's not too bad.
I'm a monster, I know, but panda is better as leftovers. The fresh stuff has all the sauce falling off of it, spills out the box way too easy during transit. Put it in the fridge a few hours and microwave it, everything is a nice consistency that mixes well and doesn't leave a pool at the bottom of the container, throw your own spices on there and go to town.
How are we supposed to "try everything fresh" when going to a fast food restaurant? Do I walk up and go "no no no, gimme it fresh please"?
@@Dorraj I mean. You can ask us, hey do you mind making a fresh batch of something, and if you are willing to wait we can make it for you. If they don't or say no, then im sorry that they are being rude.
@@ikepetro6263 I'd feel really rude myself asking that, like I'm entitled to a fresh batch or something
I guess it's a testament to how hungry I am that he's describing terrible food, but my mouth is still watering
"you can't F up white rice, right?"
Uncle Roger: "Am I a joke to you?"
BBC Lady: Ima bout to end this man's career
Strain with a colander!
I can most definitely F up white rice, or any other color of it, for that matter.
My dad can and hes chinese. Hes just not the best cook
@@landofthehazymist rice cooker solves everything
Yeah, the brown rice tastes like if they took all possible joy out of eating. the beijing beef was effected by having to eat it in the same day. Fun note, I remember getting the beijing beef when it released in '08 for the olympic games and it was crispy, very spicy, and overall a good time. The quality since has been a shotgun blast, based how much the people making it cared that day.
The first time I went the US I tried "American chinese" food for the first time and although as an full blown asian I wouldnt consider it chinese authentic it was hella delicious. Literally to the point that I was craving Panda Express when I went home over the summer.
Lol I've heard that sentiment before about American chinese food from many Asians. I think panda is fine, but when compared to a local American chinese restaurant panda is kind of okay. Honestly the reason I go there more than anything is it's inexpensive lol
I envy you
@@michaeltrevino8234 Agreed. Panda Express is... far from the worst US fast food, but the local restaurants are where the magic happens.
It’s not authentic Chinese, it’s authentic American Chinese! Here’s a video on the history of American Chinese food if you don’t know about it already czcams.com/video/1HFFxihgfzI/video.html
@@michaeltrevino8234 same thought honestly. I have such a soft spot for the local American Chinese place I grew up having takeout from as a treat on special occasions.
16:09 A perfect, "I am still hungry. I have this food. I can eat this and stop being as hungry. But that would mean continuing to eat this. And I'm not sure it's worth it," expression.
"I got Panda Express!"
"Did you get sugar chicken??"
"Uh, yeah, it's kinda the only thing they have."
"It's all Sugar Chicken. "
the fried rice from panda express tastes like they made it correctly, then extracted every ounce of flavor you could possibly have, and served it to you.
On this Canadian Thanksgiving I am thankful for Sungwon’s sacrifice
technically... :P
👶🤌
"This is miles above this fukkin dogshit."
Panda Express seeing this going "hey this is actually a pretty positive review for us, considering."
The teriyaki is supposed to come with sauce on the side. Its one of the only things that I kinda like from Panda.
Yeah. Teriyaki sauce is what makes up for everything else. Pour that on everything else as well, even orange chicken lol
smother the rice in this shit, fkn delicious.
I used to work at Panda--it doesn't "come with it" you have to ask for it at most places. But yes, it dramatically improves it. Personally, the only things I'll touch from panda are the fried rice (which is bland but it's fried rice, it's plenty edible), orange chicken, and teriyaki chicken. The rangoons with sweet and sour sauce are good too, if they're fresh.
@@SwordmasterSeph Panda Express Teriyaki Chicken W/ the Teriyaki Mandarin sauce W/ a massive mountain of white rice = the best fast food meal period. I don't like anything else I've tried from Panda.
@@nisharahan I worked at Panda too, and generally we just asked if they wanted the sauce if they ordered the chicken
This is the most therapeutic video series on CZcams
"Oh hey ProZD is reviewing my favorite chinese place, I love their fried rice and orange chicken"
"Oh"
I actually like these videos better when it’s a food or restaurant the creator enjoys. Hope you do more videos with foods you love! But this is a super fun series overall
I actually like the restaurant so now I’m feeling self-conscious over this man’s superior palette lol
Everyone has different tastes and every location has a different cook so people’s experiences are always gonna be different- nothing wrong if you enjoy the food
That's what I'm saying, I swear by the Beijing Beef and now I'm going through an existential crisis
taste is subjective
He's in the minority. Most people who go to Panda enjoy it.
Agree with everyone; I think he also tends to eat really salty and needs strong flavor in his food. For me, most items at Panda are salty and too sweet.
Imagine he’s just swapping shirts between takes and it’s all filmed the same day.
Orange chicken kept me sustained through my college study sessions. So affordable
My campus had a panda in the main dining hall and we could use our college dining funds there. I ate so much orange chicken and chowmein in the years I was there.
As I’ve watched these trying videos, I’ve come to realize I have a very different taste palette, and I love it. I may not agree with his opinions, but that’s why I like these videos, he brings a different position to the table than mine and I enjoy it
The sauce is what sets the Teriyaki chicken off that and the white rice is the only thing I grab from Panda
Yes
Too bad sometimes they won’t give you the sauce
yeah you gotta get it with the sauce. 2x teriyaki chicken and supergreans is my goto
They used to have a beef dish that was REALLY good but they stopped making it when the pandemic hit. I assume it wasn't cost effective to make because it tasted like they spent money on actual ingredients
This series has become a sacred must watch all videos for me
Going to be honest, the only time I've had panda express (was stuck in an airport so options were limited) I got the orange chicken since I'll admit I'm a basic AF white guy and that's what I get whenever I go to a Chinese restaurant and it's also the thing that people always say is their best item.
I was honestly surprised how bad it was compared to literally every other Chinese place I've been to. Instantly recognized Sungwon's comments on the sponginess of the chicken, but I was also really weirded out by the sauce, which while technically sweet and spicy as one expects from Orange Chicken, was otherwise nearly unrecognizable and not at all pleasant.
Rangoons were fine though. Hard to mess up Rangoons like he said, but I honestly don't know how you mess up Orange Chicken like that.
here we go again, the best series on the web.
Literally just came back from working at a Panda on my uni's campus, and I have to say, the food tastes MILES better when it is fresh. Being located at my uni, we often have to cook more food when we run out, so it's a lot harder for food to just sit out under the lamp for longer than what is needed.
Anyways, it's surreal watching this video while still in uniform. :V
where i live, panda express isnt even cheap, you dont just feel disappointment at the blandness, but you also feel robbed
They forgot to give you the side sauce for the teriyaki chicken. The teriyaki chicken is pretty much the only thing I get at panda.
"How bad could chow mein be?" Couldn't even finish the sentence before regretting it.
I feel like you have a bad location or unfresh food. The Panda I normally go to is on a college campus and it’s so popular that everything is always fresh out the wok. It makes all the difference!
Same here. The food is pretty one note but when it's fresh it makes all the difference.
I’ve delivered plenty of panda as a DoorDash driver. it’s always slightly humorous to watch the chefs burn the fucking shit out of half the food with a column of fire.
Anybody with a moderate notion of heat control, access to a grocery store, and CZcams can likely cook better Asian food than panda
I don’t understand how the food is so bad compared to local Chinese places. Then you realize the founders went to college for math and computer science but decided to open a restaurant chain instead lmaoo
😂
it's more to do with catering to a wide range of people whose common taste preference is bland.
I see your person of taste as well.
@@altosforteaquax5083 but they like spicy food that's why taco bell is popular
@@altosforteaquax5083 why are we still categorizing people by race?
I've always stuck to getting 50/50 of fried rice + chow mein, and egg rolls as a side from any asian fast food place I go.
I never like chicken in anything from them, and my taste buds won't do seafood at all, but I was convinced to try the honey walnut shrimp from here. It was surprising fine. Not that bad.
As a Panda employee: yeah.
I don't understand why people go crazy for this stuff.
I think it's intentional. When your food isn't super flavorful it doesn't offend anyone and can appeal to the largest number of people.
The honey walnut shrimp is amazing tbh.
@@MrSandMan961 I’ve never thought of that. I’ll keep that in mind the next time I’m ringing up people for their order.
It's for people with no taste palette that find their local Chinese restaurant too exotic.
I remember liking it the one time I was in America, I can't remember why if my life depended on it
My husband: "I've never had Panda Express before. They any good?"
Me: *Sends link to video.
"No."
I made the same mistake recently.
"Maybe it'll be better than I remember?"
Awful. It wound up in the garbage.
if you stick to the orange chicken you'll be alright
@@HungerSymons
Man, I got a sampler thing and figured I'd wind up with pre-made dinners for the week.
Orange chicken was in it. Just too sugary.
Imagine being so well off that you can afford mistakes that you can dump in the garbage. Meanwhile, some people are so damn happy to see the food you threw in the garbage because that's a feast for them.
Maybe you guys there in Murica are oblivious but just to let you know that poverty is real around the world and it's killing people like the virus. Throwing food in the garbage is such a privilege.
@@wysteriousmimic1402 bro what
Panda- what is on that steam table is what you get. The entree could have been on the steam table for a minute or 20 minutes, depending on when you go!
Chinese restaurant- dishes are cooked to order! So, even if you eat it at home 20 minutes later, it will still be fresher than Panda Express.
The answer to your question of how they could loose all the flavor is incredibly simple. It's been sitting in a steam tray for hours on end.
Wouldn’t be as much of an issue if they actually seasoned anything. Heat lamps and steam trays kill texture, not taste.
@@CalebWimble are you sure that all they do? Because I find that adding more water to vegetables like a steam makes them so soggy that they loose all semblence of flavor. Definitely lack of seasoning on chicken is a huge part to play though.
“i would maybe order this again…”
omg!
“if there were no other chinese restaurants available in the entire world.”
ah.
The video hasn’t even started yet, but, as someone who works at Panda Express… I’m very curious to see how you view the food. Will update after watching the video.
Edit: Okay, I’ve paused the video at like 10:03 to write here: it appears to me that you actually did not get the honey sesame chicken breast. That is the string bean chicken breast. Honey sesame chicken is breaded and tossed in a very different sauce from the string bean chicken. Chances are, if you went through the drive thru, they probably just misheard you; the headsets we have are garbage. They cost like hundreds of dollars and they’re the worst headsets I’ve ever worn. It’s like wearing those headphones in school that were like really thin on the top and those bad, pasted on foam bits, but with stupidly sensitive mic. Anyways, honey sesame is sweeter. That being said, I agree that the mushroom chicken and the string bean chicken taste very similar; they are tossed in the same sauce, actually, which is probably the reason. Okay, back to the video.
Edit 2: Yeah, what he said. Just get the orange chicken. I know how to cook the stuff at Panda Express, and it is definitely not as varied as it makes itself out to be. The stuff that’s supposed to be “spicy” isn’t made with anything super spicy. The Kung pao chicken (which is supposed to be the spiciest) isn’t made with anything super intense; just chili flakes, garlic, and small, whole chili peppers. It’s nothing super intense…for people who know what they’re talking about. I think Panda Express very much caters to the people who’ve never been to a good Chinese restaurant or who cant afford to. I don’t eat Panda Express in my off time, bc I would rather go somewhere else.
Also the thing he said about being one note; very true. That’s what panda excels at; one note dishes. They’re perfectly bland. Most of our dishes are made with sauces that are either loaded with preservatives and/or mostly soy sauce. Also, it’s cooked in a lot of oil. I mean, a lot. If it’s not deep fried in oil, it’s probably cooked in up to 5 cups of oil. It’s good for people who are either on a budget or who can enjoy one note hits. If you can afford it, go somewhere else. The experience will be so much better, I promise. And probably have less caloric intake, too.
Edit 3: saw this on some other comments and realized I didn’t mention it: get the teriyaki sauce with the teriyaki chicken. Makes it much better, though still very one note. It becomes sweeter, but the flavor of the chicken and the sauce kinda mix together, so you end up with a very one note flavor.
Yeah I was going to say this. When I go I usual get the honey sesame and orange chicken and when I saw that I went “that’s not the honey sesame.”
Boosting
@@EtamirTheDemiDeer what does that even mean?
@@tripleb7899 I think the algorithm “boosts” comments with more replies so that more people see them, so that reply is basically like an upvote.
Also what restraunts what you recommend as alternatives to Panda?
@@tofu5086 I live in a pretty small town, so there are aren’t a lot around where I live. I have to go out of town to go to any. But, if you’re ever in Redding, California, there’s a place called CoCo’s Mongolian BBQ. It’s awesome!
honestly, the honey walnut shrimp is the only redeeming thing there. also, you know you really don’t like a dish if broccoli is the “saving grace” lol
I remember going to Panda Express to pick up food for my family. It was about half an hour before they closed and there was a long line in the drive through. I got my food, pulled into a parking spot, checked it… not only was nothing close to what I ordered, but there were two more dishes than I had ordered and half the food wasn’t even combinations that they had on the menu, it was just random stuff.
I think what happened is that they had a bunch of customers and didn’t want to make more food, so they just threw a bunch of random shit in containers and called it good. Of course, since the drive through had at least a dozen cars and the inside looked packed too, I decided that Panda Express wasn’t worth going all the way back through xD
Don't attribute to malice that which can be attributed to incompetence.....it's fast food, you got someone else's order.
I love the calming mildly quirky music in the background
"I would maybe order this again, if there were no other Chinese restaurants in the entire world."
I only have one Chinese restaurant nearby other than Panda Express, and it's shit, so every time I get Chinese food it's Panda Express. The orange chicken is pretty good, not a big fan of much else.
Their is this local Chinese place near my house and now it’s our tradition to get it on Christmas every year. It’s that good
Bahahaha “somehow tastes how a burnt onion smells!” Holy shit that’s funny
Whenever I go to Panda Express I usually get steamed white rice and orange chicken. I’m never unsatisfied.
Legit had the same mentality of ProZD and instantly regretted going back to Panda. I guess some things never change.
I like to think of this as Sung-won realizing how shitty it is when bigger channels do the “everything in the menu” challenge and do it all in one sitting and the staff having to make all that shit all at once, he chooses to do it in multiple days to make it easier on underpaid fast food workers
He does it in multiple days because he doesn't want to die
"I'm genuinely impressed"
Oh finally a good one
"at how they can take the flavor out of food"
**WHEEZE**
10:20 if anyone's wondering
*"I dont really like panda express"*
Panda express: your free trial of sponsoring has ended
This may be the best series on CZcams. Your hilarious commentary on the shitty items is gold
Me eating Panda Express rn: Damn this stuff's good.
Pro: This has no flavor.
Me eating Panda Express rn: damn this stuff has no flavor.
“I’m genuinely impressed…” 😃
“…at how they can take the flavor out of food.” ☹️
I came for the funny commentary, stayed for his surprisingly satisfying crunching noises.
"Mushy and stiff at the same time" perfectly captures most of Panda Express's meat dishes.
You know your food is bad when the only nice thing you can say is "it technically has a taste"
"If this chicken was dry, it'd be poison." LOLOL!
I work at Panda Express, the sauce that we use for the broccoli beef, mushroom chicken, and string bean chicken is just soy sauce, stir fry sauce, corn starch, and water
I love your deep voice dude and the way you can always seem so confident!
Never thought I'd enjoy fast food reviews 🤔
Great work!
the reason i go to panda express instead of my local chinese spot is the same reason why i sometimes choose mcdonalds over a good burger spot.
100% the best explanation.
I've watched a number of these from all over the channel timeline, but "Let's Try 18 DIFFERENT PANDA EXPRESS ITEMS" is the first title that's made me say, "Ugh, let's not"
Local Chinese restaurants are great, but Panda Express is good too. Just like I enjoy going to a nicer burger place, but sometimes McDonalds or other fast food burgers hit the spot
Damn, my local Chinese spots sssuuuuuccck. It's like they source all their food (which is probably frozen) from the same distributor.
I don't even have a local chinese place but i do have a panda down the street. so yeah i go to panda sometimes it's not that bad
personally I find maccas and stuff just really doesn't hit the spot, ever. It's just 'fine I guess' at best.
@@stormblessed2321 Actually there are only one or two distributers in the country which nearly all the "Chinese" restaurants source from.
In regards to burgers, I find chain-restaurant fast food burgers are almost always better than the burgers at nicer places. With "Chinese" food, it's all the same stuff - just with a different logo on the takeout box where I live - of course I'm not really a fan of Chinese food to begin with so I only really eat it when somebody else is ordering takeout.
Their best menu item is the Five Flavor Shrimp. The only bitch about it is that it's only available once a year for like 2 weeks.
As with most fast food places the flavor profile is "inoffensive", support the good small places people.
I don’t know at what point this channel became a good review channel but I absolutely love it. He’s brutally honest and he’s so entertaining to watch
I heard the Panda Express down the street from me implode as this video released
I guess I just have a lower standard for what is acceptable with food?
I've eaten (and been content with) Chinese food ranging from this to food from the restaurant of a chef "named as a finalist in the best chef Mid-Atlantic" in 2016 (Peter Chang). Granted, Peter Chang's food is miles ahead of Panda Express.
Panda is just what you would expect from an American fast food chain for "Chinese food".
You should try teriyaki chicken with the teriyaki sauce that should've come with! My favorite dish there for sure.
I usually get a teriyaki bowl with fried and it’s strangely delicious haha. It’s the only thing I’ll get when we go to panda 😂
Right!? No shit the grilled teriyaki is dry, you didn't get any sauce!
The disapproval of the egg roll in the thumbnail is rich.
I think Panda Express is ok, orange chicken is my favorite but I just can’t fathom how my parents consider it their favorite chinese restaurant ever lol. They won’t eat any other Chinese place that tastes better and I’m sure it’s because panda is fast and cheap lol.
I watch you for your food reviews. Your buds are on point!
This is pretty neat, but if I recall wasn’t
ProZD gonna do Various Campbell soups next, cause I saw him tweet about it over a month ago ?
Panda Express is the La Croix of ‘chinese’ places. Somehow still in business for all the lack of flavor.
Teriyaki chicken “its like someone whispered the word “teriyaki” in a room next to where they cooked this chicken”
Orange chicken: “the white dude classic. The only flavor in the restaurant. Of course y’all like it”
I don't think I've ever gone to Panda Express. It does look tasty to me from the window I'll say, but yeah, I think I'd certainly trust a mom and pop Asian-style food establishment over them. 😆
The look on his face in the thumbnail is perfect.
Doing the lords work, may your bowels rest in peace.