From its humble beginnings as a family-owned restaurant in California to its now international presence with over 2,000 locations in the United States alone, Panda Express is a unique player in the fast casual scene. Combining a menu that includes several regular entrees (plus a few seasonal surprises) and an innovative service model, it has become a staple for quick and tasty American-Chinese cuisine. Panda Express has cultivated an extensive menu over the years, and recently Chowhound took on the daunting task of ranking 12 Panda Express menu items to find out which one is the best of the best.
Our clear gold medalist is the Honey Walnut Shrimp. While it may be a shocker for all those Orange Chicken enthusiasts out there — Panda Express invented the “international” dish, after all — there are plenty of reasons why the Honey Walnut Shrimp is superior. It’s a premium-labeled item, which does mean it has a slightly higher price tag, but it’s one of the few upsells in the fast food world that is actually worth the money.
Why the Honey Walnut Shrimp reigns supreme
The dish’s core component is fried shrimp that has been tossed in a sweet honey glaze and topped with toasted walnut halves. The composition sounds simple on paper, but there is a whole lot of good going on here. For starters, the shrimp — if cooked well — imparts a soft, buttery texture. The fried exterior is crisp without being aggressively crunchy, and the honey glaze captures the sweet flavor that we love about the Orange Chicken. A bite that includes a bit of walnut hits all the flavor and texture bases, making this dish a must-have for shrimp lovers and Panda Express fans alike.
The balance between flavor and texture is the reason that the Honey Walnut Shrimp secured the number one spot on our list. It leans into the American-Chinese trend of pairing syrupy sweetness with a savory, deep-fried protein to great effect. The perfect duo of sweet and savory flavors has a great track record for pleasing our palates (like this flavorful Korean breakfast sandwich that we particularly loved). With each bite presenting a uniform combination of contrasting flavors and interesting textures, it’s no surprise that the Honey Walnut Shrimp is a winner.
