The Ultimate Ranking Of Panda Express Menu Items

Have you ever dreamed of trying every single Panda Express entree? We are happy to report that we lived your dream — and it was just as fantastic as you think. Maybe you've always wanted to branch out from your usual order, but think the famous Orange Chicken is just too good to pass up. We explored every single dish so you can know once and for all which meals are worth the gamble. As long-time fans of Panda Express, we jumped at the opportunity to sample and rank each of their dishes, even if it meant we couldn't go back to our local shop for a while. "You want every single one?" the teenager at the cash register asked with a cocked eyebrow. "Why?"

Now a national favorite, the very first Panda Express location opened in Glendale, California in 1983. Once a small venture by a couple, Peggy and Andrew Cherng, it's now a worldwide business with more than 2,300 locations, and is famously one of the only fast-casual Chinese restaurants on the market — if you only have time for drive-through, Panda Express is the answer. Even though we have been eating there for years, some dishes shocked us with how good they were. Others were so disappointing, that we feel like they disgraced the name of Panda. We ranked the dishes based on taste, texture, and how well they lived up to their name. Keep reading to see where your favorite ranks on the list.

The Honey Walnut Shrimp unfortunately fell flat for us in terms of flavor and texture. The overwhelming sweetness, lack of depth in flavor, and disappointment in the strange shrimp and walnut combination are what did it for us. The fried shrimp was too soft and the batter was a little soggy. All the while the glaze it was covered in was way too sweet. It was like a jumbled mess of textures that didn't go well together, leaving a bad taste in the mouth.

Although this item looked delicious on the counter at the restaurant, it failed to deliver. Adding walnuts didn't really make much of a difference to the taste of the dish. The crunch of the walnuts seemed to disappear in the overly sweet glaze, so it didn't do much to add interesting texture, either. For that, we have to place it toward the bottom of the list.

Even though mushrooms are supposed to be a main ingredient in this dish — it is called Mushroom Chicken after all — it felt like they were kind of forgotten. The earthy flavor they could have brought was totally overpowered by a sauce that was slimy and strange. As a result, the taste ended up being pretty boring and not very exciting. Typically, mushrooms have such a strong flavor profile that we were surprised the chicken didn't taste more like them.

The actual mushrooms themselves were a bit overcooked and had a rubbery texture that we didn't like. The chicken was kind of overcooked as well, giving it a tough, stringy consistency that was hard to chew and gave us the ick. Because we had never eaten this entree before, we were not sure if this particular batch was just overcooked in general, or if it was supposed to taste like this. Either way, we cannot recommend it, so it's near the bottom of the ranking.

The Chili Crisp Shrimp had an okay flavor. It wasn't mind-blowing, because it kind of just tasted like chili, but it also didn't disappoint for the exact same reason — we like chili! The combination of the sauce and batter gave it a mid-level spiciness and crunch that we found enjoyable enough. It wasn't a flavor explosion, but it would satisfy our cravings for a great Chinese-inspired lunch. It also feels like a good pick if you want a bit of spiciness without going for a full-blown fire alarm.

One thing that saved the dish from being forgettable was the texture combo. The crispy shrimp paired well with the chili-infused sauce. Unlike the Honey Walnut Shrimp, the meat in this entree didn't get soggy. We're partial to a great sensory experience when eating, so the shrimp here took care of that for us.

This one's a relatively new addition to the menu and it's marketed as a "premium entree" by the restaurant. While it's certainly a step up from its walnut counterpart (and likely a welcome addition to all those who want seafood!), it's not the best thing we've ever had, so it finds a home here in the middle of our rankings.

This dish earns a solid place in the middle of the pack. While the steak in the Black Pepper Angus Steak entree kind of tasted like a pot roast, weirdly this worked for it. Plus, the accompanying vegetables were cooked to perfection. The red bell pepper, little wisps of broccoli, onion, and mushrooms all came together to make the plate look colorful. They were blanched to perfection, giving the dish a nice refreshing touch which balanced out the hearty steak perfectly.

However, the steak, while flavorful, had a slightly stringy texture that made it hard to chew at times. The dish also leaned towards the saltier side, but this didn't take away too much from our overall enjoyment. In fact, despite the "black pepper" in the dish's name, it wasn't particularly spicy. The heat level was subtle, lacking the lingering burn one might expect from a spicier dish. If you don't like spicy food, this might be a positive, but we expect a little more kick from pepper dishes. Overall, this dish was good — but just not great.

One of the things we liked most about this dish, and why it's near the top of our ranking, is its amazing aroma. You can smell the heat of the SweetFire Chicken Breast, especially when it's warm. We caught a whiff and our mouths started to water. This entree shares the same fried chicken base as Panda Express's ever-popular Orange Chicken and Honey Sesame Chicken meaning that, like those dishes, this option also has a familiar and satisfying crunch.

Of the spicy dishes available at Panda, this is our favorite, as it strikes a delicate balance. It offers just enough kick without overpowering the other flavors, and it leans more towards the profile of sweet chili sauce rather than an intense heat from something like habanero peppers. This gives it an accessible level of spiciness. The only drawback is that we think the sauce isn't quite thick enough. If there had been more, we think the chicken might have been a little softer and the meal just a touch better. So, SweetFire Chicken Breast, if only you had more sauce you just might be at the top.

Broccoli Beef was a strong contender for the top spot on our list. We couldn't be sure how long the batch we ordered from was sitting out on the counter at our local Panda Express — and yet, each generously sized broccoli stalk retained its crunch as if it had just come out of the steamer. Can we talk about the size of the broccoli too? Panda Express must have a secret supplier where it sources genetically superior plants because these were some of the largest portions of the vegetable we've seen at a Chinese restaurant, fast food or otherwise.

In addition to the freshness of the vegetables, the beef strips in the dish had a fantastic softness to them. A great melt-in-your-mouth kind of texture. The sauce had a great tang to it too, adding a delicious flavor profile to the overall dish. Plus, it wasn't gloopy which is often the downfall of Broccoli Beef. Nothing's worse than gloopy sauce when mixing meat and vegetables. For this, it earns a proud second place.

We know that taste-testing foods is going to be pretty subjective. So, even though we're lifelong Panda Express fans, we tried to leave personal preference out of it. Instead, we focused on a few key factors when ranking the foods. First, the texture and taste. If the flavors of a dish are bland, or if the meat is chewy and the texture unpleasant, then it's going to rank pretty low. Next, we considered the quality of the ingredients and how well the dish lived up to its name. Was there plenty of broccoli in the Broccoli Beef? Was the SweetFire Chicken Breast actually spicy? With this framework in hand, we were ready to wok.