One of the worst managed restaurants I've ever had the misfortune to use. Open at 10 am and at 11 am have less than half of their entrees cooked. Asked how long for what I wanted and was told 5 minutes. 20 minutes later they hadn't even started it. Previously ordered online at 7:40 pm , said it would be 15 minutes. Then at 7:55 they call me and say they weren't doing my order since they were closing at 8 even though their hours were until 9. Then asked if I wanted it for the next day!!!! Then they charged me !!! I had to call my credit card company to get it reversed. This is a management issue read more

I had such a good experience with Andrew. He was so cute and flirtatious I got butterflies in my stomach he made me tingle. Anyways that food was so delicious it was like gourmet fr. read more

Came in at 11:00 Am no other customers, the Beijing Beef was out as it is one of the most popular dishes, yet no more was being prepared. We asked for Beijing Beef and were told 5 minutes, so we sat down to wait. 5 minutes later we got up to inquire and were told 5-7 MORE MINUTES. We played this games last time we were at this location and waited a total of 45 minutes for our Beijing Beef, so this time we decided to not waste our time and we just left. This is supposed to be fast food, but it isn't, I can make a stir fry at home faster than they can. I have also worked food service of all kinds in my life and this is UNACCEPTABLE. read more

I placed an online order on April 5th at 8:53 pm, I get to the restaurant and I'm told by Leslie that my order could not be completed because the kitchen was closed and that I could pick from the other items. It was barely about to be 9pm? You close at 9:30? How is the kitchen closed already? Leslie had to ask some other girl I'm guessing the closer on what to do since I asked for a refund. The closer wouldn't even look in my direction and she rolled her eyes when Leslie took down my name and number so that the manager could give me a call the next day. It is now April 12th and I have not received a call. I called on April 6th and the manager would not take my call. I still want a refund, not a credit or a coupon. read more

Ordered a full order of rangoons (12) and we got three. Ordered teriyaki chicken and got no teriyaki sauce, for my teriyaki chicken...???????? No fortune cookies. Great work y'all read more

Love it! I buy this for my family and the kids love it, they always want more haha! The only thing that bothers me is the low amount of sauces but it doesn't really matter read more

Super cute guy at the counter lol I think his name was Andre worth the trip super good food

The workers there are so rude and so beyond slow I personally wouldn't go to the Goleta one because of how bad the workers are

I've lived here for about 5 years but never even ate here because I was scared of the reviews! Solid, quick, but I could def see that many items were low or gone and options were limited as a result. Id recommend getting half chow mein and fried rice as the base! Portions provided in the combos aren't always even which is a bit disappointing opening your box and seeing mostly a small portion of mostly green beans with 3 pieces of chicken in a 2-3 item combo. Orange chicken is usually on point. The beef with broccoli was alright, slightly sketchy taste but beware of the sauce cause it can spill all over the bag and everywhere and be a no fun why did I choose you mess! I was surprised to see how long the line can get for this place! I like how they offer you hot sauce when you leave now and wish they had the sweet & sour soup here also! read more

Panda Express - 2 item combo - solid but see disproportional sizing of the entrees! - Chinese Near Me - Goleta, California

This place has horrible customer service. The employees will rush you. They treat you like you should already know what to get before you come into that door. Due to being rushed one of the employees missed one of my items. I do not recommend this place. read more

Panda is Panda. Consistent at every location. But who is the marketing genius that thought it would be a good idea to yell "Welcome!" At everyone that walks in the door ? It's not sincere and does not establish anything nor is a sign of appreciation. You would be just fine without this step. read more

I don't know how but they have 4-5 entrees empty at the same time and it isn't busy. What happened? I saw them throw away a batch of string beans, but why are there 4 more empty entrees. The food is consistent as a Panda Express but I paid 15 minutes ago and I'm still waiting for my entrees to be cooked. If they were busy, they'd be screwed. read more

Let me start by saying the food is on average...average. However, the customer service can be lacking and the consistency of the food is sometimes questionable. Some of their "spicy" dishes can go from tangy and delicious one day to flaming napalm the next. Always ask for a sample if planning on getting something labeled "spicy". The restaurant is usually clean, with plenty of space to sit and enjoy a meal. Dinner rush can get a bit busy with the line to the door for 45 minutes to an hour and wait times upwards of twenty minutes, but considering the location that is understandable. read more

Jayson was very friendly and helpful. Panda Express in Goleta is lucky to have such a great employee.

Good god! This was the worst food ever! I have only ordered from Panda Express once before, a few years ago, now I remember why I never ordered from there again. I ordered the three entree option. The broccoli and beef - all broccoli, NOT one piece of beef The Orange Chicken - tasted like fish, it was truly a fish taste and disgusting The veggie rolls were stale and dry. The chow mein was dry. Just gross - I am trying to drown the tatse with wine - I was hungry and ordered this for my dinner, terrible mistake! read more

The service was good but the food different, the bejin beef it was super crunchy and the orange chiken tastes like it was from a day before !! I been to other locations and have nothing bad say but this place mmmm .. lets just put it like this ! Ain't going back ! read more

Not comparing it to a nicer restaurant, but for a Panda, it's 5/5. Servings are very generous especially compared for the excuse of a meal you usually get the the UCen Panda. Staff is nice and service is relatively expedient. Interior is clean and there is plenty of parking. read more

I like this location lots!! I have great time here and always get food I likes. The worker so happy and have a beauty look on their faces every time and it's so sweet and makes me pleased. I love to talk with them because I live by self and see them and gives me good conversation? Usually I am alone so it is nice to see them happy for me!! I put a photo of my favorite dish I get. It's yummy in my tummy and I like it so much delicious!! Love Goleta here and love panda so!!! read more

Panda Express - Yummy stuff in my tummy - Chinese Near Me - Goleta, California

The veggies are not fully cooked, and the trays here are way too dirty. Sometimes they stink, and often they are sticky and wet to touch. To make it worse, when you ask for a water cup the employee places the cup upside down on the tray. Yuk! read more

For my first experience I came at 9:15pm and they were literally closing up, and barely had 2 entrees out. I asked if they were going to make anymore orange chicken (why else does one eat at Panda Express) and they told me no. For their second chance I arrived at 9pm and they only had 3 entrees out. Thankfully two of those entrees were the ones I wanted. The orange chicken was the worst I have ever had. It was literally all hard fried bread with zero chicken (I ordered double orange chicken too)! My other entree and side thankfully were okay. My fortune cookie was stale and could not be enjoyed. How can this place still be open? I have eaten at my fair share of Panda Express restaurants (even lived in Pasadena), and this has to be the worst I have been to. I guess you should try eating there before 8:00 pm even though they close at 10? read more

It's says that they are open until 9:30 p.m. There is a paper on the door that says they actually are open at 7 p.m. The doors were locked by 6:30. Couldn't buy food if I'd like to. read more

The fact that this establishment has below a 5 star rating is truly absurd. Panda Express is the pinnacle of class and represents a fusion of exquisite tastes. Panda Express team members, thank you for your service, dedication and sacrifice. read more

My son wanted take out from here. I've never eaten their food in the past. My advice is to never ever get food from this restaurant. To add insult to injury we only received a portion of our take out order. Maybe it was a blessing. read more

Came in 50 minutes before closing time and all they had left was base entrees and fresh orange chicken. My family and I were ready to drop around $50-60 dollars on Panda Express but they refused to make anything fresh or to order for us because they were "closing soon." AKA in 50 MINUTES. Now I'm not trying to be a Karen here, but your business could make a lot more money if you just cooked to order when it's late. It's alright because we settled for Taco Bell, but after seeing the reviews on here for this franchise, I can understand that they lack in quality AND customer service. Their fried rice is also extremely chewy and hard, and the chow mein was dry. Hopefully someone will start taking care of this business. read more

The staff here are very rude. In particular one guy named Beck who had a horrible attitude toward me and my 4 year old daughter. After I was treated poorly by the workers here I asked to talk to the manager and Beck told me there is no manager. Because of how rude the workers are I will never go to this location again. Also my friend once saw a cockroach in the chow mein here. Avoid this location. read more

Definitely a place I go to often. Great orange chicken, love the honey walnut shrimps. It's pretty much the same at every Panda Express. However, I can note that the management there is often awful. I say often because during the past couple years I've noticed that they have switched it a couple times. It's very usual that one worker would be serving a dozen person in line by himself while other workers are just waiting at the cashier or doing something else instead of helping getting the customers through. Get ready to wait because they often have a very long line at peak hours. Not that nice of a service and it's hard to get a smile from a someone there. Depends when you go. The stars really goes for the food because, well, it's Panda. Think about ordering online they often have good deals going on and you get to skip the line and be in-and-out of this place! read more

Frustrating to attempt to get food here. Website says open until 9:30 today. Call to double check, talk to polite employee who says only until nine. No problem, I get in the car and zip over, arriving at 8:35pm. Place is already closed, door locked, lights low, they are there in the dark breaking it down down for the night. Closing scene, me heading for pizza again. read more

Rude, rude, RUDE! Hopefully management can look at this review and realize they have a SERIOUS customer service problem. Just left there (Wednesday 6/23). Someone needs to tell these employees that they are open until 9:30 and that they should happily serve their customers until 9:30. Seems like they were completely inconvenienced with us showing up at 9:00 to eat and was even rudely escorted out at exactly 9:30. read more

I give it 3.5 My go to place when I don't know what to eat. I always get their honey walnut shrimp and sweet fire chicken breast, they're my favorites. I honestly think the food here is decent and not as bad as people think it is. They have a variety of entrées to choose from and for a person who is looking for cheap eats, this place is good... but definitely not gourmet though. Service is ok. It can be really busy during peak hours and a line usually forms. The servers are kind of slow sometimes and not the friendliest. read more

The staff is extremely nice and helpful.. the food it very on point and very fresh. Great for my daughter and myself!

We are loyal customers here. We've been coming here for 10+yrs as we work in Goleta. The past few times we have been disappointed, enough to write a review. It's hard to mess up Panda, but this location has managed to do it. The serving size has gradually gotten smaller and smaller and smaller. I used to take food to go. Now I leave hungry. It's one very small scoop of your choice (don't choose anything with veggies as you will get 90% veggies and 10% meat). VERY SMALL. One time the server put a little bit too much on my plate and she took a few pieces of chicken off!! Ridiculous! The scoops are terrible small lately. Also, the pre-packaged teriyaki sauce is awful. If it sits out too long it turns jello-ey. And now the sweet and sour sauce is also pre packaged. WHY!?!? Nobody likes dipping hot fried Panda in COLD SAUCE! I will continue to eat here. We miss Astrid!! read more

If yelp allowed for it, I would not give any stars to Panda. Today I walked in and Will who greeted us was very professional and pleasant. However, I waited for nearly 10 minutes at the register while the Hispanic girl (I don't know her name) was flirting in the back book with another coworker... then began speaking to another customer at the counter who had already eaten. She never acknowledged me standing there once. When she finally walked over to the cash register she answered her cell phone! We walked out. When customer service is that bad, the establishment does not deserve my money. I hope you retrain your cashiers/employees on proper customer service. That experience was ridiculous. read more

I stopped into panda tonight and had a fantastic experience Jose greeted me at the front. I asked about one of the new dishes (I did not ask to taste it because I know better they're not allowed to let you taste nor are there allowed to let you taste food at any other restaurants these days! Just wanted to get that in there for the guy who posted below thinking it's because they're cheap it's definitely not allowed currently just as you can't use your favorite hot food bars in local markets!) Jose was great he was very, enrgetic and accommodating and the dish he suggested was the new Angus steak dish and it was actually very good there was one piece of meat that was a little chewy but the rest of it was very tasty as well I would like to give props to the young lady who checked me out she was also very nice and her name was Cyan. read more

If I could give them zero stars I would. Every time I go there they literally have none of their main items. This place is notorious for asking "would you like to wait 10 more minutes for fried rice" lol. Absolutely ridiculous I can't stand that this location. Poor time management tied along with poor quality and small portion sizes.. avoid this location at all costs. read more

Well what can I say about this particular panda. I've been to plenty and this one is pretty big with lots of seating and the place was clean. Food was good but it normally is unless they don't rotate a fresh batch of whatever you pick. Overall good place for quick Chinese food since I still have yet to a tasty Chinese food spot, in the area. So this panda satisfies my craving. My order was beef and broccoli and Orange chicken. Half fried rice and chow mein read more

My fried rice was dry and crunchy, the wait for Mushroom Chicken was long and the orange chicken was also dry. So I waited a long time for a lousy meal. What a bummer. read more

Andrew Little is a wonderful cashier and worker! He is quick on his feet and is patient. He interacted with my little sister and was warm and friendly. The food was amazing and fresh. I'm happy there were vegetarian options. We need more people like Andrew! read more

Always the go to place for fresh food. Today was very disappointing, only 2 employees trying to handle the dinner crowd. Food was not fresh tonite and portions were small. Hopefully you hire more people so you continue to stay in business. Not very many good places to eat out in Goleta. read more

Staff always tries t o up sell me, other than that I love this place when I need a quick lunch. Not gourmet dining though! oh, yea parkings sucks tho. Park behind OSH if you can. read more

I arrived 40 minutes before closing and they took all food off the buffet. The only thing available to order was rice, chow main, and spring rolls. I asked if they had any more food and they told me "I guess we could cook something if you want ." So much for customer service. I know it's just food, but still... read more