Panda Garden — Restaurant in Saint George

I have always said that Panda Garden was the best Chinese Food here on St George. It's a long standing restaurant in St George and for the past 20 years I've always enjoyed it very much. I was saddened when I got to-go from there a year ago and it was NOT to the usual standard, the service was poor, and the people who took the order and gave it to us were short with us and didn't really offer a good experience. Around that time there were many local eats groups I belonged to on Facebook and there were several posts about the location having gone down hill.

Today Saturday August 12th 2023 I took my wife and two of our boys out for a semi early dinner and I want to say it was a FANTASTIC experience. Our server was kind, attentive, and understanding. The food was hot, well made, flavorful, and came exactly as we ordered.

My wife has had oral surgery and could only manage soups and so she had a bowl of Egg Flower (Egg Drop Soup) and it was VERY well prepared, while not a difficult dish it's one that in my opinion defines the Chinese Food Experience. If it's bland or lacking I find the rest of the dishes will be as well. It was well seasoned and the only thing I added was pepper which is how I prefer my Egg Flower Soup.

One of my sons had the Walnut Shrimp it was served on. Beautiful Lettuce Bowl and the Walnuts were candied and VERY GOOD, a generous portion and the shrimp were decent sized on the smaller size for prawns but midgrade large for shrimp. My other son had the Lemon Chickens, he's not a huge chineE food fan but ate half the portion and said it was very good.

I had the General Tso's Chicken and while most often it'll be a mildly spicy dish that's more sweet than spicy this was a great balance of Japanese peppers and the sweet brown sauce.

All in all we went prepared for it to be a less than amazing meal and we're happy to say it was an amazing experience and hopefully people who had a bad experience before give this long present Chinese Restaurant another shot because I was very happy...

We either fall over Chinese Restaurants or it's a giant oasis of dust. Once the dust settles the tried and true Panda Garden remains still. It might have won "best in St George" by default or the reason it won is because it's customers deem it worthy of recognition and continuing patronage.

Lunch specials are varied and affordable. Off menu customization is no "big deal" to this thoroughly accommodating, friendly staff. You will find the waitstaff pleasant whether ordering lunch time rush specials, getting a quick to go, or dropping by informally with a group to "lunch". Dinner is pleasant and uniquely intimate given the seating arrangements.

I have NEVER returned a dish. Whether needing no/low sodium (or MSG), no nuts or sesame seeds, steamed rather than pan fried, minimal sauce, or sauce on the side...it's all possible.

Selections are varied. So much choice. Thank goodness for this style of cooking where flavors are combined and beauty is created. Broccoli is al dente and a vibrant green. Chicken, beef, and pork are tender, moist and taste identifiable. Dumplings (all) are soft, tasty, and demanding to be more than appetizers.

Soups are sure to cure what ails you as a great way to start any meal. You can't miss with "hot & sour", egg drop, or wanton. These could be a meal themselves.

Stop looking for a "good" Chinese restaurant...settle in for a GREAT experience (like you remember it to be) at Panda Garden...the one...

Five star rating? I'm not too sure about that. When I was looking for Chinese food I remembered driving past this place and the outside made me have reservations. I asked a local who informed me that it was pretty good. I was staying in one of the local hotels and ended up walking there to place an order for take-out. When I placed my order I looked at my watch to see how long it would take. It took less than 15 minutes. While sitting in the lobby I was looking around and noticed the different decorations. They had several certificates on the wall showing that they were the number one Chinese restaurants in St. George for a number of years. When I got home I tried one of the egg rolls, fried rice, and the Korean chicken. The rice was a complete letdown and was no better than any place else I have eaten. Very few vegetables and seemed very dry or just blah. Both the egg roll and Korean chicken had so much sodium in them that it was darn near borderline too much. I thought maybe this was just a fluke so I went back a couple of weeks later and ordered something else. It was pretty much a repeat of the first. If this is St. George's number one place for Chinese food I wonder what the other ones have to offer. I wonder what individuals are eating to give...