My friends and I stopped here for lunch and got the lunch special which is one main dish and two sides which is about ten dollars or so. The lady at the counter is always friendly and is efficient in making sure that our food is hot and correct . It's a casual place so no need to dress up. The tables are always clean and the condiment area is always well stocked . read more

Happy Panda - Roasted pork with vegetables fried rice and an egg roll - Chinese Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

I felt like I had to review. I was in the middle of trying to figure out if I wanted to order from this place or not by the other reviews. Honestly, it was not good. I ordered a pick up order and the staff was really nice and polite. The food on the other hand was not. I ordered the beef pho and sesame chicken and rice. Nothing had flavor to it. It was all bland which was really odd. I will say the egg roll was delicious the beef pho broth had no favor and the egg was an hard boiled one. The sesame chicken was not crispy and even though tender and sauced - it lacked flavor. I have a few places around town that I love so I'm not bummed about this place. But I'll have to agree with the other reviews - not worth it. read more

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They didn't send me the right order so I had to drive all the way back to get it corrected and there was not even an apology and while there on the return for my order I asked for extra sauce and offered to pay for it ... I was met with a no we are all out of said sauce. Poor customer service and didn't seem to care that they messed up my order. read more

In a pretty anonymous shopping center, this place doesn't seem to aspire to be anything more than basic Chinese takeout, which I was okay with. The vegetarian dishes I ordered were flavorful, though asking for them spicy got only a modest hint of chili. Of the two, I liked my Mongolian tofu better, as it was quite savory and the flavor absorbed into the tofu well. The Kung Pao had some breading that got a bit soggy and besides the occasional peanut not a ton of intrigue. The most realistic thing they could have done to increase my satisfaction would have been bigger portion sizes. As it is, I have nothing against the place, but won't likely be a regular. read more

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I recently started a new job and I am exploring the lunch options around me. I was trying to decide between this and Panda Express so I decided to go with the local. They have a steam table behind the counter and they serve you. They have also have items they will make to order. They have a $5.99 lunch special where you get a choice of two items egg roll or soup and choice of rice. I was doing this on the fly so I went with sweet and sour chicken...a little too much breading for my liking but still good and sauce was what was expected. I had a mixed veggie with beef. The beef was too chewy for me and didn't have much flavor. The egg roll was pretty standard. The place was really clean and the staff was friendly. I will be willing to give it another whirl. read more

Staff was friendly. Tables were sticky. Food was awful. We ordered sweet and sour chicken. Worse we have ever had. The chicken was extremely salty. The sauce had no flavor at all. My guess is they watered it down. The egg roll was not fresh. We are visiting the area so we will not be back. And if we lived here we would not be back. read more

Good food, good service and a neat little restaurant! They have great crab rangoon and I love their lunch specials!

We have been eating carry out there for years and loved it. don't know what happen but I just spent $ 24.52 for mongolian combo pork egg roll and crab rangoon. It was not fit to eat. It did not taste like any that I have ate before and I always get the same thing. We are not going to do this again. Is was not worth a crap so sad because we realy loved the food. Hope you fokes saved a lot of money on the stuff you are preparing. Ralph read more

I agree it's typical Chinese carryout food. Happy Panda is located in Townley Center, just a few doors down from El Marachi. It's been open for a few years, so they must be doing something right. They don't have delivery, but apparently did at one time, so check back before giving up. I placed my order online. The soonest time sort for my food to be available was 45 minutes from the time that I placed my order. But then after I placed the order, at the bottom, it said that my order would be ready for pick up with 15 minutes. I'm glad I noticed that clause because I wouldn't have been happy after my food sat for an extra 30 minutes. Although online ordering was simple, the timing confusion is risky. I ordered the General Tso Chicken dinner special. The dinner specials come with fried rice and your choice of an egg roll or soup. The egg roll was good, but the soup was tasteless and the noodle in the middle was mushy. The wonton crisps that were supposed to flavor up the soup, were stale and not good at all. The chicken was a bit too breaded for my liking, I definitely wouldn't order it again. My daughter got the teriyaki chicken. Although it wasn't breaded, the chicken also had a weird texture and also not recommendable. The next time, I'll try Pad Thai. Next time, for a three-star opinion you ask? Yes, because for $7.99 dinner specials, it's worth another shot. read more

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At first, Happy Panda was good. But after each order it's gone downhill. This last one was 2 day old chicken (see picture with yellow rice.) Or some unidentifiable meat. It didn't even taste like the BC I ordered before . My husband's order wax the coconut chicken, and it was mostly batter , wilted lettuce at the bottom and mostly tasteless. By the time Grubhub delivered, it was $30! I won't be ordering again! read more

Happy Panda - Bourbon chicken - Chinese Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

This is I hate to say the WORST bourbon chicken I have EVER had in my LIFE!!! There's a reason a black man ate rice and left the chicken so burnt and honestly I don't taste anything like bourbon. The cop got a #12 maybe I get that next time cause this wasn't it read more

Happy Panda - a plate of food with rice and meat - Chinese Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

I came in for lunch one day as I was craving Chinese. I was going to eat off the buffet but their were not many choices and the food looked super old so I decided to place an order for some Thai food. It was OK but not great, I didn't even finish it. Don't think I'll be back but that's ok. read more

I am back with another review from the road as I travel for work. I am in Lexington this week and I decided on Asian tonight. Happy Panda was a short walk from my hotel so Happy Panda was the clear winner. I found their website and was able to order online which is a huge plus for me. I ordered the General Tso's dinner special which consisted of General Tso's chicken, fried rice, and a choice between Hot & Sour soup, Egg Drop soup, or an egg roll. Ordering was easy though telling customers that orders under $50 will take about 25 minutes and orders over $50 will take at least 30 minutes was a bit strange. Oh well. Anyway, I waited about 15 minutes and walked from my hotel to the store. I saw an order next the cash register when I walked in and I had a felling it was mine. The women behind the counter was friendly and greeted me. I told her I had placed an order online and said I had ordered the General Tso's dinner special. She indicated that the order on the counter was mine and gave me the total. I paid and walked back to my hotel. This is my breakdown of the food. The Egg Roll I am not of Asian decent but I have traveled in Japan and China. This "egg roll" looked more like a spring roll. It had the thin, crispy wrapper of an spring roll, and the ingredients inside were also reminiscent of a spring roll. The Fried Rice Okay... This was not fried rice in any form that I am familiar with. Happy Panda uses yellow rice which is attributed more with South American cuisine and Indian cuisine. True fried rice uses white rice that is combined with egg, chilis, spring onion, etc. and tossed together in a wok. This fried rice, like I said, was yellow, and had peas and diced carrots. The General Tso's Chicken Well, it had the look of General Tso's but that is where the similarities ended. The breading wasn't your typical "Americanized Asian" breading and it didn't remain adhered to the chicken. The sauce was a bit on the dark side. The Dinner Special Overall, I'd say the General Tso's dinner special from Happy Panda was slightly below average. It looked pretty but missed the mark. The egg roll, the rice, and the General Tso's were all very bland. I had ordered there General Tso's at a medium heat (Happy Panda offers you a choice in heat level). My General Tso's was less than mild which was disappointing. Overall My experience at Happy Panda was disappointing but that doesn't mean every experience will be like mine. There are plenty of of reviews that rave about Happy Panda and there are reviews that aren't nice and those ratings reflect those reviews. I place Happy Panda in the middle of the road. It isn't the best Asian Food I have eaten and it isn't the worst. So, if you are in the area, give Happy Panda a try and let us know what you think. read more

Always good food! Owners very friendly and have never got our order wrong. My favorites are the Kung pow chicken, Sesame Chicken and Szechuan chicken. Always a great experience!!! read more

Used to eat her often, until I found a roach a small roach in my food that was delivered. My brother liked it though.

While the service during lunch rush hour was quick, friendly and the food was hot and fresh - I was missing any flavor. I ordered the Curry Pad Thai and fried dumplings. The dumplings were really good! The curry, however, had zero flavor and was blander than bland, except the spice added some heat (which was at a good level). read more

This is the best Chinese in lexington. Not a buffet type of restaurant but they have a mini warming table at lunch that you choose from and they dish out. This makes for a quicker lunch for workers with a limited lunch break. Dinner is fantastic , with dine in or carryout. Either way the food is hot, fresh and tasty! Their Crab Rangoon are the best I've had. You will never be disappointed. The people that work there have been here for as long as it's been open and may very well be owners. They are so friendly and will go above and beyond to make your meal to your liking. read more

Our favorite gi to. Soooo good. Nice n clean. And yummy. Very yummy. We like dinner special. 7.99 soup rice n meal. Very good. read more

This was my first visit and was hoping for a better experience The food quality was really lacking even for a typical fast food Chinese restaurant. We ordered several dishes and brought home. None of them was flavorful or inspiring. My wife's pad thia had nothing on it. Tasted like plain rice noodles and I had jalapeño chicken. It did have a little spice to it my the white rice was more flavor. I would not recommend this place unless you like bland and boring. read more

We love the happy panda. It is our go to place for Chinese food. We love their sweet and sour chicken and beef fried rice.

We love this place and the people who run it. I appreciate that they follow the governor's guidelines and mandates and we love the food. Thank you all! read more

Mediocre but I think it depends on what you order. Nothing was terrible, but nothing was over the top amazing either. I don't think I'd stop by again. It is a pretty standard Chinese takeout place, but there are definitely better ones out there read more

This place is a great find! I got General Tso Chicken and my girlfriend got Orange Chicken. Both dishes were presented beautifully and tasted amazing. It has the feel of a larger Chinese resturaunt with the pricing of a local resturaunt. The place was clean all around. No dirt or trash anywhere. We will be back soon. read more

I needed to find a place nearby for lunch during my business trip. This place was just 5 minutes and had speedy service. I had the beef and brocolli since it was around 1ish and the lunch buffet looked a bit bare. Well, it was fast and good with fortune cookies:) I found my fortune a bit telling which said that I would find a solution in a place where I least expected. Maybe they were talking about Happy Panda:) read more

I liked that there were crisps available when we ate in to munch on, but it does not make up for the disgusting food we received. I don't even remember what we ordered because I've blocked it out. This was years ago so it may have changed, but I would never recommend this place to anyone. read more

Great little neighborhood Chinese restaurant! Starting with the food: I would rate this somewhere between good and excellent. Portion size was plenty for a guy hungry after a day of physical labor, but not the giant tinfoil platter common to most neighborhood Chinese places. Service was fast and friendly without being intrusive. I ordered at the counter and my drink was brought out immediately, my soup within a minute, my entree within five or six minutes. Now the extras: the place was very clean and the decor surprisingly modern. Someone clearly spent the extra money to give the place a smooth, modern atmosphere while keeping it cozy and neighborhood-style. The pop/ dance music playing was upbeat but not too loud or abrasive. They serve the food on real plates and bowls, with real metal flatware, not the paper cartons and bagged plastic utensils you usually see! Food presentation was very appealing, and you get your appetizers a few minutes before your entrees, making it closer to a fast-casual table service restaurant than a fast-food carry-out. Prices were reasonable for the portion, quality, and presentation. My shrimp lo mein, wonton soup, and soft drink came to twelve dollars and change, plus a buck I threw in the tip jar at the counter. I spend about that much for a baconator combo and chili at Wendys. I enjoyed the whole experience eating here, and will definitely be back to try more of their dishes. read more

Typical Chinese food with a few extras on the menu. The place is clean and their inspection ratings is always solid. Which is why I eat here. Is it the best Chinese food around? No. Is it clean, decent and relatively tasty, yes. read more

Food is always fantastic! The general tso's is sometimes extra spicy & sometimes not so spicy. We Love to get ours to go, as there isn't a whole lot of parking available some nights. read more

We used to eat here regularly when our son lived near by. Always loved it. We've missed it. We live in Winchester. We decided to try the takeout as we have no Chinese options in Winchester due to Covid. It was still quite warm after the drive to Winchester, and it was great! Yellow chicken curry dinner, Chicken chow mein, and egg rolls. Yum. We'll be back next week. read more

I love this place! They have the best crab rangoons I've had in Lexington. Even though I usually do carry out, whenever I go in the store always looks very clean and the staff is nice. read more

Terrible service! Got a small lunch portion during lunch hours and they kept trying to bill me for the dinner menu smh

This is really a two star if you get the express lunch, but a three if you order from the menu. The staff is plenty friendly and can remember what you like, but it is just mediocre Chinese food. I eat here often because it's close to where I work and I love Chinese food. read more

Located in a newly developing shopping area, the Happy Panda was quiet and clean. It appears to be a family owned operation. The fried dumplings are better than average and was served warm. The Wong tong soup was also flavorful. The beef and peapod dish however did not measure up. The flavor was okay but the quality of the beef pieces were unacceptable. These must have been the cheapest cuts available. Tough and full of gristles, these pieces were extra chewy and basically inedible! I gave up after trying three pieces. Bottom line: perfectly okay for appetizers but extra care needs to be exercised when choosing the main course. Curious? Can't hurt to try it as they participate in Group On quite often. read more

The lettuce chicken wrap appetizers were delicious. Spring rolls were delicious too. The scallops were horrible! They were fake scallops!

I would not eat at a two or three star place so why it is I don't know. It's solid and you should give it a try if your reading this. They go out of the way to serve you late or not. I have tired many different options and all well. Only Asians place other than PF I give my business too. So try it and share... read more

Stayed at a nearby hotel and it was within walking distance. Would not go there again. Food tasted like the quality of the pre prepped bags you buy from the grocery store. Nothing really authentic about it. The Rangoon that others rave about as being unique and awesome, hate to break it to you, that's pre made, not fresh. The restaurant was clean and well kept, but we got our orders to go. The crispy sesame chicken was soggy, the fried rice was definitely not made fresh and lacked flavor. read more

This is the only Chinese place we go to. Moved here 7 years ago and tried some others but found this little gem tucked in the Towne Center. The best I have found. The only menu item I didn't care for was the boneless bbq ribs, weren't done enough for me. read more

Really enjoyed the food and the service. It's a small restaurant, and there isn't a lot of space between tables, so if you're near a large group, be prepared to hear everything they are saying-like it or not. However, the staff is very, very nice and welcoming and the food is very fresh. read more

Quite possibly one of the worst meals I've ever (partially) eaten. I'll make this short and succinct. sesame chicken: TOUGH, GRISTLE, OVER-BREADED fried rice: GREASY, BLAND, LIKE IT WAS COOKED IN DIRTY DISHWATER egg roll: SOMEWHAT BITTER & COMPLETELY UNSEASONED The Bottom Line: DISGUSTING I made it through half the meal before tossing the rest in the trash. I can't uderstand why Asia Cafe (the best fast-food Asian restaurant in Lexington) closed/went out of business and this place remains open to sling sub-par to nasty Asian fare... FAIL! RC RIDDELL read more

On closer examination under strong light, those egg rolls were actually well prepared and showed some pork in the detail as well. They responded well to dry heat in the oven for midnight snacking, so then worth the money after all. For the Chop Suey (not on the menu) at home I shredded some carrot and added peas when heating it up with that ever present white rice. The only other veges there looked like celery and possibly bok choi (?). I think I threw them a curve ball with the CS. Also found no Chow Mein or Dim Sum on the menu which I thought to be unusual for Chinese food. read more