4.4
Superb
127 Reviews
846 5th Avenue Suite 6304, New Kensington · 2.56 miles
Customers’ favorites
- Fried or Steamed Pork Dumplings
- Beef or Shrimp w Hunan Sauce
- Chicken or Pork Fried Rice
- Sweet & Sour Chicken
“A Journey Back to Panda: The Hidden Gem (right before my eyes) Our normal takeout spot was unexpectedly closed. We were hungry. We were spiraling. There are moments in life when the universe conspires to remind you that greatness doesn’t announce itself with gilded menus or sommeliers in bow ties. Sometimes it whispers from a small takeout counter in New Kensington , where it has been whispering for thirty plus years. I stood there, right before my very eyes, watching steam rise from those containers like incense from a temple. And in that moment, decades collapsed. I was transported back to the 90’s—a hazy, beautiful memory of my younger self clutching a paper bag from Panda, not yet knowing I was holding something extraordinary. But time has a way of validating what we once took for granted. Fast forward to now. The order arrives. I open the General Tso’s chicken, and I am struck motionless. This isn’t just food—it’s an aria. Each piece: impossibly juicy, fork-tender, draped in a sauce that somehow manages to be both savory and subtle, bold yet restrained. It’s the kind of balance that five-starred kitchens chase and rarely capture. I’ve eaten at renowned Chinese restaurants where celebrity chefs command three-hour waits. I’ve tasted the handiwork of masters in San Francisco’s Chinatown, New York’s Flushing, even Vancouver’s Richmond. And right here, right before my eyes, in this unassuming New Ken takeout, I found something better. The portion? Gargantuan. The value? Almost embarrassing in its generosity. Then came the chicken lo mein—a mountain of perfectly cooked noodles tangled with vegetables and tender chicken, each strand glistening with that ineffable wok breath that separates the pretenders from the masters. It was huge. The lo mein is the only item that I would offer a mild suggestion: it needed slightly more liquid smoke flavor and the addition of green onions. Portion size means nothing without soul. Add those two ingredients and you give it soul. And the Hot & Spicy chicken—oh, the restraint! The sauce was light, almost humble, allowing the vegetables to maintain their integrity, letting the chicken speak for itself. No drowning in cornstarch slurry, no aggressive assault of heat masking mediocrity. Just perfect clarity of flavor, right there before my eyes. For three (maybe four) decades, Panda has been doing this. Quietly. Humbly. While the food world chased trends and accolades, and buffets while “authentic” became a marketing buzzword, Panda simply kept being magnificent. It stood there, a landmark, waiting for those wise enough to notice. Now I notice. I notice. I have seen the light, and it glows from a takeout container in New Ken. This is not hyperbole. This is testimony. Panda doesn’t just serve Chinese food—it serves a masterclass in what happens when skill, consistency, and care simmer together for almost forty years. Just wow. Simply, unforgettably, wow.”
Buffet · $
