I stopped in on a whim with my young son, assuming they would at least have rice he'd eat. I was pleasantly surprised by the wide variety of options at Panda Garden, which offers a fusion of Chinese and Korean cuisine. My son opted for the ramen. I requested it without meat or vegetables--just broth and noodles--and there was a bit of a language barrier when ordering so we still got meat and veggies, but he still gave it a try, which made me very happy. Since I hadn't tried Korean food before, I chose the beef bulgogi, which comes with rice and access to a kimchi bar. The bulgogi was very flavorful, and I also added an order of crab rangoon (it was just ok). I'm not a kimchi fan, though I did try a few things. What really stood out were the owners--an older couple who were clearly working incredibly hard and taking great care in running the restaurant. Their dedication and warmth added to the experience and made the visit feel especially genuine. Overall, it was a pleasant experience. read more

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Lincoln 5 stars. Family owned and operated. The only place I can get a yummy, steaming hot dolsot bibimbap in Lincoln. Homey, comfy, surrounded by living plants, it's a very soulful place to eat. Onion skin tea in stainless cups is free! Amazing kimchi bar with delightful fresh herbs and pickled thorny coriander leaves. We have been coming here for years and will miss it when it's gone. Go support a one of a kind Lincoln establishment before this genuine, authenic couple retire in a few years. There's still time! Your tummy will thank read more

This place shares a parking lot with target and a couple of other shops on a shopping mall. It's a korean style cafe similar to restaurants in Korea. You have to order at the counter and you have to collect your own food. On the account that the only two ppl working are the two elderly owners, I do not object to collecting my own food. There is a kimchi bar and I have to say that the kimchi and banchan tasted really good. - free only if you ordered from the korean menu. They also have a water station where you can get some iced water. They do sell drinks but it's a very limited collection. A tiny cooler and no sales of hot drinks was what I observed. We ordered bibimbap for me and hotpot bulgogi for my hubby. We also ordered spring rolls. Food came out pretty quickly. I enjoyed my bibimbap. The vegetables are fresh, and they gave you the spicy hot sauce on the side- put as much as you want. His hotpot bulgogi was delicious too My bibimbap came with a side of egg drop soup- it was strong tasting delicious but also tasted like the broth was made from msg cubes- after lunch I was very thitsty. Hubby's hotpot bulgogi was delicious too. Our spring rolls ( not pictured) came as a single roll- that came as a shock to us as most places usually have two rolls. We had to cut it into half to share. It was crispy- but a little greasy. Like the oil wasn't hot enough before they dumped it in to fry. Tasted pretty good just a little greasy . Overall, good place to get my bibimbap fix. Will be back. read more

Panda Garden - Korean menu- hot pot bulgogi - Korean Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

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A cute little counter service spot. Appeared to be run by a husband and wife. We ordered bibimbap and I had beef bulgogi hot pot. Along with an egg roll. Hers came with egg drop soup as well. She loved her dish, but the soups taste was just off. My bulgogi was good. Plenty of glass noodles and a side of rice. The egg roll tasted great but was very oily. The restaurant was clean and well kept. read more

Panda Garden - Bibimbap - Korean Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

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This food was to die for!!! The mandoo has so much flavor and was full of meat! So good, best I have ever had. The rice cakes entree was so good-- so much flavor. I will definitely come back here. The kimchi bar was a little fun addition to an amazing dinner. read more

Panda Garden - Mandoo - Korean Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

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I've been coming to Panda Garden for 4 years now and I am always happy with my experience. The food is great and the restaurant is beautiful! Great service and food is always out quickly. read more

Love this place. Will definitely be coming back! The people are super friendly, and the food is delicious!! I got the Jajangmyeon, and it was super delicious! Probably the best i've had so far! would definitely recommend!! read more

This is my second time here. How did i forget how amazing this place is? It should be way more packed than it is! The food is fresh and delicious and authentic. We love the dumplings, bimbop, and fresh kimchi bar especially. Highly recommend read more

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Faithful Korean food, wonderful flavors, and they let us in early because it was cold. Lovely owners and delicious food

The food and service is always premium. We do take out often! The variety of dishes enables the patron to try different asian styles. The egg rolls are the best of any i have had! read more

Always great food and great service! So glad to see them back open! Have been waiting for months!

We came here while visiting from Florida and had our meal to go on Christmas Day. The inside is beautifully ornate and the owners are simply wonderful. All covid precautions taken include: a shield in front of the register, mask requirement, and properly distanced seating. Our food was ready promptly and was equally as delicious! read more

Panda Garden - From top to bottom: crab rangoons, shrimp fried rice, and vegetable fried rice - Korean Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

Came here because the other Korean joint was closed. Not sure what they're serving up but it wasn't 100% Korean food. Their free banchan bar consisted of kimchi and few other things but all lacked authentic flavor. They also had blanched cabbage slices and broccoli to dip with soybean paste. I ordered the kimchi hot pot for whopping $36 and it was disappointing. It tasted NOTHING like how it was supposed to taste. For one, it would be nice if the soup had some kimchi in it! It's called KIMCHI JUNGOL!!! And the noodles were from their Chinese menu, the lomein noodles. And tofu was sliced thin and tiny. And the rice wasn't even sticky Korean rice! C'mon man. You can't serve cheap Chinese food ingredients in Korean dishes and call it Korean and jack up the price. Oh and the barely there 5-6 pieces of pork meat. I basically drank hot spicy watered down barely there kimchi jungol with no kimchi, barely there pork, skinny ass tofu pieces and lomein noodles. Seriously???? The dish was served hot under flame and that's all that they got right. I won't be back and will be trying the other place for better flavor. read more

This is the best Chinese/ Korean food in the whole town. It has flavor and the people there are so nice! It's hot and delicious when they deliverer it read more

My family has been going to Panda garden off and on for years. I was introduced to it by someone who cannot stand americanized Asian food. This place offers both a Chinese and Korean menu and both are done really well. The Korean menu is especially authentic and shows the diverse flavors the cuisine has to offer. If you like Asian food, this is a must try. read more

Came in from an interstate trip. Food was pretty good imo. Interior is very ornate and the people are really nice!

Lincoln is full of small gems like this :) I don't have much experience with Korean food, but I loved this! I got the Bulgolgi, which came with rice and the kim chi salad bar. It was super tasty, and I left comfortably full. As the other reviews have said, the couple that runs the restaurant is very kind and hospitable. Overall, a wonderful experience! read more

Panda Garden - Bulgolgi - Korean Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

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I have been there for two times.The first time I ordered Bibimbap,the second time I ordered cold noodles.Both are good.Compared with other korean restaurant,this restaurant is a little pricey.The cold noodles is $13 per dish,but it's made vegetables without any meat.It is not worth the price.The environment is very clean,and also they serve side dishes for free.Kimichi is one of my favorite food,but kimchi here is not good. read more

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There was thunder. There was lightning. So I needed some Kim-chi Chi-gae. What a banquet-worthy helping they presented! Huge chunks of sausage, tuboo, etc. So glad I ordered two...can have one for dinner. This is a Korean/Chinese restaurant because in Lincoln, Nebraska only the Korean War veterans know what Korean food is. Here's what I like best about this restaurant: there's a ban-chan buffet which is free if you order something from the Korean menu but costs $4 if you are having Chinese food!!! read more

The owner of the restaurant is super friendly. He came over and asked me if I had enough food and gave me extra rice lol. Good food and good customer service :) read more

Panda Garden - Free unlimited kimchee side dishes with any Korean dish purchase - Korean Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

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All the food, even including the rice, tasted old and rotten. I always finish my meals, but the rancid flavor was so bad I could not eat more than three bites. Reviews coming in so high for this place make me question if they're paid for since this is far from 4 star quality. I've only placed one other yelp review, but I needed to help the next potential customer who sees 4 stars and expects edible food. To the owners, who seem like nice people, I recommend trimming your menu and serving only fresh food. You may think you're saving money by keeping old food, but it's costing you customers. read more

I've been traveling to Lincoln for work every 3-4 months and this is by far one of my favorite spots to date. I ordered the Bimimbap combo, which comes with a side of soup and access to the awesome Kim Chi bar. Food came out super fast and was well above my expectations. They even served the food with a homemade gochujang sauce. It's the perfect spice level and they leave the bottle in case you want to load up. Also looks like the place is run by a husband/wife duo - they were super friendly. Don't let the fact that this spot is located in a strip mall drag you down; this place has some legit Korean food. read more

Thought I'd try Panda Garden, it did not disappoint. I ordered a bibimbap, short ribs, and soup. The bibimbap came in a rock pot, so my meal was warm the whole time. The short ribs were dry and crumbly, so I didn't like that. The soup was spicy and savory. Yum! It also comes to with a kimchi bar if you order the Korean food. The kimchi bar includes potatoes, homemade kimchi, noodles, and salad. The Chinese food? Nah. I can get that better from a legit Chinese restaurant, lol. Owners are kind and show hospitality.they do a great job, I'm happy with it. Okay, so in a nutshell of my opinion The short ribs can be slightly burnt and crumbly. The Chinese food isn't the best. The rock pot bibimbap is the bomb The 14th soup is spicy but savory Try the sauce with the bibimbap. read more

So good, I Love Korean food and it has been a long time since I tasted anything so good! Kimchi bar is awesome, it is free with the purchase of a Korean meal. Free water and hot tea. I had the roc pot bibimbap. read more

Panda Garden - Korean Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

As good as it gets in Lincoln I would say. I haven't tried the other Korean restaurant (up next will be Yami) but so far, I'm quite impressed and excited to know there is a place I could go for Korean food. Living in southern California and about a 10 min car ride to Korean Town in Los Angeles, I know a thing or two about Korean food. Disappointed there isn't a Korean BBQ place around but this is kind of like a Tofu House. Had one of the the lunch special on Friday- Bibimbap, came with egg drop soup (would have preferred kimchi chee gea but that wasn't an option for the lunch special...overall good experience FYI: not a table service place, you order the food and gotta watch for your order to be called. Also not the best selection of side dishes (really there were none beside kimchi and a couple other kimchi type things). They don't keep the gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) out but if you want to add more to your Bibimbap (cause they really don't put enough on) just ask. read more

This is the second time I come to eat here and it didn't disappoint either time. My favorite thing to get has been the Rock Pot Bi Bim Bop. I actually can split that with my husband so it's enough for 2. We've also gotten the Mandoo Juhn Gol for two. It's the best! read more

Panda Garden - Yummy! - Korean Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

This place is lit it's a very clean Korean/ Chinese food and the service is fantastic.

Review is for Korean food. I must be spoiled, because I'm used to Koreantown (Annandale, Virginia) on the East Coast. Listening to K-Pop, all you can eat barbeque, and endless varieties of banchan. I was prepared for a change in the Midwest, but I can't overlook certain things. Jjyangmeyon (black bean noodles): Alright. Not the best, but not the worst. Soondubu jigae (spicy tofu soup): I got the seafood, which I felt they kind of skimped on because I received 4 or 5 pieces of octopus. I didn't recall any other seafood. And they used firm tofu! Where's the soft tofu? And my egg? :( I thought it was interesting that they had a small area where you could get yourself banchan. It looked the staples: kimchi, water kimchi, bean sprouts, cucumbers, and either overripe daikon or old potatoes. I'm used to fresh kimchi which is sweeter, but their kimchi is very fermented: very sour and acidic. And I hate writing this review because the service was OUTSTANDING. You can tell the owner couple works hard, but I do feel like they cater to Western tastes. I would like to come back and try some of their other entrees (japchae: glass noodles, bibimbap: mixed rice bowl, sellongtong: beef soup). But I'm kind of hesitant. So 5 million stars for the owner and the staff, because I know they are hard working. But not so much for the Korean food. read more

Amazing customer service and food! The owners are such a sweet and generous Korean couple who truly enjoys providing good food for their customers. We ordered "Hae Mool Juhn Gol"(Seafood Stew) and it tasted like a home-cooked meal. There was a generous amount of seafood (mussels, shrimps, octopus, and fish), vegetables, and noodles. We also ordered "Bi bim bap" and vegetables were fresh and the seasoning was just right. They have self-serve kim chi and side dishes area and everything tasted so good. They also had watermelon as dessert. I was surprised by the quality of the food. I'm from Houston and I think this place tasted better than any of the Korean restaurants in Houston. read more

Panda Garden - Hae Mool Juhn Gol (Seafood Stew with mussels, octopus, shrimps, fish, vegetables, and noodles) - Korean Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

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Good Korean food, okay Chinese food. If you're into Korean food, it's perfect! But I would prefer Yami, which is the only other Korean restaurant I could think of in Lincoln. At Panda Garden, it's kind of like self serve. You get your sides at the mini table and pour your own water. I don't really like that because I don't know how long those bins of sides have been sitting out. At yami, they give you mini plates of the same appetizers as panda garden, but it's much easier that way. It just seems more professional! The people are nice as well! Very sweet couple. I just think I like yami better because it's a little fancier, and clean! read more

Their jjamppong is the bomb, great broth and they don't skimp on the seafood, full of mussels, shrimp, and squid. Is it a little pricey? Yes, but I was happy to even find a decent korean restaurant in the middle of Nebraska. My colleagues tried the chinese food and were not impressed, but the owners are korean so you should probably stick with that. I have tried the jjajangmyeon was not that great though. But on a cold day, jjamppong definitely hit the spot. read more

Panda Garden - Korean Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

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Nice place but not impressed with the food. I got the Wednesday special of sweet and sour chicken, eggs drop soup, and rice. I probably won't be returning. They do have fast service. read more

Panda Garden - Nothing to write home about. But I'll eat it cause I'm hungry. - Korean Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

If you live in Lincoln and like Korean food, this restaurant is a must. The food here is good. The flavors are generally a bit milder than most of the Korean food I've eaten in the past, however this isn't necessarily a bad thing and it's very comforting and tasty and settles in the stomach well. It also maintains a very authentic flavor that you will be challenged to find anywhere else in Lincoln. Also the side dishes are all free and you can get several helpings for no extra charge as long as you eat all you take. The staff are good people in my experience. I have been to most of the Korean places in Lincoln and this is by far my favorite read more

I like this place. It's like good home cooking for Korean food. Tasty and warms the soul.

Delicious! Warning for vegetarians: the spring rolls have beef. The workers are considerate and the prices are fair. I would definitely recommend this place to a friend. read more

Disclaimer: the five stars is for the KOREAN menu, not the Chinese menu. Lincoln has plenty of places selling fried rice in a strip mall. The reason to go to Panda Garden is to get Korean food. Ignore the generic Chinese menu and look to the right of the counter for a photo menu of totally delicious Korean food (the owners of PG are Korean -- they know what they are doing). Yes, it takes longer to come out than the generic lo mein, and it's probably twice as much ($10 rather than $5 for a meal), but it is totally worth it. Plus, your entree will come with a dazzling array of kim chee. Where else are you going to get that in Lincoln? A word to the wise: if you order the dolsot bi bim bap (the winter version served in a hot pot), DO NOT let them talk you into pouring the salty "chicken soup" (cheap bullion) into the pot. It's much more delicious without it. read more

The staff was slammed with customers. The female running the register (and filling orders also) was doing an EXCELLENT job of keeping aware of EVERY customer, even the ones out in the dining area (several were waiting only 1-2 minutes for fresh batch of Orange Chicken, as we all ordered it, it seems the hot item!!). She juggled 5 customer orders, assisted the new guy who was taking orders at start of line, and he was doing very well... he let me sample the 3 items I hadn't had before (without an attitude, as happens at other fast-meal places), and he let me get 1/2 veggies & 1/2 noodles, which was great. He was both polite and patient. Very great experience, and food was top-notch. I apologize that I didn't get his name, but my receipt says Jennifer, so we know she was the superstar multi-tasker, and he's learning from the best!! read more

Based on the other review I went to Panda Garden and ordered from the Korean menu. Although I'm not Korean, I grew up in southern California where there are lots of Korean restaurants. I ordered the Bibimbap, and thought it was good. However, it only came with three types of kimchi on the side. One of them was very good, the other two were average. I am used to larger restaurants that usually give around 5 types of kimchi, so I was a bit disappointed with that. This is a mom and pop restaurant, though, so it's understandable, and again the main Bibimbap dish was good. Many Korean dishes are spicy (including Bibimbap), so if you don't like spicy food, be sure to ask which dishes are spicy and which aren't. I will go back when I get another craving for Korean food. read more

I didn't try the Chinese menu but it looks like it has been adapted for regional tastes. If you're looking for authentic Asian food, stick to the Korean menu. I went for the Korean food and I was not disappointed! The Korean food is a bit pricey, but I haven't seen another Korean place in Lincoln. Will definitely be a repeat customer. I had the Gahl bee tahng - grilled marinated shortribs in soup with noodles, tofu, and vegetables, a bowl of rice, and three banchan (small Korean side dishes - in this case, kimchee, marinated eggplant, and a salad with apples, cucumber, carrots). Very filling and hearty. A bit pricey at $12.95 pretax, but worth it if you want delicious Korean food. read more

The food was average not the worst and not the best Customer service was not great. I got the special of the day which happened to be sweet and sour chicken, it came with either sweet and sour soup or egg drop, I asked if I could switch the soups for a spring roll which is cheaper on their half and was told no. Which is fine, however, I asked for egg drop soup and got back home to find he had given be sweet and sour, needless to say not even the dog would want to eat that. Restaurant itself didn't look unclean, lots of things you had to pay extra for and the Korean part of the menu came with special sauce which is fine but you could use it if you were just eating regular Chinese food. Overall I think my experience would've been better if I could've gotten a reason for not being able to substitute and if it would've been done more pleasantly. However I consider returning to try another dish. read more