Panda Express — Review by Daym Drops
Milford, United States — Chinese-American fast casual
Daym Drops visits a Panda Express location in Milford, Connecticut to try their new barbecue brisket offering. While the brisket is the best meat item on the menu, most of the dishes taste dried out and overcooked, with poor food quality overall despite friendly service. He rates the barbecue brisket a 2.8 out of 5 and criticizes Panda Express for needing significant kitchen improvements.
What was great: The barbecue brisket had a decent meat-to-fat ratio and was not dried out like the other dishes. Good customer service and clean establishment.
What could improve: Most dishes were dry and tasted like they had been sitting under heat lamps for hours. The pork fried rice was particularly dry and bland, the chow mein lacked flavor, the orange chicken was dry and sticky, and the brisket lacked authentic smokiness and had been heavily sweetened for American tastes.
The Dishes
Daym ordered a plate with pork fried rice, chow mein, orange chicken, and the featured barbecue brisket. The pork fried rice appeared unusually light in color compared to traditional Chinese restaurant versions and tasted dry and overcooked, lacking flavor and moisture. The chow mein had slightly more seasoning with teriyaki and garlic notes but suffered from the same heat lamp effect, tasting stale and flat. The orange chicken, touted by staff as their most popular item, had a sweet and sour profile but was disappointingly dry and sticky despite the sauce. The barbecue brisket, the main focus of the review, featured semi-thick slices with a decent fat-to-meat ratio and a light spicy sweetness. While not dried out like the other items, it lacked any real smokiness and tasted heavily adapted for mainstream American palates rather than authentic barbecue preparation.
The Experience
The location was clean and the staff was friendly and attentive, comparable to Chick-fil-A level customer service. However, the eating experience was marred by the apparent heat lamp holding of most dishes, suggesting they had been sitting under warming lights for an extended period despite the restaurant having been open for only about an hour.
Value and Pricing
The total bill came to $17.91 before tax. The barbecue brisket came with a $1.95 upcharge for the premium protein, bringing the plate base price to $13.80. Daym also included a $1.00 donation to the children's hospital in his order. While the pricing is standard for Panda Express, the value was questionable given the poor execution and quality of the food.
Notable Moments
I can taste why y'all don't have too many locations in Connecticut. I can taste it.
It tastes like it's been waiting for my arrival.
Your canise barbecue brisket panda Express is about the best current meat that you have on your lineup of meats that are dried out.
The Verdict
Daym Drops rates the barbecue brisket a 2.8 out of 5, calling it mid at best. He concludes that while the brisket is the strongest item on the menu, Panda Express has serious systemic issues with food quality and kitchen execution. The reviewer recommends the restaurant focus on menu items that work better when dry and invest in better chef training. He suggests viewers might enjoy it if they are already Panda Express fans, but for quality seekers looking for authentic barbecue or well-executed Asian cuisine, this is not the destination.