Panda Inn — Restaurant in Capitola

Edit: I’ve accepted the fact that I’ll never get my original Hunan beef again. The new owners however are delightful and the food is already much improved. I’m hopeful, even if their version of Hunan beef isn’t what I want.

Ok so this is about the Hunan Beef. I’ve been ordering that dish since I was a kid. When the old owner retired and I was worried that the food would change. Initially it didn’t, the cut of the beef was a little different but otherwise my beloved Hunan Beef remained largely unchanged for the first year or so. Then I didn’t go back for a while, having to split my time between two different towns I just didn’t have the opportunity.

So today I got the desire for the good ol Hunan Beef, thin slices of tender beef, copious amounts of shredded ginger, a rich black bean sauce that coated everything, all on top of big leaves of romaine lettuce. The menu still had the same description so I was hopeful, despite some people telling me things had changed.

What I got was thick slices of chewy beef, hardly any ginger or black beans, a thin watery sauce, and a huge amount of CARROTS and ONIONS (not on the menu description) which ruined the flavor, on a bed of shredded iceberg. It was horrible! I was lied to! My childhood is truly gone!

Also the chili...

They only do a-la-carte for dinner. They do not serve meals. I have eaten there three times recently. The food is expensive. Tonight I paid $24 with tax and tip for food I could not eat. It has never been memorable there. Today I ordered Mongolian beef. It was not edible. It was way-way to spicy. I like spicy. This would have made me sick if I forced myself to eat it. I had three bites decided that I would be up all night if I continued. The vegetables were not identifiable. The meat was brazed, not prepared fresh. The sauce was chunky, indicating too much cornstarch. Despite the excess heat no peppers were present. I infer the heat came from an added sauce, maybe ghost pepper? I ended up getting a burger on the way home. My dining partners agreed it was too spicy. It was obviously served from a stew pot and not prepared fresh. The portion was small. The server was not interested in my opinion. The restaurant was at about 10% capacity at 6:30 PM. Needless to say, I will...

If you’re looking for GOOD chinese food, this place is the best!!! Prices are AMAZING (pic of our receipt included!), service is awesome, very nice and dinner started out with complimentary hot black tea. We got potstickers, they came with a soy/ginger sauce and omggg they were so crispy and amazing! Came out nice and fresh. My boyfriend got a full order of veggie chow mein and the orange chicken, both were good, orange chicken had a nice crisp to it but not crunchy. Sauce didn’t make it soggy either! I got the Kra Pao. SO GOOD. If you’re fond of things like curry, this dish was so homey and nice! Thai basil wasn’t overwhelming, had just enough flavor and meat in it! Staff was really nice, came out to ask how we liked the food and they were all VERY welcoming. Awesome restaurant!!! We will be back when we come...