Panda Garden — Restaurant in San Marcos

Firstly, I normally do not go out of my way to give negative reviews. I only do so rarely and if I feel that there is a very good reason for it.

I DO want to say that the people there are very friendly. The manager/owner greeted me pleasantly and the waitresses were also very nice. Normally I go to Pan Asia Buffet off of Nordahl drive in front and to the left of Walmart. The food there is exquisite EVERY time! Ironically, the people there are not terribly friendly, but the food is absolutely excellent!

However, I was tired after working today, and my bank is in the same parking lot as Panda Garden (Citibank by Del Taco) I didn't feel like going all the way across town to the always dependable Pan Asia Buffet, so I thought that well since I am here, why not... I ordered the very simple honey spicy shrimp with a few added pieces of chicken. Both the shrimp and the chicken were SUPER tough and hard and I could honestly barely chew them.

I ate about 1/3 of my dinner and I just could NOT finish it. It was so awful, I didn't really want to take the rest of it home. I politely told the waitress, almost apologetically, that the food was just too tough and I couldn't finish it. Interestingly, NO apologies were given, NO comments, NOTHING... AND, to add insult to injury, even though I left about 2/3 of the food on the table, they still had the nerve to charge me full price WITHOUT ANY APOLOGY, COMMENT, NOTHING! So, I quietly paid the $20 or so for about 5 or 6 pieces of tough, almost inedible chicken and shrimp.

I see people go in there, and I guess they have their regulars. I can't imagine WHAT the hell they order, but what I had was truly atrocious AND I really did NOT appreciate that they made absolutely NO effort even to apologize or adjust the price, again, NOTHING! So, I felt that I really had to come here and leave this review.

I just simply will NEVER EVER go there again. I will make the drive across town to the Pan Asia Buffet, no matter HOW bloody tired I am, and for about the same price, maybe a few dollars more, I can have an absolutely LOVELY dinner with delicious food and a HUGE variety (I most highly recommend the teriyaki chicken, it is to frigg'n...

My husband and I are regulars. We aren't restaurant experimenters much: We know the cuisine we like, we try a number of places, then settle on the one we like best. For a basic American who savors "Chinese" food, this is the best. I don't know what provinces or regions are represented in its menu, but honestly I don't care.

Clean, clean, clean everywhere. The restroom is always clean, too, sometimes immaculate.

Yummy. I like the Kung Pao a lot. Sauces aren't too sweet or gooey. Last night I had Mongolian Beef and loved it--succulent and simple. My husband wanted his dish heated up and they promptly took care of it. I've never had an issue with temperature, especially not with soup.

Service--quick, pleasant, unobtrusive, friendly, but not overly friendly. I can't recall ever having our conversation interrupted. By anyone serving, removing, pouring, etc.

Decor is fresh, clean, simple. Booths around two sides, tables elsewhere. Hard surface floors but it doesn't get loud. (Just that pleasant low rumble of happy diners--no in-your-ears music.) Neat bamboo theme looks thought out and professionally executed, in attractive browns and greens. Nice light fixtures. Conducive to a good meal.

I don't know if it's ALWAYS busy but it feels that way. And all the guests seem happy, relaxed, and enjoying g their food and one another. A really good, happy vibe.

As for prices, it seems on par with similar sit down places in North County, and offers a whole lot more, ambiance- and experience-wise. Also nice big portions--always get a good lunch left over.

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I ordered a several dishes for a to go order and it was the first time visiting this restaurant. I was craving Chinese food and saw good reviews so I thought I would try it. I drove 25 min just to get there. The egg rolls tasted like mushy seafood. The honey chicken had rock hard dry overcooked chicken and soggy fried coating, fried shrimp dry and overcooked, Kung pao had gristle pieces and no good chunks of chicken, the wonton soup all the wonton were shredded up and the pork had chunks of the veins and gristle. I've only done a review twice on the internet and they were both great reviews. I never complain and I'm happy to get a meal someone cooked. I'm always grateful. I am sad because I was craving Chinese and was really looking forward to it. We ended up not eating the entire meal. I will say the service was great, attentive and friendly when I went in. Bummed out. Hopefully it was just mine and not the usual quality for...