I'll be honest: I absolutely love the food here, and the owner is a hoot and a half! She is always in a great mood and greets you as though you're a close friend or family member. She is also incredibly generous with her portions whenever she serves you. Unfortunately, ever since the other employees were hired, the customer service seems to have gone downhill. They often try to serve the smallest portions possible, and they rarely seem to be in a good mood. It really takes away from the warm, welcoming atmosphere that this place was once known for. I still love the food and have a lot of respect for the owner, but I hope the staff can bring back some of that same energy and hospitality. The food deserves it, and so does the owner! read more

Stopped by Dragon Express in Escondido and overall had a decent experience. The customer service was great, which definitely stood out. The chow mein and fried rice were okay. The wings had decent flavor, but some of the chicken pieces seemed oddly shaped and were difficult to eat. The BBQ pork was decent as well, although unfortunately I was given several burnt end pieces that were too hard/burnt for me to eat. There's definitely some room for improvement with the food, but between the great customer service and the items I did enjoy, I'm willing to give them another shot. I'll return and try something different next time. read more

Dragon Express - Chinese Near Me - Escondido, California

The reviews were right, huge portions all around! Today was my first time going to this restaurant and the food was delicious. I mentioned it was my first time to them, and they suggested the combo B (two entrees with a choice of fried rice or chow mein or (half/half). I also ordered the small thai tea with boba (it's a pretty big small too!) and it's one of the best Thai teas I've had. The service was really fast and the two who were helping me were very kind to me. For my plate with the Thai tea boba I paid around ~$14 after tax. Instead of going to Panda Express, I'd totally recommend this place over it! read more

Dragon Express - Combo B: Beef and broccoli, orange chicken, and half/half fried rice and chow mein. - Chinese Near Me - Escondido, California

Moved here not too long ago. Based on reviews, tried this place. My bf gets nervous about ordering food... before we went, we looked at the menu and he decided what he was going to order. He ordered an entree but was told they couldn't as it was not how the entree/priced was set-up. He looked at me confused; I looked at him like 'uhh, I don't know?'. In that moment, the worker went to retrieve the manager as if she needed some back-up. The manager comes out and gives the gesture of 'what's the problem/how can *I* "help"?' I told her this is our first time here so we're just trying to figure it out. Bf reluctantly ordered what was allowed. He said food was just standard; nothing great about it. Guess people want to save a buck, and have convinced themselves this place is good. read more

-fried rice made with brown rice pretty good -chow mein over boiled poor quality tasting -coconut shrimp great -chicken wing great -chicken teriyaki salty -bbq pork hard -broccoli beef weird sauce -orange chicken dry probably on the shelf for few hours but sauce is great -jalapeño chicken pretty decently actually -mushroom chicken good but wouldn't prefer -Thai tea bomb but less milk more tea -stupid to pay .25 cents for fortune cookie read more

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So much delicious food for the price. The ladies in the front were super friendly and nice. It was so much food I ate it for 3 days. If you want a lot of food for a great price this is the place to come. The meats were soft and very flavorful. read more

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Dragon Express is our go-to for Chinese takeout. All of us love it and when my family is in town, that's one of our dinners! I dined in once...I think we had errands to run afterwards, but I definitely prefer taking it to go. It's more of a to-go place. The staff always greets us with a smile and remembers us- even my out of town family. We rarely stray from our usual order- a few combo dishes (half noodles/half friend rice, roast pork, orange chicken, coconut shrimp, egg rolls, sesame balls), something spicy, and sometimes wonton soup. Their wonton soup is made to order so be patient. It's worth it! It comes in one size- plenty to share between two people. Everything is always neatly packed and travels well. Want chopsticks? Sure, just ask! Yes, prices have increased a few dollars but the value is still there. We always have leftovers the next day. 5 stars! read more

I was craving Chinese food and wanted to check out a new place. Wow, this place gives a very generous portion!! I got chow mien, orange chicken, beef and broccoli as well as king pow chicken. The inside of restaurant is very clean inside despite being in the older part of Escondido. I added a large Thai Ice tea and my bill came up to $15.00. I have food for two days now and recommended coming here if you're craving delicious, cheap Chinese food!! read more

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Great tasting price and quality and amount of food they give highly recommend to people to stop by and eat here

Heard about this place from a few people who say it's the best Chinese food in Escondido. Well, I don't about that. But I was very surprised at how fresh the already prepared food looked when I walked in. Prices are very reasonable and portions are very large. I got Kung Pao Chicken. Hmmm. Nothing even close to authentic. Didn't even have any peanuts in it, and was mostly zucchini. Very strange. But it was tasty. Just call it spicy chicken with mixed vegetables. The noodles were surprisingly good - not overcooked, al dente actually. The service was great, nice people. I'm looking forward to another visit, but I won't get the Kung Pao. read more

Not tasty. Prices are on the high side for buffet style food that is already cooked as opposed to freshly prepared. The chicken wings are strangely very red with an unpleasant flavor. Fried rice was room temperature with no flavor. The pork was decent. Egg roils were not warm and flavorless. Will never return. Customer service was good. read more

Dragon Express is a solid go to spot. The food always comes out hot and flavorful, and the portions are generous. The staff are friendly and quick, which makes ordering easy even when they're busy. It's perfect for a casual meal or takeout when you're craving comfort food. Always hits the spot and never disappoints. read more

How this place has 4.4 stars is beyond me. The worst Chinese take out I've ever had. Started on a low when the only sauce they had was duck sauce. No sweet and sour, no soy, no spicy mustard. Odd for a Chinese restaurant. I wasn't going to leave a review over sauce, but then we started eating. Horrible. The noodles were bland. Chicken was SOOO dry, it was like chewing hard string. Rangoons were soft and chewy. Egg rolls were soft. Literally everything was bland. We had to doctor it up to enjoy it. The only "decent" thing was the coconut shrimp. However, they charge extra for shrimp but give you HALF the amount. So disappointing. read more

They have been in business for a few years. And the food is good with a large selection on the menu and specialty orders too. The customer service is always great and when you get an order to go they will give you a good amount to take with you. I'm always happy when I go. And there is plenty of seats in the front. It's a nice peaceful charming place to seat an enjoy your food. read more

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Everything was delicious :) i came here long time ago my friend brought me stopped by with my husband for dinner was undecided i said lets go to the Chinese food lynn took me :) But my wow factor was the owner very humble lady what i saw had me in tears humanity & kindness matters thank you for treating others with respect & dignity if your looking for express Chinese food this is your place theres a wall of certificates of Yelp recognitions speaks volumes definitely will be back you will have my business when I'm in town thank you read more

I might be naive, but I assume restaurants across our country are familiar with the foodie app Yelp, but I guess it's possible that not everyone knows about Yelp. Public Service Announcement for restaurants and their employees. If you see a customer taking pics outside and inside your restaurant, please don't assume that something nefarious is happening. It could be a positive thing or negative thing and in this case, thankfully Dragon Express' food led to a strong 3.5 rating. We've eaten Chinese food from Nice Food Restaurant and Dragon Express, which makes two Chinese food restaurants in Escondido that we've enjoyed dining from. Escondido is an underrated food scene that must be tried. Dragon Express is located in the heart of Escondido specifically within the outdoor strip mall called Valley Plaza. This restaurant is located across the street from Ross and Big Lots. It shares the same plaza as Farm 2 Smash, The Wrangler Barbecue, Agrusa's, and Tasty Pizza. There is plenty of parking at this shopping center. I ordered my food to go, so I didn't dine inside, but there is plenty of table top chair and booth seating. The tables are black granite, the decor is spartan, and there were a few diners inside Dragon Express. After the Asian lady behind the counter asked me why I was taking pictures and I explained that I write reviews, she jokingly said to write a good review. I told her I'm not sure after her gruff greeting. The young Latina wearing a mask, who helped me, was professional and courteous. Dragon Express is just like Nice Food and Panda Express Chinese food spots where they have a steam line of food entrees behind the counter and customers choose what items they want to go along with their choice of noodles and/or fried rice. A strong positive for Dragon Express is their value for your money as they stuff the styrofoam containers full with your food choices. Since my daughter craved shrimp, I decided to order three 2-item combos with all three having their house noodles as the side item. For the items, I selected coconut shrimp and orange chicken; orange chicken and jalapeño chicken; and coconut shrimp and broccoli beef. My family enjoyed their succulent and hearty coconut shrimp, which was covered with finger licking sweet glaze. The orange chicken was tasty and yummy. Make sure to select the jalapeño chicken, which were tender, delicious, and not spicy at all. The broccoli beef also was tender, but it was just okay. Their house noodles were good, but they need more seasoning. We also ordered their cream cheese wontons, but I thought they were overcooked. Our first time experience at Dragon Express won't be the last time we order from here based on some of their scrumptious items. Next time you see any of your customers taking pictures inside your restaurant, don't bother them because they could be doing a good thing for your business. read more

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Affordable Chinese food with big portions and lots of meat. The teriyaki bowl, chow mein, beef & broccoli, and egg rolls all taste great. Definitely worth trying. Highly recommend! read more

Dragon Express - Combos - Chinese Near Me - Escondido, California

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Its a weird buffet style chinese place like you see in a mall food court. They dont really cook to order, most items are pre-made. Lomein is my favorite dish and theirs was really bad. I had to wait almost an hour total for them to make it and it was very bland. It had no veggies in it at all and the Chicken was in chunks. The chicken wasn't bad, but it wasn't lomein style chicken. The egg rolls (spring rolls) were really bad too. I was really wanting a better experience because of the decent yelp score. I question what people like about this place. It should be on the lower end of scores here. I won't be coming back. read more

Dragon Express - Front of the store - Chinese Near Me - Escondido, California

Prices are super reasonable. The portions are so big we joke they have to sit on the take out boxes to be able to close them. Our favorite destination for food in Escondido. My husband gets FOMO if I do anything in Escondido without him b/c he might miss an opportunity to come here. read more

What was one of the highlights of this place was the portions. But my last 2 visits were disappointing. If you are not attended to by the original lady that used to be there, your portions will be disappointing. The food is delicious but the change in portions definitely makes me think twice before going there. read more

This place is the best Chinese food in Escondido. The prices are great, the portions are huge. Everything tastes perfect and authentic. The owner are husband and wife and are super kind and helpful. They also do catering and I cannot recommend them enough. read more

Dragon Express - 2 choice combo $9.99 - Chinese Near Me - Escondido, California

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Small cafeteria style Chinese restaurant on E. Valley Parkway, although they do have certain items that they cook fresh to order. The line was long when I arrived around dinner time, but it moved quickly. Huge portion sizes at a fair price. I do advise checking your receipt before leaving. I was told that my two item combo would be $10.86 after tax, but my receipt says $12.17. I wasn't told that there would be an additional cost to use credit card or that any of my items cost extra, so it was a surprise and my own fault for not paying attention. Thankfully, the portions were well worth the extra charge. EDIT: went back to order the same combo and confirmed that the BBQ pork has an extra $1.20 charge that I missed the first time. read more

Dragon Express - BBQ pork and orange chicken two item combo - Chinese Near Me - Escondido, California

I love swinging by when I need a quick fix. The service is always super friendly and kind. Large portions and the food is always tasty. You can dine in or take it to go. Casual Chinese to go shop with plenty of parking. read more

Service is amazing. They are the sweetest. Food is great and big portions. The price wasn't bad either. Definitely come check them out.

The restaurant was incredibly clean and had a variety of booths and tables which is always nice. The staff was very kind and patient when answering questions, steam table was being constantly cleaned, and the condiments table was well organized. The prices are such a great deal we spent $30 for three people (Combo Bs) and the portions were really generous. I wasn't a huge fan of the noddles : they weren't thick or had much vegetable but that's just my personal preference. There wasn't a lot of variety out but it might have been because it was a little slow. The food was pretty average but it's a great choice if you want large amounts of food for an affordable price. read more

Dragon Express - Prices 3/23/25 - Chinese Near Me - Escondido, California

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Dragon Express is a go to for me. Their food is beyond tasty and their portions are huge which is a in my book. Annie is welcoming and the restaurant is very clean. read more

Absolutely love this place. I'm so happy we found it. We needed a solid Chinese food spot since we moved from San Diego. And a place with COCONUT SHRIMP???? heck yeah. The portions are fantastic, the prices are great, the food is greasy and delicious. I'm a regular half&half, coconut shrimp, orange chicken fan. My husband has tried several things, loves them all. Their egg rolls are super cheap! Also very good. The Thai tea is tasty, not too sweet which I prefer. It's never been too packed when we've come and the two women that are always working are SO NICE. I was writing this review as I was waiting for my meal and was going to take a photo but then I got home and....ate it. Anyway, 5 stars. I only got a photo of the Thai tea read more

Dragon Express - Thai tea - Chinese Near Me - Escondido, California

Ordered 3 of 2 combo plates. Staff was friendly and was helping us, but owner lady stepped in to start scooping so much noodles to avoid filling our plate with entrees. We ended up with bunch of dried noodles with no flavor and very small amount of meats. Over $30 for that? Go elsewhere! read more

Went here because we are not a fan of Panda Express. Mistake. The worst Chinese food I have ever had. I walked in starving and left after eating just a couple of bites of each item. The egg rolls, noodles and fried rice had no flavor. The beef and broccoli had three pieces of chewy meet. The rest was broccoli and carrots. The veggies were cooked well but there should have been more meat. The pork had good sauce but the meat was chewy, like eating tendon. Gave one star because the portions were very generous. Another star for the friendly and helpful staff. But the food was inedible. Not even sure the dogs will eat it but we are going to try. read more

If you grew up in the late 90s and still crave that Chinese food aka best Chinese food- this is the place to come!!!!! Fresh, tasty, huge massive portions as well as a giant wok in the kitchen, you know the is the legit 90s Chinese food. This brought me back with the first bite!! read more

Dragon Express - Combo plate, bbq pork, Kung Pow Chicken and noodles. - Chinese Near Me - Escondido, California

In my ongoing impromptu series of reviews based on value in the crazy economics of high inflation, high interest rate 2023, Dragon Express is a value star. Sure, it's a lot like the mighty & vast Chinese fast-food chain named after a raccoon-faced bear. But the food is just plain better. Prices? Astoundingly affordable for heaping portions. It's a strip mall hole in the wall. Parking is abundant. Service is, you point & they fill a container with what you chose. The food is tasty & filling in a fast-food way. Which is fine, when the craving strikes. Dragon Express is my choice for fast-food Chinese. read more

Best Chinese Takeout I have had in YEARS! I had bbq pork and coconut shrimp. The shrimp were big and delicious! This restaurant is now included in our monthly routine! So good! read more

Food 5/5 Atmosphere 4/5 Cleanliness 5/5 Customer service 5/5 Speed 5/5 Price 5/5 Outdoor seating? No Wheelchair access? Yes Restrooms? Yes Vegetarian options? Yes Vegan options? Yes- cooked to order. Great local spot with massive portions. They fill an entire to go container for about $10. The quality and ingredients are great. Staff is wonderful. Highly recommend. read more

Delicious food, insane portions sizes. You will have leftovers for days. It's always hot and fresh and the employees and owner are so sweet. They do take Apple Pay as well. It's a great spot! read more

The place is very warm has a smell and can't even eat comfortably in there, it's so stuffy and hot. The food is very very salty and not tasty Customer service could do better with the greeting they look mad ‍ read more

Their Food is flavorful, even though it would be nice if there were a garlic oil or some seasoning oils. . Very friendly service and the atmosphere is fine. One of the items I ordered didn't get on my plate and I didn't figure it out until after so I had to buy that item to take out, but I will go back.pay attention to what items you choose. The price was right. read more

Great food and fast service! Dragon Express in Escondido is always fresh, flavorful, and filling. The portions are generous, the prices are fair, and the staff is friendly. It's a solid spot for quick Chinese food that always hits the spot. Definitely recommend! read more

The Food: My girlfriend and I both ordered the Orange Chicken and Broccoli Beef combo (half rice/half noodles), along with a can of Coke and almond cookies. We were unable to eat the main dishes. The Orange Chicken was noticeably hard, dry, and completely lacking in flavor. It was quite frankly gross and tasted old. The meal was inedible. * Customer Service (Sampling): Prior to ordering, I asked to sample the Orange Chicken, which was denied. This should have been a warning sign. * Customer Service (Refund): We immediately went back to the cashier after one bite and explained that the Orange Chicken was too hard and the food was inedible, requesting a refund. The cashier refused to offer a refund or any other solution, and the staff was generally not very nice or apologetic about the quality of the food. We paid for two large, inedible meals and were refused any form of compensation. I advise others to be cautious about ordering here, as the quality is poor and the management is unwilling to stand behind their product. Total Money Wasted: Total Amount Spent, e.g., ~$35.00] read more

Love this place - I went for the first time this week and will definitely be back son! The food is delicious and portions are huge for a great price. A two-item combo is only $8.99 and we had enough food for both lunch and dinner. My boyfriend and I each got a two-item combo and tried the coconut shrimp, teriyaki chicken, string bean chicken, and BBQ pork and they all had great flavor. We also got chicken wings and cream cheese wontons on the side which were both also great. If you're looking for American-style Chinese food, Dragon Express is 10x better than Panda Express. Best part of Dragon Express though is the customer service. The lady who helped me was SO nice and friendly. Made me feel welcome even though it's quick takeout. Inside is nice, clean, and there's plenty of seating. read more

I've had Chinese food everywhere and this is one of my favorite spots. I live 40 minutes away and still drive up there for takeout. Anny, the owner is the sweetest and acknowledges people on a first name basis when you are a regular. The staff and owners are super friendly and professional. Everything is clean and the food taste so amazing. One of my favorite dishes I highly recommend is the jalapeño chicken But definitely give everything a try! read more