Panda — Restaurant in Agdal Riyad أكدال الرياض

This is my 2nd time in Panda Hay Riad, and it's safe to say I don't like the service and I'm never going there again

The 1st time was in June, I sat on my table ordering my food, finished my food and I'm about to pay using my Debit Card (NFC) (sans contact), I swipe it, and the waiter looks at me weird and says my card doesn't work or doesn't have enough funds. He asked me to hand him my card which shouldn't be done anywhere in the world and tries to scan it himself multiple times, keep in mind that he didn't show me the total he put on the POS (TPE) machine, then he says in a loud voice that people in the restaurant could hear him, that my card didn't work, I said it's fine I'll pay in Cash, just when i suggested cash, he mentions: oh nevermind, it worked. So I let it slide and thought maybe he was just having a bad day. And decided I'll come to the restaurant on another day.

Fast-forward to 4 months later.

The 2nd time I went to the restaurant was yesterday, I ordered my food, they forgot a sushi roll that I ordered and had to order again and wait a few more minutes for it to arrive, at this point I had finished my appetizer and my main course but was still waiting for that sushi roll. Anyway the food was okay, now comes the payment part which is a nightmare, the same exact person from 4 months ago comes to get paid, and asks me to hand him my card, AGAIN!! I handed him my card (stupid mistake from me), and my total was 250dh, he charged 210dh, and says: we have a problem, your mojito was not added to the order so I'll charge it separately, I said okay, he then disappeared and charged my card another 210dh. I received an alert on my phone, and told him!!! "you charged my card twice" and he didn't believe me, he kept saying "no, I didn't are you sure?" 1st of all Mr. Yes I'm sure, and why would I lie for 210dhs!!!!!!!! I stood my ground and he went to the back to check again in their POS and he came back and said i was right and he was very sorry, and brought me the difference of 170dh in Cash, subtracting the 40dh for the mojito (the mojito in question is in the picture).

Two things that the restaurant should fix:

1st of all: that mojito is not worth 40dh, it was literally two sips of sprite and the lemon and mint were not even squished enough to give the mojito a flavor.

2nd of all: STOP TAKING PEOPLE'S CARDS, IF IT HAS NFC ACTIVATED THEY CAN SWIPE IT THEMSELVES NO NEED FOR THE WAITER TO TAKE THE CARD.

Last but definitely not least: SHOW your client the amount of money to be paid on the POS (TPE) before charging them, if I didn't have internet, or SMS from my bank saying I was charged twice, I wouldn't have known that I was charged TWICE, because the 2nd charge of 210dh, HE DIDN'T GIVE ME A RECEIPT!!!!!!!!!

I hope this review helps make the restaurant's service better, but for me I would never go back to Panda Hay...

I’ve been to Panda multiple times and my review is a culmination of these experiences. The food is mediocre. The sushi is very light on fish and heavy on rice, which is both not tasty and not a good value. Prices are inflated and do not match the quality of food or service. As a lover of sushi who has enjoyed eating sushi all over the world, I have a wealth of experience on which to base my judgements. In my decades of visiting sushi restaurants around the world, I have never before had the displeasure of dining in a sushi restaurant that has only ONE type of fish, but Panda shocked me by announcing just that. They did not have scallops and didn’t even have fresh tuna the last time we dined there, claiming they had run out, even though it was still quite early in the day. Instead of offering authentic sushi, our choices were limited to mainly items with cream cheese and fake crab.

Despite swearing to myself the last time I was here that I wouldn’t return again (due to the lack of food quality and selection), we were celebrating a family member’s birthday, and she had requested to go to Panda. So we made a reservation in advance. The day of our gathering, mere hours before our reservation, Panda called and informed us that they would not allow us to order ala carts from the menu, and instead would require each person to order from a “formula” pre-set/ prix fixe menu for 250dh per person.

We had been planning to order multiple of their “titanic” boats, plus a few non-sushi items for those in our party who don’t like sushi. This approach would have actually required LESS ordering and made the process easier for wait staff as well as the chefs. We explained and asked to speak to a manager. However the manager was just as unhelpful as the employee. And insisted that we would be required to order the “formula.”

It was very disappointing that the greed of the restaurant trumped their concern for customer service. We ultimately switched at the last minute to Wakime in Harhoura. Wakime was wonderfully accommodating and their food and service was so great that we ultimately spent more than 250dh per person, and got exactly what we wanted. In the end, Panda’s abysmal customer service cost them the loss of a significant income on this occasion, as well as the business of myself and my family members for the future. This is truly not the way to run a successful business. And with an overwhelming number of more impressive sushi restaurants opening in Hay Riad, I predict Panda will go out of business soon. No one wants subpar food, bad service, and an outdated restaurant when they have much better choices right...

Last time I visited Panda, the food was awful, but I decided to give it a second chance since I used to enjoy it. Tonight, I went with a friend, and right from the start, the server was condescending and impolite, acting like he owned the place. He kept saying "bonsoir" over and over, even after I responded and my friend was talking to him, clearly trying too hard to assert himself. He asked how many we were, even though it was obvious we were just two girls, only to tell us we'd have to wait outside for 15 to 20 minutes. We decided to leave, and as we were walking out, I swore in frustration.

Some guy who works there heard me and followed me all the way to the street, yelling and accusing me of being impolite. He claimed to be a manager, but instead of handling the situation professionally, he raised his voice and screamed at me in front of everyone. He told me, "I'm a manager here at Panda," as if that was supposed to scare me. Really? You're just a hostess. Act like it. This guy was a total loser, thinking it was his moment to shine by defending his friend instead of addressing the actual issue like an actual manager would do.

I swore at him too and left, never coming back again. Given the poor service, the food was probably going to be terrible again anyway.

For a better experience, I recommend trying Asie’tte. The food is great, and the staff are polite and...