So after leaving the neighboring Dave N Busters, I decided I wanted a drink for the drive home. Walked in to this Panda not expecting such a difficult time. I first went straight to the cashier side, but was given the "stink eye" by the customers in line because it appeared that I had cut in front of them. Ok, I get it. This is the OC. I went to the other side of the line with all the other folks ordering combos. When it got to my turn to order, I told the lady, no combo, just a drink and some egg rolls. (Figured I'd make it worth my card swipe). She told me to just follow the people in front of me. When I did that, I got skipped over and they started taking the order from the person behind me. I went back to the lady serving and said "excuse me..." but no response. So I raised my voice a bit and said "excuse me..." again, but this time she turned her back on me to talk to the cook. I just left. Really? 10 mins of just chasing someone to try and get a drink? My bf had already used the facilities and I try not to enter a business just for the restroom without patronizing it, but screw it. I didn't know it was that hard to get just a drink from panda. If thats the case, I should have ordered a couple combos and a drink and just cancelled the food as I was paying. Ugh. PS. I did watch them serve the people in front of me and yeah, they are REALLY stingy here with food. I mean, Panda is usually stingy with food, but seriously... this place really really SKIMPS! read more

One of the joys I think living in Southern California is the quality of our fast food. Panda Express originated in Pasadena... actually that reminds me as I want to try the original Panda just to say I've been, but anyhow, I really like Panda Express. In terms of chinese fast food, I think Panda is the best tasting over Pei Wei. I have a group of four entrees that I rotate among: first, I always get half fried rice and half chow mein.... with sweet and sour sauce. Rice and noodles are life! If I had this only, I'd be content here at Panda. Its good. Then, the four I rotate among are, probably can guess the first two, Beijing Beef and Orange Chicken, and then depending on availability and freshness, Firecracker Chicken or Eggplant. Usually I pair beef with eggplant because I feel guitly about eating beef, so I get a vegteable. Or if I get chicken, then I don't feel so bad, and so I get another chicken. The orange chicken is still fried, which is just as bad as beef, but for some reason, I always forget that. But the beijing beef and orange chicken are in pans double the size of all other entrees, and there is a reason for that. It's that good. Anyhow, this chinese staple in the spectrum is a lunchtime favorite for our office. But Panda is like Star Wars, where with Star Wars, most people will have probably seen it, and they will have their opinion. Some will hate it and those people will question the mental health of those who love it. But in the end, it doesn't matter how many people won't like Star Wars because there are enough fanatics (the people dressing up as Chewbacca) to keep the franchise alive. read more

I typically avoid Panda Express because, let's face it, their food sucks compared to typical nameless shitty greasy steam tray Chinese-American places. But my brother joneses for it every time he's in town (can you believe, in NYC, the largest city in America by far, there is only ONE Panda Express and it's at JFK? He is so tormented by this fact.) So upon picking them up at John Wayne for their latest visit, we head over to the Rectum and I decide to give it a try for the first time in probably 10 years or so. Chow mein= I ate it all, but damn, does it pale in comparison to virtually any other aforementioned Chinese place. You need thicker, longer noodles (that's what she said) and grease! Period. Orange Chicken= ok, not great. A little too well done and not enough sauce. Flavor was fine, but you need that shit swimming in its juices of orangey goodness and fat! Chicken with mushrooms= eh. Bland, but I could at least eat it. Employees were nice, stuff is quick, but I don't see what my brother is missing, particularly when you consider NYC has an epic Chinatown and you can get much better stuff. Go figure. He also thinks burgers are good with pickles and lettuce only. read more

Portion of the food served got smaller and smaller each time I come here. ‍ ordered string bean chicken with chowmein. read more

Panda Express - String bean chicken with obviously chowmein at the bottom exposed because of how small the portion of the chicken string bean is - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

This Panda Express is located at the Spectrum. It has a very good interior appearance and one can sit outside to eat. As my friends did not accompany me while I was here I once again had to guess how to order since I wasn't prompted what to do (same as last time at that other location) but I managed to get through it without being awkward. (I'll have to bring them next time and observe how they do it.) Anyway, after getting through the line, paying went quickly. For those that pay with cash, they have an automatic change dispenser. As far as the food was concerned, it was OK. They have fountain drinks too. read more

Why do people work here if they don't understand what customer service is?! DONT order the beef & broccoli. 4 pieces of meat & the rest ALL broccoli. I told the worker his serving size was ridiculous! He wouldn't budge. This Panda Express location wins the award for worst service, poorest quality of food, and the worst trained staff!! NOTE TO MANAGER/OWNER: There are thousands of places dishing up Chinese food in OC. You really can't afford to run your restaurant so poorly. read more

Oh you know...the usual Western-safe Asian food. I don't eat at Panda a lot but had a strange craving today and ran into this one on my way to my car after getting my hair done at Tony&Guy's. Panda's like that place to go when you're craving a quick Asian taste but don't feel like driving to the best Asian restaurant and putting up with all the bs. Good food here like the type of good when you're about to get some cuddle time but then it's only good (not great) because you learn it's ONLY cuddle time. Heh. Service here is done very friendly but not to par for an type A...that's not me today. read more

I think it is OK quality for fast food. Beef,shrimp are good. orange chicken is not bad, at least strong flavor. fired rice is too dry, noodle is not bad. read more

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Pretty hard to screw up Panda's recipe for Orange chicken. But these dumbasses did, I got the entree + side. My daughter was "dad it's spicy". Then I tried it and it was pretty hot and I'm the type that makes their Pho red with Siracha and also eat habaneros straight up. I told them they should layoff the red flakes and to make another batch as people can be sensitive. They gave me another side as an apology. But she only wanted that entree. Worse Panda Express. read more

I'm primarily vegetarian, with a little seafood on the side (pescatarian)...I want the big plate and I asked to the guy who was serving if they can make a Tofu eggplant for me ..He answer to me right away ,we are out of eggplant and tofu..Sorprise I look in the refrigerator and was full of eggplant..was 9.30 pm they close by 10..00.pm ..They don't want to work..the manager was sitting at the table cruising his cellular...Fortunately my son works for the corporate..and I m going to be sure to report this issue..Panda Express is a good place to eat with fresh food and friendly staff ..Panda Express at Irvine Company doesn't represent the company very high ...too bad because the location is excellent ..The manager Joey is work less..they didn't close right the box and I had a very bad situation in my car... read more

Small portions of entree given. Also forgot 1 entree we ordered The hours are not the same as yelp. Need to fix that read more

Inadequate training in navigating the system for Premium GEM discount. Got charged basically an extra $2 with taxes. Either don't bother filling out the survey for this location or just hit up Chipotle right across for better value food read more

Fantastic food. Plenty of seating. They actually have TV with espn turned on. I love their orange chicken and chow mien. read more

Panda Express - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

Best panda around, always have fresh food & the service is always top notch. I will drive further just to eat at this one. Management is awesome & the workers are good too. read more

Staff is slow and rude! On 1/31/18, I'm pushing a wheelchair through the line, he gives me my 4 meals without a carry out bag. When I asked for a couple of bags, he replies, "I'll give you one" lol seriously read more

I walked into Panda 2 minutes before closing (I was desperate for that OC namean...) and needed something for a late dinner quickly. I meekly walked in to see they were ringing someone up but also that all their trays were practically empty. The guy, who I think was the manager, asked if he could help me and I said, "O, I actually think you don't have what I want, it's okay." He said no problem, that they'd just make it for me. I just wanted a bowl with fried rice and orange chicken. He asked a cook, who was cleaning up the station, if he could cook some up and he was so agreeable and chill about it. From the manager/server, to the cook, to the cashier guy, even at closing time with a fresh plate of food to make, everyone was chill, professional and gracious about it all. They brought the food to me too since I was waiting! Good vibes. And they don't even have a tip jar. And the fresh personal batch of dat. orange. chicken. was amazzzzing. read more

So I grew up on fast food, and I'm not embarrassed to say that. While I've graduated from Panda to Pei Wei, I will stop by here from time to time just because. Today I was wanting chicken and rice (really quite rare for me), and it was early enough to where I knew there wouldn't be a line. Actually, my buddy R was the one who likes PE so much. So I gave him a call to see if he wanted take out. This is what we ordered. R - 2 item combo of orange chicken (his fave) and their new Beijing beef with all chow mein. A - 2 item with mushroom chicken, Beijing beef, and fried rice. Their beef has bell peppers and sliced onions in a sweet & spicy sauce. Crisp crunch outside, tender juicy inside. Touted as 'spicy' , I am (fortunately) able to handle it. I always, ALWAYS forget to do the survey for a free entree upgrade. Well, maybe that will prevent me from doing this gluttonous habit. read more

We beat the rush here on a saturday night. Panda is super popular so be very careful when you guys go in. read more

Panda Express - Orange chicken for the soul - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

I'm surprised at the lack of response I have had with Panda Express after almost swallowing a small screw that was left in my food. I ordered the orange chicken with chow mein bowl to go and got about half way through the food to bite down on a metal screw almost breaking a tooth. The taste of metal in my mouth left me nauseated. My family has enjoyed Panda Express for many years and thought they would be an organization who would try to rectify the situation but I have not heard a word since I submitted my claim and a photo of the screw almost 2 months ago! Eat with caution if you go to this location!!! read more

It definately have good service and seating, few time when i ate here i felt that the friedrice is dry and the entries are cold. Thats a little disappointment. But the food is decent. read more

Panda Express - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

I should have heed to the bad reviews but I went here anyways. Big mistake. The quality of Chinese food here is the worst I ever had. It would have been more pleasant to eat a grocery store bought microwave Chinese dinner. The fried rice is barely fried. The Orange chicken tastes as if someone just sprinkled a bunch of sweet sauce packets on microwaved chicken bits. There's nothing fresh about this place. Well maybe the crispy shrimp which is made to order. read more

I was here very recently. Normally I'm not a fan of fast food, but I was kind of hungry and away from home. I decide to grab something small. If I ever have Chinese fast food, I make it a habit to have Orange Chicken which is my favorite. I ordered my food and sat down to eat it. To my surprise the orange chicken was extremely bitter. I don't like complaining but I felt like this time I really needed to mention to the employee that was helping me that the orange chicken was extremely bitter. They were very nice and switched out my item with Beijing Beef (Which is a must try) I waited a bit since the order or beef was being made. The store manager Jose came over with the biggest smile handing me the order of Beijing Beef. He was very apologetic and even brought me over a freshly made Orange chicken. He apologized that my original order wasn't very tasty and even mentioned that the cook used the wrong ingredient accidentally. He came back a second time to hand me some coupons to use at my next visit. I have to say that he was genuinely sorry and was very polite and friendly. The restaurant was well maintained and if I'm ever in the area in need of a quick meal this place will be on my list. Jose and his team work very hard and value great customer service! read more

This is ridiculous .!I drove 20 min to come here to eat since they close at 9pm I walked in here at 8:40 and they said thats all they had left . We asked if they can make some food and they said they were cleaning up already in a very rude way .Never have i received such bad custumer service like I did tonight . Super disappointed . Was about to introduce panda express to my cousin for the first time. read more

Panda Express - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

This location is awful, employees act like they are annoyed to help you, never have enough food prepped on opening and completely unapologetic for shortfalls. Everyone looks so depressed to be there. Had to get refund and not eat lunch, yet again, because veggies still weren't ready 15 minutes after I had asked for them. After 15 minutes I asked what the deal was and they said the water inst hot enough, might be another 15 minutes. When I was annoyed they didn't inform me of this, they didn't show any concern whatsoever. I will never recommend this panda. In fact, after this latest dealing, I am not planning on returning to any pandas in the near future. read more

Tasty and a very quick meal. Come when they are busy and everything is fresh. Ask for a taste to make sure you like it before ordering.

Food was delicious! Worker Kevin is very nice! There was this bratty little girl being a brat and he handled it very well!

It's the Panda so what can I say ... I wanted to grab something quick for lunch with a coworker and he wanted some Panda. It was ok ... got the Beijing beef and orange chicken plate with chow mein. The beef was just made and crispy so it was pretty good and the orange chicken was ok overall. read more

I don't normally get panda but I was a tad hungry this evening. I had walked in and took a look around the store and it was an absolute pig sty. Water spilled all over the Soda Fountain, napkins out, tables messy and the floor had food all over it I walked up to start up my order (got an entree with 2 sides.) and I was watching the gentleman by the name of James and I waited for about 3 minutes and I was looking at the other employees and they were doing their thing and didn't acknowledge me. James was busy wiping down the counter because he clearly had nothing better to do and then came over to me with his head down and said "Would you like to try any samples?" and I stood there and looked at him for about 5 seconds in silence and I said "Hi How are you?" and no response other than "What can I get you?". By this point I am about ready to walk out of the store. I placed my order for my meal and the whole time James is looking down, not smiling and not creating a good guest experience. As a Manager I expect my employees to be smiling and having a sense of Urgency when I am on duty and when I am not on duty. I strive to give the guest a good experience and make an effort to fix errors that may happen during the whole process. James was not any of this, he had made no effort to smile, provide a good guest experience and neither put some cheeriness into his voice. I dont think ill be coming back to Panda or any of the Panda's in the OC area again. I think the Hiring Manager and District manager and or Corporate need to have a Sit Down and go over some rules and guidelines for their employees and how they should behave and act in a food service industry, because this is definitely not it. I will also be calling the store and filing in a complaint online. The food was not up to par, the veggies under cooked and the sweetfire chicken breast was overcooked. Put me off my whole meal for the evening. read more

I work In the Irvine spectrum and often go to panda during my lunch breaks. I have gone to this location countless times and have not ever had a good experience with the staff. They must hire the rudest people at this location. I seriously cannot believe the amount of reviews stating the same thing about the employees and it continues to happen. read more

This spot left a very interesting impression on me. As I walk in before ordering food, the manager has a word with an elderly lady behind myself. Because of the plastic covers and the face masks everyone sounds kind of muted keep in mind. I find out the elderly lady has her mask over her mouth but not covering her nose. So the manager is asking the lady to cover her nose and she does. The manager continues to yell in frustration to get back in line, then turns to us and yells "what do you want? I was very frustrated but kept my cool to have a word with this guy later. As we pay for our food, the cashier also has an attitude towards us and others too. I then have a word with the manager, Chris, and he explains to me that they are just trying to deal with people because of the COVID, as I end up explaining to him how it's never okay to put your frustrations on customers. my I'm very disappointed in the management, treatment of other customers, and attitude of workers at this establishment. read more

When ordering online or through delivery like Postmates, they don't pack any fortune cookies and silverware.

This is a great location. Very busy but they get you in and out quickly. I always call my order ahead because I get the eggplant tofu and they don't always have it on hand but are happy to make it. However, last time there was literally a quarter of an onion in the chow mein, hard and barely cooked. Gross. Don't know who let that one get past them. It was also greasier than normal but I'm just going to say it was a fluke. I do wish they had another vegetarian option though because the combo of soft tofu and soft eggplant is kind of meh. read more

Went there for a quick lunch and the staff was working hard but was very stingy with the orange chicken. I ordered a bowl and they filled it with rice and chow mien but barely put any chicken on it. Was on worth what I paid. I will not return to this location or any other. This has happened before. Good luck!! read more

I had a great time at this panda. The food was good and fresh! The restaurant was clean and the service was great. I was helped by Andrew who was nice even though I kept changing my order. Lol read more

I went to the location at the Irvine spectrum. I ordered a few plates for my family to go. I decided to wait for fresh veggies because the last scoop looked old. So because I was waiting anyway, I asked if I could wait for fresh Rangoons, because the ones they had sitting there looked old and dried out and way over cooked. I waited for a really long time and finally she called me up with my bag all tied up and ready to go and said have a good night. I decided to step off to the side just to make sure everything was there. I discovered that the Rangoons weren't in there. I went back up and and told her my Rangoons weren't in there. She said oh well they are still making those. So I said ok, well, were you going to tell me my order was still missing something? I was just about to leave! So she said did you still want the Rangoons and I said yes I paid for them already but now I'm running out of time. She said they are making them now. So I waited a few more minutes and it looked like they were just starting the fresh batch, so then I tried offering alternatives, I said I'd take a small side of orange chicken instead because I needed to go. She said she would go check on the status. She came and said still another minute. At this point I had already been waiting a really long time so I don't do this often, but I decided to make a complaint and ask for some sort of compensation for their mistake. I would have driven all the way home with part of my order missing. I said I'd take a small side of orange chicken for my time. She said she'd ask her manager. So I waited some more since I was still waiting for those damn Rangoons anyway. I saw her talk with the manager and point at the old Rangoons. She came back to me and said they can't give me an extra order of chicken because of the price difference but they would throw in an extra order of Rangoons for the wait. I said fine, I'll take what I can get. So after a few more minutes she came out with two small orders of rangoons. I thanked them, threw them in the bag and rushed home to my family. When I got to the car, I checked the Rangoons and realized that they had given me 2 orders of the OLD Rangoons. I mean what a slap in the face! After all that, I didn't even get the fresh ones I waited it for. They were dried out and burned. But it's the principle of the matter that upset me. That's why I am making this complaint and giving them the bad review. I feel like they knowingly gave me the old ones because I actually spoke my opinion and called them out on their mistake. I was also very upset that not a single one of them apologized to me. I work in customer service so I know how to recognize good customer service, and that was not it. I never raised my voice or said anything mean to them. I was calm and reasonable because they were busy and I know how things work. But come on Panda, get your act together, what your employees did me was rude. Hopefully somebody somewhere reads this and learns something from it. read more

The customer services at this location is so poor and is shown as soon as you walk in . Maintaining COVID guidelines is a priority to many including myself , but that should not mean loosing your customer service along with it. When I walked in no greeting or anything simply told to go back outside as there were to many people to serve inside. I went out side . I then walked back in when there were less people inside. Once it was time to order I got a "what do you want?" Rudely. I went through giving my full order and when I got to the paying I waited a solid minute as the employees conversed between each other INFRONT OF ME . I had to interrupt and advise I was ready for payment. The over all flow of this place was horrible . read more

The food is realy great here guys! The place is very clean and comfortable. smells very good and the workers aee realy nice! read more

place is super stingy, doesn't give enough of anything! overpriced and garbage! might as well eat nothing! I've been to other panda expresses and they were fine! But this one is really bad!!! STAY AWAY read more

Got steamed white rice on my plate, then had to wait for another 10mins before someone helped me for the entre. I turned out spent almost $10 on a plate of cold Chinese food which was supposed to be hot with cold hard white rice. The taste of food was ok based on I didn't have any expectation . I will never come back again no matter how long the line in Chipotle is. Very disappointed. read more

We needed a quick lunch at the spectrum so we came here since it wasn't crowded and is typically good. My fiancé ordered the 2 entree combo and I got a kids meal. They totally skimp on the meat here! My kids meal had like 3 tiny pieces of orange chicken and my fiancé barely had a full cup of meat in his combo plate.....how disappointing! We both looked at eachothers plates and commented on how there was hardly anything there. We go to another panda close by our house and they hook it up with the meat....here, not so much! The food and service is just like every other panda, but they should put more on the plates. read more