Panda Express — Restaurant in Winston-Salem

My wife and I have been trying to eat here for weeks since they opened. We love Asian food and eat it often - Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, etc. We've got a taste for it. So, we will be comparing the food to other Chinese restaurants. We were finally able to get some. Due to lines, we ordered take out. My wife got a bowl of Honey Sesame Seed Chicken with white rice and I got a plate of Orange Chicken and Honey Walnut Shrimp with Super Greens. My wife's portion was pathetically small for the price; it was mostly rice. Her chicken didn't have much flavor if any at all and it was tougher and crunchier than my orange chicken, suggesting it was not as fresh and overheated. She loved the plum sauce however, but it wasn't enough to save her meal. My orange chicken was good but not great. It had a slight faint kick of heat and a slight taste of vinegar. I tasted the same when sampling the sesame seed chicken. The orange chicken was fresher, less crunchy and had more sauce and flavor. Portions of both my entrees were separately larger than my wife's, giving me more than twice as much as entree as hers. I think they just gave her too much rice and ran out of room, where as mine was served in a styrofoam container with separate compartments. My honey walnut shrimp, which created more than a dollar upcharge when ordering my plate, came with actual walnuts, which was nice. The shrimp sauce or glaze tasted good, but the shrimp itself was overheated and was akin to coconut or etc shrimp that had been left out for a while under a heat lamp at a Chinese buffet. It was good, but overcooked and not fresh. The walnuts tasted good with them and gave a welcome crunch. I'm not sure, but the taste and texture of the shrimp made me think the tails were still on them underneath the shrimp's breading. I honestly didn't mind, but some might. I didn't stop to exam the shrimp under the breading, so it could have simply been my imagination. When it comes to the entrees, my wife said both my food entrees were better than hers. I agree. We both agree that the food is okay or even good enough, but not great. Both the quality and quantity are subpar to Chinese take out restaurants and also subpar to a good, well maintained Chinese buffet. If the prices were much lower to reflect this degradation, then it could be justified, but at the same prices you could enjoy a much better Chinese meal elsewhere. The only upside to Panda Express is that it's fast food, so it's good if you don't want to wait 10 minutes for your order to be freshly cooked. We honestly believe the wait is worth fresher, higher quality foods with larger portions. If you're concerned about over eating or eating unhealthy, Chinese take outs and buffets often offer healthier options and one can cut back portions or save some for another meal in order to avoid over eating. I will admit a second upside to Panda Express: their buildings are well designed and they offer better and more abundant seating than take out restaurants for dining in. But all one has to do for better seating is travel to Stratford Road for the consistently fresh and fantastic buffet of Tin Tin Buffet or the amazingly fantastic inside dining of Szechuan Palace. Especially considering the long lines that are currently stretching out the door or around the parking lot for the drive thru at the newly opened Panda Express, one could simply go across the street to, I believe, East China next to Sam's Club for a better, fresher and larger portion meal for only a ten minute wait, surely similar or even less of a wait than at Panda Express. Other excellent nearby options would be Golden Wok in Rural Hall or my personal choice of China Chef in Walkertown. I've also been told Mr. Lu's on Robinhood Road is excellent and I'm sure that there's an abundance of other good options in the area. My wife and I have agreed that there's no reason to ever return to the subpar Panda Express. I do love the vegetables however. She gives it 2 stars,...

I NEVER leave a bad review, ever. But last night I had the worst customer experience I've ever had in my life. First off, I placed an online order for pickup for 6:15. I got off work and got there a few minutes early so I expected I would have to wait a few minutes. When I got there and waited at the specified online pickup station there was one person in front of me. I noticed that they seemed to have either lost his order or forgot about. He only ended up having to wait maybe 5 or 10 minutes for his food so I was hopeful. After the guy in front of me left I was not greeted for at least 5 minutes. After that who I assume was one of the managers asked me for my name. I told him and he disappeared to I thought look for my order. He came back maybe 10 minutes later and asked me for my name again. Then brought some food for the woman BEHIND ME who had ordered her food 12 minutes after me. Long story short I had to wait 32-35 minutes for my food. I was very very upset and told them I shouldn't have to pay for my food and they told me they didn't know how to refund online orders. The man who did eventually help me gave me a few coupons for an egg roll. Their lack of management at this store and communication is the worst I have ever seen anywhere. Please train your staff and managers how to properly help your customers. I will not be coming back to...

I was excited when they opened this place. I have eaten there several times to give them a fair review. This is more like 2.5 stars. I have eaten there, ordered take out online and through their App. Had issues a couple times with both takeout options not submitting order to restaurant. I used to order Grilled Teriyaki Chicken, String Bean Chicken Breast and/or Mushroom Chicken as main dishes. Maybe I'm just picky about chicken, but I found their chicken was very fatty (even chicken breast dish) and I found myself spending more time picking/cutting out lean pieces and throwing fatty pieces away. It eventually became unappetizing so I tried the Honey Walnut Shrimp, which was delicious, but I had to pay more for it and they didn't fill the box like they do everything else. It was filled between half way to 3/4 full. Makes you feel like you got ripped off. Fried rice was not heavy/very greasy. Chow Mein was good but on the salty side. The Cream Cheese Rangoon were really good and Chicken egg roll was decent. I didn't see any vegetarian main dish options for takeout orders. I'm not a vegetarian, but was looking for some options since their chicken became unappealing. Overall it's not great, but...