Best thing about this place is the location, right by campus. The food... heh. Same greazy American style as everywhere else in town. Oh but cash only. Singapore noodles is usually one of my faves, this place has it, but it tastes a bit off. read more

I've eaten at a lot of Chinese places around the country, and I admit fully that Dragon Express isn't as awesome as some of the places out there. However, on the other hand, of the places in Bloomington, it offers some of the best Chinese food. I always get the chicken dishes from them--they're well cooked, slightly greasy, and the rice and vegetables are always delicious. In particular among the chicken dishes, I suggest the General Tso's chicken. The egg rolls and crab rangoon is also good. The staff is friendly if a bit confused--they'll ask you four or five times what you ordered (maybe I just don't speak clearly -- I do talk fast), but at least they'll get your order right. read more

Eh.. Decent Chinese I'm a student at Indiana University and I go here with friends in-between classes to get a nice warm meal. The restaurant isn't the best Chinese restaurant in town but IT'S PRETTY CHEAP.. I usually spend 4 to 6 bucks on one of their lunch specials. You also don't have to buy a soda or a drink because you can just get a Styrofoam cup and get Fresh Hot-Tea or just plain water for free. I usually get the General's chicken from Dragon Express which is good on occasion. I've noticed that they use frozen chicken when they make their General's. The chicken will not be cooked enough every so often due to the lunch rush. Also they tend to put too much breading to make the chicken inside to appear to be much bigger than it actually is. I've taken bites and there just be breading alone. The fried rice isn't the best and you can tell that it has been waiting in the back for a while. The location is GREAT but you can get better Chinese at other places around town. My two favorites are China Buffet on 2616 E 3rd S and China Wok which is located 4013 S Old State Road 37 read more

Don't get me wrong; I love Dragon Express. It's cheap, it's close to campus, and their orange chicken tastes great. The place is kinda shady, though, and as of the last time I went, one still couldn't pay with a credit or debit card. And once you can find a payment method they'll accept, the food is really greasy and horrible for you. The point is this: if you're an undergrad who wants cheap Chinese and you don't care how well it was made or what black magic created it, then this is your place. If you've got some money to spend and don't want to any chance to panic about what you've just put in your body, you might want to consider going somewhere else. read more

Most underrated, bang-for-your-buck restaraunt in Bloomington. Food is great, service is spectacular, atmosphere is welcoming. Only downside is they do not take credit/debit cards. Otherwise, great place! read more

Bob Knight once said (and I'm paraphrasing) "We all learn to write in third grade; most of us go on to do more useful things than that." I feel that way about Dragon Express - everyone who's a student goes through a Dragon Express phase. Most of us grow out of it and move on to actual decent-tasting chinese food. The flavors this place provides you are not memorable. The interior of the place hasn't changed in at least 20 years, and that's not because of nostalgia...I mean, wow. They REALLY need to redecorate, as the inside is like a hospital cafeteria. The menu really has nothing inspiring on it. Some people enjoy the place. Most of those people are younger and haven't developed those nagging little things called standards. Yes, as the other reviewers say, it is passable as cheap and quick chinese food --- which is why I give it two stars instead of one. But that's a rather weak second star. read more

The food is really fantastic. They are not the friendliest, but they probably think the same of me. I came about 20 minutes before close and threw $5 in the tip jar for the inconvenience and sat down. The lady at the counter still kicked me out as she handed me my food. =[ I totally get it, but still a bummer. I was by myself and definitely could have finished eating in time. read more

The service was G R E A T . The girl at the front desk was SOOO NICE ... price for Singapore was a bit much but ..... I haven't had it here and when I do I'll expand my rating & comment ..... but the service was great..... ... UPDATE. FOOD. IS GOOO. read more

Dragon Express - Chinese Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

One of my favorite Chinese places. Extensive menu built around variations of relatively simple, well-made dishes. Delicious and makes me happy to eat. I've been enjoying meals here since 2004; always look forward to stopping by when I'm in town! read more

Friendly staff, always excellent food. Free tea! Favorite is dumplings and generals tsao chicken!

The food was amazing, and with a price like what they offer? This will be my new go-to for Chinese in the Bloomington area. I ordered the Generals Chicken with a pork roll and dried rice. Food was hot and fresh and the serving was perfect. Would recommend! read more

Their staff is not friendly at all, I was trying to choose a meal and they didn't even tried to offer me help. After that, they brought noodles with chicken, there were only few small pieces of chicken and noodles with onions...what a frustration, I paid almost 9 dollars for noodles.... read more

Best Chinese restaurant in Btown! Order some crab rangoon or general tsos chicken. Also the kung pao chicken is really awesome!

I was pleasantly surprised by how good the food was here - at least in relation to the other either overly-priced or nasty tasting Chinese food on campus. The portions were amazing. The inside is super shady. They use oldschool plastic tables that look like they're about to break and chairs that look like they've been around since the 80's. The wall decor has not been taken care of and looks like they were slapped on the walls to give some sense of comfort for the visitor (which is ineffective). They also have a pop machine that is usually broken in some way. The MOST inconvenient thing about Dragon Express is that it does not take debit or credit, which just blows my mind. It's like, what age do we live in? This can be super inconvenient. In the end, if all you care about is good food, this is for you. It is the best, cheaper Chinese food on campus. read more

One star because the food is average and it's cash only...it's the 21st century. I won't frequent again. This time I did because my kids wanted it read more

Based on all objective evidence I should not like dragon express, but its deficiencies and ideally inauthentic dishes make it the pinnacle of cheap American Chinese. It is very cheap and cash only; the staff are brusquely efficient, there is no rudeness, but little attention; a veneer of slight dirtiness and stickiness covers everything; the food is served in aluminum containers and the drinks in styrofoam; and the food is very salty and greasy. The previous comments, taken alone might be negative, but they create a perfect storm of cheap, greasy American Chinese food that makes me wake up in a cold-sweat unable to think of anything but my shameful compulsion to have their neon red sesame chicken. The aforementioned sesame chicken is alternately squelchy and crunchy with a very sweet, salty sauce. Most dishes can be served with their fried rice (standard, greasy, with carrots, peas, and chunks of pork) and egg roll (almost cartoonish in how it epitomizes a cheap, but delicious egg roll). The dumplings are pleasing, steamed or fried, they are not the delicate creations that they ideally would be, but they get the flavors right and the skins are thinner than those served in "better" restaurants. The rangoons are exactly what they ought to be, crispy, cheesy and greasy. Noodle soups are well done and hit the spot when you're craving that. The egg foo yung is served on fried rice and coated in a thick rich brown sauce that tastes as though it might kill me and I would die happily from it. Without exception the food is served a temperature that is impossible to eat. Even after a ten minute drive home with carry-out, there's still cool down time necessary for it to reach a safe temperature. Tea is complimentary from a carafe and I don't think any drinks other than fountain drinks and water are available. I will go to Dragon Express again. I will feel moral ambiguity about it. I will feel shame afterwards. I will go to Dragon Express again anyway. read more

This is a great little Chinese spot close to the IU campus. There's better Crab Rangoon to be had in town, but their General Tso's is awesome. Much spicier than most places make it. Friendly staff and decent prices. read more

I absolutely love Dragon Express. While attending school I would visit very frequently. Ten years later I still get cravings for their garlic chicken and general's chicken. I even considered marrying one of the staff members just to bring this cooking home. I cannot recommend this place enough. read more

Not bad for cheap Chinese food. Some of the menu items aren't very good, I usually stick with the General Tso chicken here. Cash only.

Great classically American Chinese food. I used to always forget they only took cash, which I barely carried, but I had to make sure I did just in case a pang of the American Chinese food hungers overcame me. I love the shrimp chop suey. read more

The food is okay. What really sucks is the girl at the front who treats you like you're nothing but an annoyance. If she could at least pretend to not be completely miserable for the two minutes it takes to write down my order, I wouldn't feel like an asshole for wanting food... Something they should expect to have to serve at some pont right? If they change their attitude I might change my review. read more

Love, love, love this place for quick take out. It reminds me of the Chinese take out places in NYC. They have great beef & broccoli, fried rice, sweet & sour chicken, crab Rangoon, and awesome fried chicken wings. They are always fast & food is always fresh! read more

Eaten here a lot, the food is good takeout and quick but I just brought home a Qt of Beef Lo Mein and there was absolutely no beef in it. Sad. read more

I used to go to Dragon about once a week when I was a student at IU simply because of its convenience, but eventually the quality became so hit-or-miss that I stopped going. Sometimes the food totally fulfilled that craving for cheap, Americanized Chinese, but other times, the fried portions were far too breaded and crunchy. Occasionally the sauce on the General Chicken tasted like it had been watered down. I did observe a loose correlation between busyness and food quality. Like others, I wish that they offered an actual brown rice option. read more

Ever since I lived near a great, take-out chinese restaurant in SLC, I have measured every other chinese restaruant against it. The Dragon Express was the first one I've tried since moving here. The food was affordable and portions were decent sized; but the food was about average. It's ok in a pinch, but it's not anything I'll be craving in the future. read more

My go-to Chinese restaurant. They accept cash only, and it's great. They give you a TON of food. Like, a LOT. I paid $6 and had enough food for three (And I was starving). Delicious chicken and broccoli (Sauce is to die for) and the rice is perfectly cooked! read more

I don't dine in the restaurant, I always get take-out (once every 2-3 weeks). I've been a dragon customer since I moved back to Bloomington in 2012 and can confidently say it's the best Chinese food in Bloomington. read more

We called to ask about delivery; they said they didn't take credit cards, and when we said we had seen otherwise on yelp, they were rude and basically hung up on us. read more

THIS IS NOT CHINESE FOOD AT ALL! Seriously, even i can make better Chinese food than they do. They just put manufactured bulk sauces with raw meat and vegetable and claimed the combination Chinese food. Please stop doing this to depreciate the reputation of Chinese food. read more

The food was average and it only takes cash. It's definitely an IU staple since it is so close to campus. Everything about this place screams, eh. I guess it's a good value. The food was affordable and portions were decent sized. It's ok if you're in a hurry, but it's not anything I'll be craving in the future. read more

I'm wondering if all of the negative reviewers have actually been to China and eaten real Chinese food? Doubtful. China is a country of many cuisines and Dragon Express provides mainly the most Americanized, Cantonese. However, there are some gems....anything Szechuan style, the duck dishes, and the bean curd with garlic sauce are all delicious and similar to what I ate on my last trip to Beijing. Service (takeout) is better than ever, and I think the owners kids are now working at the counter. Our food is always ready quickly. The place lacks ambiance and is a good option for take-out only. read more

Very good broccoli in garlic sauce, I'd have it again for sure. No plastic policy, bad water, and styrofoam cups and bowls are strikes against it though. Also, the prices are higher than you would usually see at a hole-in-the-wall (I think it's a flat rate of $4.75 per pint or $8.50 per quart, pre-tax). The quart is about how much you'd be given at a Chinese restaurant for a dinner plate. Pretty dumpy atmosphere, not much more to say, really. read more

I've been ordering the spicy string beans here since 1995. In recent years, The menu keeps on expanding and I've begun to branch out at bit and was only disappointed with the eggplant. The interior atmosphere is not fancy by any means, although the new chairs and floor are nice upgrade. This is a great place for takeout. read more

This is my favorite Chinese place in town. Is it the nicest? No. Is it the cleanest? Probably not. But, it's the best and they pass their health inspections (I checked). They recently updated the interior and it's better, but still not nice inside. I hate their use of styrofoam. But the food is just so good. And so cheap. It's a great place for take out. Don't let looks deceive you, this place is great. read more

I've gotten food here twice. Lost my appetite both times. The food is way too salty and the flavor is pretty bad. It'll be desperate times if I ever eat here again. read more

I didn't do the ordering, but I did a lot of the eating. We ordered fried rice, broccoli chicken, green bean chicken, salt n pepper chicken and egg rolls. Everything was delicious and some of the better quick Chinese take out I've ever had. read more

It's honestly the best American Chinese place and since I've moved, I haven't been able to find a replacement

No frills interior, but you get a lot of food, fresh-cooked and hot. As other reviewers have said, the dining area hasn't seen a lot of investment, BUT: it's pretty brightly lit, so they aren't hiding a dirty restaurant with red lamp shades and wood paneling. The cash-only policy is a pain sometimes, but there are two ATMs within 50 yards of the door, so you should be ok. My favorites are the General's Chicken and the Steamed Dumplings. Mei Fun (any type) is also quite good. I have always been disappointed by their Szechuan ______ dishes. They seem bland and tomato-y. But explore anything else. They shine the brightest when they're deep-frying as opposed to lighter stir-frying. read more

I'd do 3.5 stars, because it is efficient, reasonably tasty, and quite inexpensive. With this said, if you are looking for authentic Chinese, this is not it. I am always satisfied with this place for a quick bite. It also has never knotted my stomach after eating there, which makes me believe their food prep must be at least somewhat sanitary. Always a good thing. read more

Good chinese asian food. The price is affordable. The food comes out fresh(er) because they cook it when you order.