Ka'imi L.

Love Panda Cuisine for Dim Sum. Hands Down. Not only is the food excellent but I thought they had great customer service. Contrary to how badly they treat you at Legends (as if they're doing YOU a favor by serving you). Its a little more pricey than other dim sum restaurants but still good, nonetheless.
(5)
Albert F.

I havent been here in awhile, but it has late night dim sum that is awesome. Its ala carte so no carts, but the food is really tasty. Its open late so if you have the munchies after a late movie or club, this is a great spot to get your dim sum on.
(4)
Connie W.

Waited 20 minutes until we finally asked for water. 50 minute wait for first plate -- which was oversalted and dissatisfying in portion. They even sent at least three other plates to the same neighbor table. Kitchen was obviously understaffed. Been to a majority of the Chinese restaurants on this island, this place is undoubtedly one of the worst.
(1)
Randall H.

These people give the WORST customer service out of every dim sum place I've been to.. Beware of the lady who's dressed like a flight attendant on China airlines cuz she's a bitch. If you're not Asian they won't check up on you no joke!.. The dim sum is expensive and not even all that great, I wish I could've given this place a zero star for how shitty it is.
(1)
ck s.

It is the most expensive Chinese restaurants in Honolulu. Though it does offer good and authentic Chinese food, no Chinese food is worth these prices, especially the dinner menu prices. Even the most expensive NYCity Chinese restaurants don't charge this much. Are you kidding? There are other Chinese restaurants here that offers food just as good for less. Look around. Knocking out one star for the high prices.
(3)
ra c.

I think there is no comparison to other dim sum restaurants. At Legend, all the dim sum seems to have a rancid oil taste,---maybe the bamboo baskets haven't been changed in YEARS? Also, the owner of Panda is also the cook --(there are 2 ownders) so the food is always consistently good. Many restaurants change their cooks often,--so the food is usually very inconsistent in these cases. Even when it's not so good, it's better than any other dim sum restaurant I know of. The ones in Chinatown all seem pretty bad to me. I've eaten dim sum all over the world---and Panda ranks very high. Just got back from San Fran--and the most highly rated Yank Sing was so bad and expensive and crowded---I didn't want to eat the dim sum. But Ton Kiang in the 5,000 block of Geary was fabulous.
(5)
C M.

Great food. We had a bad experiece in Chinatown during off-peak hours and this fully made up for it. Took home leftovers and additional.
(4)
Michael A.

We want in for lunch and it was pretty quiet inside (but I didn't mind). We were promptly greeted at the front and shown to our table. The waiter gave us ample time to pick and choose what we wanted and our orders came out in a timely manner. The food we had was really good, although I don't think any of us were fans of the juicy pork dumpling, other than that, everything else was great. The location is convenient and close to everything else and parking was not an issue. Four stars only because I think the wait staff could smile more.
(4)
Glade W.

I've been to Panda Cuisine several times now, both for the late night dim sum and the regular dishes. While Panda is known online for its dim sum offerings, the regular dishes are just as good, if not better. Some outstanding must-have's include (I don't know the actual names on the menu): -Lobster with crinkled noodles underneath -Crab in soup with yellow curry and clear thin noodles -Panfried yellow curry noodles with shrimp -Sauteed greens with garnish -Mochi rice balls with read bean stuffing in ginger broth (dessert)
(5)
Jenny C.

Okay first of all, I'm going to be biased. Chinatown dim sum is the best in all cases. But I needed my dim sum fix in the evening so we checked out Panda Cuisine. Yes, I agree that this restaurant is very clean and upscale compared to those of Chinatown..but you certainly will know that with the price you pay. The dimsum is much more expensive, and not much better. Not at all. If you are feeling like dimsum at night, by all means check this place out. I won't be returning here anytime soon unless I have to.
(2)
H L.

So I finally got around to doing this review. I threw a bday dinner party for a good friend earlier this year in May. Manager Daniel was awesome in helping with answering all my questions. We got one of the set menus and Daniel was so kind to allow me to tweak the menu a little. We were able to use one of the private rooms all night. BYOB was only $10 a bottle. Self-parking is free (double check cause sometimes they have valet for a small fee) is on the lower level under PC or you can street park. Everyone enjoyed the food and the service was very good. In the end, we left with smiles on my faces and full tummies plus doggy bags.
(5)
Michelle L.

it was 12:00 AM and we were hungry. zippy's just wouldn't hit the spot for us last night so i suggested panda cuisine since i knew they were opened til late. they don't have a large variety of dim sum but it has all your essentials. you just check off what you want on a sheet of paper and they get it for you. their prices are higher than chinatown but the pieces are humangous! only downer was that it lacked flavor, nothing like a little hot sauce can't fix :) clams in black bean sauce was really good since i like my sauce thick but the clams were shrimpy. five orders of dim sum, clams, and a bowl of rice ended costing $30 without tip. ouchies. food was three stars but four stars for the amazing service for a chinese restaurant and that it was good food opened late night.
(4)
Ric C.

Great specials including a $10.99 lobster with the purchase if any regular priced dish. We like to get the lobster with an order of e-mein. Makes a nice meal for two. Service can be a little spotty when it's busy. A solid 3 stars.
(3)
Dean L.

Late night dim sum still good, but they add $1 premium to each dish at night. Large tanks of lively king crab, shrimp, fish and lobster are impressive, but an expensive splurge. Easy to get a table after 7-8.
(4)
Addie L.

We love it here! The $7.99 lunch special is such a great deal! We ordered the seafood noodles and the portion was huge! The oysters with onions were prepared in the classic Chinese style. BTW, the service is pretty good, unusual for a Chinese restaurant. Free rice and soup. We are coming back here as one of our regular places to eat.
(4)
LeaDan Y.

First of all, the few stars that I have added is purely based on the quality of their food. Meaning, the food we ordered met the bar for dim sum. The service, however, was terrible. We were there during lunch but there were only 4 other tables of patrons. The restaurant was quite empty. Despite having at least 4 people handling the floor AND having one of the simplest ordering methods (checking boxes off of the paper menu and handing it to the server) we were practically ignored for the entire time. The table next to us called for the busboy, who was cleaning the table next to them, and he completely ignored them. We had to walk our order to one of the waiters who seemed to be just talking story with people on another table. I really felt as though they felt that they did not need our patronage. I don't intend to eat here again. Unfortunate because I really love dim sum.
(2)
Rodalyn C.

Dim sum!!!!!! I love to eat, but I'm not that much of a heavy eater, meaning I can never finish a whole meal by myself... But when it comes to Dim sum... OMG, you can never go wrong with DIM SUM!!!! It's like I can eat it forever! Panda Cuisine is one of my favorite restaurants when it comes to dim sum especially since its open late nights. YAY! The portions are practically the same as any other dim sum restaurants and quite pricey but hey, the food is still yummy. Last time I came here, it was closed -___- Boohoo. But i will try again, next time.
(4)
Kelly M.

Dim sum was good, but a bit pricey. Staff was nice and spoke more English that normal. Restaurant is nice. Validated parking is available under the restaurant (entrance just north of the restaurant.
(3)
Kate L.

Really bad customer service. I had a reservation and we still had to wait for 20 minutes. When we got seated, no one came to ask us what we wanted to drink. 20 minutes until someone came to let us order, even though we kept asking. Food is pretty good. Not worth the customer service.
(3)
Henry L.

NEVER NEVER NEVER order abalone or the king clam!!! They show you a large 2+ pounder, but they actually cook and give you less than half!! They slice the meat paper thin and fill the void with vegetables to hide you are not getting what you are paying through the nose for!! A total rip off!!!
(2)
Chilly W.

Coming from the SF Bay Area, I am accustomed to good Chinese food. So when my Hawaii relatives recommended this restaurant for dinner, I didn't expect much. To my surprise, the food was excellent. It rivals SF Chinese restaurants. Unfortunately, that night they were out of clams, so we couldn't order Clams in Black Bean sauce. Instead, we ordered the calamari (squid) in black bean sauce, and it was good. Probably the best Chinese seafood restaurant near Waikiki. I will return there the next time I am in Waikiki. P.S. They get one additional star for having free validated parking!
(5)
Kris B.

From what I've heard of this place, it's not what it used to be. First of all - how do you have dim sum without the people pushing the carts, lifting 5 different lids in 10 seconds, and yelling at you?! This is the only service I ever want when I go to Dim Sum! Panda Cuisine is so quiet and the waiters so scarce, I couldn't believe we'd come to a dim sum place! (Haha just joking, there are great dim sum places that don't have cart service or yell at you, but still ...) They now have a little piece of paper on your table when they seat you, and you select what you want from the menu. Ordering everything you want at one time would seem efficient, but service is definitely slow and inattentive. I guess it doesn't help that they only had like 4 or 5 waiters/waitresses. We came here because someone in our group didn't want to go to Chinatown, saying it was filthy there. However, the dishes on the table weren't very clean and neither were the glasses semi-filled with chlorinated water. I've been to a couple of dim sum places in Chinatown, and the service and cleanliness at both restaurants were better than here. They had a couple of dishes that were pretty tasty but overall not worth it. (The noodles and pork hash were good, but that's kind of it.) I'm pretty sure I'll just stick to Chinatown. It's possible all the rat stories actually make their service and food better there keke.
(2)
Hnl -.

It was dinner time. Was craving dim sum. Was going to go to Mei Sum but it was first friday, so didn't want to deal with the crowds. Decided on Panda. Called for reservations. Should've be wary that they could take our reservations for 6 people an hour before we wanted to come in. So the deal with their "anytime dim sum". They offer only dim sum that can be steamed and they add $1 for EACH dim sum ordered. So a $3.50 dim sum is now $4.50!! wow, that's crazy cuz you don't just order 1-2 dim sums, you order like 10 +. won't be going back for dinner dim sum anymore.
(3)
Scott H.

I have only been here for late night dim sum and I have to say AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING FOOD! The staff is friendly and again the dim sum will knock your socks off :D
(5)
toshiko y.

My husband and I go to dim sum every weekend, and we have tried to have dim sum here twice.. Compare with another Dim Sums in China town, the price is double, and food is just OK. Service is one star. If you have a car,I recommend to go to China town.
(2)
J K.

Pricey, but opens late and offers dim sum late. Their dim sum is good, but you can find comparable ones at Happy Day Chinese Restaurant for way less. Otherwise, the food is pretty good, but the cost and parking is not.
(3)
Hope D.

Best dim sum i've had, and I live right by china town in SF. The sesame balls for desert were so fresh! Crisp on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. Prices weren't that bad either! Definitely check this place out if you haven't been yet! Can't wait to come back!
(5)
Yasuo O.

This place is always spot on. Had the Crab with Black Bean, some veggies, shrimp mayo all for under 70 bucks. fricking awesome. Daniel is the man and when you walk into the place and see his wall of fame with all of the celebs, you know you made the right choice.
(4)
Veronica M.

This is the best Dim Sum in Honolulu! The service is fast and the menu is very tasty We had a blast!
(5)
Shirley W.

Restaurant is under new management. It's not like before. We went there for lunch. No dim sum :( $9.99 for lobster but it didn't taste like Maine lobster, could be some farm raised ones. Food is ordinary, nothing special, kind of generic. Doubt that will come back again. Sure we can find better Chinese food in town.
(3)
Derek C.

Now under new owners. Right now does not serve dim sum. What a bummer. The worse service I have ever seen. Had to ask 7 times for water. They never brought us napkins. The utensils were dirty and the waiter had a super bad attitude until I told him that his service was horrible. He did not even know the menu. The items are over priced and I will definitely never return and really wanted to walk out.
(1)
Sean V.

Some of the best dim sum here in honolulu! The staff is very nice and its clean inside too. Good variety of liquor and wines too for a chinese restaurant. When you are in that mood for some tea and snacks, even for a lunch or dinner, you cant really go wrong here.
(4)
Rose O.

Service was slow today but dim sum was good especially tofu skin wraps and black bean spareribs.
(3)
Inku H.

Mediocre food & terrible service. I would not go there again.
(2)
Jocelyn L.

"Really like their dim sum (at night too!) and mu shu wraps and fried rice. They also do a good Peking duck....open late nites and all day....reasonable prices
(3)
Pablo Q.

Great food, great service and great hours. Definitely a must.
(5)
Kimmy C.

Consistently good. This is high end dim sum. Chicken feet and turnip cakes are my friends favorites. Clean and lots of parking. Cant go wrong here. My favorite places are still in Chinatown.
(4)
Greg S.

The dim sum here was fairly priced with its competition and had good overall quality. We came here on a weekend afternoon and were seated near the front entrance. Unfortunately, this meant that we only saw the same two or three carts passing by each time, with all the others in the main dining area. Fortunately, it appeared that the staff noticed this too and took our requests for what we wanted. I'll be back because of it's convenient location but a few more visits are needed to judge the full quality of the food.
(3)
Tammy L.

Hands down, my favorite dim sum place in Honolulu! This is a family staple. Since I live in Chicago now, we must go there at least once every time I'm home. My favorites are the shrimp/scallop and spinach dumpling, seafood bundle, har gow, mango pudding and jin dui. Just thinking about it is making my mouth water! It's more expensive than most places, but you get what you pay for. They are generous with the good-quality seafood, the food is fresh, and the skins are thin and nicely chewy, just like they should be. These are dumplings that don't fall apart when you pick them up. That's my biggest pet peeve. I can't wait until I'm home again!
(5)
Annie Z.

My parents "love" to judge on freshness, quality and how the food is for Chinese food. I love to judge things myself and as you can see our verdict was just no. First off, it was ok, the first 3 times we had went there but the quality just doesn't seem there anymore. They served us raw pork and we told them to take it back and they looked confused ( For your information we said it in Chinese, not English. So i don't know why they were like that.) Their salted fish and chicken fried rice is very strong so if you can't handle the salted fish taste then don't order it. Honestly they used the wrong salted fish ( yes there are different kinds). Their servers just stand their watching you when it's not busy or their never there when you need some water. The owners are nice. We were also unlucky to have gone there when their oil was old because i could taste it in their walnut shrimp. I think i've said enough. You can try your luck because their food taste different depending on their chef thats on duty but if you strike bad luck, thats it for you.
(1)
Dan F.

Very good food with a low lunch price. Soup, tea & authentic Chinese food huge portion for $8.95. Clean, good service, etc..
(5)
Dan D.

Under new ownership. Currently, not serving dim sum
(3)
Rise D.

This is a really good place for dim sum. I've been here for lunch, and it's really busy. The wait staff comes around with the different plates on carts. Service was pretty quick. You might have to request mustard and chili sauce though. My favorites are the fried chicken wings, steamed pork bun, bacon wrapped seafood ball, pork wrapped- noodle, baked egg bun. After ordering all that food, I thought the bill would be expensive, but it wasn't! Surprisingly it came out to under $30. Yay! Good food that's not expensive makes me happy.
(4)
Lynn T.

Extremely rude service. I wished they wore name tags. Spent $300 at a birthday/family dinner and they could not have been more excited about getting rid of us. I find a run-on sentence adequately expresses my displeasure and experience: bringing all the courses out all at once which meant having to stack plates of food on top of each other, not removing empty plates or even trash, ignoring our questions, throwing plates and utensils down and disturbing our meal, and waiting for us to ask for the dessert that was already paid for and smiling/laughing that we remembered to ask. They would've let us gone home without it. Disappointed and pissed. Will not be coming back.
(1)
Vince B.

Panda Cuisine has turned into my Chinese Good Luck temple of lunch. Cheap and I mean really cheap prices plus some very satisfying authentic Cantonese food. Certified authentic by my wife who is Honolulu's unofficial authority on Chinese Food Authenticity. At first she didn't even want to come with me as she believed that no one could top restaurant Fook Yuen's lobster lunch deal. She was sold before we even got our food. She saw all the other customer's lobsters and it was all over. Lunch deal is this: $7.99 for rice, soup, and hot tea and large plate of your choice of dishes. Plus, the (New price) $10.99 lobster add on. Ambience: Nice place with white table cloths and lots of tables. Much bigger than it appears to be from outside. All customers and staff are Chinese. They talk in Chinese and write in Chinese. Very busy at lunch time. Service: Efficient, well trained staff and fast. The waiters speak english but not all of the helpers will understand you. Food: I've tried quite a few items by now. All very good. It goes without saying that you should order what you like. Like this Salt and pepper Lobister: ( yelp.com/biz_photos/wIG-â€¦ ) I recommend it "Salt and Pepper" Style. Or: yelp.com/biz_photos/wIG-â€¦ This is "mushrooms and onions" dish. Big, thick, meaty, fresh mushrooms. Never seen these before. 5 Stars! Salted fish fried rice is excellent and you get a massive serving. Chinese aren't vegetarians. But I am. My meal recently was Salted fish fried rice and the Mushrooms and Onions. Very nice and nutritious too. Very satisfying vegetarian meal. Parking: is validated in the lot next door. But, to be honest we just walk over from the Walmart lot. Some metered street parking is available. Once we got lucky and just parked right in front and paid the meter. Yelper Val Y. had a UYE here not too long ago. That got me hooked along with a bunch of other people. Thanks Val !
(4)
Will C.

All in all the food is actually quite good, there is an evident eye for detail as each basket of dumplings is folded a different way. so not every basket has the same shaped dumpling and different fillings. i haven't seen this kind of stuff since the 80s! very time consuming and pleasing to my slanted eyes. with that said, all that detail means more labor, which translates to cost, which with everything said and done gets passed to the guest. i always thought that royal garden reigned king of prices, until i saw plates here for over $4. wow. not that it stopped me from ordering enough to fill a 4 top table for just me and my partner. i think it came out to $70 (including tax and tip) for 2 people and some leftovers for lunch for one. service was efficient and brisk, as we arrived at 9:45 and they close at 10. checked off a bunch of dim sum, they had xiao long bao (soup dumplings) so i got them. $8. not bad, probably the best i've had in honolulu (still haven't had ming's), but not the best ever. the first few i had had enough broth in them, but as they cooled the meat seemed to re-absorb it. also now that i think about it, some items didn't seem hot enough. but i was starving and didn't care. they have a lot of different items than the other places too, which was a nice change of pace. i need to go back and eat other things, maybe i'll bring more people. I will give this 4 stars for being open late (unless it's sunday) and any late night food options are a gift from the heavens in my book.
(4)
Danny K.

I guess I was expecting some special kind of dim sum restaurant. My friend really wanted to go here so we went out of our way to dine at Panda. When we arrived I was disappointed in the rude service we got. The man at the front desk kept getting preoccupied. When we were finally seated the waiter was not friendly and definitely not helpful (he's pretty much there to just take your order, bring your dishes, and refill your water glass). I will admit the dim sum tasted a little better then what I was use to in the bay area. We ordered a variety of dishes but there wasn't anything you wouldn't find in any other dim sum restaurant. I guess one notable thing about this place is that it's open after hours (I believe until 1AM) and they serve dim sum pretty much all day.
(3)
Jan K.

I miss the old panda cuisine with dim sum. This place is lacking in service but more importantly quality of food?!? Their "complimentary" soup tastes like dirty sock water... Their black bean sauce is overloaded w cornstarch with no real flavor.. Their eggplant which is supposed to be spicy was SWEET!!? So disappointed. People excuse food quality because its cheap... I know tons of places with quality food that cost about the same as this hell hole.
(2)
Jason S.

Surprisingly good for Chinese food, came late to lunch, so I just ate what the rest of my party order... Will come back if I actually want chinese!
(4)
zia s.

first dim sum in Hawaii . . . and omg . . . DELICIOUS!! We ordered just about everything shrimp that they had to offer, plus a few others, and EVERYTHING was PERFECT. Ended with the sweet sesame buns with the red bean paste . . .yum. I am now incredibly full, but it was worth it. We'll be back!!!
(5)
Deanthony N.

Mmmm just went here recently with a friend. Ironically I've been to numerous dimsum places and I've been here the least. I have to say that this place is pretty good! So about the food, I got my regular stuff (har gao, shumai, charsiu bao, fried taro, etc) and I like that the items given to me were from the ACTUAL cart or warm at not from the side (I went to Good Luck once and the charsiu bao they gave me looked "leftover") so I was glad. I also liked that they don't mark your paper until you actually get the food (another story, one time I made a couple of orders at another dimsum place, and they didn't even bring some of the dishes and they were about to charge us). Taste wise, I'm not too picky, but everything tasted good and I liked that nothing was too oily or greasy. Price wise, it is more pricey compared to Chinatown, but considering the ambiance, service, location, and quality it's reasonable. And I like how it's open late so if you're craving dimsum or Chinese food, go here. I also thought it was nice that the guy cashier went all the way downstairs to the parking lot to give us our parking ticket because we forgot it, and luckily he wasn't grouchy about it.
(4)
Jaymi G.

My bf and I love dim sum. We came here for the first time today and were disappointed. They gave us menus and tea but after that everything we needed we had to ask for. We asked for water, shoyu dishes, hot mustard. I ordered the spring roll, took a bite into it an it was not hot. It tasted room temp so I asked them to warm it up. They took it in the back for 'literally' a min and brought it back out, it was the same temp... Finally I told them I just didn't want it and was not going to pay for it. No apologies, just a blank stare and an ok. Quite rude, as I am a server myself. I also ordered the steamed seafood wrap and I felt it was more soggy than it was supposed to be. I doubt we will return.
(1)
Rekinhsuf Z.

Horrible food and horrible service. All told, our party ordered $275 worth of various items (lobster, abalone, vegetables, pork, soup, fried rice, etc.). The dishes were brought out literally within five minutes of each other. The table was full of food, and with no space for coming dishes, I heard the waiter utter "DDIU" (basically means WTF in Cantonese) and then say "You guys order a lot, yeah?" The new ownership is a disgrace to the Panda Cuisine name and should get ready to close down already. Fire your cooks, train your wait staff, ...do SOMETHING! In fact, I put money on it that the place either ends up shutting down or becoming a complete shit restaurant. You pick.
(1)
First Name L.

Where else can you get Dim Sum til 1am?? Well, I had that strange craving and dropped on in. It was nice and cool in there, clean as usual, friendly, and priced fairly. We had all the usual dim sum options and it all tasted good but not great. It was missing that home made touch that I remember from San Francisco restaurants. Overall though, if you have the craving for Dim Sum at 1am, you know where to go.
(3)
Ely Y.

My wife and I have been coming here off & on for a few years now though it looks like the management looks different now, but their service is still great, we went for lunch and were seated immediately and were served within a reasonable time, when we walked in it wasn't busy but by the time we left it was full, there was a line waiting to be seated so their wait time was probably long, as for the food it was excellent ! when you order the dim sum it comes straight out of the kitchen not like some other dim sum restaurants which the food are on warmers, we also ordered the Lobster dish , after we ordered it the waitress went straight to the holding tank and and took out a live lobster, boy you can't get any fresher than that ! a great place and we'll be back again soon and next time for the crab !
(5)
carol W.

I think the dim sum is good comapre to other chinese resturant in Hawaii, but I would suggest serious Chinese foodies to the China town cultural center for better dim sum. It's not bad here, don't get me wrong, but just something better in another place. however, this place have free parking and close to waikiki which make it a very big plus. If you ever envy some dim sum after a aday of shopping at Ala, this is the place to go
(3)
Doris B.

Very mehhhh. Food was okay, nothing extraordinary. Service kinda sucks, had to wait for water. We went here because we were in the area... I should have gone to Lobster King... Or L&L.
(2)
Nathan N.

I'm pretty impressed with Panda Cuisine. The decor is upscale. The service is great. The food is tasty. And the prices are good. Oh and the best part....they aren't trying to push the chicken feet. Yuck! Good job.
(4)
Ray M.

It was our first time back since they renovated and were shocked to find out that not only the owners changed, but that there was no more dim sum! But we decided to try it out anyways. The atmosphere was familiar with a few slight changes. The wait staff was different and some new fish tanks in the front of the restaurant showcasing their featured lobsters. The food came out fast, hot, and fresh. And most importantly, it tasted great. We had the kun-shin-sai stir-fried with garlic sauce, seafood noodles, and (since I'm a fan of trying new things) duck tongues. The seafood was cooked perfectly and the the flavoring/seasoning was done well. Just be careful for the duck tongues; they tasted good, like how duck is supposed to taste, but they have an inedible bony base. The only reason I gave 4 stars was because of the service, which was actually overall good. It's just that most of the staff didn't speak English very well (some maybe not at all) and there was a lack of friendliness or sincerity which I often encounter quite often in Chinese restaurants. But everyone seemed to be hard at work.
(4)
S D.

Food is ok... Service is less than mediocre. Very biased on race. Cater more to Chinese, than locals that are not chinese.
(3)
Scott K.

Dim Sum! 10pm...yes late night dim sum. I think this is the only place you can get it on the island at this hour of the night. You must try the chicken feet which I thought wouldnt taste good but did. The shrimp ball with the MAYO sauce is winners. I love Mayo so I use that sauce for everything! hahaa Im known to order alot of food.....so the table never has enough space.
(4)
Billy W.

Came here a few times for lunch. Their popular special is order any entree for $8 and you get soup and rice, I think it's a pretty good deal. Their service is still kind of lacking at times, but way better than my dinner visit. The food was good, I like their steamed black bean oysters! Definitely give this place a try during lunch and hope you beat the lunch crowd.
(3)
Heather N.

Worst place I've ever eaten in my entire life. Worst customer service. Still FOBS. And they totally laughed and were talking about us in freaking Chinese! Don't give adequate answers, just nod in response. Food was inedible. They brought it out and we took one bite and couldn't eat it. We complained and they said and did nothing. we paid way too much for a terrible experience.
(1)
Stefani C.

Excellent fine dining Chinese restaurant. The dim sum cart at lunch hour is delicious and so are the noodles. The noodles that Panda Cuisine use are the fine/thin ones so it isn't as starchy. Delicious & Tasty! Don't forget the Mango Pudding....yummmy, perfect ending!
(5)
Ann C.

Hey pals, just wanna let you know that we planned to have a lunch here today, but it's close bc of renovation from 12/01/11 to 01/02/2012. Don't run for nothing =P
(4)
TH N.

It is clean here as compared to other dim sum places downtown, but it is a bit more pricey. I enjoyed dim sum here. Living in MD now makes me miss these dim sum places in HI so much. Dim sum restaurants suck big time around here.
(4)
Lai T.

Like variety? How about 72 lunch special options? I'd never been to the old Panda Cuisine, but what I can tell you about the new Panda Cuisine is that I think the food is quite decent. It isn't my mom's home cooking, but the dishes offered in the lunch specials (11 AM to 5 PM) are what I'd probably eat while out for lunch with my parents. I'd compare it to Sam Woo in California. Quick, convenient, Chinese food that isn't Panda Express. My bf and I came by around 1 PM and the place was not crowded. Initially, we ordered the Braised E-Fu Noodle and the Fish Fillet with Black Bean Sauce, but then we found ourselves ordering a lobster plate as well ($10.99) when the waiter brought it by another table. It was just too tempting! The lunch special plates come with soup and steamed rice. Both are pretty standard. The soup was a plain broth which reminded me of the peanut soup my mom makes (sans peanuts, carrots, and meat). We both really enjoyed the fish fillet. My bf kept asking me if I wanted some fish, which I thought was funny...until I realized that he was emptying the plate each time he was asking me. The noodles were similar to E-Fu or Yi Mein was a very generous portion. It had some sprinkles of mushroom with the noodles. And the lobster was a perfect dish to share between the two of us. For the most part, the lobster meat was easy to take out and before we even asked for wet naps, a waitress brought us a bowl of water with lemons in it to rinse our hands. Also, she brought us extra plates so that we could switch out our post lobster plates...without even being asked. I would definitely come here again! Dining here reminded me of family dinners I used to have at home. The lunch special dishes are generous and I appreciate the fact that they don't charge you per person for rice (something which I never understood at Chinese restaurants). Our waiter was fluent in Chinese and English and he was a very nice. Lunch for the two of us was under $30 and we had leftovers to bring home! A note on parking: They'll validate your ticket and it is a $1 for the first hour. If you come for dinner, they'll validate your ticket and it is free. Also, it is about 2 blocks away from Ala Moana Shopping Center so if you're at/near the mall and craving Chinese food, you can take advantage of the lunch special ;) I'm not sure if they have it running during the weekends, though.
(4)
Jill B.

This is, by far, my favorite dim sum restaurant in Hawaii. The food is tasty and pretty authentic. Last year, for my birthday, myself and about 6 of my friends had a dim sum Sunday lunch here. It was exquisite. Not only is the restaurant clean and pretty, the food is excellent though... err.... competitively priced. One of the more expensive dim sum restaurants, I think it's almost worth it's weight on your checkbook. I'd definitely come here again and again and again.....
(5)
Leslie Y.

This place is about the best in Chinese food.....accross the Walmart...easy parking. We ordered everything from crab to vegetables.....not bad considering all the food we have tried in Chinatown.... Its not located in Chinatown but very close to the Ala Moana... Owner came by to say hi...service very pleasant...
(4)
Ryan Y.

Enjoy dim sum for lunch. Prices are reasonable. Service is pretty good, depends on how crowded it get. Parking is validated but still have to pay $1.00.
(5)
Russel M.

This Review is about the NEW PANDA CUISINE (1-1-2012). I have to admit I was Heart Broken when PC changed ownership and discontinued Dim Sum. The Good News is they have transformed into a Seafood Chinese Restaurant which is really good! We enjoyed 10 different dishes today and WOW! Don't miss this new place with a old name.
(5)
Sheri D.

Maybe it's the Chinese in me but I absolutely LOVE dimsum! I love how it looks and tastes and I love how most of the dishes are made either out of pork or shrimp but yet each dish manages to taste different from one another. Even though I usually end up in some type of dimsum food coma, I'm always up to try new places for dimsum. I. just. LOVE. dimsum. (insert happy dimsum dance here) I heard about Panda Cuisine from the bf who raves about it...so we finally got a chance to try it out this past Chinese New Year for lunch with some friends. This place is not only conveniently located in town but it also serves great, solid dimsum! Their dishes were very flavorful and not oily or salty at all unlike some dimsum places. I get excited just thinking about those little carts filled with some heavenly dumpling goodness! We ordered the usual fare: siu mai, har-gow, spare-ribs, chive dumplings, tripe, chicken feet, etc.... all of which were delicious! Seeing as it was Chinese New Year, we also ordered "special" items such as their house pan fried noodle and three small bowls of sharks fin soup...sooooo good! The restaurant itself is clean and the service isn't bad. I like that they were right on top of refilling our water glasses and clearing our empty dishes. Prices were also on the higher side but it's really not so bad since it's right in town and you don't have to go all the way to Chinatown to deal with the usual hassle. The only down side? The food induced coma you experience afterwards from all its yummy, delectable goodness. I don't care though. I'll gladly go through it again just to go back to Panda Cuisine. YUMMY!
(5)
Belle B.

It's great how there is a large variety of Cantonese resturants in Honolulu - I'm from the San Gabriel Valley in California where you can find a wide variety of Chinese restaurants from all the different regions and areas of China. The good Cantonese restaurants in the LA area are not always the easiest to find in the crowd. I wish I could properly relay the conversation with my husband's aunt about the "new" Panda restaurant. There was also some confusion in the translation from Cantonese to English (I guess the Chinese name doesn't translate directly). What I remember most about my dining experience here is LOBSTER, LOBSTER, LOBSTER. I don't know exactly how many lobsters we actually had, but I know they were prepared about 3 different ways. We also had crispy fried fish, beef chow fun dry, tripe, chicken chow mein and fish with black bean sauce. I think there might have been a few other dishes thrown in there somewhere but it was hard to tell. We had a large party of hungry men so lunch looked like mealtime for the piranas in the Amazon. Looking around at the other tables at the restaurant it appears that lobster and fried fish are the preferred dishes. It seemed like EVERY table had them. In general... good food, good service, good company.
(3)
Tracy M.

Seriously? A dim sum place open till 1 am??? OMG i've died and gone to heaven. I am a HUGE fan of dim sum and this place rocks! Normally, when I go get dim sum, the servers are super inattentive and don't refill water or have any personality whatsoever. Panda cuisine, though, the servers are ON IT! My water did not empty once. We over-ordered, as I usually do, but it was still a cheap bill! All of the food was amazing. The mustard was a little watery, but I'll let that slide this time. I am such a fan of the food, but i seriously just order off the pictures and never remember what anything is called. I love panda cuisine and can't wait to go back!
(5)
Mei-Lan C.

they have dim sum again . we came and ordered a few items. the selection is very big and the have pictures of all the dim sum. the taste of some dishes are not there yet, need a little more improvement. it's a good alternative if you don't want to go all the way to chinatown. most of the dim sum cost around 2.95 $ and 3.50 $
(3)
John N.

Panda Cuisine has been for a few months under a different ownership. Gone are the succulent dim sum at all hours in a day and now it is just a "Seafood Chinese Restaurant that has a Lobster Special". Yep, one of those Lobsters on special places. But peel that back and you will see that this restaurant has hidden gems such as a fabulous lunch special where for $7.99 an order you can enjoy its vast lunch menu. Taking the tips from other Yelpers, we ordered the sweet sour pork and deep fried whole fish. It comes with a bucket of rice and soup. A steal for this price. Panda Cuisine has their own parking lot underneath where depending on the hour, you will have to validate. For those who want a simple yet comfortable dining experience, this place is a gem. 100 Reviews, 1 Day 55/100 January 12, 2013
(4)
Connie M.

My family and I had dinner here the other night. I was pleasantly surprised by the decor inside since its facade isn't that great. Lobster here is super cheap, so we ordered two. Along with that, we had the honey spareribs, roast pork & tofu clay pot and white rice. A lot of the tables surrounding us were either local Cantonese-speaking people or Japanese tourists. There was a Chinese waiter who spoke fluent Japanese, which was pretty cool! When we first sat down, our waiter poured our hot tea. He noticed one of the cups was dirty, so he promptly changed it. Food wise- the lobsters were cooked with diced onions. Sadly, the onions were a bit too raw; it would've tasted better if the onions were caramelized. Portion wise, it was adequate. The honey spareribs also had onions that weren't cook throughly enough. The chops of meat were also too large, so it was difficult to eat. My favorite was the clay pot. Generous chucks of fatty roast pork, succulent mushrooms, and puffy tofu all came together in this stand out dish. I'll probably visit again, but I can't say this is my favorite Chinese restaurant.
(4)
Dave F.

At first thought, I mistakenly confused Panda Cuisine as being connected to the fast food Panda... That automatically left doubts in my mind about this possibly being a traditional Chinese restaurant. Well, my doubts were soon quelled when we arrived at the restaurant. Upon entering the restaurant, there are a couple rows of tanks displaying the various types of seafood being offered for dinner. I saw dungeness crab, lobster, clams and sunfish. There is also a bar to your right for your alcoholic beverage cravings! Upon being seated, I immediately ordered a cold Heineken and a glass of water. A menu was given to us and also a separate one describing the house specials. My companion and I decided on the dungeness crab prepared spicy, the house special noodles which were Hong Kong type prepared cake noodle style, bok choy with oyster sauce and an unusual dish called crispy char siu. After they take your order, they bring you the crab, still moving in a bowl to see if you accept it. After you ok it, well, you know what happens... When it arrived prepared table side, I couldn't help but think that ten minutes earlier it was in it's cozy tank hanging with the rest of the crabs! The crab was good, but I am not one who has the patience, nor for that matter, the skill to eat a crab of that size. I guess I'm spoiled having one extra large Alaskan King Crab leg! As for the other dishes, the noodles were quite tasty and were prepared with an assortment of seafood such as, squid, white fish, baby octopus, and shrimp. The dish I particularly enjoyed was the crispy char siu. It actually looks like roast pork, but tastes like char siu. It is delicately crispy on top, not crunchy, just that light crispness. It was good! The service was good, but one thing weirded me out and that was the waiter. As soon as we were seated, this waiter just hung around, almost like a butler, waiting for you to give him his orders. I felt somewhat rushed and maybe I ordered without fully looking over the menu. I mean, he kept glancing over at us and I felt uncomfortable. Go figure... It got quite busy after awhile, mostly with Chinese customers, a great indicator of the quality of the food served. I mean, if it weren't good, would they still come to dine here? Me thinks not! Aside from the waiter, I feel this was a good choice to have a nice Chinese seafood style dinner. Try the crispy char siu, it was good!
(4)
e m.

So we went for the dim sum without realizing its only available certain hours then debated about whether to stay, so glad we did. Salt & pepper asparagus & prawns - yes. Very fresh and cooked perfectly, best dish we got. We also got a chicken dish I can't recall the name, bell peppers, onions and a delicious sauce with just the right amount of heat. Eggplant with pickled pork, decent. Didn't really know what to expect anyway with that one, probably wouldn't order again but nice to try something different, Service was nice, very pleasant experience overall.
(4)
Steven L.

Decent dim sum selections compared to dim sum from the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles. Panda Cuisine will definitely help curve your dim sum cravings. For dim sum, it is one of the better offerings in Honolulu. The staff also speaks cantonese so you know they are pretty legit. They offer most of the standard dim sum items like sui mai and hai gow. They also offer char sui bao both steam and baked which is nice. Service is fast and friendly. a bit pricey but hey, your in Waikiki. Free parking with validation from restaurant.
(4)
Kirk W.

Came to Panda looking for dim sum. No more dim sum but $9.99 lobster and $7.99 lunch special. Looks like they are competing against Lobster King. Crowded with 15 min wait. Service is ok but need to get their attention if you want something. They don't come to you. Food came out fast but was nothing special. Order the house fried noodles, roast duck and lobster black bean style. Noodles was okay but not much taste and bok choy was in large chunks making eating difficult. The roast duck was a large order but skin was not crispy and duck was very fatty. Overall there was no taste and lots of grease as my shirt will attest to. Lobster in black bean sauce came with a decided lack of black beans, sauce and taste. Best I could say is that the lobster was fresh. Come at your own risk. Lower expectations will be good.
(3)
Elbert K.

General Idea: Dim sum and chinese food. Simple menu with ladies pushing the carts. Not sure if they cart it all day. Pros: Dim sum come get some. Dim sum is pretty good in general, but finding a place with good dim sum is something special. Get the ribs in black bean sauce, a staple of good dim sum. Cons: I wish they would leave hot sauce on the table, but they don't. Basically digging for something to add here. Tricks of the Trade: This place is open 7 days a week from 11 to 2 am.
(5)
CingCing J.

I love dim sum, and they have good dim sum here. they are the few ones that offer dim sum at night time. so I like eating here, besides it's clean. and service is very good. I also tried their other dishes (chinese food) hum.. yummy!
(4)
Jing H.

Started yesterday, tuesday, Feb. 5, Dim sum back, special lunch deals are gone.
(4)
Jonathan N.

first time here since they changed ownership...food is great...lunch specials for 7.99 a dish is really a great deal.
(4)
Liz T.

While I'm loyal to the dim sum at Legend ( yelp.com/biz/legend-seafâ€¦ ), I decided to go to Panda Cuisine this past Sunday because of the rave reviews. The restaurant is incredibly clean--a world away from Chinatown--and the service was prompt albeit on the pushy side. My boyfriend and I stuffed ourselves silly with har gau, siu mai, look fun, taro puffs, and fried wontons. Everything was yummy--I liked the tiny but unique touches such as the bamboo shoots in the har gau and green onion in the wonton. I still think Legend's food is better and the selection wider, though--it's all about small things like a thicker skin on the har gau and softer shrimp in the look fun. I was surprised at how empty Panda Cuisine was at peak time--just a third of the tables were occupied. Actually, the dim sum is expensive... $3.50 for one of the small steamer baskets. It's a dollar less at most places, which doesn't seem like much but adds up if you eat more than a supermodel. I've also had dinner here and while the food is delicious, it's similarly overpriced like dim sum. The service was excellent, though--and not just for a Chinese restaurant. Give it a shot if you don't want to weather the lines, bums, and smells of Honolulu's Chinatown.
(3)
Anita L.

I think we finally found a 5-star dim sum restaurant in Honolulu. We've heard many good things about this place but never made it there until today. From the outside, it looks rather inconspicuous, but when you walk through the glass doors, you are immediately greeted by the nice interior of the restaurant and the warmth of the owner. We were seated quickly and although the trolley of dim sum baskets was promptly pushed towards us, it took forever to get our pot of tea and glasses of water (and we had asked several times too). The dim sum selection was good and the quality of each morsel was even better. Everything was superb and in the class of Harbor Village in San Francisco. I was thrilled to find this place! Naturally, with fabulous quality comes a price tag along with it. Although it wasn't as pricey as Shanghai Bistro in Waikiki, Panda Cuisine serves up far more tasty dim sum and it is authentic at that! Service can improve some as one of the waitresses was rather rude when I asked her several times for our tea. Still, with that aside, the entire dim sum experience was THE best we've had on the island! They have validated parking under the building for that added convenience, but we just parked across the street at the Walmart/Sam's Club parking structure.
(5)
Shay F.

Another place I like to go for dim sum....not as great as the one in the Ala Moana hotel...but I still like it here. =o)
(4)
Lauren S.

I've had this Dim Sum craving long enough. I had to put an end to it once and for all. My friend suggested this place since it was dinner time. I have to say it was pretty good! We ordered an ample amount of dim sum, but I was sad that they didn't give us hot mustard or chili sauce to go with it. Maybe I should have asked? Oh well. The servers were very friendly and our glasses were filled with water at all times. They allow you to order your dim sum by writing it on an order sheet they have there for you. It's much easier than trying to pick out what you want in a cart or try to order from a chinese waitress who doesn't understand half of what you are saying. Overall, this place satisfied my dim sum craving, but it is more on the expensive side.
(4)
Gunther W.

I went here on Sunday evening and I really enjoyed my meal. The only bad thing was the service was slow since there was a big party in the back room with ~20 people. Their best dish was the fried shrimp with the mayo sauce which is a little sweet but just YUM!!! The beef chow fun was also very tasty. I have been here a handful of times and it has always been good. I will give them a pass on the slow service since it has always been good otherwise.
(4)
Angel H.

This is the first time that we had been back since the new owners took over. I was glad to see that they kept the old crew. Service was OK. They weren't overly friendly and always seemed in a rush. They did come around to fill the water glasses and tea pot. I am fluent in Cantonese, so maybe that helped. We ordered capitol pork chops, sweet and sour fish fillets, ginger onion crab and salted fish and chicken fried rice. They were all good and tasted like how all the other Chinese restaurants make them. However, the portions were small. The crab was tiny. I think it was because they were running a special for the crab for $14.99.
(3)
Consuela P.

The choices were plentiful, tasted ohhh so ono (delicious!) as I ate my favorites - steamed shrimp dumplings (ha gow), steamed minced pork dumplings (sui my), steamed roast pork buns (cha siu pao), steamed baby pork ribs (see jup pai guat), steamed Mochi rice in Lotus leaf (lo mai gai), 3 mini egg tarts and deep fried shrimp with mayonnaise but the service was a little too slow. The full pot of chinese tea kept me going but the carts (which had the FOOD) didn't seem to be wheeled towards my table and just waiting for it to come by kinda made me do a little hissy-fit! Next time around, must choose a table that is smack right in the middle of the restaurant so the flow of food will not end and am able to eat until I can't get up and need to waddle out of the restaurant! Overall, the food was good; but the service receives a thumbs down!
(4)
Panda K.

Food was good enough. Service was terrible. They charged tip automatically even though there were only 4 of us and we told them we would decide tip amount by ourselves when we saw their "suggested tip" was on the bill.
(2)
Tessa t.

dim sum makes my tummy smile :) i love this dim sum spot because they serve dim sum relatively late....1am? i think... they make it to order so its ALWAYS fresh! they have one of the most fantastic seafood bean curd, chicken feet, and shrimp and chive half moons EVER!!!
(4)
Jennifer D.

Ma ma hu hu. Clean and spacious, but unmemorable.
(2)
Augusto D.

Not as good as Mei Sum Dim Sum in Chinatown, but still satisfied with the taste.
(4)
Sasha Y.

we had dinner here last Friday when my parents in law from Kauai visited us,we ordered ginger garlic lobster,Mongolian beef, steamed eggplant w/minced pork,seafood chow fun and 4 bowls of rice,it was a standard Chinese meal you can get on this island,pricing was average,service could be better,I would be happier if they gave me a bigger plate on which I put my food,maybe some wooden chop sticks instead of the plastic one which was really slippery and made my eating kind of mission impossible! also I would appreciate if the waiters and waitresses could come help us change the plate more frequently while we ate lobster instead of just watching us make a mess with our greasy hands!I prefer Fook Yuen, Lobster King or Yee Hong Pavilion.
(2)
Ahjeck K.

Keep in mind that this place is no longer the same 'Panda Cuisine' that it once was. There is a new owner in town and most importantly, new chefs in the kitchen. This 'New Panda Cuisine' is no longer my favorite place. In fact, I no longer recommend this place because you can definitely find better. I come here only for dinner; never tried their lunch.
(3)
Brandon B.

I've only eaten here during the night time since it closes pretty late. The dining area is neat and tidy and the service is usually good. The menu offers a decent array of Chinese dishes ranging from average restaurant prices for the usual suspects like chicken and rocket high prices when it starts coming down to the pricey items like seafood. At least the quality of the food is pretty high as the price tag indicates. The most notable thing about Panda Cuisine is that they offer a large dim sum selection for dinner, which is an instant hit for those night people to fill their cravings for dim sum. The dim sum is slight priced a bit more than other places, but that's the price you pay for having it around the clock. Panda Cuisine is a strong, fancy Chinese restaurant in its own right, but it's better known as a dim sum lover's paradise.
(4)
Andy D.

Late night dim sum rocks. So many times I'm craving dim sum at 10 pm, so its good to know that this place exists. Just the fact that its open until 1 am gets it an extra star. Thanks yelp! Onto the food: The prices are a little high, especially in comparison to some other places in town. I think that the dim sum makes up for it though. I got a few dishes, including mochi rice, pot stickers, xiao long bao, and turnip cakes. The mochi rice and xiao long bao were as good if not better than any place I've ever eaten including bay area restaurants! (I'm tired of bay area people bragging about their dim sum) The potstickers were decent, but they were browned on all sides so it was too crispy. Also the skin was inconsistent: thin in some places, thick in others. The turnip cakes were fried well, but had a really off-putting fishy taste.
(4)
Boki C.

i'm lived in hk for 12 years, so i think i know what pretty good dim sum is. and this is it! it's as authentic as it gets in north america. the stuff isn't as oily as you would expect @ a chinese restaurant. prices are good. portions are good. taste - uuuberlicious. reminds me of home & makes me happy! outside looks kinda sketchy, inside looks good! "ho may do!"
(5)
R.G. W.

Had dim sum here with my folks today. We arrived early, around 10:45. All of the dim sum was served lukewarm; none of it steaming hot. They had all the standard stuff: siu mai, har gow, look funn, mochi rice pouch, taro gok, egg custard, lo bo gao, the steamed hu jook roll, etc. But nothing really inventive or different. Wish they had xiao long bao, soybean milk, lion's head, etc--yeah, I know that's not Canto dimsum, but the variety would have been nice.
(3)
A C.

I like the late hours and the dim sum. Very good. Friendly service too.
(4)
Angel L.

Just eaten here today for lunch for the first time, my bf & I thought it was okay it's not that great! Their clientel is more chinese tourist from China when you first look at everybody else in the restaurant. What I like about is the certain Dim Sum like Har Gow, shrimp dumpling, char siu bao, and mango dessert! When you come out is about $18 per head. They were pretty good pouring us water consistently! I was quite happy about that and the carts kept coming around:) The only thing that I wished was the food was better.
(3)
Linda K.

Having lived in the Bay Area and used to eating great dim sum; I say this place rates right up there with those. Dim Sum seemed hot and fresh though I did notice the carts were stationary for a while. It wasn't too expensive either. We paid around $22 for 2 people and got about 4 medium items, 1 small, and 1 large. All the stuff from the steamed cart is great! Decided to try this place after I was too afraid to try Happy Garden after another yelper said they found a roach in their dumplings. One downside; a bathroom that's not in the restaurant itself but out in the hall of the building. Have to hassle with bathroom keys... I'll be back though, I'll just use the bathroom before I get here.
(4)
Hawaiian M.

On Sunday, dim sum servings began 2 min after being seated. Excellent taste w more than 3 dips: mustard, vinegar, hot, fish sauce. Stomach's full after $21 incl tax. Underground parking $1. Shopped at Ross's afterward.
(4)
Hazel T.

Best pork dumpling ever! Try their steamed egg custard bun for desert, amazing! Fried bacon seafood roll taste so yummy! This place is a bit pricey, but worth it lol. The food is good, but not the best customer service.
(4)
Matt R.

Panda, one of our favorite restaurants in Honolulu, is currently closed for remodeling, and is likely to open in January. Not certain as to whether restaurant will change on reopening. Daniel, the owner, said he is going to open a new restaurant (Mixed Asian) on Beretania.
(4)
Yu T.

I agree with many of Yelp reviewers. This is one of the best dim sum restaurants in Honolulu. Originally, I mixed up with Panda Express. It is located across from the Honolulu Wal-Mart. If you are around this area and feel like having dim sum, this is the place to go.
(4)
Alyssa K.

I love this place! The owner used to be a HK superstar I think. He's very friendly. The staff is nice too. yum yum! I think their website has coupons too: pandacuisinehawaii.com
(5)
Stella J.

i would say that the dim sum here is a 3.5 stars the service was good, and the chicken feet was good, so was the rest of everything else we ordered. the egg custard wasn't too good, i have had better.
(3)
HY L.

Panda Cuisine is the best dim sum restaurant in Honolulu. When comparing with other dim sum restaurants the quality is far superior. I used to go to China House at Ala Moana but it closed. Panda has a higher quality of fillings and wrappers. The Shanghai dumplings are far superior too. And the price is almost the same. If you don't believe me, do a taste test just like I did.
(5)
Lisa C.

Poor service. The dinner plates were the size of little saucers. The cashew chicken and Kung pao beef had ample pieces of meat in them without a lot of extra fillers which was nice Minced pork dim sum was not very good. The restroom is outside down the hall that is shared with other tenants of the building and you need to bring a key tied to a big wooden stick. Just like in some gas stations! Would not go again.
(2)
Lyn N.

It's Sunday and what are we looking to eat for brunch food????...DIM SUM! We got a few recommendations to try this place out and referred to YELP to see what people have to say and oh my, I'm a fan! Right across from Walmart on Keeaumoku Street we is this little tiny plaza. From the outside, it looked like business was closed and there is a parking garage underneath the plaza where you pay just $1 for unlimited parking time. When we walked in, we were greeted by a smiling host who was very friendly and immediately led us to our table. The cart ladies came up as they usually do and picked our choices. We loved the chicken wings (OMG SO TASTY), shrimp and pork dumplings, chinese broccoli with oyster sauce, bbq pork buns, and this bamboo wrapped rice with chicken - that was ok but we left very happy and satisfied with our meal. We paid including tax $40 with odd change. I wish the cart ladies came around more often - I guess b/c the other banquet rooms were most busy than ours, they attended to them more. Over all the experience was pleasing. The restaurant itself was really nice and very spacious inside. You can tell the restaurant throws banquet parties so this is not a hole in the wall kind of place. Fast, efficient, and friendly service from staff and waitresses. I highly recommend this place and will return with friends and family the next time we're in town.
(4)
Norman H.

Best dim sum on the island. Nice atmosphere which is complimented by great service and excellent food. My wife and I make it down here about once a month. All the standard items (Har Gow, turnip cake, beef look-fun, ect...) are done quite well and are very consistent from visit to visit. Pricing is a little higher than would you will find in chinatown proper but the service alone is worth the difference. They will also bust out a few specialty items (scallops wrapped in bacon then deep fried anyone?). If planning to visit on a sunday I suggest getting there around 11am, 30min after they have started which gives them time to get all the food up but before the rush which starts around noon.
(5)
Karen H.

Have gone here a couple of times but was not too impressed with the food -- went once for dim sum on a Friday night and since you place your order with the server, the food was freshly prepared and hot -- the room is much nicer than you'll find in most Chinese restaurants and it was quiet --
(3)
Rebecca N.

Disappointing. Food was just ok. Service was lacking. The carts didn't come around to the back where we were seated so we left still somewhat hungry.
(2)
Jen W.

Pretty solid dim sum. The only problem was service was a little slow, we did have to ask for water three times before it came.
(4)
H K.

food was good. service is bad. waiter only changed plate for a couple of people on our table. no water refill. when we tried to flag down a waiter for the bill, he ignored us and acted like he didn't see us. but paid ALOT of attention to the table drinking expensive liquor. we had to yell to get his attention. same thing when we held the bill in the air to get him to take the payment. the only good employee was a junior waiter who brought more tea, remembered the free dessert (we had a coupon), and was very personable. we wanted to tip only him.
(2)
Andy F.

What happened here? Panda Cuisine was good! It had good food and dim sum, and decent service. According to a few of the recent reviews for this place, there are new owners, again? Hm! Well, it appears the head chef and cooks, and a sense of overall happiness is gone as well. The most obvious thing that's gone is the dim sum chef as Panda Cuisine has discontinued serving Dim Sum and has reverted back to the $7.99 Lunch Specials with a new, condensed menu that comes with rice and soup. The servers and FOH manager are still the same people, but wow....the service is AWFUL. It felt like nobody wanted to be there, or cared to be there, with the exception of one lady. After we sat down, we waited forever to even be noticed. It was until this nice lady brought over soup for us. We told her we haven't even ordered anything yet. She was surprised, and she immediately walked over to grab an order form and took our order. We got the Steamed Pork Spareribs and Beef Chow Funn (wet). Since the bowl of soup was there already, we had that first. It was your basic pork bone soup, and it was actually very good. Clean and clear with a nice balance of sweet and savory from the carrots and pork bones. Sad to say, that was the peak of the meal, and the fall from it is a steep, steep drop. The Beef Chow Funn came out very fast--TOO fast. The beef wasn't even cooked all the way through because it was super chewy. The Look Funn was still clumped together. The taste was very bland--severely lacked salt and flavor. There was also a severe lack of wok heat. This may have been the worst Beef Chow Funn I've ever had! The Steamed Pork Spareribs took so long to come out that I wanted to just cancel it, pay the bill, and leave. But we waited. We should have left... When it arrived at the table, it looked like a macabre massacre. I immediately knew why it took so long. The cooks just wanted to over cook the bejesus out of it. The meat was tough, oily, and only tasted of salt. It was just awful. Panda Express has better food than here! And it doesn't even cook real Chinese food! You lost me, Panda Cuisine. You lost me, forever. Change your name because you're demeaning and degrading Pandas everywhere.
(1)
Linda L.

We were looking forward to having some dim sum for lunch because i've been here few times before and their dim sum was good. Well, no dim sum. Our server didn't care to elaborate on it nor was she a good server at all. She didn't get refill our waters or come to check back on us until we were almost done. I had to walk up to the front desk person to ask for things we needed. I had their beef stew on rice - don't get it! Rice filled half the plate -dry old rice- and the beef had barely any meat on it, all fat! We had poor service. For your time and safety- don't come here! It's a waste of time. Go else where, where the is better service and quality in food.
(1)
Bixby H.

Since I left off, the customer service is downright HORRIBLE! Wait staff is a painful dismay. The menus are tattered, the uniforms are not very presentable. Kissing ass to your regulars don't make it very appealing to the first timers or the non regulars. You don't give snooty answers like we should know. If I could do half a star I would.
(1)
Tony T.

I thought there was no way to mess up Chinese food. But boy was I WRONG!!! On top of that, I always thought Panda Cuisine was a higher class, better quality type of Chinese food. Nope...wrong again! We went there and ordered the most expensive set menu available which was over $400 for a party of ten. One of the main things we were looking forward to was the Bird's Nest soup with shredded chicken. First of all, the soup tasted like water thickened with corn starch. There was hardly any chicken at all....and the bird's nest? What bird's nest??? They could've at least put more chicken in there to disguise he fact that the bird's nest was non-existent. Next was the crab. I don't know how they prepare it, but the consistency of the sauce was like glue. Oh yea and it had pretty much no taste at all. When we complained about the soup, the waitress didn't even look at it. She just said that's how it's supposed to be. I think I would've been more satisfied at Panda Express. AND I would've saved over $400!!! NEVER AGAIN!!! Save your money and go elsewhere!
(1)
Yvette B.

So, after 6 years on island and lots of money spent on Chinese food I think I found it. Everything was tasty and service was amazing. I will continue to eat here! I gave found my Chinese restaurant on island..... YAY. I am happy as can be so is the husband. He says his wife is picky and asked if it met my standards. I said 2 jalapeÃ±os up. He said finally...
(5)
Terry H.

After the closing of Hee Hing we were looking for a new place to call our dim sum home. We grew up on Hee Hing and that's what we use to compare other restaurants. I've had dim sum in San Fransisco, Vancouver and New York. I've heard about the 8-level dim sum building. In China and Taiwan. I've eaten in Hawaii at downtown, legends, China house and others. But I'm still looking for a good place. Parking was plentiful and under the restaurant. Even though they validated, the cost was still $2. Yuck. When you walk in the door you can see all the live seafood. Dungenous. King. Lobster. Abalone. And more.... We chose this place for pre-marathon carb intake. Id say service was not very good and leave it at that. Hot tea was really hot but there was a crack in my water glass. The Dim sum can be had at all hours, but it will be a limited menu. So if you're craving outside of lunch hours or at 1 in the morning , you can still get your dim sum on. Among other things we had dumplings. Fried shrimp. Har gau. Look fun. Noodles. Char siu BAO. Bean curd. Tsumai. Jung. It wasn't bad but I wouldn't come here again. It was 3 stars but I changed my mind on the way out after paying the parking attendant.
(2)
Lyn C.

Cat P and her fiance took us here for Lunar New Year dinner. We had reservations, but still had to wait 30 minutes more than our expected time. Hawaii doesn't quite specialize in Chinese food, but the food here was actually very good. We wanted to try out their special shrimp, but they ran out. Womp womp. Instead we got: Lobster Peking duck Noodles with crab- happy new year! Fried rice with eggs and scallops Eggplant with minced pork The service was good and once we were seated, everything moved along quickly. All the food was very delicious, definitely exceeded my expectations. It was a great dinner and I was glad to spend my new year surrounded by friends.
(4)
Darin O.

Panda Cuisine I love to go to good restaurants that have fish tanks in the open areas. Luckily, theirs is right as you walk in the front door, so you can watch the fish as during dinner time on most nights there is a long wait just to get someone to ask you how many are in your party to be told now how long the wait time is going to be. So I get to watch the fish. It is funny, one waitress ignored the people standing in line near me and climbed up the wall of fish tanks, reached in and grabbed a huge red fish (ok, just wondering how she is able to stay balanced but won't it drip some on the way back?) but that may not have been what she wanted so she put that fish back and climbed up higher on the tanks and pulled out two huge lobster - holding them in 1 hand, and then climbed back down and went on her way. In the tanks, the prawn do not look too happy or active. The lobster look healthy and heavy weighted with large claws which will be good sweet meat. The abalone looked phenomenal. Right now, I'm into ordering scallops - blame the where do we get the best scallops thread and then UYE for it being on my mind. Again, I have always loved scallops. So for something that I can't cook well for myself I can always get the Scallop Basket or the Scallop with Sicuan Style Sauce. I'm able to make sautÃ©ed scallops myself - I know I'm not as good as Panda Cuisine but hey they have other things that I can't cook on their menu that I think are very good. As many know from watching different food network shows, scallops can be hard to cook as the water will come out of the meat and make it dry and unappealing if cooked wrong or too long. Panda Cuisine does cook theirs well and it still has great taste. My friend really likes and usually orders the Salt and Pepper Sea Bass Fillet. I too am a recent fan of the salt and pepper style of cooking Chinese food- especially in the shrimp. So I'll suggest the Salt and Pepper Prawn to him next time to try because it is good too. It showed that both locals and tourists like this place. It was wall to wall full to capacity on normal nights that I have been there. I usually don't mind waiting since I like watching the fish. But be warned- there may be fewer server than really there should be so wait time is kinda big. Still they are doing their best so I don't complain to the servers ever. So let us know when you want to get some really fresh seafood. Do I hear a UYE calling in the new year? Also- it is restaurant week, so I'm trying to review just restaurants until the week is over- trying my best. Let me know if this is good or not.
(4)
Dennis M.

Returned back after a couple of years. Food was good but did not have the opportunity to return. Now live in the area and stopped by. Empty today so need to pick the right evening. Ordered salt and pepper chicken and mapo tofu. Service is the same as in other Chinese restaurant. No smile no friendliness. What can turn do. It is the culture and hard to change. Only see Chinese customers. Hope the taste is good.
(3)
Michelle E.

Just like any other chinese restaurant they let you sit anywhere and they leave a clipboard with a piece of paper for them to fill out on every order you choose. The servers come to your table and offer any dim sum you want on the cart and if you want to order anything from the back. The dim sums are ok I wouldn't say they're the best but they're satisfying if you're craving some dim sum. All I can say is that if you're really hungry make sure you have cash because most of the dim sum like any other chinese restaurant they only come in 3 pcs set and you'll just want to constantly order. So in a way it's good they leave the piece of paper on your table so you can watch your limit lol. The service is ok. I admit they're kind of slow even trying to get their attention takes awhile even when the business is slow.
(3)
Angelina L.

Walked in and was not greeted by the woman at the desk, tried talking to her but gave us the hand and a "wait". Ruuuudeee. Anyways, food was really good! Good enough to forget how rude that lady was! We ordered the Mongolian beef, gai lan with minced pork and cod and tofu casserole. All three dishes were VERY tasty! Mongolian beef was more on the saltier side but it's better than not being salty enough! Definitely coming here again!
(4)
Andrew W.

Waited 20 minutes until we finally had to ask for water. About an hour wait for first plate -- which was oversalted and dissatisfying in portion. They even sent at least three other plates to the same neighbor table. Their kitchen was obviously understaffed. Been to a majority of the Chinese restaurants on this island, this could undoubtedly be one of the worst.
(1)
Elizabeth N.

I've been here twice and don't know why I don't go back. I think it's because the location/parking is too hum bug for my taste. Either way, we went for dim sum and it was good but nothing stood out to me as something I could only get here. They offer the standard stuffs. It's a bit more pricey than my cheaper but consistent Mei Sum and if I want to pay more for dim sum I go to Royal Garden coz at least I get to look at golden dragons and $500 shark fins/mushrooms in a case (and it's good). I feel bad for not saying more about this place but again nothing but the humbug parking stands out to me!
(3)
Tabatha P.

This place has AMAZING food, especially for Chinese. I really enjoy coming here during the day for Dim Sum, bok choy, roast duck, and other delicious goodies. I can eat for under $20 for two people if I budget right, so I always come in here for lunch before I go to work since they are on the same street. Eventually they stop serving dim sum, but they have an excellent dinner menu and live seafood you can order. When you walk in, there are live crabs, clams, and shrimp right there. They really serve it fresh! The service is always polite but they need to speed up a little bit. The place is large for events or birthday parties. I like also that lunch time is quiet. I go there to chill and get peace. The jasmine tea is delicious. My favorite tea, so I feel like I always get a treat when I come in. This is conveniently located by Walmart, Ala Moana mall, and many other places right on Keeaumoku. I am always in this area, so when I crave Chinese, this is my spot.
(5)
Kristine C.

Dim Sum during lunch and during work days? Why not? I've been going to this spot for my dim sum cravings for probably about a couple of years now. I come here for the convenience since it's near my work. I love how fresh the dimsum is however, the customer service was another story and this story is targeted solely on service. Let me tell you my fairy tale. Once upon a time, a group of friends and I happen to have been craving dim sum one day and this spot was the most convenient place in all of the land there was without having to fight for parking like many do in Chinatown. It was during the weekday and it was lunch hour and they weren't busy yet. We were seated and it didn't take too long to get waiter service. We all decided to get separate checks and the main server gave us a tone that was pretty rude. So I figured we will let it slide. We decided on our dim sum selections and our server just rudely grabs the paper from our hands like she was having a fit that she had to even deal with us. Okay, alright.. so that was strike two. During our meal, we over hear her yelling at the busboy in English about not doing something right. I will mark that as extremely rude and unprofessional. So that was strike three. About 20-30 minutes later everyone gets their orders which took a while and I was missing one of the dishes I ordered. Of course I see the servers look at my order to make sure I did order them and truth be told I INDEED ORDERED IT. So she tells me that I did order it (I'm thinking "NO! Really?!?!" Of course I did!!) and asked if I still wanted it. So yes, I still did want it. At this point I was already beyond upset at the service and the lack of attention to detail. My advice for my fellow dim sum enthusiasts, come here for dim sum but expect lack of service and lots of rudeness if you get a server name Lilly. If you don't get her, expect okay service from everyone else. I've been here numerous times and this is based on my past and present experience.
(3)
Lulu C.

Besides looking forward to dim sum and then finding out it was discontinued, everyone enjoyed the food and service. The Lunch Specials were large enough to share family style. Plus, parking for the plaza is only $1 all day on Sundays only. Happy 4-0 Ai Lee!
(4)
Tommy P.

So my family and I had been coming here for many many times for different occasions and our past experiences had been good. We came here on Mother's Day and it was blahhhh. We waited for 10 minutes until someone came and took our order, no drinks on table for at least 20 minutes. When the cold drinks arrived they were in plastic red cups the kind that you use for drinks at party (ok?wtf?) that was first strike. The soup that we ordered came and no spoons, hummmm are we suppose to just slurp it? The waitress then came back with spoons and guess what they were plastic omg strike 2. The foods were pretty good for most part. At the end of our feast, we paid left the tips and out the door. As soon as we walked out the door I saw one waitress came up to the front desk and was complaining to her boss about the tips we left. Then I watched what would happen next, the waitress who brought us plastic spoons and cups had the nerve to tell me that the tips we left were too little omg strike 3. I never said anything because I didn't want to cause a scene but seriously you gave me a bad dinning experience and expect more tips? GO TO HELL!!!! That would be the last time I come to this place.
(2)
Lily S.

This is honestly the first restaurant that I visited twice in a day, since I started Yelping. What can I say? Our friends loved it and now I do too. Everything I've had from lunch to dinner, from fried rice, noodles, soups, congee, stir fries, deep fries, meet, veggies, were all pretty great. With the exception of the sauteed bitter melon with beef which was too average, and the salt & pepper ribs that tasted dubiously more like sweet & sour ribs. I adored the fact that they serve glazed walnuts in a saucer-sized dish as a dinner appetizer. Saved me from having to order Walnut Shrimp just to get a few pieces. I swear there were more than enough pieces in the little dish for the entire table! If I ever visit Honolulu again this will be the default place for Chinese!
(4)
John F.

Panda Cuisine is conveniently located just across Keeamoku St of Wal-Mart. Me rikee dim sum and den sum! My favorite part was that Panda Cuisine has the all important and super helpful PICTURE MENU for those of us that are challenged by the overwhelming choices involved with dim sum. All the food was very good but beware that there are about 15 steps to get to the entrance with no elevator available. Parking is $1 with validation.
(3)
Evie Q.

This place was once really good and had a great vibe. Ever since they changed the owner this place has never been good since. Now days this place serves rude service with a side of bad chinese food. The wait can be extremely long for your food and employees are not tentative to customers.
(1)
Trevor T.

Pretty good stuff! Came here and had the black pepper crab and what was essentially "honey walnut shrimp" - it was called something else (can't recall and not looking at the menu right now), but it was delish! Pretty big fan thus far and actually my first time here, I usually hang a left at the top of the stairs to hit up kiwami ramen, but now I know you can go right and get some tasty sea creatures as well :-)
(4)
Ting Ting L.

This was my first time here and I promised I wouldn't go there anymore. Delicious aspect is their lobster cook very good. Bad side are a lot. 1. There are some tiny insect around our dining area. Then the insect fell down inside the honey walnut shrimp. We said to the sever, they took the plates then back maybe about three minutes. They didn't say sorry at that time. When we finished, there is a lady said sorry. That"s fine. 2. They only only refilled water one time. My brother has to drink my mom"s water. That's fine. 3. When my father wanted to drink tea, he found a dirty tea cup. That's fine. 4. We asked them checks 3 times. That's fine. 5. When we leave the restaurant, they said we have to give them at least 15%. I said no. The host/cashier said you have to. I said we are not tourists, we are living here. You are not supposed to let us tip 15%. She said, "yes, I know, because you are Chinese, so we don't automatically charge you." I said." If you want to charge automatically, you should write down in menu." In America, we have the right to tip whenever The customer want unless there is a rule post in the restaurant:"We automatically charge tips." She said you have to tip 15%. I said the service is not good. She just kept saying that. She also said, if we automatically charge , there is 18%. We go happy, ends up angry. I don't really want to write this review, but me and my family was really angry with it.
(2)
Stella H.

HOLY S****!! THIS PLACE SUCKS! I thought my previous experience here could have be a fluke, so when my guests suggested here, i decided to give this place one more chance. Arrived on a tuesday night with reservations for 7. They were busy, but got sat down right away. Ordered 10 dishes. They all came extremely slowly, one at a time, until the 8th dish. I realized i was missing 2 so i asked the waitress to check on them. Another waitress that actually took our order beforehand, came back with her, and tells use the 2 orders weren't put in. The one that took our order tries to defend herself by saying you we didn't order place those order... She then goes on arguing with my guest whether or not we said the order or not... Seriously?! Every order we make is more money for you? WHY ARE YOU ARGUING? I then ordered 2 cups of water ... Which NEVER came.. & when i asked for the check the waitress asked if we wanted a box... & NEVER bought it.. Why ask, if you werent even going to do it. I understand they were busy, BUT that doesnt mean you basic customer service skills should be lacking. The food here isnt great chinese food. It's extremely basic, i think pandas express could have done better.
(1)
Jasmine N.

Don't confuse Panda Cuisine with Panda Express. Upstairs in the Samsung Building (I think). I would primarily come for dim sum but we heard about some dinner specials. So we decided to check it out. If you order a dish you can get a lobster or crab. The crab I think is $14.99. LIVE dungeoness crab prepared how ever you want it. Salt and peper, black bean, ginger and onion. MMMMMM We decided to get two. Black bean sauce and ginger and green onion. OMG so yums. We also had their scallop soup, fried rice, lemon chicken, and noodles. Everything was so yummy. We had lots of left overs to take home to the rest of our family that couldn't make it. To top off the meal they threw in a free dessert for the table. Taro/ coconut tapioca. YUM! Can't wait to go back. Tip: parking is underneath. Order the crab!
(4)
Thomas P.

Panda cuisine have a large section of dim sum, and a full menu at a reasonable price. My mom and her friends love the deep-fried fish. I love their Cumbow chicken Mongolian beef and other menu items. It's A long walk up your stairs to get there but if you park in the back of the ramp at a long hallway for handicap customers. They do charge for parking at lunch.
(5)
Mav H.

Service SUCKS!!! Waited too long for our take out order. Unfriendly staff!!! Will NOT come back here Again!!!!! This post do NOT deserve any stars at all, but I had to give it at least a star so that I can post this review for everyone to see!!! Ugh!!!!
(1)
Rick L.

Dim Sum at 9:30PM-1:00AM??!! God bless you Panda Cuisine!!! They serve very good dim sum and in the middle of the night! It's usually pretty dead at night as you can imagine. It's nice to have the restaurant all to yourself sometimes. The food is great and one of their waiter is hilarious and super friendly. Now, they do have certain items that won't be available at night. If you want all the goodies, I would recommend you come during their regular lunch hours. Parking is free at night. Bathrooms are around the corner and can feel a little creepy for the ladies. They also have a huge selection of fresh seafood. Gigantic lobsters for about $400 are available if you're a baller, they're shipped in from Maine.
(4)
Jon H.

It's always the right time for dim sum, and Panda Cuisine has a few things going for it: 1) it's a place that has stood the test of time and been a place I've been going since I was a little kid, 2) it's conveniently located on Keeaumoku (across the street from Walmart), and 3) the dining area is HUGE, so you're more or less guaranteed to get a table no matter how large a party. Having said all that, there are reasons why I'm only giving it 3 stars. First and foremost, there's nothing special about their dim sum. Now don't get me wrong, the food is tasty, and you won't be disappointed for the most part with the standard favorites like look fun or char siu bao. However, I personally feel that the overall quality is average at best, and because of that their dishes should be priced similarly to other cheap dim sum places (ala Mei Sum). But, their dim sum is actually a dollar or two more expensive than the competition. The other notable gripe I've come to have with Panda Cuisine is the service. Like I said, the place is relatively gigantic, so I can understand waiting times and less than attentive servers. What I cannot condone, however, is the need to physically get up to catch someone's attention because the server who last "helped" us forgot to come back or ignored our request for more tea and water. If this happened maybe one time I'd brush it off as a bad day, but multiple visits with the same results is too much. Lastly, and this is pretty minor in comparison to the other faults, they really need someone to go over their menu. The last time I went here, I went with a native Chinese speaking friend of mine who ordered a shrimp dish only to be brought a pork dish. The menu clearly said shrimp, and she even confirmed the Chinese description also said shrimp. But after inquiring about the discrepancy with a server, we were told that there was never shrimp in the dish. Even with their faults, Panda Cuisine is somewhere I'd still go if I'm craving dim sum just for convenience sake. It's not the best, but it'll hold you over.
(3)
jennifer i.

DISGUSTING && Terrible Management. This morning my bf and I went to eat Dim Sum here. He found a worm in his food. I alerted the manager named Cindy. This lady proceeded to take the plate with the worm on it, throw it in the bin as if it was nothing && offer me more Choi Sum. ... Which I refused. Of course I canceled the rest of my orders. She did not apologize. All she said was "ok you found a worm in your food and you not going to come back again." I informed her I will be complaining to the Board of Health because if I found a worm in my food they obviously aren't cleaning their vegetables and should be retrained. She did not seem concerned with the fact that this was unsanitary and that customers could get sick. In fact I had to pull the plate out of the bin and take a picture for her to care. Isn't it amazing that because of social media and apps such as YELP she finally decided to apologize and inform the cooks that we found a worm in our food. And to answer your next question... Yes we still paid for our bill. At the front I was still livid at her lack of care for our health so I informed the cashier I would be reporting this to the Board of Health as well. As my bf paid the bill Cindy, the manager, came out and ask him why I was so upset. Really???! And yes I am reporting them tomorrow.
(1)
Shana L.

Very dirty and ghetto felt like there would be rats or something. Very old and ran down! I had better Chinese food! No good!
(1)
Darren N.

Unfortunately I have to give this place a two star review. Basically the parking is easy to find though it can fill up if the building is busy. The dinner menu items we tried were a mixed bag and not to my taste. Besides differences in personal preference, the shrimp fried rice lacked a lot of everything except oil-drenched rice to the point where it appeared gray. On the other hand, the Mongolian beef was the best dish in regards to flavor, but it wasn't spicy at all. The fried tofu stuffed with shrimp was a good dish as well though. Probably my biggest complaint was service. No water refills and having to flag down the servers to order was a disappointment. Also oddly a pork dish arrived before the soup dish so there definitely were timing issues there. Perhaps if I got to try their dim sum, I would have had a better experience.
(2)
Nat N.

As some of the Yelpers have already pointed out, Panda Cuisine is now offering dim sum. Their dim sum menu has all of my favorites and the more. I wouldn't say it's the best tasting dim sum that I've had on this island, but it's great that they are located outside of Chinatown and they have a parking lot ($1 on Sundays). In addition to their dim sum menu, you can also order off of their regular menu. Worthy of special mention is the boneless minute chicken cake noodle: yelp.com/user_local_photâ€¦ The service this time around was not very friendly, and they forgot about one dim sum dish that I ordered.
(3)
Norm G.

Oh my stars! Or, should I say "star," since I'm only rating it one? I pray thee, canst thou tell me what hath happened to this dining establishment? (Okay, I'll stop trying to channel Shakespeare!) In years past, this used to be a high quality place for dim sum. You used to be able to have your choice of tea, and they were quality brews at that! Let's do start with the tea, in this, my first and last review of Panda. Tea: I asked the server what kind of tea it was and she said ti kun yum. It was not even reminiscent of any ti kun yam I've ever had. My wife asked if we could have heung pin (jasmine) tea instead, and I have to tell you, those pink Yamamotoyama boxes of jasmine tea bags you can buy in the supermarket are way better than what we were served at Panda. In summary, the so called jasmine tea didn't taste any different than the ti kun yam. Food: The lo bat go (fried daikon cake) didn't have the taste of daikon in it. The beef meatballs (ngau yok) were a yellowish color and had a strange aftertaste, Chinese broccoli (gai lan)was salty and had a very odd tasting oyster sauce on it, sesame-mochi dumplings (jin doi) were thick and extremely oily. The chow mein noodles consisted of too much thick sauce (too much cornstarch?) and not enough noodles. Service: We waited until almost before we left for them to finally refill our water glasses and empty teapot. I used to consider this a classy place, and would gladly entertain my in-laws from Hong Kong here. I just thank my lucky stars I gave it a trial run before subjecting my out-of-town extended family to this place that has clearly seen better days.
(1)
Carol M.

I haven't been here since the new management took over several years ago.
(3)
Annie L.

I don't know why I didn't Yelp this place before coming for lunch, but like many other yelpers have commented, Panda's has been under new management (AGAIN) since February. They have added dim sum back to their afternoon menu, along with the ala carte items they were previously serving. Unfortunately, their great lunch specials are now a thing of the past, with an increase in price of about $1-$2 an entree, and dim sum served at $2.50-$5.50 a dish. I wish I could say that the revival of dim sum was a good one, but there was nothing spectacular about my lunch, and sadly, I don't think I will be back anytime soon (unless they switch management again, which is likely).
(3)
Misty P.

I came here on a whim after craving some crab. I saw a pic of someone who came here and ordered some crab and dragged my fiance here. I don't like Chinese food really, but I do like their crab. I am a fan of this place. Parking sucks, and was full so we parked at Wal-Mart and crossed the street. The atmosphere was weird as there were lots of drunk Chinese men talking really loud and yelling about 3 tables from us. The waiters wait around your table as you are eating which is weird, but I think it's a cultural thing. Service is just ok, but what do you expect from a Chinese restaurant. We got the crab with Salt and Pepper X.O. sauce. They brought out a fresh live crab from the tank and showed it to us prior to preparing it. The crab was full of garlic and chilis and was awesome. Very fresh and tasty. We also got some fried calamari which was prepared in the same way. Very garlicky, light and crispy. We also got the shrimp fried rice. I thought it tasted great, but my fiance thought it was bland. It was bland as in not much things in the fried rice but shrimp and eggs. No onions, or veggies. Nevertheless, I thought it tasted yummy and the shimps that they used were big. I'd come here again if I ever get a seafood craving.
(4)
Vivian Y.

My family always comes here for dinner mainly because we know the owners. Honestly, you do get some special treatment if you are Chinese but just a bit. The last time my family went, we were served some rancid tofu. We complained to the owner and he apologized. We asked him if he knew about the tofu.. He did but served it to us anyways. The food can be hit or miss on some days but majority of the time, its hits. The food here always comes out piping hot and ready to eat. The seating and tales could use some work. The parking for this place can be found downstairs in the garage. After a certain time however, parking is free (the guy in charge of tickets leave). Overall food here can be delicious if they are on their A game.
(4)
Doris D.

A great value for lunch! They have over 50 lunch specials, all for $8, which blows all other whimpy lunch menus out of the water. You'll get variety, large portions, and tasty food. I mean, it's not THE best Chinese food ever (only mom's cooking will ever do) but it's a good value. We got the whole fried flounder (only $8 but the mark up is like $30 at dinner), house special spare ribs (great, it's like deep fried and they put a sauce over it), salt and pepper snow crab (great, meat is tender and not overcooked--not a lunch special), black bean beef and noodles dry fried (good). There's free soup and rice and they'll refill if you ask. Service can be a bit standoffish but you don't go to a Chinese restaurant for the service, right? Parking's $1 with validation.
(4)
Amy G.

I've been here a few times and I like to do take out for lunch as well. They have a really good lunch special $8 for every entree and that includes free rice!!! and if you dine in, you get a bowl of soup too! $8? yup, my fave is the whole deep fried fish. it is deep fried and comes with a shoyu sauce on top that is just perfect. they also have a dine in only for lunch special: lobster over noodles. crazy. can't remember how much it was, but its under $10. There is parking underneath which isnt too bad. I'm a fan of this place b/c its decent food at a really good price. Service here isn't that great if you dont know Chinese b/c most of the workers there dont know any English. It can be a bit difficult, but you'll deal.
(4)
Megan L.

Do not bother coming here unless the majority of your group is Chinese and you speak Mandarin, otherwise you will be ignored and served after everyone else in the restaurant is. One star for the food being good ... But not worth sitting for 10 minutes before having to get our own menus. Then having to wait another 15 minutes before we try to flag down someone to take our order. Waitress is extremely snappy and rude and literally runs away from us after we order only 2 dishes. She comes back about 3 minutes later to get our order, still snappy and rude then disappears for at least an hour. During that time, everyone around us is getting their food (even those that sat down after us). After about 45 minutes, we flag someone down to ask about our food ... And the waters and forks we had asked for when we ordered. They tell us it is coming. Meanwhile the table next to us, who sat down after us has finished eating and is getting up to leave and we still do not have a single dish on our table. We ordered dim sum! How long does that take? Our food FINALLY comes out more than an hour after we sat down and ordered and 2 of the dishes we wanted they told us they were out of. Funny, the table next to us that sat down after us and ordered after us was able to get those 2 dishes. Why they ignored us and treated us subpar from the beginning, I have no idea. Perhaps we did not have enough Chinese people in our group. Or perhaps since we didn't speak mandarin, we were ignored. Whatever the reason, our family will not be coming back here again. I don't expect having lunch (especially starting at 1pm) to take over 3 hours.
(1)
Rissa K.

I come here for dim sum at night! mmm I usually get Chinese broccoli, spareribs, shumai, shrimp dumplings, and sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf. Service is pretty good. This is the only spot that you can get late night dim sum from that I know of here on Oahu.
(4)
Val Y.

"BJ" No! Not the "Blow thingy". No! Not "Boysenberry Jam". No! Not "Before John". For this update "BJ" is "By Jove". "By Jove" .....IMPORTANT UPDATE! Lobster special is now $10.99 ....snooze you loose! Consider yourself lucky if you got your lobster for $9.99. Now serving LIVE ...HUMONGOUS ....Alaskan King Crab! Check this out...two ten pounders fighting....."You're next! Hell no!! You're next!" yelp.com/biz_photos/wIG-â€¦ 3-27-12 market price was $45.00/pound. This one WAS a 10 pounder....that's $450.00!!! yelp.com/biz_photos/wIG-â€¦ This is that monster, ten pound Alaskan King Crab that was in the tank, now being held by the Panda Cuisine owner John ...BW (Before Wok). yelp.com/biz_photos/wIG-â€¦ Let us pray! ....RIP! P.S. No! I didn't have him killled. I'm Buddhist, peace loving; and have a love of sea creatures. Some insensitive Chinese guys at the next table ate him ....they looked berry happy. I have to admit ....I was jealous!
(5)
Jonathan L.

Came here for mother's day and this was the first time I have seen this restaurant this packed. I heard that this restaurant is now under new management and the old management opened Asian Mix (fast food chinese joint located under beretania Safeway). Never actually tried Panda Cuisine when when did had dim sum only so I can't say if it is better or worse. When I made reservations they were courteous enough to tell me that the food will take a little longer than usual to come out because it was Mother's day. The menu is pretty large and intensive. The only thing that they didn't have a shark fin soup and of course dim sum. All other chinese food will probably be on the menu. It took us a while to decide on what to order. We stared off with jellyfish that came out literally in a minute. I guess it was prepared prior since it was cold so that's why it came out so fast.. I missed the taste of jellyfish and eating this brought back memories. The jellyfish came with pickled cucumbers that complimented the jellyfish well. It had a sweet and sour flavor. The next couple dishes for some reason came out super quickly as well. We had all of our food within 10 minutes. We order the salt and pepper pork chops, beef with onions and bell peppers, king crab, and green beans. I ate pretty much everything except the king crab. I really like the green beans. I am usually not a fan of vegetables but the green beans were really crunchy unlike the one my mom makes which turns out soggy. The food was really good here as it was not too oily nor was it too salty. After our meal they gave us free dessert. It was some sort of sweet soup with mung beans. I didn't really care for it because it was a hot dessert. The price of our meal was pretty reasonable for authentic chinese food. My mother really enjoyed it as well. Service was decent for a chinese restaurant. They are yelling at you and the waitresses english was pretty good. Overall I would probably come back again in the future.
(4)
Shayna R.

Love this place! It's best to visit for lunch so that you can take advantage of their lunch special: $8, including rice, soup, and your main dish of choice. The soup is not very impressive - usually a clear soup with some pork and a few chinese greens, but I don't mind. The main feature is the main dish, and I highly recommend trying the deep fried fish for at least one of your dishes. It's super crispy, so you can eat the fish fins fried to a crisp, which are some of the tastiest parts of the dish. The fish is topped with a shoyu-green onion sauce, and the fish, sauce, and crispy bits go perfectly over the rice. Other great lunch main dishes that I've tried and love are the salt and pepper pork chop, capital (sweet sour) pork chop, and the salt/pepper deep fried shrimp. Dinner is good as well, though I do miss the lunch deals at night time. I recently enjoyed the lobster with garlic, and it was deep fried and topped with a ton of deep fried garlic and jalepenos. They have good deals on their seafood - the lobster was recently $10/pound. My dad likes their steamed pork hash with salt fish, but I find it way too fishy. While I've enjoyed this dish at all other chinese restaurants, salt fish has a really strong flavor, so I find that the salt fish in Panda's version is too overpowering for me. Definitely my favorite deal in town!
(5)
Raych D.

Just came back from eating here last night (VALENTINE'S DAY) after the BABYFACE concert and after being so disappointed from missing Sweet Home Cafe by 8min me and my Valentine was so glad that they where open till 1am! And so we drive straight there a little after 10pm. We where only the 3rd couple in there, and when we ordered the waiter was really pleasant to help us...we ordered a dinner plate of there roast duck (ONE MY FAVE DISH OF ALL TIME)!!, custard, pork hash, and bbq roast pork dim sum. Everything was good portion and delicious because we ate everything!! The best thing was all that food came out to only $20!!! We didn't know if it was because it was Valentine's and we got a discount or if it was the 10% discount after 10pm but we where pretty happy and so was our stomach and his wallet especially after spending almost a bill at Yanagi sushi a few hours before and over $250 on the babyface concert tickets! Only scary thing is the bathroom is a few yards away from the restaurant in this creepy area and room...so I always feel weird walking solo there
(4)
Amy Y.

Ate there during the afternoon when they have those specials, sort of cheaper...but the food amount compare to price isn't that decent. Some dishes were pretty salty and some were good. So depends what you order. Maybe they have new management or something, but the service kinda sucked. The waitress and waiters were slow and seem to not know what they gotta do. Usually some restaurants would set up a table quick when they know they have a lot of people dining. But they were slow as a turtle. They took their sweet time. The manager who was doing the setting up walked soooo slow. I was like...seriously. omg. Crazy, they need to improve their service. When we wanted more napkins, he gave us like two piece of napkin from a table that's set up. Omg, I was so shocked. That was cheap, man! Not a very cheerful environment.
(3)
Francesca B.

The service is amazing, we were promptly seated and the waiters were very tentative to our very needs, even helped us decide on our order. The dumplings are my favorite, the friend rice, and lobster are all delicious all for a very reasonable price. Food arrived fast and was fresh. Love this place!
(5)
Jerry E.

The new owner of this place needs to do better. Example, clams in black bean sauce were terrible. They had no taste and were so dry. Also, the scallop soup looked almost like hot & sour soup. Warning! Do not use the bathroom because it will make you sick. When I used it, it was filthy & stink. If we judge a restaurant's cleanliness via its restroom, Panda will be unsatisfactory. The owner needs to invest in renovating its old, dirty, and repulsive bathrooms and to enhance the ingredient quality of its dishes.
(2)
Alan W.

Sadly the great days of panda cuisine is now in the history books. Keep coming back to this place for 2nd and 3rd management changes. Lunch dim sum is now at a sub-standard level if at best. Will not return unless drastic changes. It is overprice for the current quality.
(1)
Lori F.

Had lunch here yesterday for the first time since new management took over. We were surprised at how crowded it was - had to wait about 20 minutes for a table for three. We didn't know about the $7.99 special menu, but wow, there's a lot to choose from! What we ended up ordering was: - Beef with Bittermelon - Sweet Sour Pork Ribs, Hong Kong style - Fish with Mixed Vegetables The beef with bittermelon was really good, as was the s/s rib pieces - watch out for the bones in the ribs though. Fish was kind of funky tasting, like maybe it was frozen fish they used? All in all it was a pleasant experience & I'd give it 4 stars if you include the value. There's not many restaurants that offer a meal for under $8. Still miss the dim sum here though!
(4)
Sonia S.

I heart dim sum! My gf and I were planning on eating sushi for lunch, but somehow ended up on Keaaumoku at Panda Cuisine. Service is ok, waitresses don't understand English all that well, but the dim sum, oh the dim sum.... Our order for 2: *Shrimp dumpling *Shrimp look fun ~ Greatness drizzled with a sweeter soy sauce! *Bean curd *Bacon Seafood Roll x2 ~ My favorite...bacon goes good with everything! Especially shrimp and scallop! Comes with a creamy ketchup/mayo dipping sauce *Ong choy with garlic sauce ~ So fresh, tasty, crispy ong choy stalks *Spare ribs with black bean sauce ~ Tender, love pork! *Crispy shrimp in won ton pi and mayo (I'm making up my own name) *Jin doi ~ Deep fried sesame balls of goodness stuffed with sweet red beans..YUM! It was nice and hot and delish! Everything was so good and always is good! We had my company Christmas party here in December. A 12 course meal with the best of the best dishes/appetizers....lobster, crab, shark fin...never had Chinese food quite like I did here. High class all the way! I'm super sensitive to MSG and normally get a headache after eating it. I don't get a headache after eating at Panda. Yay!
(4)
Vanessa F.

3.5 stars All in all, food was good. Lobsters are cheap. Service is as expected. Park below the building for $1. Not incredibly crowded. If you are frequent customer you get a VIP card which allows you to get 10% off or something like that. I would go there if I was in the area but it's not something I would go out of my way for.
(3)
K C.

Junk. Dim sum way better elsewhere. Seafood cake noodle had crappy, squished noodles. Jelly fish no taste. Junnnnnk.
(2)
Courtney O.

My favorite chinese restaurant!! I have been going here for years and the food is always great. They give you a list of dim sum on a paper and you mark off what you want. They also have specials late night where I think your bill is 10% off? I love a place where you can get dim sum after 10 pm! The parking can be tricky during peak times so watch out. TO TRY: Ma Po Tofu Pan Fried Noodles Crispy Shrimp Balls
(4)
Jen C.

Another updated review. So, I haven't been here since July, 2013. My family and I finally decided to give this a go again. We haven't liked it as much since the new management took over a year ago and axed the specials, did away with the complimentary soup and hiked up the prices. But lo and behold! We asked if they had any lunch specials today and they brought back the $7.99 lunch special entrees that the previous management had! Only thing is no complimentary soup like before, but there is rice. They don't advertise the $7.99 menu at all. In fact, when you walk in, they give you the dim sum menu. When did they bring the $7.99 lunch specials back? They didn't have it in July 2013 but glad they have it! What is the difference? The dim sum menu lists the dim sum but also dishes at a much higher price!!! The seafood noodle is $12 on the dim sum menu. The "secret" lunch special menu has it as $7.99 with rice. Exact same noodle dish. So when you go, ask for the $7.99 lunch specials. We also ordered the salt and pepper shrimp. It used to be really good here but now they put a light batter over the shrimp and then fry it. It still looks like salt and pepper shrimp from afar because the batter is thin, but because of the batter, the shrimp does not fry to a crisp. I've never seen a chinese restaurant do this! Not going to order that again. The fish filet with vegetables and the seafood chow mein were both excellent! The employees don't all speak English very well, my dad asked when the salt and pepper shrimp (called it spicy shrimp) is coming out and the waitress brought back a dish of that red chili pepper sauce, so funny! Where was our shrimp? eventually it came out. There are a lot of Chinese speaking customers here and what appears to be Chinese tourists, or Chinese speaking locals not too many non-Chinese customers but then you know that the food here is traditional Chinese food and somewhat good. A lot of people were ordering the deep fried fish for $7.99 lunch special, we plan to try this at our next visit.
(4)
Tiffany H.

First time here and I was very disappointed. We had to repeat ourselves to the waitstaff several times. Then the soup came... Not sweet/sour soup, more like GOOP. Looked and tasted luck the bottom of the pot. While the rest of the dishes were ok, that's all they were, ok. There has got to be better Chinese restaurants on this island.
(2)
Donna L.

This is my review for getting take-out dim sum from Panda Cuisine on a weekday around lunch time. We ordered about 13-14 dishes from the menu, walked it a few blocks back to the condo, and shared the food with a group of relatives. We were in the midst of a move, so we weren't able to plate the food, but rather ate it out of the foam containers. In that form, the food tasted ok but not great. A bit dry and not super flavorful. So for take-out dim sum, Panda is not the right place. The restaurant took a long time to take our order and then they made us wait a really long time before they brought our food. I was embarrassed by the whole thing because I was the one who suggested going there and my family (visiting from the SF bay area) really like to eat and would've enjoyed some good dim sum.
(2)
Nomake L.

I've been here several times with friends and family and love this place! You can't expect five star Waikiki-hotel restaurant-kine service from this place since it is a Chinese restaurant. You come here for the tasty food, good prices, and quick service. My favorites for dim sum (10am-2:30pm) are: Juicy Pork Dumpling, $5.50; Deep Fried Shrimp Ball, Sticky Rice w/ Pork wrapped in lotus leaves; handmade pot stickers; Salted Pork w/ Black Egg Rice Soup; and Jin Doi (sesame seed mochi ball w/ black bean inside). Other delicious items, but have had it better elsewhere: Ginger Chicken (they don't give enough ginger sauce which is served on the side - gotta keep asking for some more), Chicken Feet (once you've tried the real thing in Shanghai - ain't nothin' better - same goes for the duck). Covered parking available beneath restaurant - don't forget to get it validated. You can always park at Wal Mart and walk across the street, but PLEASE use the CROSSWALK! Keeaumoku's a busy street and I'm tired of pedestrians asking to get hit by dashing through the cars. Average dim sum cost for a table of four people with their bellies stuffed = $40.00 Average dinner cost for a table of four people with room for desert or drinks = $100.00 *TIP: If you go with people who speak Cantonese or Mandarin, you'll get better service from the waiters.
(4)
David C.

Ate here tonight for my girlfriends dad's birthday. Food was ok, but the service was awful. We made reservations, when we showed up, they told us our table was ready in the back, so we walked to the back. Then another waitress came and said "get out" your table is in the front. Then they sat us in the front. Didn't ask if we wanted water or anything to drink. Til 10-15 mins later. When the waiter brought the water to the table he pushed my girlfriend and i aside to slam the waters on the table, didn't say excuse me. Maybe this is how they do it in China? When we asked where the restroom was, she goes "it's outside, get the key." It might not sound like that big of a deal but it was the her attitude that was really irritating. Then when we asked to take our leftovers home, she said "yeah yeah yeah.." Not in the polite way like locals say, but more of a "yeah stfu, lemme box your sh!t." I recommend spending your money somewhere else.
(2)
Isaac N.

I have been to Panda a few times in the bast but this was the first time in awhile. Went there to have dim sum for lunch. I think the dim sum was a little better before. One thing that was disappointing was the Xiao Long Bao, the taste was good however the bottom of the dumpling stuck to lettuce that it was steamed on so the bottom tore and all my soup ran out! This happened to all of them. I know this is a Chinese restaurant so maybe I should expect such terrible service but I though it was a little worse than average. First it took awhile to even get a menu. After ordering and getting our food, I asked for wooden chopsticks, which I thought she'd leave for the entire table but she gives me a pair then runs off before I can even ask her for more. Half way through the meal we wanted some fresh plates it took awhile to flag someone down and when we asked for new plates we were brought one plate, we had to let them know we all wanted new plates. The one thing they use to make that I though was really good was their taro puff, this time their taro puff was mediocre and not something that I would need to go back for.
(2)
Paul M.

STILL THE BEST DARN DIM SUM IN HONOLULU, AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! I still remember the multiple orgasms that were triggered when this Mecca of the Dim, had their Grand Opening, many moons ago. It was especially joyous, because I lived literally on the same block! Either, I could get a Dim Sum fix at lunchtime or do the late repeat at 10PM, after an early night on the town. Before they opened, you had to trek all the way to Chinatown, & somehow deal with the ridiculous wait at Legends (or default to a lessor Dim Sum place nearby, which happened all too often). Back then both the owner of Panda and I just started on our respective gray hairs, but now after a decade, well you know how it is! Even though we have changed, the Dim Sum still has about the same quality that I recall from a decade ago. Unfortunately, for the male owner, who is a great guy, the business is not as packed as before. Incredibly, the owner's "Dim" wife, still has the same cold sour-lemon-tart-faced stink attitude toward others and me, as she did a decade ago. Maybe she just needs to eat more of their excellent Seafood Dumpling Soup Dim Sum or have some great Chicken Feet & get a good massage from hubby. Anyway, just ignore her. My three girlfriends from UH & I, used to compose a friendly "Dim Sum Club" who made sure to meet there every few weeks to talk story & grip about school and some of the malignant moron professors. Those were the "Good Old Dim Sum Days" for us! I find it amazing that some people have all kinds of weird grips about this place, which are usually based on only one visit. There are only a few that do this place justice. It just goes to show you, that you really have to screen the reviews, and take them with a grain of salt. It is shocking how few really know their Dim Sum, especially those who never really traveled much. Panda Pro's: -Clean: you will not find this in most Chinatowns, & most are willing to pay extra to prevent problems. -Good to great Dim Sum: they have a rather wide selection of fresh/hot stuff, that rivals the better Dim Sum places in SF, LA, NYC, DC, Chicago, or Singapore. -Nice Atmosphere: forget the hustle and noise of Chinatown, and enjoy a "civilized" meal with nice surroundings. -Parking/Location: they have easy validated parking under the building & they are very close to Ala Moana Shopping Center -Hours: one of the few Dim Sum places anywhere that still offer a night service. -Feet: Great Chicken Feet. If a Dim Sum place cannot do the Feet right, then it is lightly that they will fail at other stuff too. Beside, I have a Feet Fetish! -Price: Reasonable due to the above. Their entrees have always been a bit pricey for Chinese, but are far cheaper than most of the tourist traps (i.e. Morimoto's, Hakone). -OPEN TO 1AM...ONE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING FOR DIM SUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Panda Con's: I do not live around the corner from them any more..... BAO HO!!!! :( BAO HO!!!! :( BAO HO!!!! :( BAO HO!!!! :( BAO HO!!!! :( BAO HO!!!! :( BAO HO!!!! :( BAO HO!!!! :(
(5)
Ellen C.

Pretty solid dim sum restaurant. The four of us started with an order of beef chow fun, followed by a slew of dim sum dishes. The noodles were great, as were the Shanghai soup dumplings (xiao long bao) and lo bak goh (daikon cake). Most dishes were of dependable good quality, except for the pork siu mai which were really fatty and full of gristle. Compared to dim sum I've had elsewhere, it was a little more expensive than I'm accustomed to, but it's a good place to have dim sum if you're craving it at a non-lunch time of day.
(4)
Joe S.

First thing first, I won't go back to this restaurant again. I always take my family to nice dinner every Friday night. This time, we invited our best friend to us. For starter, we sat at the table for at least 10 minutes before receiving any service. After looking at the water tanks, we went on to order the following: 6 small abalone steamed with XO sauce 1 King Clam with the good part cut sashimi style and the rest used for soup. 1 steam whole sun fish which the waiter said was approximately 2.5 pounds. Drunken clam Beef stew casserole Ginger chicken Deep fried pig intestine Well, the tap amounted to $450. I don't mind paying for the tap. However, the waiter failed to confirmed the weight of each live seafood item. We asked for a 2.5 pounds sun fish and they gave us a 4.5 pounder. When the fish was presented, it wasn't fully cooked perhaps because it was too big. It was the same thing with the king clam which alone amounted to $197. The rule of thumb for Chinese cuisine is that the restaurant confirm the weight of each live items. Essentially, they ripped us off. I don't mind bad service if the food is good. But when the restaurant operator try to rip me off. I won't give them another chance. I won't even go back as someone's guest. Bottom line: It is their loss because when it comes to my family, I don't care how much I spend. But I won't spend a penny there again.
(1)
Mike O.

Wow this place is kind of pricy. We ate here for dim sum lunch yesterday. Truthfully I cant tell the difference in the taste of dim sum. If you were to put the same food from Happy days or here in a blind taste test, I wouldnt know. But I would know once I saw the check! We ordered Duck: above avg House noodle: above avg plain look fun: avg tsumai: avg fried shirmp: avg Har gau: ave Some bacon/shrimp/scallop fried ball: avg custard cake: best thing I ate Total: $55 with tip. +$1 for parking. Pretty high for lunch for two.
(3)
Ape L.

Worst dim sum and service in Honolulu. Ever. We came in during an off time where we were the only people in there. The AC was off, they sat us at the crappiest table even though the whole room was empty. They rudely sat us, I might I add. As we waited for our food we got the pleasure of watching large tilapia fighting each other for space in their cramped, dirty and green tinged fish tank. You would think if we were the only people in the room that the dim sum chef would have time to make good dim sum but no it was all soggy with grease. Disgusting. They didn't provide us with napkins or soy sauce either, when we asked for napkins they gave us paper napkins. Elderly Chinese people walked in wearing scarfs (wearing a scarf in Hawaii is as pointless as wearing a bathing suit in Antarctica) and suddenly the AC magically turned on the moment they walked in the door! These first class citizens were seated at the nice table with the cloth table with cloth napkins (our table cloth was plastic). Like royalty they were served immediately. If you are not wearing a fancy scarf and your taste buds haven't been burned off previously then I would look elsewhere for a meal.
(1)
Damian H.

Took a little bit to get servers attention to order, seems like standard dim sum place, waiting to see if there any wow factor to food, not really. I say head into chinatown and eat at 'any' dim sum place there.
(2)
H. H.

Went there for lunch with 2 others and we had 2 lunch specials and dim sum. We had the deep fried fish as one of the lunch specials. Bad fish and they don't believe us. It wasn't the whole fish and we weren't sure until we ate certain parts of the fish. It was hard to tell them sooner since the waiter we had never came back although it wasn't crowded. The fish was mushy in parts and fishy and bitter at the same time. There were fish eggs too (kind of gray looking) on parts of the fish which were hard to see due to all the batter. Waiter said flounder but the manager said no it's sole. What kind of fish do they serve? Manager said the mushy fish is because it was sitting in the sauce and the flour and eggs might not be a good combination. I told her I cook and that doesn't happen with fish in a soyu ginger sauce. There was hardly any sauce and I even put some fish between my fingers to show the consistency of the mushy fish. I wonder if they gave us arrowtooth flounder. NOAA website said arrowtooth flounder's flesh has an enzyme that rapidly degrades the flesh when it's heated, making it mushy when cooked. Mushy, Mushy, Mushy bitter and fishy tasting fish...blech... Avoid. The quality has gone down and prices have gone up. What a disappointment.
(2)
Jenn T.

This is a great location for good quality dim sum. I have been coming here for years, and it has remained as one of my go-to places for a dim sum craving. I usually order a variety of different things--mainly being the ha gao, shumai, spare ribs, tripe, look fun, spinach & chives, and the mochi pork. I especially like the jin deui to top off my meal as an awesome dessert! The list could go on and on, especially since as soon as you sit down, they are bombarding you with such great smelling carts of food, HOW CAN YOU RESIST?! Thus we come to my dilemma when eating dim sum. How the heck can you avoid ordering a ton of food within seconds, inhaling it within 10 minutes and then feeling extremely full within 15 minutes?! I swear, every time I come here...I must lack self control. But then again, I'm an avid yelper..and food is my world :) I also like coming here because the restaurant is clean (none of that chinatown, where are the rats paranoia) and the service here is fast, efficient and friendly. The parking downstairs is easy and cheap as well.
(4)
Paul C.

We came here a couple of times and the seafood is excellent. The lobster and crab is spot on and the other dishes were tasty as well. Service can be slow at times, however, this is the norm for most Chinese restaurants. I wish they use bigger plates to eat from as the shells from the lobster and crab pile on the plate making it difficult to eat from. I guess they want to slow you down when you eat, however, when you are hungry, you want to grind and have enough plate room to do it!
(4)
Nina N.

Not bad for late night dim sum. Not the best dim sum that I have ever had, and the price isn't amazing either. But I must admit that for midnight and hungry it's a win... but I would recommend you go to uncle bo's instead... DONE AND DONE.....
(3)
Dan F.

Tried the lunch special here, $7.99 was supposedly a good deal. Came here with a group of 6 and ordered the Stir Fried Green Beans, Salt & Pepper Pork, STripe with Black Bean, and Seafood Crispy Noodles. If you considered Chinese food to taste good here then I don't know what's wrong with you. The dishes were too oily, salty, and distasteful. The worse of all was the waiter with the glasses and the thinning of his hair. He had the murderous intent look on his face. When other people around our table we're flagging him to do something, he would just stare into space, and not say a word, and get the job done. We tried to flag him and show him our teapot is empty but he would keep on staring into the void. Our tea pot was only filled up twice by him. We we're very thirsty at the end and my Cantonese mom told them off as we left.
(2)
E L.

New Panda Cuisine is great. Late night special ~ good value. Service was excellent.
(4)
Mandy Y.

Tried their late night special at 9:30PM on a Monday night. When we walked in, there was no one else in there. Waiter gave us the special menu, which supposes to start at 10:00PM. The "Specials" wasn't a lot of choices and not very good deal. We (2 People) ordered: 1. Salt and pepper shrimps (The shell stick with the meat, which means the shrimp is not fresh) 2. Lap-mei rice in clay pot (Lot of rice stick at the bottom of the pot) 3. Stir-fried Gai-lan 4. Oyster with soy sauce in pot The bill came out $45 including tax and tips. The food were so-so, not too impressive.
(3)
Fern C.

First time dining at Panda Cuisine and I'm loving their Rock Salty Squid. Their prices are very reasonable and order was huge!! Restaurant is clean and servers were attentive.
(5)
Esteban W.

Dim sum is such an alien concept to me. I never go alone, and I never go without someone who knows what is going on. I usually sit back and let the commander order while simply enjoying the good after the battle is done... the battle between the dim sum distributing dictators and my coordinating culinary copilot. This most recent trip to the dim sum domain was in celebration (or recovery from) a birthday night out. Only about three things seem to be a perfect cure to a crazy hang over and those are (in no particular order) XXXVitamin water, menudo, and apparently now, dim sum (since I cant find menudo on this frickin island). The GOOD: The ladies speak English!! WTF, wow, even I could order here - awesome sauce! They are also patient, willing to answer questions, give recommendations and suggestions. Right off the bat, a better experience than at previous dim sum locations. The baskets (like always) carry about bundles of Chinese love, and everything tasted just the right amount of salty and savory without being disgustingly inedible. The Holy Grail though was the scallops. Bud, bartender at Wang Chung's was the first to pass on the legend of the scallops to me. During a drink fest at the local karaoke bar, he spoke of these scallops that were sent from the heavens, Shrimp-stuffed scallops, wrapped in bacon and, wait for it... battered then deep fried. If your heart didn't stop now, it will after about two or three of these things. These things are vicious in ever freakin' sense of the word. They seem, however, to hold these off until later on in the meal. Had I seen these things at the beginning of the meal, I would have dined solely on them, blast them for not coming around until after I polished off 12 steam baskets of Chinese love. The BAD: seriously, the only bad thing I can think of is that they held off the scallop things until I was nearly done. Another bad was, while biting into his manapua, Artie T. discovered an unidentified "spice" in his food. What we all later termed, 'char siu spice', it appeared like a black grain of rice, except soft. As Artie T. went over all possible feces that it could have been, but all possibilities were discredited - so was it... droppings? Or was it simply, Char Siu spice? In the end... everything was eaten. And today we live to tell the story. Overall: the deep fried scallops are worth several return visits. As dim sum locations can vary in cleanliness and product quality, Panda Cuisine has managed to impress me enough to want to come back. Truthfully, its only because I want those freakin Scallops wrapped in bacon love!!! Overall 3.5, but the deliciousness of all the food (not just the scallops) bump it up for the 'benefit of the doubt'.
(4)
Chad Y.

Panda Cuisine is one of those dim sum places that make me want to remember what it is I order instead of looking into the cart and point at what I want. Its food is good and its location convenient, that right there makes me a fan! Service on the other hand is semi hit or miss. The menu is your standard dim sum fare, with the deep fried stuff being awesomely deep fried and the steamed stuff, steamed nicely. Definitely try the spinach and scallops steamed thingy and the look fun noodles. It is definitely good! The location is convenient in town off Keeaumoku and across from the giant WalMart/Sams Club complex. Parking is downstairs below the building, but be sure to validate your ticket!
(4)
Lauren C.

This review is for late night dim sum because I wouldn't choose to eat here if there are other dim sum restaurants open. The service is mediocre...it's always the same guy that works there at night and although he's not very personable, he's not rude either. That one night we went, he packed all the tables into one corner while the rest of the restaurant was empty. So I was listening to this Japanese couple rap in Japanese while the guy to my right left right after he sat down because he didn't want to sit there. I understand that you want to keep the mess in a small area of the restaurant so its easier to clean at the end of the night but it was strange to sit side by side with another table while everything else is open. Reminds of the men's urinal rule....anyway that's off subject. I used to love eating their juicy pork dumpling or shao long bao. This time it was over steamed and there was almost no juices inside. The pork hash was also steamed too long because it was a bit dry. The rest of our selection included the look fun, steamed manapua, mochi rice and taro puffs which were okay. This is a good place for a late dinner when you're craving for something other than Zippys but is far from a delicious dim sum meal. P.S. I love their little fish tank in the corner of the restaurant!
(3)
Ellen L.

Just like any asian restaurant service is ok. I had to constantly flag the server down when I needed something. The restaurant have a regular menu and Dim sum menu. Since I ate at the restaurant at night the dim sum menu is made as its order. So I was lucky to not have to constantly fight for the server's attention if I wanted to order an item. The only thing about going at night is the availability of an item. Half of the itemswere sold out. Over all good food ok seservice..
(3)
Clarissa M.

Went here for lunch with a few friends. First time and I'm a fan. Dim Sum was delicious and service was friendly and quick. Best of all parking was available in the garage and for free! Never knew this place existed and glad I tried it for the first time. Also, it is clean restaurant :) And the dessert - this mango like jello with condensed milk - so yummy!!!
(4)
Live Love Laugh D.

Dim sum is great. Love this place. Walnut shrimp and fried rice are good.
(5)
Lalalicious Y.

Overall experience, very disappointed! No customer service and the server was a grouch and when I asked if there was sauce for our egg rolls, she replied, "Yea, Yea!" Very rude and never going there again! This was my first experience there and it was definitely one to remember. Very disappointed!!! The food was okay, nothing over the top.
(1)
Claudia M.

A friend recommended this place since the lunch menu was extensive...all for $7.99. We ordered the deep fried flounder, tofu with seafood and won ton min. The won ton min for $7.99 was rather expensive since they don't give a lot. The flounder was delicious, but I wished I could eat the bones too...it wasn't fried crispy enough. The tofu dish was just ok.
(3)
JME C.

I have to say that the service here is impeccable! We had a semi-private room in the back for our banquet of 6 tables. The room was shared with another grad party separated by partition, but it wasn't a bother at all. They started a little later than us, so we were able to have a short program before we started dinner. Then, I heard them give their graduation thanks. We ordered one of the set dinner menus. The food is delicious and tasty! It's not like your ordinary Cantonese food that you get at most Chinese restaurants in Honolulu. Quality is better, value is all there, taste is superb, and the service is high class. The servers are very attentive to your plates your are eating off of. These plates are not your regular size dinner plates. It's rather small, but size is enought to put your food on. If there are a lot of bones or shells, the servers will take your plate and give you a new one. This happened about 5-6 times for me, and I think we have 7 courses. They will also refill your teapot when they see that you've poured the last cup out. Don't have to ask. The amount of food that they give is great for the value. One little complaint I had was that they didn't cut the beef spare ribs small enough. It's the kalbi style ribs with the bone, done Chinese syle. It was really good, but the pieces were so big. Some pieces had two bones to a piece, so imagine how big it was. And imagine eating that with chopsticks! Nonetheless, it was delicious! The dessert is something that may a normal dessert at your Popo's or mom's house, but not at typical Chinese restaurants in town. They served us a green bean with seaweed soup. It's kind of like yor azuki red bean soup, but they use green beans. I thought it was quite good, but not everyone liked it. So I got to take it home! =) Overall, loved it! Great value, great service. What more can you ask for in a Chinese restaurant? Oh yeah, BTW, what you see is all clean! No oily grit or bugs. Unusual for Chinese retaurant! Haha!
(5)
Wesley C.

Sorry, New owners No DIM SUM! I went to Panda Cusine 2/17/12 expecting to order dim sim, but the ownership has changed, and they no longer serve dim sum! The new owner elected to have lunch specials for $7.99 which include rice, soup, and one entree. I ordered the kung pao chicken special. A bowl of lotus root & pork soup was served; rather brown & bland. It took another 40 minutes before my rice & chicken came. The chicken was ok, but not any better than the other Panda! Not worthy of a return visit.
(2)
Judith H.

Happy to see the dim sum back. No carts anymore but good dim sum. The service was labored. Really? We can tell you don't want to be here Mr. Server.
(4)
Julius L.

This place used to be my favorite dim sum restaurant, now it's more of a seafood restaurant with bad service for dim sum. They made us wait 30 minutes with no food... nothing. They bring out the entire order at once, not as its freshly made so it takes long. Dont go here hungry for quick dim sum, expect to take 1.5 hours. We saw others who came in after us getting large seafood dishes while they didnt serve us even a bowl of rice. My daughter and I were starving to death. We had to leave and went to a fastfood chinese restaurant. I honestly miss the old management and the carts and good service. It was busy but the hosts were more like busboys than managers who care about your dining experience. They are obviously short staffed. I want to find a real dim sum restaurant around the alamoana area that focuses on dim sum. The dont seem to have enough cooks here to serve dim sum while serving seafood.
(1)
Cheryl E.

OK! I've found my new "favorite" Chinese restaurant! We [party of 5, including 2 aunties over 86 and my mom - 91] had dinner there on Saturday night. The service is impeccable. The wait staff actually wants to please the customers - that is refreshing in itself. The food came quickly and was far above average. We had the house soup, which was a dried cabbage and meat. This was the only "meh". It was bland and mediocre, thus the 4 stars instead of 5. However, the rest of the meal was superb. We had the Dungeness Crab, which was moist and flavorful. The duck had deep and complex flavors, was moist on the inside and wickedly crisp and tasty on the outside. One of the highlights by far was the salt and pepper sea bass, which was dipped in a very light batter, and again, hot and crispy on the outside and incredibly moist on the inside. The green beans were stir fried with sauted pork and garlic also to perfection. The litmus test of course was the aunties and my mom, who unanimously gave their stamps of approval. This is a rare phenomenon and either they liked the food that much or there was a moon and solar eclipse simultaneously that clouded their usual critiques. :) ...but seriously, the next time we will order a different soup and I'm sure my rating will go up. NOTE: This is a seafood specialty restaurant that knows how to cook seafood!
(4)
Juliana C.

Surprisingly delicious dim sum! The wraps, wontons, and noodles used in the various dishes were notably fresh - and not just because everything is made to order. I wasn't expecting much since the menu is pretty standard - and perhaps a little spare compared to what I'm used to - but I was really pleasantly surprised. Service, though passable, was inconsistent and at times painfully slow.
(4)
Prescott C.

Where do I begin....We went in on the lunar new year, and granted it was busy, things were a complete mess and our dining experience was just the same. Sat down with the parents at a table meant for 2 people, but that wasn't a big deal. We then promptly gave our paper order to the waitress and waited for our drinks. It took nearly 15 minutes from the moment we sat down in order for the wait staff to give us our hot tea and another set of utensils........Then another 20 minutes for our food to finally arrive. We asked for hot sauce which the waitress acknowledged, but never showed up with. And did I mention that the food got to our table cold! Un-flipping-acceptable! my mochi rice with chicken wrapped in tea leaf was frozen in the middle!!!! Frozen! In the middle! I wish Gordon Ramsey was with me to yell at the staff. "You idiot! You could have killed someone! F*ck off will you!" 35 minutes of waiting for dim sum (which normally is already cooked and pipping hot at other dim sum restaurants) and its not even made properly and its salty as the sea...Shaking My Head (in disgust). Anyways..as our last dish makes its way to the table, I can't eat anymore and I tell the wait staff to give us a box so we can take it home. I see two waitress come towards us, one of the waitress hands us a to-go box and the other one hands us a bowl of hot sauce...Whomp Whomp! Thanks for the hot sauce lady, your like an hour and a half late. Happy Chinese New Years!
(1)
Trish P.

the selection is much bigger than before. they have new items, and they're all pretty damn good. this place is clean, has a nice atmosphere, caters to the late night crowd, and is all around good stuff. if you have a hankering for dim sum, and its late..... this is the place to go! this is actually the only place i know of that serves dim sum after 10pm. winner!
(4)
Jesse G.

This review is for the NEW Panda Cuisine, which is primarily a seafood centric restaurant. Judging by taste, they probably have the best and freshest Chinese seafood on the island. The lobster, giant clams, and abalones are flown in from LA, ensuring the quality of freshness. The lobsters are a great deal for the price, not to mention the flavor was crazy good! The service was excellent, they made sure we have new plates for us once our plates filled up with lobster shells. I highly recommend seafood lovers to try this place out! Freshest Chinese seafood in Honolulu, hands down.
(5)
Kaiulani K.

In all my years of professional eating (yeah, that's a thing) I have learned a few things: carbonated soda only makes spicy food burn more, if you're too full to finish your food then you need to drink more alcohol, and ALWAYS play dim sum by the numbers. Having learned this, I decided to assemble a Dim Sum Club (contact me if you're interested), so that in the battle of humans vs. dumplings, humans would always prevail. So, the October Dim Sum of choice was Panda. The food was good, although nothing really stood out. If you're one of those people always on the hunt for the infamous xiao long bao (soup dumplings), then order some here. Everything was pretty standard, but by the time they brought around the roast duck, everyone was stuffed. It's okay, now I have an excuse to come back. For a group of 6-10 we usually pay $10/person (including tip) at Dim Sum places, however panda cost us $16/person. That seems like a reasonable price for a weekend brunch, but it's a 60% markup compared to the places in [my beloved] Chinatown. So, come if the location is convenient, if you're interested in a nicer dining area, or would like to change up your typical dim sum fare. However, if you're looking for a place that gets the job done on the cheap, head towards Chinatown.
(3)
Red H.

Hard to believe this is four starts vote. Horrible experience. Don't order daily soup, it tastes like water. Don't order seafood, they are hard to bite. Nobody was there at the time I went. They should have better time to cook for you, because they are not busy. Don't ever go there anymore. Pricy with low quality.
(1)
Tom S.

came here for lunch today. first time since new managment took over. price was quite good for lunch. 5 dishes ordered came out to only ~40 bucks, and had unlimited rice and soup (not unlimited, but you can ask for more nicely :)). The rice comes in a container with a lid and you serve yourself, if you run out you can get more. At least panda cuisine isnt as stingy with their rice as other restaurants that charge you by the bowl. The soup was also nice and complimentary. the food was pretty good considering it's chinese food, usually not a fan of chinese food but today i didnt feel like the food was too oily, salty or full of MSG (didnt feel thirsty or anything after eating it). One minor point about the dishes was that the sauces were a bit too thick and kinda syrupy, possibly due to too much starch? Anyways if you're in for some fabulous chinese food for lunch (NO DIM SUM HERE), then head on down to panda cuisine. Also, you can park across the street in the Walmart Parking lot and walk over.
(5)
Jerrene T.

If you're like me and only like dim sum as far as real Chinese food goes and it's late at night, then your best bet is to come here. I didn't really want to come here but the husband's friends were in town and they wanted dim sum for dinner... at lunch, I don't mind because there's so many options but at dinner, you're basically limited to a few places. So we came here about two weeks ago and while it's nice and clean for a Chinese restaurant, the food is lacking. I love the same things at dim sum... I don't really know the names since I just point. I got the spinach thing, the taro thing, pork hash, mochi rice, and look fun. The look fun was meh because unlike Happy Day, they don't flash fry it so it kinda tastes like how it looks... limp mushyness. I also like the fact that Happy Day and other dim sum places allow you to fill your own sauce and not just limit you to one dish. The white peoples we were with got like five of the same dishes which I found strange. But whatever... they also didn't really know anything of dim sum except mainland dim sum. Anyway, the service was okay... they were a bit slow in filling drinks, food was mediocre, and overall experience was decent. I would say this place was maybe 3.5 stars only because they weren't pushy and trying to put stuff on your table but I knocked it back down because seriously, no egg custard and cold jindui is faillllllll imho. That's why I go to dim sum in the first place... for those two desserts... okay the end. I stop now.
(3)
Bonny G.

We soo happen to come across this place just by asking a Gentlemen where is a good place to eat and he recommend Panda Cuisine. We decided to take a chance and check this place out we didn't have to wait that long say only 5 mins, our service was really surprisely good due to it was already lunchtime, and our server also recommend some dishes to try all in all it was a good choice and definitely we will go back for Dinner.. Aloha Bonny
(4)
Florence K.

Panda Cuisine is the perfect place for those looking for a nice meal past midnight. They're open until 3, and they have convenient parking located under the restaurant. I know a lot of people have been reluctant to try this place because of the new management, and now the lack of dim sum...but the food is still super good. On a Thursday night, at about 1 in the morning, there were about ten of us who decided to come and enjoy some food. Their bartender was already off duty, but they could still serve us the simple drinks like the beer, wine, and sakes. They do last call for alcohol at 1:30 since all drinks need to be gone before 2 AM, but they're not SUPER PUSHY about it, like I've seen at other places. They're very nice, and just want to make sure we have no alcohol on our table once 2:00 hits. Due to the new management, there's also a new menu. It looks awesome, and there's a few different items that you don't see at too many Chinese restaurants. Yeah, no one on the table had ever tried frog or duck tongue before, so those were ordered. It was funny, because when asked how the frog was...the server offered to show us the live frog before they cut it...apparently frog is no good if its not fresh because it gets too chewy. But then again...how would you feel knowing that the animal you're about to eat was cut right before you ate it. It's different, and it's not bad at all. I encourage you to just try it...venture off into trying new things. Life is short. Or as our server said that night..."Just Do It....Like NIKE?" We also ordered the lobster which was amazing, because it was $9.99 and it was a HUGE lobster. We ordered two lobsters because we thought it was cheap, and when the first one came out, we thought it was both of it until we saw the next lobster. Fried Rice-Fu Jian style was delicious too, probably one of the much better ones I've tried in my life. There were so many different seafoods in the dish, that it surprised me. The Fried Rice and the lobsters are a MUST here. Service was spot on here. They had a hard time speaking English, but they tried to converse well with us and made some funny comments as well. Luckily, I speak Chinese so I could converse with them in some of the harder things they had understanding. But one of the servers even split the fried rice into separate bowls for us, something that no one had done for me since I was a little girl at a Chinese restaurant. Oh, and another way you know everything is fresh? You see the tanks of crabs, lobsters, fishes, abalone and giant clams! Great to look at while you're entering the restaurant.
(4)
Pali K.

Gotta say, I'm pretty bummed that I hadn't discovered this place before. I guess I figured Pandas was like the somewhat questionable 'Chinese food' from Panda express-boy was I wrong (maybe it's like how you have Korean fast food chain Yummy's vs. Yummies vs. Yummys vs Yummy etc). Ate there for the first time a few weeks ago and it was O-N-O. Dim sum wasn't oily at all, they kept the food coming and weren't too pushy like some dim sum places (e.g. "WHY YOU NO LIKE DA PORK!??!?! IT GOOD YOU KNOW!!!"), where they guilt you into ordering stuff. The fried taro puff thingy was great, the baked manapua nice and fresh, the ha-gau (shrimp dumpling) rocked and the mochi rice thing (notice I don't know any of the proper names), was excellent. Best of all, Dim Sum, all day long-doesn't get better than that! It's no wonder they have tons of celeb pictures on the wall.. here's one to look out for, see if you can spot Abarenbo Shogun himself-Ken Matsudaya-smiling away after eating some great dim sum. Cheers!
(4)
Natalie T.

Part of Panda Cuisine's appeal is that you can enjoy dimsum any time of the day (or night). Their varied selection allows you to satisfy your craving for baked manapua, taro puff, steamed mochi rice (glutinous rice with pork wrapped in lotus leaf), shumai, chicken feet (if you dare), egg custard and more! During lunch, they serve dimsum with traditional carts pushed around by their servers and at dinner time, you can pick out your choice of guilty pleasure from a menu. Panda's ala carte menu should also be worth exploring. Soup and noodles are always a staple and good compliment to dimsum. Panda Cuisine draws tourists and locals alike who are enticed not just to the food but also to the convenience of being located near the Ala Moana Shopping Center, Walmart and Sam's Club. Parking is also available at the lower level of the building. The owner pleasant and personable and service is generally ok. So if you're craving for dimsum or Chinese food be sure to check out Panda Cuisine.
(4)
C L.

Very authentic. Almost too authentic for me. I really enjoied the spring rolls, I also do not eat meat so there were very and I mean VERY few options to choose from. The staff was friendly and helful so despite their food not being my taste (too authentic and too meaty) I still enjoied my time there. Chineese food here is different than that on the mainland.
(4)
Jani C.

Came here for Chinese dinner with the usual Chinese fam bam, everyone raves about their taste but I've had better...Dinner itself was okay however they need to work on their service. We attempted to order few dishes off their regular menu, the woman waitress responded, "Ohh we might not have that, wait let me check on that" Pretty disappointing and I am baffled as to why they would even place them on the menu. Mind you now, these are just regular food items like oysters and bak choy and nothing exotic like monkey brains or cow balls now. We were rejected with at least three of our orders last night. In the middle of our meal, the same woman waitress came around twice and asked " any desserts?? red bean soup." Hello lady!! We still had at least half of the lobster on the main entree plate, and most of us are still digging deep into our rice bowls asian style. Were you that rush to rush us off the table?? The whole restaurant was empty and we were one of the only three tables inside. I did not understand the purpose of the other wait staff at the restaurant, they never respond when you ask for an item and seem to be pretty purposeless. The two stars are given for the taste, the other star is given for the 90s Cpop music they play in the background, nostalgic reasons, I grew up listening to those 90s Cantonese pop. However, they seriously have to work on their service.
(3)
Rahn H.

I recently started coming here with my family for lunch. They have an excellent lunch menu separate from their other one which everything on that menu is $7.95!!!!! It also includes a pot of complimentary jasmine rice and their house soup which varies from day to day. Service is... Blegh. I've been in the food and beverage industry as a bartender and server for over 10 years so service to me is key! I always have to remember though that this is a 'typical' Chinese restaurant where they speak mostly Chinese and if you don't speak there can be a bit of a language misunderstanding. Now the important part... The food!!!! OMGEEE it's super good!!! We always order a lot because you can always box it up and eat at home. There are so many delicious items... For example they have a chili salt and pepper shrimp soooo good also a full flounder pan fried with an excellence sauce. Their mushrooms and ginger also good for the vegetarians out there full of flavor! The only reason they are getting 2 stars knocked off is service.. And the fact that if you look like a tourist or a non frequent diner they won't offer you the special lunch menu... The regular menu is super expensive!!!! If you haven't been there before I recommend trying it out!
(3)
Cecilia K.

FIve stars just becuase they serve dim sum all day!!!! Price isn't the cheapest dim sum but it will suffice for a craving of shumai or har gow. Friendly and helpful servers. Nice and quiet environment to enjoy my meal.
(5)
Catherine L.

This restaurant was confirmed to have served shark fin soup. Shark fin soup!!!??!! What the heck...don't eat at an establishment that not only breaks Hawaiian law, but supports the brutal killing of sharks. Mahalo.
(1)
Janet K.

I would've given this restaurant 5 stars had it not been for one unfortunate incident. I've dined here on numerous occasions (lunch, dinner, and late night dim sum). My BF's mother wanted to eat Chinese food to celebrate her retirement so I recommended Panda Cuisine. The food and service is usually so great so why not? Well, our food came out one by one at a snail's pace, the water wasn't refilled until we asked, they gave our cake noodle dish to the table next to us (who sat and ordered AFTER us) and when they finally brought the cake noodle dish out to us... THE CHICKEN WAS RAW!!! This was enough to make her livid. See, the lady (who I think is the owner's wife) lied to my BF's mom when she asked where the cake noodle dish was. She said "cake noodle takes longer to make." Then why the hell did the table next to us get it BEFORE us? I can only assume that she then went into the kitchen and rushed the dish out to correct their error. Well guess what... the dish wasn't ready and we bit into a raw piece of chicken. GROSS!!! BF's mom was worried that we were going to get sick because there's nothing more sickening than RAW CHICKEN! So she tore the owner and his wife a new one and all I wanted to do was crawl under the table and hide. After all, it was MY restaurant suggestion. Anyway, rule #1, don't lie to the customer. Just say you made a mistake and dropped it off at the wrong table who also happened to order cake noodle. Rule #2 Never mess with a Mama Bear by feeding her cubs raw chicken. She will rip your heads off! I'll probably come again, because this was a one-time bad experience and where else can you go for late night dim sum? Mr. Panda Cuisine Owner, you should tell your wife to smile once in a while. She literally looks like an angry witch. No kidding. :-P
(4)
Leena H.

I came here a few years ago with friends for lunch...and was hooked ever since. It has become a Sunday tradition with my bestie. Bestie didn't want to come back with me because they give you the "slippery Chinese chopsticks"... so if you can imagine slippery plastic chopsticks and steamed slippery food = big splashy mess in front of me. Now I request wooden ones :) We always get a yummy selection: fried shrimp, seafood dumplings, spinach and scallops, shrimp wrapped in the thick rice noodles... and bestie is in love with the Chinese Cake Noodles. We never leave here spending more than $20 and we are usually stuffed. The space is clean, the staff is attentive. parking is easy...it's perfect! Side Note: In honor of the Chinese New Year...I made my coworkers find the Chinese in them and come celebrate with me. They are good sports, I emailed them "lunch time" convo about what Chinese New Year means, what this year of the Rabbit will bring and some typical traditions :). I'm all about embracing cultures, traditions...and any kind of celebration. We had so much fun. I love it here.
(5)
Ryan T.

Located on Keeaumoku St. in close proximity to a bunch of sketchy bars, this is a great hangout for late night dim sum. Plus, they offer a 10% discount for any orders between 10 A.M.-1 A.M. on Saturday. This is a great late night alternative to Zippy's.
(4)
M M.

After my co-workers told me that this place serves dim-sum, I went there one Saturday with my family. ... I wish we never did. After we walked in, we waited for the lady (owner's wife) behind the counter to finish playing with her cellphone. A simple "Hello, I'll be right with you." might be nice lady. But no, she looked up from her phone without even a slight smile and seated us. It wasn't much better after we were seated. We had to ask the ladies pushing the wagons to give us the dishes when they were asking everyone else around us if they wanted anything off of their wagon. When we were finished eating, a man that looks like the owner came up to our table to give us the check and he was actually very nice. That was very nice.... until we got home and my Dad noticed they had charged my Dad's card for someone else's meal too. The charges were eventually removed but WTF?! Never going back there again. I'll go to Happy Days if I want dim-sum.
(1)
Mr P.

NOOO! Panda has been closed for what I thought was only renovations. CI (confidential informant) sadly tells me that ownership has changed and when they reopen they will NOT SERVE dim sum :( Again,NO DIM SUM At least 2 dim sum chefs are looking for jobs. I will change my rating if I am wrong.
(1)
AsianRunningDiva S.

Sunday afternoon, post surf session from the North Shore, and we're hungry....instead of stopping in at Haleiwa for some Thai, we decided to wait it out and go out for dim sum! I LOVE DIM SUM! My only problem with dim sum here in Hawaii is that no where serves hot silky tofu with ginger honey...MY FAV and so easy to get in Flushing, NY or Chinatown back home! But, I digress! So we arrive at Panda at 2:25p...little did we know, they stop serving at 2:30! They sat us, gave us tea, and said "last call for dim sum"! Well, with only 2other tables there, everything came out QUICK! We had siu mei, shrimp look fun, xiao long bao, steamed char siu bun, chicken and chive dumpling, bean curd roll...all of it was really good! Fresh and tasty! Great place for dim sum--fast service close to closing time! I like it a littler better than Legends (although I've gotten the silky tofu and honey at Legends before) and way better than Hee Hing! Def will be back here for another dim sum craving! :)
(4)
Yuree N.

I said this in my review of Legends, but this place is my other go-to restaurant for dimsum. I might actually like this place more than Legends for its convenient location on Keeaumoku, right across from Walmart. I'm not a fan of the one-way streets and tight parking spots in Chinatown. Anyway, back to Panda, it has great quality dimsum (but not quite like the dimsum in LA or SF!), but it is on the more expensive side. But, I always feel like I'm getting what I paid for because (a) the food is delicious, (b) the place is clean, and (c) the service is nice. I came here to eat with a friend and we spent about $15-20 each, and I had an extreme kanak attack. Pretty sure I took a nice long nap after that meal. One side note: there's something called a "char siu pie" that my overly-ambitious friend grabbed as the carts were strolling by, and I have to say it wasn't really to my liking. There was so much dry, flaky dough and little char sui inside. But I'm guessing some people have to like it if they keep it in their cart. Try it and see how it fares with you!
(4)
Marjorie C.

Awesome dim sum! You can park on the street (metered parking) or there underground parking (right next door, under Crooks & Castle). They validate inside. I've been here for a large party, lunch and dinner. For the large party sometimes it gets confusing when it comes to ordering, I suggest you break up the ordering by table because the dim sum usually comes in 2, 3 or 4 pieces. During lunch the servers roll carts around and you can pick things from there, sometimes we go overboard because everything looks so good. When we went during dinner it did take a little longer than usual to make steamed pork buns, I chalked it up to the dinner crowd and the fact that usually during dinner diners would eat other dishes. My bf loves the baked pork bun, it has a light, sugary glaze on it that goes well with the hot pork inside. I love the spinach shrimp, the custard tart, and pork shumai. Service is good, they're a little quiet and I would put this place on my list of places-where-if you-don't-look-Asian-you-may-feel-that-you're-Âbeing-stared-at. You need the key for the bathroom and it's down a hall and is kinda creepy and dirty.
(4)
Dean H.

The best, hands down, dim sum on Oahu. You cannot beat it. Pricey but darn,finger lickin good stuff up in this place, ya hear? GOT to try the chicken feet, cold platter of jellyfish and pig feet, shumai, ha gau (spelling?, shrimp dumplings), scallop and chives, fried shrimp with the mayo dipping stuff (winner), tripe, yang chow fried rice, chueng fun, and many many many more..... Sorry for the mix of English and Chinese, I just call um as I HEAR um.... I like everything with the red chili paste and a little of shoyu but no need for that with the flavors of the stuff served here. NO joke. Legend is good, but this place is great, sorry Liz T. and Michelle L...... For a table of 2 that eats like a table of 4 it will cost you about $30. Which is a bit high in price but to me, well worth every single hard earned Abe Lincoln. You gotta go here....no doubt....DEUCE!
(5)
Karina U.

Lachelle and I came here for my belated bday dinner. Wanted to try out a new dim sum place and the Yelp gods said this place was worth a shot. Well, we gave it a shot. The company was wonderful, the food was aiiiight. Food: The entrance way to the restaurant was lined w autographed photos of the owner w celebrities of old. Made me feel like I walked into a restaurant in SF Chinatown. I feel like its their way of saying "our food is so good celebrities eat here, you should totally sit down." We filled out our dim sum score card asking for half moon, spinach scallop, sweet/sour sea bass, bean curd roll, and chive shrimp. The skin on the spinach/chive dumplings were soft, fresh and delicious. Beware.. the bean curd roll has pork in it! Crap. I was a bit bummed to see the sea bass had been batter fried to look like fish 'n' chips, but it was tasty if you took the batter off. Service: We got our food relatively quickly but I never saw them again until it was time for our bill. No water refill. No "would you like anything else?" Bang-a-rang: As other reviewers mentioned, the biggest plus this place gets is that they serve dim sum all day. Most places stop at lunch time. It's pretty cool that they're open till 1am lest I ever get the urge for late night dim sum. But do I think their late-night hours warrant more stars? Nope. Heads-up: Very few vegetarian options. Its across from Walmart, next to Crooks & Castles. Verdict: Maybe if its too late for Mei Sum or Fook Lam. Otherwise Panda has been filed under "Only If I'm Drunk"
(2)
Jonn D.

I'm giving this place 4 star's, because there's always room for improvement. I use to be a big fan of Legends Seafood in Chinatown for years, until I found out about this place. Not only is the food good, you can order from their dim sum menu anytime. It doesn't stop there. The service is way better than Legends Seafood, which was never good in the first place. They treat you with respect, unlike most Chinese Restaurants. I rarely give 5 star's. If i were to give another 5 Star review, it would be this restaurant, but we'll see on my next visit.
(4)
George B.

Broccoli was $11 !?? Quality was pretty decent but pretty expensive Next to Crooks & Castles clothing store. $1 parking in parking structure below.
(3)
Czarina A.

Yeah, I know... I just wrote a review on Gomaichi Ramen.... and YES I tried both places tonight for dinner =)... I can't help it I love to eat and I couldn't decide between ramen and Chinese. So here's the story.... My mission tonight was to try Gomaichi. But parking was a pain so I decided to park in the lot next to it, which happens to be where Panda is located. The attendant asked where we were going and he answered for us, "Panda?", of course we just agreed.... for the sake of free parking. Out of curiosity, we went upstairs to check out this "Panda" restaurant, which I never thought much of even if I've passed by it almost everyday of my 27 year life, until now. Low and behold I find a VERY CLEAN Chinese restaurant that happens to have a full bar (tropical drinks included haha) and dim sum that's served until 1:00 am.... WOW!!!! Did you know that???? Of course, we had to also take out our handy blackberry to "yelp" this place to ensure that it was even worth trying... So after reading the raving reviews, I was confused so my friend and I decided that we would share 1 bowl of ramen at Gomaichi and then finish off dinner at Panda. Talk about being glutenous!!! The dim sum was absolutely DEEE-licious! We ordered juicy pork dim sum, steamed char siu manapua (the baked is only offered during the lunch), pork spare ribs in black bean sauce, jin diu, and fried shrimp.... YUMMY! They really put Chinese restaurants like Happy Day and Hee Hings a run for their money! And did I mention... they have a full bar =) I think the place is perfect for family functions and dates without it being too sober-ish. And the service... wow... talk about impeccable. Drinks were constantly replenished, empty plates were taken away, extra plates were given when our old plates needed replacing,... all this without us even asking. Mind you, we were NOT the only people there. I LOVE this place... great service, great ambiance, very clean, very professional, excellent food, and did I mention they had a full bar???
(4)
Juliet K.

no stars!! this place is horrible!! if u folks haven't notice they microwave ur dim sum thats why its made to order ! its also dirty as heck we had to wash our utensils, sauce dishes and the baby bok choy that came in the won ton min . it had dirt still inside it . never ever will eat her again !!! dim sum sucks!! on top of that you have to pay for parking ...
(1)
Aaron W.

I would probably be as big as a giant panda if I ate here every day because I looove dim sum! This place is my second favorite dim sum restaurant in Honolulu, as it is second in taste/service/decor only to Royal Garden in the Ala Moana (for sit down dim sum) there are a few quick/take out joint in downtown Chinatown. Besides the excellent dim sum, they carry the standard Chinese dishes, and as my friend noted 'best Chinese restaurant that doesn't serve General Tso's chicken!' and if you didn't catch that, your either not Chinese or you love panda express, cus Tso's chix is NOT Chinese food! Lots of cheap parking in their garage, or park across the street at walmart/sams club. Price for a group of 8 of us was about $140, and we ordered too much food.
(4)
Claudia M.

Came here after their "new management" changed everything...its horrible...no more dim sum!!!! Their service lacked a lot when we were there. They forgot to bring us rice and the soup which came with our order. I will admit their food is good but they took the dim sum away and their service was horrible. I will never come back again!
(2)
Dee C.

My review is much like Jen C's. Went for lunch yesterday, Feb. 20th and we were given a Dim Sum menu. Asked for the lunch menu as we usually eat here a couple of times a month. Received a lunch menu, made our selections and asked for water. Waited and waited for at least 7 or 8 minutes and watched our waitress, who has waited on us many times, stand by kitchen door idly doing nothing. Finally my husband called across the room and asked her where our soup was. She said "no soup today, just rice." We got up and walked out. Too bad Panda... we loved the $7.99 lunch specials.... soup, rice and every entree was always tasty. Guess we'll have to look for a new Chinese lunch place.... Anyone have any suggestions?
(1)
Anson G.

Bottom Line: One of my two favorite Chinese restaurants! They've got great dim sum. They make great dishes here for dinner too. Their prices are middle of the road. They have above average service (for a Chinese place anyway...) They're clean and they've got a parking lot. What's not to like?
(4)
Park W.

This review is based on one visit (Sept 2010). What I've tried: your usual dim sum fare (long flat noodles, BBQ pork buns, shrimp dumplings, spare ribs, etc...). They also serve xiaolongbao (shanghai style soup dumplings). Tasting Notes: The only reason I came here was because our family friend knows the owner and all of us were a little skeptical about the food at a restaurant called "Panda Cuisine." The dumplings were succulent, all the seafood and meat was fresh and flavorful, and the noodles had great consistency. Ambience: very bustling on a Wednesday night Service: efficient and attentive, though this might be because we ate with the owner's friend. Recommendation: My rating is probably 4.5 stars-- though the rating might be skewed because the only dim sum I've had in the past 2 years has been in Dallas, TX. The dim sum here blew the Dallas joints out of the water, and I think the fact that I did not expect this level of dim sum in Hawaii at a place called Panda Cuisine made the experience more enjoyable.
(4)
Toby T.

At $3.50 for a dim sum, this is not the cheapest place to go, but it is one of the tastiest. It is also a very clean and spacious place, not like the cramped restaurants of the Chinatown area. The owner Daniel takes pride in the food they serve here, and I think they have a great line-up of dim sum, including my favorites such as Shanghai Dumpling, Mochi Rice, Fried Shrimp and Char Sui Manapua. Panda Cuisine has been around for quite sometime, so you know that both local and visitors enjoy it here.
(4)
Traci H.

I don't know anywhere else you can get late night dim sum. It's good dim sum too! The prices are reasonable too! It can be a little awkwardly quiet when it's empty. They have good service in the way they are attentive, but they aren't the most personable. I love how they give you water with lemon in them. If you got a big group or a big appetite then get the juicy pork dumplings! Mmm...brothy goodness! I also love the shrimp and chives dumplings! Oh and check them out on Saturdays after 10 pm for 10% discount! Also there isn't a parking attendent on late night saturdays.
(4)
Hope D.

Best dim sum i've had, and I live right by china town in SF. The sesame balls for desert were so fresh! Crisp on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. Prices weren't that bad either! Definitely check this place out if you haven't been yet! Can't wait to come back!
(5)
Yasuo O.

This place is always spot on. Had the Crab with Black Bean, some veggies, shrimp mayo all for under 70 bucks. fricking awesome. Daniel is the man and when you walk into the place and see his wall of fame with all of the celebs, you know you made the right choice.
(4)
Veronica M.

This is the best Dim Sum in Honolulu! The service is fast and the menu is very tasty We had a blast!
(5)
R.G. W.

Had dim sum here with my folks today. We arrived early, around 10:45. All of the dim sum was served lukewarm; none of it steaming hot. They had all the standard stuff: siu mai, har gow, look funn, mochi rice pouch, taro gok, egg custard, lo bo gao, the steamed hu jook roll, etc. But nothing really inventive or different. Wish they had xiao long bao, soybean milk, lion's head, etc--yeah, I know that's not Canto dimsum, but the variety would have been nice.
(3)
A C.

I like the late hours and the dim sum. Very good. Friendly service too.
(4)
Angel L.

Just eaten here today for lunch for the first time, my bf & I thought it was okay it's not that great! Their clientel is more chinese tourist from China when you first look at everybody else in the restaurant. What I like about is the certain Dim Sum like Har Gow, shrimp dumpling, char siu bao, and mango dessert! When you come out is about $18 per head. They were pretty good pouring us water consistently! I was quite happy about that and the carts kept coming around:) The only thing that I wished was the food was better.
(3)
Kimmy C.

Consistently good. This is high end dim sum. Chicken feet and turnip cakes are my friends favorites. Clean and lots of parking. Cant go wrong here. My favorite places are still in Chinatown.
(4)
Greg S.

The dim sum here was fairly priced with its competition and had good overall quality. We came here on a weekend afternoon and were seated near the front entrance. Unfortunately, this meant that we only saw the same two or three carts passing by each time, with all the others in the main dining area. Fortunately, it appeared that the staff noticed this too and took our requests for what we wanted. I'll be back because of it's convenient location but a few more visits are needed to judge the full quality of the food.
(3)
toshiko y.

My husband and I go to dim sum every weekend, and we have tried to have dim sum here twice.. Compare with another Dim Sums in China town, the price is double, and food is just OK. Service is one star. If you have a car,I recommend to go to China town.
(2)
Ka'imi L.

Love Panda Cuisine for Dim Sum. Hands Down. Not only is the food excellent but I thought they had great customer service. Contrary to how badly they treat you at Legends (as if they're doing YOU a favor by serving you). Its a little more pricey than other dim sum restaurants but still good, nonetheless.
(5)
H L.

So I finally got around to doing this review. I threw a bday dinner party for a good friend earlier this year in May. Manager Daniel was awesome in helping with answering all my questions. We got one of the set menus and Daniel was so kind to allow me to tweak the menu a little. We were able to use one of the private rooms all night. BYOB was only $10 a bottle. Self-parking is free (double check cause sometimes they have valet for a small fee) is on the lower level under PC or you can street park. Everyone enjoyed the food and the service was very good. In the end, we left with smiles on my faces and full tummies plus doggy bags.
(5)
Albert F.

I havent been here in awhile, but it has late night dim sum that is awesome. Its ala carte so no carts, but the food is really tasty. Its open late so if you have the munchies after a late movie or club, this is a great spot to get your dim sum on.
(4)
ck s.

It is the most expensive Chinese restaurants in Honolulu. Though it does offer good and authentic Chinese food, no Chinese food is worth these prices, especially the dinner menu prices. Even the most expensive NYCity Chinese restaurants don't charge this much. Are you kidding? There are other Chinese restaurants here that offers food just as good for less. Look around. Knocking out one star for the high prices.
(3)
Trevor T.

Pretty good stuff! Came here and had the black pepper crab and what was essentially "honey walnut shrimp" - it was called something else (can't recall and not looking at the menu right now), but it was delish! Pretty big fan thus far and actually my first time here, I usually hang a left at the top of the stairs to hit up kiwami ramen, but now I know you can go right and get some tasty sea creatures as well :-)
(4)
J K.

Pricey, but opens late and offers dim sum late. Their dim sum is good, but you can find comparable ones at Happy Day Chinese Restaurant for way less. Otherwise, the food is pretty good, but the cost and parking is not.
(3)
Scott H.

I have only been here for late night dim sum and I have to say AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING FOOD! The staff is friendly and again the dim sum will knock your socks off :D
(5)
Ric C.

Great specials including a $10.99 lobster with the purchase if any regular priced dish. We like to get the lobster with an order of e-mein. Makes a nice meal for two. Service can be a little spotty when it's busy. A solid 3 stars.
(3)
Dean L.

Late night dim sum still good, but they add $1 premium to each dish at night. Large tanks of lively king crab, shrimp, fish and lobster are impressive, but an expensive splurge. Easy to get a table after 7-8.
(4)
C M.

Great food. We had a bad experiece in Chinatown during off-peak hours and this fully made up for it. Took home leftovers and additional.
(4)
Shirley W.

Restaurant is under new management. It's not like before. We went there for lunch. No dim sum :( $9.99 for lobster but it didn't taste like Maine lobster, could be some farm raised ones. Food is ordinary, nothing special, kind of generic. Doubt that will come back again. Sure we can find better Chinese food in town.
(3)
Derek C.

Now under new owners. Right now does not serve dim sum. What a bummer. The worse service I have ever seen. Had to ask 7 times for water. They never brought us napkins. The utensils were dirty and the waiter had a super bad attitude until I told him that his service was horrible. He did not even know the menu. The items are over priced and I will definitely never return and really wanted to walk out.
(1)
Sean V.

Some of the best dim sum here in honolulu! The staff is very nice and its clean inside too. Good variety of liquor and wines too for a chinese restaurant. When you are in that mood for some tea and snacks, even for a lunch or dinner, you cant really go wrong here.
(4)
Andy F.

What happened here? Panda Cuisine was good! It had good food and dim sum, and decent service. According to a few of the recent reviews for this place, there are new owners, again? Hm! Well, it appears the head chef and cooks, and a sense of overall happiness is gone as well. The most obvious thing that's gone is the dim sum chef as Panda Cuisine has discontinued serving Dim Sum and has reverted back to the $7.99 Lunch Specials with a new, condensed menu that comes with rice and soup. The servers and FOH manager are still the same people, but wow....the service is AWFUL. It felt like nobody wanted to be there, or cared to be there, with the exception of one lady. After we sat down, we waited forever to even be noticed. It was until this nice lady brought over soup for us. We told her we haven't even ordered anything yet. She was surprised, and she immediately walked over to grab an order form and took our order. We got the Steamed Pork Spareribs and Beef Chow Funn (wet). Since the bowl of soup was there already, we had that first. It was your basic pork bone soup, and it was actually very good. Clean and clear with a nice balance of sweet and savory from the carrots and pork bones. Sad to say, that was the peak of the meal, and the fall from it is a steep, steep drop. The Beef Chow Funn came out very fast--TOO fast. The beef wasn't even cooked all the way through because it was super chewy. The Look Funn was still clumped together. The taste was very bland--severely lacked salt and flavor. There was also a severe lack of wok heat. This may have been the worst Beef Chow Funn I've ever had! The Steamed Pork Spareribs took so long to come out that I wanted to just cancel it, pay the bill, and leave. But we waited. We should have left... When it arrived at the table, it looked like a macabre massacre. I immediately knew why it took so long. The cooks just wanted to over cook the bejesus out of it. The meat was tough, oily, and only tasted of salt. It was just awful. Panda Express has better food than here! And it doesn't even cook real Chinese food! You lost me, Panda Cuisine. You lost me, forever. Change your name because you're demeaning and degrading Pandas everywhere.
(1)
Linda L.

We were looking forward to having some dim sum for lunch because i've been here few times before and their dim sum was good. Well, no dim sum. Our server didn't care to elaborate on it nor was she a good server at all. She didn't get refill our waters or come to check back on us until we were almost done. I had to walk up to the front desk person to ask for things we needed. I had their beef stew on rice - don't get it! Rice filled half the plate -dry old rice- and the beef had barely any meat on it, all fat! We had poor service. For your time and safety- don't come here! It's a waste of time. Go else where, where the is better service and quality in food.
(1)
Tammy L.

Hands down, my favorite dim sum place in Honolulu! This is a family staple. Since I live in Chicago now, we must go there at least once every time I'm home. My favorites are the shrimp/scallop and spinach dumpling, seafood bundle, har gow, mango pudding and jin dui. Just thinking about it is making my mouth water! It's more expensive than most places, but you get what you pay for. They are generous with the good-quality seafood, the food is fresh, and the skins are thin and nicely chewy, just like they should be. These are dumplings that don't fall apart when you pick them up. That's my biggest pet peeve. I can't wait until I'm home again!
(5)
Tony T.

I thought there was no way to mess up Chinese food. But boy was I WRONG!!! On top of that, I always thought Panda Cuisine was a higher class, better quality type of Chinese food. Nope...wrong again! We went there and ordered the most expensive set menu available which was over $400 for a party of ten. One of the main things we were looking forward to was the Bird's Nest soup with shredded chicken. First of all, the soup tasted like water thickened with corn starch. There was hardly any chicken at all....and the bird's nest? What bird's nest??? They could've at least put more chicken in there to disguise he fact that the bird's nest was non-existent. Next was the crab. I don't know how they prepare it, but the consistency of the sauce was like glue. Oh yea and it had pretty much no taste at all. When we complained about the soup, the waitress didn't even look at it. She just said that's how it's supposed to be. I think I would've been more satisfied at Panda Express. AND I would've saved over $400!!! NEVER AGAIN!!! Save your money and go elsewhere!
(1)
Yvette B.

So, after 6 years on island and lots of money spent on Chinese food I think I found it. Everything was tasty and service was amazing. I will continue to eat here! I gave found my Chinese restaurant on island..... YAY. I am happy as can be so is the husband. He says his wife is picky and asked if it met my standards. I said 2 jalapeÃ±os up. He said finally...
(5)
Terry H.

After the closing of Hee Hing we were looking for a new place to call our dim sum home. We grew up on Hee Hing and that's what we use to compare other restaurants. I've had dim sum in San Fransisco, Vancouver and New York. I've heard about the 8-level dim sum building. In China and Taiwan. I've eaten in Hawaii at downtown, legends, China house and others. But I'm still looking for a good place. Parking was plentiful and under the restaurant. Even though they validated, the cost was still $2. Yuck. When you walk in the door you can see all the live seafood. Dungenous. King. Lobster. Abalone. And more.... We chose this place for pre-marathon carb intake. Id say service was not very good and leave it at that. Hot tea was really hot but there was a crack in my water glass. The Dim sum can be had at all hours, but it will be a limited menu. So if you're craving outside of lunch hours or at 1 in the morning , you can still get your dim sum on. Among other things we had dumplings. Fried shrimp. Har gau. Look fun. Noodles. Char siu BAO. Bean curd. Tsumai. Jung. It wasn't bad but I wouldn't come here again. It was 3 stars but I changed my mind on the way out after paying the parking attendant.
(2)
Lyn C.

Cat P and her fiance took us here for Lunar New Year dinner. We had reservations, but still had to wait 30 minutes more than our expected time. Hawaii doesn't quite specialize in Chinese food, but the food here was actually very good. We wanted to try out their special shrimp, but they ran out. Womp womp. Instead we got: Lobster Peking duck Noodles with crab- happy new year! Fried rice with eggs and scallops Eggplant with minced pork The service was good and once we were seated, everything moved along quickly. All the food was very delicious, definitely exceeded my expectations. It was a great dinner and I was glad to spend my new year surrounded by friends.
(4)
Darin O.

Panda Cuisine I love to go to good restaurants that have fish tanks in the open areas. Luckily, theirs is right as you walk in the front door, so you can watch the fish as during dinner time on most nights there is a long wait just to get someone to ask you how many are in your party to be told now how long the wait time is going to be. So I get to watch the fish. It is funny, one waitress ignored the people standing in line near me and climbed up the wall of fish tanks, reached in and grabbed a huge red fish (ok, just wondering how she is able to stay balanced but won't it drip some on the way back?) but that may not have been what she wanted so she put that fish back and climbed up higher on the tanks and pulled out two huge lobster - holding them in 1 hand, and then climbed back down and went on her way. In the tanks, the prawn do not look too happy or active. The lobster look healthy and heavy weighted with large claws which will be good sweet meat. The abalone looked phenomenal. Right now, I'm into ordering scallops - blame the where do we get the best scallops thread and then UYE for it being on my mind. Again, I have always loved scallops. So for something that I can't cook well for myself I can always get the Scallop Basket or the Scallop with Sicuan Style Sauce. I'm able to make sautÃ©ed scallops myself - I know I'm not as good as Panda Cuisine but hey they have other things that I can't cook on their menu that I think are very good. As many know from watching different food network shows, scallops can be hard to cook as the water will come out of the meat and make it dry and unappealing if cooked wrong or too long. Panda Cuisine does cook theirs well and it still has great taste. My friend really likes and usually orders the Salt and Pepper Sea Bass Fillet. I too am a recent fan of the salt and pepper style of cooking Chinese food- especially in the shrimp. So I'll suggest the Salt and Pepper Prawn to him next time to try because it is good too. It showed that both locals and tourists like this place. It was wall to wall full to capacity on normal nights that I have been there. I usually don't mind waiting since I like watching the fish. But be warned- there may be fewer server than really there should be so wait time is kinda big. Still they are doing their best so I don't complain to the servers ever. So let us know when you want to get some really fresh seafood. Do I hear a UYE calling in the new year? Also- it is restaurant week, so I'm trying to review just restaurants until the week is over- trying my best. Let me know if this is good or not.
(4)
Dennis M.

Returned back after a couple of years. Food was good but did not have the opportunity to return. Now live in the area and stopped by. Empty today so need to pick the right evening. Ordered salt and pepper chicken and mapo tofu. Service is the same as in other Chinese restaurant. No smile no friendliness. What can turn do. It is the culture and hard to change. Only see Chinese customers. Hope the taste is good.
(3)
Michelle E.

Just like any other chinese restaurant they let you sit anywhere and they leave a clipboard with a piece of paper for them to fill out on every order you choose. The servers come to your table and offer any dim sum you want on the cart and if you want to order anything from the back. The dim sums are ok I wouldn't say they're the best but they're satisfying if you're craving some dim sum. All I can say is that if you're really hungry make sure you have cash because most of the dim sum like any other chinese restaurant they only come in 3 pcs set and you'll just want to constantly order. So in a way it's good they leave the piece of paper on your table so you can watch your limit lol. The service is ok. I admit they're kind of slow even trying to get their attention takes awhile even when the business is slow.
(3)
Angelina L.

Walked in and was not greeted by the woman at the desk, tried talking to her but gave us the hand and a "wait". Ruuuudeee. Anyways, food was really good! Good enough to forget how rude that lady was! We ordered the Mongolian beef, gai lan with minced pork and cod and tofu casserole. All three dishes were VERY tasty! Mongolian beef was more on the saltier side but it's better than not being salty enough! Definitely coming here again!
(4)
Andrew W.

Waited 20 minutes until we finally had to ask for water. About an hour wait for first plate -- which was oversalted and dissatisfying in portion. They even sent at least three other plates to the same neighbor table. Their kitchen was obviously understaffed. Been to a majority of the Chinese restaurants on this island, this could undoubtedly be one of the worst.
(1)
Elizabeth N.

I've been here twice and don't know why I don't go back. I think it's because the location/parking is too hum bug for my taste. Either way, we went for dim sum and it was good but nothing stood out to me as something I could only get here. They offer the standard stuffs. It's a bit more pricey than my cheaper but consistent Mei Sum and if I want to pay more for dim sum I go to Royal Garden coz at least I get to look at golden dragons and $500 shark fins/mushrooms in a case (and it's good). I feel bad for not saying more about this place but again nothing but the humbug parking stands out to me!
(3)
Tabatha P.

This place has AMAZING food, especially for Chinese. I really enjoy coming here during the day for Dim Sum, bok choy, roast duck, and other delicious goodies. I can eat for under $20 for two people if I budget right, so I always come in here for lunch before I go to work since they are on the same street. Eventually they stop serving dim sum, but they have an excellent dinner menu and live seafood you can order. When you walk in, there are live crabs, clams, and shrimp right there. They really serve it fresh! The service is always polite but they need to speed up a little bit. The place is large for events or birthday parties. I like also that lunch time is quiet. I go there to chill and get peace. The jasmine tea is delicious. My favorite tea, so I feel like I always get a treat when I come in. This is conveniently located by Walmart, Ala Moana mall, and many other places right on Keeaumoku. I am always in this area, so when I crave Chinese, this is my spot.
(5)
Kristine C.

Dim Sum during lunch and during work days? Why not? I've been going to this spot for my dim sum cravings for probably about a couple of years now. I come here for the convenience since it's near my work. I love how fresh the dimsum is however, the customer service was another story and this story is targeted solely on service. Let me tell you my fairy tale. Once upon a time, a group of friends and I happen to have been craving dim sum one day and this spot was the most convenient place in all of the land there was without having to fight for parking like many do in Chinatown. It was during the weekday and it was lunch hour and they weren't busy yet. We were seated and it didn't take too long to get waiter service. We all decided to get separate checks and the main server gave us a tone that was pretty rude. So I figured we will let it slide. We decided on our dim sum selections and our server just rudely grabs the paper from our hands like she was having a fit that she had to even deal with us. Okay, alright.. so that was strike two. During our meal, we over hear her yelling at the busboy in English about not doing something right. I will mark that as extremely rude and unprofessional. So that was strike three. About 20-30 minutes later everyone gets their orders which took a while and I was missing one of the dishes I ordered. Of course I see the servers look at my order to make sure I did order them and truth be told I INDEED ORDERED IT. So she tells me that I did order it (I'm thinking "NO! Really?!?!" Of course I did!!) and asked if I still wanted it. So yes, I still did want it. At this point I was already beyond upset at the service and the lack of attention to detail. My advice for my fellow dim sum enthusiasts, come here for dim sum but expect lack of service and lots of rudeness if you get a server name Lilly. If you don't get her, expect okay service from everyone else. I've been here numerous times and this is based on my past and present experience.
(3)
Lulu C.

Besides looking forward to dim sum and then finding out it was discontinued, everyone enjoyed the food and service. The Lunch Specials were large enough to share family style. Plus, parking for the plaza is only $1 all day on Sundays only. Happy 4-0 Ai Lee!
(4)
Tommy P.

So my family and I had been coming here for many many times for different occasions and our past experiences had been good. We came here on Mother's Day and it was blahhhh. We waited for 10 minutes until someone came and took our order, no drinks on table for at least 20 minutes. When the cold drinks arrived they were in plastic red cups the kind that you use for drinks at party (ok?wtf?) that was first strike. The soup that we ordered came and no spoons, hummmm are we suppose to just slurp it? The waitress then came back with spoons and guess what they were plastic omg strike 2. The foods were pretty good for most part. At the end of our feast, we paid left the tips and out the door. As soon as we walked out the door I saw one waitress came up to the front desk and was complaining to her boss about the tips we left. Then I watched what would happen next, the waitress who brought us plastic spoons and cups had the nerve to tell me that the tips we left were too little omg strike 3. I never said anything because I didn't want to cause a scene but seriously you gave me a bad dinning experience and expect more tips? GO TO HELL!!!! That would be the last time I come to this place.
(2)
Lori F.

Had lunch here yesterday for the first time since new management took over. We were surprised at how crowded it was - had to wait about 20 minutes for a table for three. We didn't know about the $7.99 special menu, but wow, there's a lot to choose from! What we ended up ordering was: - Beef with Bittermelon - Sweet Sour Pork Ribs, Hong Kong style - Fish with Mixed Vegetables The beef with bittermelon was really good, as was the s/s rib pieces - watch out for the bones in the ribs though. Fish was kind of funky tasting, like maybe it was frozen fish they used? All in all it was a pleasant experience & I'd give it 4 stars if you include the value. There's not many restaurants that offer a meal for under $8. Still miss the dim sum here though!
(4)
Sonia S.

I heart dim sum! My gf and I were planning on eating sushi for lunch, but somehow ended up on Keaaumoku at Panda Cuisine. Service is ok, waitresses don't understand English all that well, but the dim sum, oh the dim sum.... Our order for 2: *Shrimp dumpling *Shrimp look fun ~ Greatness drizzled with a sweeter soy sauce! *Bean curd *Bacon Seafood Roll x2 ~ My favorite...bacon goes good with everything! Especially shrimp and scallop! Comes with a creamy ketchup/mayo dipping sauce *Ong choy with garlic sauce ~ So fresh, tasty, crispy ong choy stalks *Spare ribs with black bean sauce ~ Tender, love pork! *Crispy shrimp in won ton pi and mayo (I'm making up my own name) *Jin doi ~ Deep fried sesame balls of goodness stuffed with sweet red beans..YUM! It was nice and hot and delish! Everything was so good and always is good! We had my company Christmas party here in December. A 12 course meal with the best of the best dishes/appetizers....lobster, crab, shark fin...never had Chinese food quite like I did here. High class all the way! I'm super sensitive to MSG and normally get a headache after eating it. I don't get a headache after eating at Panda. Yay!
(4)
Nina N.

Not bad for late night dim sum. Not the best dim sum that I have ever had, and the price isn't amazing either. But I must admit that for midnight and hungry it's a win... but I would recommend you go to uncle bo's instead... DONE AND DONE.....
(3)
Rodalyn C.

Dim sum!!!!!! I love to eat, but I'm not that much of a heavy eater, meaning I can never finish a whole meal by myself... But when it comes to Dim sum... OMG, you can never go wrong with DIM SUM!!!! It's like I can eat it forever! Panda Cuisine is one of my favorite restaurants when it comes to dim sum especially since its open late nights. YAY! The portions are practically the same as any other dim sum restaurants and quite pricey but hey, the food is still yummy. Last time I came here, it was closed -___- Boohoo. But i will try again, next time.
(4)
Kelly M.

Dim sum was good, but a bit pricey. Staff was nice and spoke more English that normal. Restaurant is nice. Validated parking is available under the restaurant (entrance just north of the restaurant.
(3)
Dan F.

Very good food with a low lunch price. Soup, tea & authentic Chinese food huge portion for $8.95. Clean, good service, etc..
(5)
Dan D.

Under new ownership. Currently, not serving dim sum
(3)
Jen C.

Another updated review. So, I haven't been here since July, 2013. My family and I finally decided to give this a go again. We haven't liked it as much since the new management took over a year ago and axed the specials, did away with the complimentary soup and hiked up the prices. But lo and behold! We asked if they had any lunch specials today and they brought back the $7.99 lunch special entrees that the previous management had! Only thing is no complimentary soup like before, but there is rice. They don't advertise the $7.99 menu at all. In fact, when you walk in, they give you the dim sum menu. When did they bring the $7.99 lunch specials back? They didn't have it in July 2013 but glad they have it! What is the difference? The dim sum menu lists the dim sum but also dishes at a much higher price!!! The seafood noodle is $12 on the dim sum menu. The "secret" lunch special menu has it as $7.99 with rice. Exact same noodle dish. So when you go, ask for the $7.99 lunch specials. We also ordered the salt and pepper shrimp. It used to be really good here but now they put a light batter over the shrimp and then fry it. It still looks like salt and pepper shrimp from afar because the batter is thin, but because of the batter, the shrimp does not fry to a crisp. I've never seen a chinese restaurant do this! Not going to order that again. The fish filet with vegetables and the seafood chow mein were both excellent! The employees don't all speak English very well, my dad asked when the salt and pepper shrimp (called it spicy shrimp) is coming out and the waitress brought back a dish of that red chili pepper sauce, so funny! Where was our shrimp? eventually it came out. There are a lot of Chinese speaking customers here and what appears to be Chinese tourists, or Chinese speaking locals not too many non-Chinese customers but then you know that the food here is traditional Chinese food and somewhat good. A lot of people were ordering the deep fried fish for $7.99 lunch special, we plan to try this at our next visit.
(4)
Tiffany H.

First time here and I was very disappointed. We had to repeat ourselves to the waitstaff several times. Then the soup came... Not sweet/sour soup, more like GOOP. Looked and tasted luck the bottom of the pot. While the rest of the dishes were ok, that's all they were, ok. There has got to be better Chinese restaurants on this island.
(2)
Donna L.

This is my review for getting take-out dim sum from Panda Cuisine on a weekday around lunch time. We ordered about 13-14 dishes from the menu, walked it a few blocks back to the condo, and shared the food with a group of relatives. We were in the midst of a move, so we weren't able to plate the food, but rather ate it out of the foam containers. In that form, the food tasted ok but not great. A bit dry and not super flavorful. So for take-out dim sum, Panda is not the right place. The restaurant took a long time to take our order and then they made us wait a really long time before they brought our food. I was embarrassed by the whole thing because I was the one who suggested going there and my family (visiting from the SF bay area) really like to eat and would've enjoyed some good dim sum.
(2)
Nomake L.

I've been here several times with friends and family and love this place! You can't expect five star Waikiki-hotel restaurant-kine service from this place since it is a Chinese restaurant. You come here for the tasty food, good prices, and quick service. My favorites for dim sum (10am-2:30pm) are: Juicy Pork Dumpling, $5.50; Deep Fried Shrimp Ball, Sticky Rice w/ Pork wrapped in lotus leaves; handmade pot stickers; Salted Pork w/ Black Egg Rice Soup; and Jin Doi (sesame seed mochi ball w/ black bean inside). Other delicious items, but have had it better elsewhere: Ginger Chicken (they don't give enough ginger sauce which is served on the side - gotta keep asking for some more), Chicken Feet (once you've tried the real thing in Shanghai - ain't nothin' better - same goes for the duck). Covered parking available beneath restaurant - don't forget to get it validated. You can always park at Wal Mart and walk across the street, but PLEASE use the CROSSWALK! Keeaumoku's a busy street and I'm tired of pedestrians asking to get hit by dashing through the cars. Average dim sum cost for a table of four people with their bellies stuffed = $40.00 Average dinner cost for a table of four people with room for desert or drinks = $100.00 *TIP: If you go with people who speak Cantonese or Mandarin, you'll get better service from the waiters.
(4)
David C.

Ate here tonight for my girlfriends dad's birthday. Food was ok, but the service was awful. We made reservations, when we showed up, they told us our table was ready in the back, so we walked to the back. Then another waitress came and said "get out" your table is in the front. Then they sat us in the front. Didn't ask if we wanted water or anything to drink. Til 10-15 mins later. When the waiter brought the water to the table he pushed my girlfriend and i aside to slam the waters on the table, didn't say excuse me. Maybe this is how they do it in China? When we asked where the restroom was, she goes "it's outside, get the key." It might not sound like that big of a deal but it was the her attitude that was really irritating. Then when we asked to take our leftovers home, she said "yeah yeah yeah.." Not in the polite way like locals say, but more of a "yeah stfu, lemme box your sh!t." I recommend spending your money somewhere else.
(2)
Isaac N.

I have been to Panda a few times in the bast but this was the first time in awhile. Went there to have dim sum for lunch. I think the dim sum was a little better before. One thing that was disappointing was the Xiao Long Bao, the taste was good however the bottom of the dumpling stuck to lettuce that it was steamed on so the bottom tore and all my soup ran out! This happened to all of them. I know this is a Chinese restaurant so maybe I should expect such terrible service but I though it was a little worse than average. First it took awhile to even get a menu. After ordering and getting our food, I asked for wooden chopsticks, which I thought she'd leave for the entire table but she gives me a pair then runs off before I can even ask her for more. Half way through the meal we wanted some fresh plates it took awhile to flag someone down and when we asked for new plates we were brought one plate, we had to let them know we all wanted new plates. The one thing they use to make that I though was really good was their taro puff, this time their taro puff was mediocre and not something that I would need to go back for.
(2)
Paul M.

STILL THE BEST DARN DIM SUM IN HONOLULU, AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! I still remember the multiple orgasms that were triggered when this Mecca of the Dim, had their Grand Opening, many moons ago. It was especially joyous, because I lived literally on the same block! Either, I could get a Dim Sum fix at lunchtime or do the late repeat at 10PM, after an early night on the town. Before they opened, you had to trek all the way to Chinatown, & somehow deal with the ridiculous wait at Legends (or default to a lessor Dim Sum place nearby, which happened all too often). Back then both the owner of Panda and I just started on our respective gray hairs, but now after a decade, well you know how it is! Even though we have changed, the Dim Sum still has about the same quality that I recall from a decade ago. Unfortunately, for the male owner, who is a great guy, the business is not as packed as before. Incredibly, the owner's "Dim" wife, still has the same cold sour-lemon-tart-faced stink attitude toward others and me, as she did a decade ago. Maybe she just needs to eat more of their excellent Seafood Dumpling Soup Dim Sum or have some great Chicken Feet & get a good massage from hubby. Anyway, just ignore her. My three girlfriends from UH & I, used to compose a friendly "Dim Sum Club" who made sure to meet there every few weeks to talk story & grip about school and some of the malignant moron professors. Those were the "Good Old Dim Sum Days" for us! I find it amazing that some people have all kinds of weird grips about this place, which are usually based on only one visit. There are only a few that do this place justice. It just goes to show you, that you really have to screen the reviews, and take them with a grain of salt. It is shocking how few really know their Dim Sum, especially those who never really traveled much. Panda Pro's: -Clean: you will not find this in most Chinatowns, & most are willing to pay extra to prevent problems. -Good to great Dim Sum: they have a rather wide selection of fresh/hot stuff, that rivals the better Dim Sum places in SF, LA, NYC, DC, Chicago, or Singapore. -Nice Atmosphere: forget the hustle and noise of Chinatown, and enjoy a "civilized" meal with nice surroundings. -Parking/Location: they have easy validated parking under the building & they are very close to Ala Moana Shopping Center -Hours: one of the few Dim Sum places anywhere that still offer a night service. -Feet: Great Chicken Feet. If a Dim Sum place cannot do the Feet right, then it is lightly that they will fail at other stuff too. Beside, I have a Feet Fetish! -Price: Reasonable due to the above. Their entrees have always been a bit pricey for Chinese, but are far cheaper than most of the tourist traps (i.e. Morimoto's, Hakone). -OPEN TO 1AM...ONE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING FOR DIM SUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Panda Con's: I do not live around the corner from them any more..... BAO HO!!!! :( BAO HO!!!! :( BAO HO!!!! :( BAO HO!!!! :( BAO HO!!!! :( BAO HO!!!! :( BAO HO!!!! :( BAO HO!!!! :(
(5)
Vanessa F.

3.5 stars All in all, food was good. Lobsters are cheap. Service is as expected. Park below the building for $1. Not incredibly crowded. If you are frequent customer you get a VIP card which allows you to get 10% off or something like that. I would go there if I was in the area but it's not something I would go out of my way for.
(3)
K C.

Junk. Dim sum way better elsewhere. Seafood cake noodle had crappy, squished noodles. Jelly fish no taste. Junnnnnk.
(2)
Joe S.

First thing first, I won't go back to this restaurant again. I always take my family to nice dinner every Friday night. This time, we invited our best friend to us. For starter, we sat at the table for at least 10 minutes before receiving any service. After looking at the water tanks, we went on to order the following: 6 small abalone steamed with XO sauce 1 King Clam with the good part cut sashimi style and the rest used for soup. 1 steam whole sun fish which the waiter said was approximately 2.5 pounds. Drunken clam Beef stew casserole Ginger chicken Deep fried pig intestine Well, the tap amounted to $450. I don't mind paying for the tap. However, the waiter failed to confirmed the weight of each live seafood item. We asked for a 2.5 pounds sun fish and they gave us a 4.5 pounder. When the fish was presented, it wasn't fully cooked perhaps because it was too big. It was the same thing with the king clam which alone amounted to $197. The rule of thumb for Chinese cuisine is that the restaurant confirm the weight of each live items. Essentially, they ripped us off. I don't mind bad service if the food is good. But when the restaurant operator try to rip me off. I won't give them another chance. I won't even go back as someone's guest. Bottom line: It is their loss because when it comes to my family, I don't care how much I spend. But I won't spend a penny there again.
(1)
Mike O.

Wow this place is kind of pricy. We ate here for dim sum lunch yesterday. Truthfully I cant tell the difference in the taste of dim sum. If you were to put the same food from Happy days or here in a blind taste test, I wouldnt know. But I would know once I saw the check! We ordered Duck: above avg House noodle: above avg plain look fun: avg tsumai: avg fried shirmp: avg Har gau: ave Some bacon/shrimp/scallop fried ball: avg custard cake: best thing I ate Total: $55 with tip. +$1 for parking. Pretty high for lunch for two.
(3)
Ape L.

Worst dim sum and service in Honolulu. Ever. We came in during an off time where we were the only people in there. The AC was off, they sat us at the crappiest table even though the whole room was empty. They rudely sat us, I might I add. As we waited for our food we got the pleasure of watching large tilapia fighting each other for space in their cramped, dirty and green tinged fish tank. You would think if we were the only people in the room that the dim sum chef would have time to make good dim sum but no it was all soggy with grease. Disgusting. They didn't provide us with napkins or soy sauce either, when we asked for napkins they gave us paper napkins. Elderly Chinese people walked in wearing scarfs (wearing a scarf in Hawaii is as pointless as wearing a bathing suit in Antarctica) and suddenly the AC magically turned on the moment they walked in the door! These first class citizens were seated at the nice table with the cloth table with cloth napkins (our table cloth was plastic). Like royalty they were served immediately. If you are not wearing a fancy scarf and your taste buds haven't been burned off previously then I would look elsewhere for a meal.
(1)
Damian H.

Took a little bit to get servers attention to order, seems like standard dim sum place, waiting to see if there any wow factor to food, not really. I say head into chinatown and eat at 'any' dim sum place there.
(2)
Jenn T.

This is a great location for good quality dim sum. I have been coming here for years, and it has remained as one of my go-to places for a dim sum craving. I usually order a variety of different things--mainly being the ha gao, shumai, spare ribs, tripe, look fun, spinach & chives, and the mochi pork. I especially like the jin deui to top off my meal as an awesome dessert! The list could go on and on, especially since as soon as you sit down, they are bombarding you with such great smelling carts of food, HOW CAN YOU RESIST?! Thus we come to my dilemma when eating dim sum. How the heck can you avoid ordering a ton of food within seconds, inhaling it within 10 minutes and then feeling extremely full within 15 minutes?! I swear, every time I come here...I must lack self control. But then again, I'm an avid yelper..and food is my world :) I also like coming here because the restaurant is clean (none of that chinatown, where are the rats paranoia) and the service here is fast, efficient and friendly. The parking downstairs is easy and cheap as well.
(4)
Paul C.

We came here a couple of times and the seafood is excellent. The lobster and crab is spot on and the other dishes were tasty as well. Service can be slow at times, however, this is the norm for most Chinese restaurants. I wish they use bigger plates to eat from as the shells from the lobster and crab pile on the plate making it difficult to eat from. I guess they want to slow you down when you eat, however, when you are hungry, you want to grind and have enough plate room to do it!
(4)
Dan F.

Tried the lunch special here, $7.99 was supposedly a good deal. Came here with a group of 6 and ordered the Stir Fried Green Beans, Salt & Pepper Pork, STripe with Black Bean, and Seafood Crispy Noodles. If you considered Chinese food to taste good here then I don't know what's wrong with you. The dishes were too oily, salty, and distasteful. The worse of all was the waiter with the glasses and the thinning of his hair. He had the murderous intent look on his face. When other people around our table we're flagging him to do something, he would just stare into space, and not say a word, and get the job done. We tried to flag him and show him our teapot is empty but he would keep on staring into the void. Our tea pot was only filled up twice by him. We we're very thirsty at the end and my Cantonese mom told them off as we left.
(2)
E L.

New Panda Cuisine is great. Late night special ~ good value. Service was excellent.
(4)
Mandy Y.

Tried their late night special at 9:30PM on a Monday night. When we walked in, there was no one else in there. Waiter gave us the special menu, which supposes to start at 10:00PM. The "Specials" wasn't a lot of choices and not very good deal. We (2 People) ordered: 1. Salt and pepper shrimps (The shell stick with the meat, which means the shrimp is not fresh) 2. Lap-mei rice in clay pot (Lot of rice stick at the bottom of the pot) 3. Stir-fried Gai-lan 4. Oyster with soy sauce in pot The bill came out $45 including tax and tips. The food were so-so, not too impressive.
(3)
Fern C.

First time dining at Panda Cuisine and I'm loving their Rock Salty Squid. Their prices are very reasonable and order was huge!! Restaurant is clean and servers were attentive.
(5)
Esteban W.

Dim sum is such an alien concept to me. I never go alone, and I never go without someone who knows what is going on. I usually sit back and let the commander order while simply enjoying the good after the battle is done... the battle between the dim sum distributing dictators and my coordinating culinary copilot. This most recent trip to the dim sum domain was in celebration (or recovery from) a birthday night out. Only about three things seem to be a perfect cure to a crazy hang over and those are (in no particular order) XXXVitamin water, menudo, and apparently now, dim sum (since I cant find menudo on this frickin island). The GOOD: The ladies speak English!! WTF, wow, even I could order here - awesome sauce! They are also patient, willing to answer questions, give recommendations and suggestions. Right off the bat, a better experience than at previous dim sum locations. The baskets (like always) carry about bundles of Chinese love, and everything tasted just the right amount of salty and savory without being disgustingly inedible. The Holy Grail though was the scallops. Bud, bartender at Wang Chung's was the first to pass on the legend of the scallops to me. During a drink fest at the local karaoke bar, he spoke of these scallops that were sent from the heavens, Shrimp-stuffed scallops, wrapped in bacon and, wait for it... battered then deep fried. If your heart didn't stop now, it will after about two or three of these things. These things are vicious in ever freakin' sense of the word. They seem, however, to hold these off until later on in the meal. Had I seen these things at the beginning of the meal, I would have dined solely on them, blast them for not coming around until after I polished off 12 steam baskets of Chinese love. The BAD: seriously, the only bad thing I can think of is that they held off the scallop things until I was nearly done. Another bad was, while biting into his manapua, Artie T. discovered an unidentified "spice" in his food. What we all later termed, 'char siu spice', it appeared like a black grain of rice, except soft. As Artie T. went over all possible feces that it could have been, but all possibilities were discredited - so was it... droppings? Or was it simply, Char Siu spice? In the end... everything was eaten. And today we live to tell the story. Overall: the deep fried scallops are worth several return visits. As dim sum locations can vary in cleanliness and product quality, Panda Cuisine has managed to impress me enough to want to come back. Truthfully, its only because I want those freakin Scallops wrapped in bacon love!!! Overall 3.5, but the deliciousness of all the food (not just the scallops) bump it up for the 'benefit of the doubt'.
(4)
Chad Y.

Panda Cuisine is one of those dim sum places that make me want to remember what it is I order instead of looking into the cart and point at what I want. Its food is good and its location convenient, that right there makes me a fan! Service on the other hand is semi hit or miss. The menu is your standard dim sum fare, with the deep fried stuff being awesomely deep fried and the steamed stuff, steamed nicely. Definitely try the spinach and scallops steamed thingy and the look fun noodles. It is definitely good! The location is convenient in town off Keeaumoku and across from the giant WalMart/Sams Club complex. Parking is downstairs below the building, but be sure to validate your ticket!
(4)
Lauren C.

This review is for late night dim sum because I wouldn't choose to eat here if there are other dim sum restaurants open. The service is mediocre...it's always the same guy that works there at night and although he's not very personable, he's not rude either. That one night we went, he packed all the tables into one corner while the rest of the restaurant was empty. So I was listening to this Japanese couple rap in Japanese while the guy to my right left right after he sat down because he didn't want to sit there. I understand that you want to keep the mess in a small area of the restaurant so its easier to clean at the end of the night but it was strange to sit side by side with another table while everything else is open. Reminds of the men's urinal rule....anyway that's off subject. I used to love eating their juicy pork dumpling or shao long bao. This time it was over steamed and there was almost no juices inside. The pork hash was also steamed too long because it was a bit dry. The rest of our selection included the look fun, steamed manapua, mochi rice and taro puffs which were okay. This is a good place for a late dinner when you're craving for something other than Zippys but is far from a delicious dim sum meal. P.S. I love their little fish tank in the corner of the restaurant!
(3)
Ellen L.

Just like any asian restaurant service is ok. I had to constantly flag the server down when I needed something. The restaurant have a regular menu and Dim sum menu. Since I ate at the restaurant at night the dim sum menu is made as its order. So I was lucky to not have to constantly fight for the server's attention if I wanted to order an item. The only thing about going at night is the availability of an item. Half of the itemswere sold out. Over all good food ok seservice..
(3)
Lalalicious Y.

Overall experience, very disappointed! No customer service and the server was a grouch and when I asked if there was sauce for our egg rolls, she replied, "Yea, Yea!" Very rude and never going there again! This was my first experience there and it was definitely one to remember. Very disappointed!!! The food was okay, nothing over the top.
(1)
Claudia M.

A friend recommended this place since the lunch menu was extensive...all for $7.99. We ordered the deep fried flounder, tofu with seafood and won ton min. The won ton min for $7.99 was rather expensive since they don't give a lot. The flounder was delicious, but I wished I could eat the bones too...it wasn't fried crispy enough. The tofu dish was just ok.
(3)
Ellen C.

Pretty solid dim sum restaurant. The four of us started with an order of beef chow fun, followed by a slew of dim sum dishes. The noodles were great, as were the Shanghai soup dumplings (xiao long bao) and lo bak goh (daikon cake). Most dishes were of dependable good quality, except for the pork siu mai which were really fatty and full of gristle. Compared to dim sum I've had elsewhere, it was a little more expensive than I'm accustomed to, but it's a good place to have dim sum if you're craving it at a non-lunch time of day.
(4)
S D.

Food is ok... Service is less than mediocre. Very biased on race. Cater more to Chinese, than locals that are not chinese.
(3)
JME C.

I have to say that the service here is impeccable! We had a semi-private room in the back for our banquet of 6 tables. The room was shared with another grad party separated by partition, but it wasn't a bother at all. They started a little later than us, so we were able to have a short program before we started dinner. Then, I heard them give their graduation thanks. We ordered one of the set dinner menus. The food is delicious and tasty! It's not like your ordinary Cantonese food that you get at most Chinese restaurants in Honolulu. Quality is better, value is all there, taste is superb, and the service is high class. The servers are very attentive to your plates your are eating off of. These plates are not your regular size dinner plates. It's rather small, but size is enought to put your food on. If there are a lot of bones or shells, the servers will take your plate and give you a new one. This happened about 5-6 times for me, and I think we have 7 courses. They will also refill your teapot when they see that you've poured the last cup out. Don't have to ask. The amount of food that they give is great for the value. One little complaint I had was that they didn't cut the beef spare ribs small enough. It's the kalbi style ribs with the bone, done Chinese syle. It was really good, but the pieces were so big. Some pieces had two bones to a piece, so imagine how big it was. And imagine eating that with chopsticks! Nonetheless, it was delicious! The dessert is something that may a normal dessert at your Popo's or mom's house, but not at typical Chinese restaurants in town. They served us a green bean with seaweed soup. It's kind of like yor azuki red bean soup, but they use green beans. I thought it was quite good, but not everyone liked it. So I got to take it home! =) Overall, loved it! Great value, great service. What more can you ask for in a Chinese restaurant? Oh yeah, BTW, what you see is all clean! No oily grit or bugs. Unusual for Chinese retaurant! Haha!
(5)
Wesley C.

Sorry, New owners No DIM SUM! I went to Panda Cusine 2/17/12 expecting to order dim sim, but the ownership has changed, and they no longer serve dim sum! The new owner elected to have lunch specials for $7.99 which include rice, soup, and one entree. I ordered the kung pao chicken special. A bowl of lotus root & pork soup was served; rather brown & bland. It took another 40 minutes before my rice & chicken came. The chicken was ok, but not any better than the other Panda! Not worthy of a return visit.
(2)
Judith H.

Happy to see the dim sum back. No carts anymore but good dim sum. The service was labored. Really? We can tell you don't want to be here Mr. Server.
(4)
Thomas P.

Panda cuisine have a large section of dim sum, and a full menu at a reasonable price. My mom and her friends love the deep-fried fish. I love their Cumbow chicken Mongolian beef and other menu items. It's A long walk up your stairs to get there but if you park in the back of the ramp at a long hallway for handicap customers. They do charge for parking at lunch.
(5)
Mav H.

Service SUCKS!!! Waited too long for our take out order. Unfriendly staff!!! Will NOT come back here Again!!!!! This post do NOT deserve any stars at all, but I had to give it at least a star so that I can post this review for everyone to see!!! Ugh!!!!
(1)
Julius L.

This place used to be my favorite dim sum restaurant, now it's more of a seafood restaurant with bad service for dim sum. They made us wait 30 minutes with no food... nothing. They bring out the entire order at once, not as its freshly made so it takes long. Dont go here hungry for quick dim sum, expect to take 1.5 hours. We saw others who came in after us getting large seafood dishes while they didnt serve us even a bowl of rice. My daughter and I were starving to death. We had to leave and went to a fastfood chinese restaurant. I honestly miss the old management and the carts and good service. It was busy but the hosts were more like busboys than managers who care about your dining experience. They are obviously short staffed. I want to find a real dim sum restaurant around the alamoana area that focuses on dim sum. The dont seem to have enough cooks here to serve dim sum while serving seafood.
(1)
Cheryl E.

OK! I've found my new "favorite" Chinese restaurant! We [party of 5, including 2 aunties over 86 and my mom - 91] had dinner there on Saturday night. The service is impeccable. The wait staff actually wants to please the customers - that is refreshing in itself. The food came quickly and was far above average. We had the house soup, which was a dried cabbage and meat. This was the only "meh". It was bland and mediocre, thus the 4 stars instead of 5. However, the rest of the meal was superb. We had the Dungeness Crab, which was moist and flavorful. The duck had deep and complex flavors, was moist on the inside and wickedly crisp and tasty on the outside. One of the highlights by far was the salt and pepper sea bass, which was dipped in a very light batter, and again, hot and crispy on the outside and incredibly moist on the inside. The green beans were stir fried with sauted pork and garlic also to perfection. The litmus test of course was the aunties and my mom, who unanimously gave their stamps of approval. This is a rare phenomenon and either they liked the food that much or there was a moon and solar eclipse simultaneously that clouded their usual critiques. :) ...but seriously, the next time we will order a different soup and I'm sure my rating will go up. NOTE: This is a seafood specialty restaurant that knows how to cook seafood!
(4)
Juliana C.

Surprisingly delicious dim sum! The wraps, wontons, and noodles used in the various dishes were notably fresh - and not just because everything is made to order. I wasn't expecting much since the menu is pretty standard - and perhaps a little spare compared to what I'm used to - but I was really pleasantly surprised. Service, though passable, was inconsistent and at times painfully slow.
(4)
Clarissa M.

Went here for lunch with a few friends. First time and I'm a fan. Dim Sum was delicious and service was friendly and quick. Best of all parking was available in the garage and for free! Never knew this place existed and glad I tried it for the first time. Also, it is clean restaurant :) And the dessert - this mango like jello with condensed milk - so yummy!!!
(4)
Live Love Laugh D.

Dim sum is great. Love this place. Walnut shrimp and fried rice are good.
(5)
Prescott C.

Where do I begin....We went in on the lunar new year, and granted it was busy, things were a complete mess and our dining experience was just the same. Sat down with the parents at a table meant for 2 people, but that wasn't a big deal. We then promptly gave our paper order to the waitress and waited for our drinks. It took nearly 15 minutes from the moment we sat down in order for the wait staff to give us our hot tea and another set of utensils........Then another 20 minutes for our food to finally arrive. We asked for hot sauce which the waitress acknowledged, but never showed up with. And did I mention that the food got to our table cold! Un-flipping-acceptable! my mochi rice with chicken wrapped in tea leaf was frozen in the middle!!!! Frozen! In the middle! I wish Gordon Ramsey was with me to yell at the staff. "You idiot! You could have killed someone! F*ck off will you!" 35 minutes of waiting for dim sum (which normally is already cooked and pipping hot at other dim sum restaurants) and its not even made properly and its salty as the sea...Shaking My Head (in disgust). Anyways..as our last dish makes its way to the table, I can't eat anymore and I tell the wait staff to give us a box so we can take it home. I see two waitress come towards us, one of the waitress hands us a to-go box and the other one hands us a bowl of hot sauce...Whomp Whomp! Thanks for the hot sauce lady, your like an hour and a half late. Happy Chinese New Years!
(1)
Trish P.

the selection is much bigger than before. they have new items, and they're all pretty damn good. this place is clean, has a nice atmosphere, caters to the late night crowd, and is all around good stuff. if you have a hankering for dim sum, and its late..... this is the place to go! this is actually the only place i know of that serves dim sum after 10pm. winner!
(4)
Jesse G.

This review is for the NEW Panda Cuisine, which is primarily a seafood centric restaurant. Judging by taste, they probably have the best and freshest Chinese seafood on the island. The lobster, giant clams, and abalones are flown in from LA, ensuring the quality of freshness. The lobsters are a great deal for the price, not to mention the flavor was crazy good! The service was excellent, they made sure we have new plates for us once our plates filled up with lobster shells. I highly recommend seafood lovers to try this place out! Freshest Chinese seafood in Honolulu, hands down.
(5)
Rise D.

This is a really good place for dim sum. I've been here for lunch, and it's really busy. The wait staff comes around with the different plates on carts. Service was pretty quick. You might have to request mustard and chili sauce though. My favorites are the fried chicken wings, steamed pork bun, bacon wrapped seafood ball, pork wrapped- noodle, baked egg bun. After ordering all that food, I thought the bill would be expensive, but it wasn't! Surprisingly it came out to under $30. Yay! Good food that's not expensive makes me happy.
(4)
Kaiulani K.

In all my years of professional eating (yeah, that's a thing) I have learned a few things: carbonated soda only makes spicy food burn more, if you're too full to finish your food then you need to drink more alcohol, and ALWAYS play dim sum by the numbers. Having learned this, I decided to assemble a Dim Sum Club (contact me if you're interested), so that in the battle of humans vs. dumplings, humans would always prevail. So, the October Dim Sum of choice was Panda. The food was good, although nothing really stood out. If you're one of those people always on the hunt for the infamous xiao long bao (soup dumplings), then order some here. Everything was pretty standard, but by the time they brought around the roast duck, everyone was stuffed. It's okay, now I have an excuse to come back. For a group of 6-10 we usually pay $10/person (including tip) at Dim Sum places, however panda cost us $16/person. That seems like a reasonable price for a weekend brunch, but it's a 60% markup compared to the places in [my beloved] Chinatown. So, come if the location is convenient, if you're interested in a nicer dining area, or would like to change up your typical dim sum fare. However, if you're looking for a place that gets the job done on the cheap, head towards Chinatown.
(3)
Red H.

Hard to believe this is four starts vote. Horrible experience. Don't order daily soup, it tastes like water. Don't order seafood, they are hard to bite. Nobody was there at the time I went. They should have better time to cook for you, because they are not busy. Don't ever go there anymore. Pricy with low quality.
(1)
Tom S.

came here for lunch today. first time since new managment took over. price was quite good for lunch. 5 dishes ordered came out to only ~40 bucks, and had unlimited rice and soup (not unlimited, but you can ask for more nicely :)). The rice comes in a container with a lid and you serve yourself, if you run out you can get more. At least panda cuisine isnt as stingy with their rice as other restaurants that charge you by the bowl. The soup was also nice and complimentary. the food was pretty good considering it's chinese food, usually not a fan of chinese food but today i didnt feel like the food was too oily, salty or full of MSG (didnt feel thirsty or anything after eating it). One minor point about the dishes was that the sauces were a bit too thick and kinda syrupy, possibly due to too much starch? Anyways if you're in for some fabulous chinese food for lunch (NO DIM SUM HERE), then head on down to panda cuisine. Also, you can park across the street in the Walmart Parking lot and walk over.
(5)
Billy W.

Came here a few times for lunch. Their popular special is order any entree for $8 and you get soup and rice, I think it's a pretty good deal. Their service is still kind of lacking at times, but way better than my dinner visit. The food was good, I like their steamed black bean oysters! Definitely give this place a try during lunch and hope you beat the lunch crowd.
(3)
Stefani C.

Excellent fine dining Chinese restaurant. The dim sum cart at lunch hour is delicious and so are the noodles. The noodles that Panda Cuisine use are the fine/thin ones so it isn't as starchy. Delicious & Tasty! Don't forget the Mango Pudding....yummmy, perfect ending!
(5)
Jerrene T.

If you're like me and only like dim sum as far as real Chinese food goes and it's late at night, then your best bet is to come here. I didn't really want to come here but the husband's friends were in town and they wanted dim sum for dinner... at lunch, I don't mind because there's so many options but at dinner, you're basically limited to a few places. So we came here about two weeks ago and while it's nice and clean for a Chinese restaurant, the food is lacking. I love the same things at dim sum... I don't really know the names since I just point. I got the spinach thing, the taro thing, pork hash, mochi rice, and look fun. The look fun was meh because unlike Happy Day, they don't flash fry it so it kinda tastes like how it looks... limp mushyness. I also like the fact that Happy Day and other dim sum places allow you to fill your own sauce and not just limit you to one dish. The white peoples we were with got like five of the same dishes which I found strange. But whatever... they also didn't really know anything of dim sum except mainland dim sum. Anyway, the service was okay... they were a bit slow in filling drinks, food was mediocre, and overall experience was decent. I would say this place was maybe 3.5 stars only because they weren't pushy and trying to put stuff on your table but I knocked it back down because seriously, no egg custard and cold jindui is faillllllll imho. That's why I go to dim sum in the first place... for those two desserts... okay the end. I stop now.
(3)
Bonny G.

We soo happen to come across this place just by asking a Gentlemen where is a good place to eat and he recommend Panda Cuisine. We decided to take a chance and check this place out we didn't have to wait that long say only 5 mins, our service was really surprisely good due to it was already lunchtime, and our server also recommend some dishes to try all in all it was a good choice and definitely we will go back for Dinner.. Aloha Bonny
(4)
Michael A.

We want in for lunch and it was pretty quiet inside (but I didn't mind). We were promptly greeted at the front and shown to our table. The waiter gave us ample time to pick and choose what we wanted and our orders came out in a timely manner. The food we had was really good, although I don't think any of us were fans of the juicy pork dumpling, other than that, everything else was great. The location is convenient and close to everything else and parking was not an issue. Four stars only because I think the wait staff could smile more.
(4)
Dee C.

My review is much like Jen C's. Went for lunch yesterday, Feb. 20th and we were given a Dim Sum menu. Asked for the lunch menu as we usually eat here a couple of times a month. Received a lunch menu, made our selections and asked for water. Waited and waited for at least 7 or 8 minutes and watched our waitress, who has waited on us many times, stand by kitchen door idly doing nothing. Finally my husband called across the room and asked her where our soup was. She said "no soup today, just rice." We got up and walked out. Too bad Panda... we loved the $7.99 lunch specials.... soup, rice and every entree was always tasty. Guess we'll have to look for a new Chinese lunch place.... Anyone have any suggestions?
(1)
Anson G.

Bottom Line: One of my two favorite Chinese restaurants! They've got great dim sum. They make great dishes here for dinner too. Their prices are middle of the road. They have above average service (for a Chinese place anyway...) They're clean and they've got a parking lot. What's not to like?
(4)
Park W.

This review is based on one visit (Sept 2010). What I've tried: your usual dim sum fare (long flat noodles, BBQ pork buns, shrimp dumplings, spare ribs, etc...). They also serve xiaolongbao (shanghai style soup dumplings). Tasting Notes: The only reason I came here was because our family friend knows the owner and all of us were a little skeptical about the food at a restaurant called "Panda Cuisine." The dumplings were succulent, all the seafood and meat was fresh and flavorful, and the noodles had great consistency. Ambience: very bustling on a Wednesday night Service: efficient and attentive, though this might be because we ate with the owner's friend. Recommendation: My rating is probably 4.5 stars-- though the rating might be skewed because the only dim sum I've had in the past 2 years has been in Dallas, TX. The dim sum here blew the Dallas joints out of the water, and I think the fact that I did not expect this level of dim sum in Hawaii at a place called Panda Cuisine made the experience more enjoyable.
(4)
Toby T.

At $3.50 for a dim sum, this is not the cheapest place to go, but it is one of the tastiest. It is also a very clean and spacious place, not like the cramped restaurants of the Chinatown area. The owner Daniel takes pride in the food they serve here, and I think they have a great line-up of dim sum, including my favorites such as Shanghai Dumpling, Mochi Rice, Fried Shrimp and Char Sui Manapua. Panda Cuisine has been around for quite sometime, so you know that both local and visitors enjoy it here.
(4)
Traci H.

I don't know anywhere else you can get late night dim sum. It's good dim sum too! The prices are reasonable too! It can be a little awkwardly quiet when it's empty. They have good service in the way they are attentive, but they aren't the most personable. I love how they give you water with lemon in them. If you got a big group or a big appetite then get the juicy pork dumplings! Mmm...brothy goodness! I also love the shrimp and chives dumplings! Oh and check them out on Saturdays after 10 pm for 10% discount! Also there isn't a parking attendent on late night saturdays.
(4)
Will C.

All in all the food is actually quite good, there is an evident eye for detail as each basket of dumplings is folded a different way. so not every basket has the same shaped dumpling and different fillings. i haven't seen this kind of stuff since the 80s! very time consuming and pleasing to my slanted eyes. with that said, all that detail means more labor, which translates to cost, which with everything said and done gets passed to the guest. i always thought that royal garden reigned king of prices, until i saw plates here for over $4. wow. not that it stopped me from ordering enough to fill a 4 top table for just me and my partner. i think it came out to $70 (including tax and tip) for 2 people and some leftovers for lunch for one. service was efficient and brisk, as we arrived at 9:45 and they close at 10. checked off a bunch of dim sum, they had xiao long bao (soup dumplings) so i got them. $8. not bad, probably the best i've had in honolulu (still haven't had ming's), but not the best ever. the first few i had had enough broth in them, but as they cooled the meat seemed to re-absorb it. also now that i think about it, some items didn't seem hot enough. but i was starving and didn't care. they have a lot of different items than the other places too, which was a nice change of pace. i need to go back and eat other things, maybe i'll bring more people. I will give this 4 stars for being open late (unless it's sunday) and any late night food options are a gift from the heavens in my book.
(4)
Danny K.

I guess I was expecting some special kind of dim sum restaurant. My friend really wanted to go here so we went out of our way to dine at Panda. When we arrived I was disappointed in the rude service we got. The man at the front desk kept getting preoccupied. When we were finally seated the waiter was not friendly and definitely not helpful (he's pretty much there to just take your order, bring your dishes, and refill your water glass). I will admit the dim sum tasted a little better then what I was use to in the bay area. We ordered a variety of dishes but there wasn't anything you wouldn't find in any other dim sum restaurant. I guess one notable thing about this place is that it's open after hours (I believe until 1AM) and they serve dim sum pretty much all day.
(3)
Jason S.

Surprisingly good for Chinese food, came late to lunch, so I just ate what the rest of my party order... Will come back if I actually want chinese!
(4)
zia s.

first dim sum in Hawaii . . . and omg . . . DELICIOUS!! We ordered just about everything shrimp that they had to offer, plus a few others, and EVERYTHING was PERFECT. Ended with the sweet sesame buns with the red bean paste . . .yum. I am now incredibly full, but it was worth it. We'll be back!!!
(5)
Deanthony N.

Mmmm just went here recently with a friend. Ironically I've been to numerous dimsum places and I've been here the least. I have to say that this place is pretty good! So about the food, I got my regular stuff (har gao, shumai, charsiu bao, fried taro, etc) and I like that the items given to me were from the ACTUAL cart or warm at not from the side (I went to Good Luck once and the charsiu bao they gave me looked "leftover") so I was glad. I also liked that they don't mark your paper until you actually get the food (another story, one time I made a couple of orders at another dimsum place, and they didn't even bring some of the dishes and they were about to charge us). Taste wise, I'm not too picky, but everything tasted good and I liked that nothing was too oily or greasy. Price wise, it is more pricey compared to Chinatown, but considering the ambiance, service, location, and quality it's reasonable. And I like how it's open late so if you're craving dimsum or Chinese food, go here. I also thought it was nice that the guy cashier went all the way downstairs to the parking lot to give us our parking ticket because we forgot it, and luckily he wasn't grouchy about it.
(4)
Rekinhsuf Z.

Horrible food and horrible service. All told, our party ordered $275 worth of various items (lobster, abalone, vegetables, pork, soup, fried rice, etc.). The dishes were brought out literally within five minutes of each other. The table was full of food, and with no space for coming dishes, I heard the waiter utter "DDIU" (basically means WTF in Cantonese) and then say "You guys order a lot, yeah?" The new ownership is a disgrace to the Panda Cuisine name and should get ready to close down already. Fire your cooks, train your wait staff, ...do SOMETHING! In fact, I put money on it that the place either ends up shutting down or becoming a complete shit restaurant. You pick.
(1)
First Name L.

Where else can you get Dim Sum til 1am?? Well, I had that strange craving and dropped on in. It was nice and cool in there, clean as usual, friendly, and priced fairly. We had all the usual dim sum options and it all tasted good but not great. It was missing that home made touch that I remember from San Francisco restaurants. Overall though, if you have the craving for Dim Sum at 1am, you know where to go.
(3)
carol W.

I think the dim sum is good comapre to other chinese resturant in Hawaii, but I would suggest serious Chinese foodies to the China town cultural center for better dim sum. It's not bad here, don't get me wrong, but just something better in another place. however, this place have free parking and close to waikiki which make it a very big plus. If you ever envy some dim sum after a aday of shopping at Ala, this is the place to go
(3)
Ray M.

It was our first time back since they renovated and were shocked to find out that not only the owners changed, but that there was no more dim sum! But we decided to try it out anyways. The atmosphere was familiar with a few slight changes. The wait staff was different and some new fish tanks in the front of the restaurant showcasing their featured lobsters. The food came out fast, hot, and fresh. And most importantly, it tasted great. We had the kun-shin-sai stir-fried with garlic sauce, seafood noodles, and (since I'm a fan of trying new things) duck tongues. The seafood was cooked perfectly and the the flavoring/seasoning was done well. Just be careful for the duck tongues; they tasted good, like how duck is supposed to taste, but they have an inedible bony base. The only reason I gave 4 stars was because of the service, which was actually overall good. It's just that most of the staff didn't speak English very well (some maybe not at all) and there was a lack of friendliness or sincerity which I often encounter quite often in Chinese restaurants. But everyone seemed to be hard at work.
(4)
Scott K.

Dim Sum! 10pm...yes late night dim sum. I think this is the only place you can get it on the island at this hour of the night. You must try the chicken feet which I thought wouldnt taste good but did. The shrimp ball with the MAYO sauce is winners. I love Mayo so I use that sauce for everything! hahaa Im known to order alot of food.....so the table never has enough space.
(4)
Heather N.

Worst place I've ever eaten in my entire life. Worst customer service. Still FOBS. And they totally laughed and were talking about us in freaking Chinese! Don't give adequate answers, just nod in response. Food was inedible. They brought it out and we took one bite and couldn't eat it. We complained and they said and did nothing. we paid way too much for a terrible experience.
(1)
Ann C.

Hey pals, just wanna let you know that we planned to have a lunch here today, but it's close bc of renovation from 12/01/11 to 01/02/2012. Don't run for nothing =P
(4)
TH N.

It is clean here as compared to other dim sum places downtown, but it is a bit more pricey. I enjoyed dim sum here. Living in MD now makes me miss these dim sum places in HI so much. Dim sum restaurants suck big time around here.
(4)
Jill B.

This is, by far, my favorite dim sum restaurant in Hawaii. The food is tasty and pretty authentic. Last year, for my birthday, myself and about 6 of my friends had a dim sum Sunday lunch here. It was exquisite. Not only is the restaurant clean and pretty, the food is excellent though... err.... competitively priced. One of the more expensive dim sum restaurants, I think it's almost worth it's weight on your checkbook. I'd definitely come here again and again and again.....
(5)
Ryan Y.

Enjoy dim sum for lunch. Prices are reasonable. Service is pretty good, depends on how crowded it get. Parking is validated but still have to pay $1.00.
(5)
Sheri D.

Maybe it's the Chinese in me but I absolutely LOVE dimsum! I love how it looks and tastes and I love how most of the dishes are made either out of pork or shrimp but yet each dish manages to taste different from one another. Even though I usually end up in some type of dimsum food coma, I'm always up to try new places for dimsum. I. just. LOVE. dimsum. (insert happy dimsum dance here) I heard about Panda Cuisine from the bf who raves about it...so we finally got a chance to try it out this past Chinese New Year for lunch with some friends. This place is not only conveniently located in town but it also serves great, solid dimsum! Their dishes were very flavorful and not oily or salty at all unlike some dimsum places. I get excited just thinking about those little carts filled with some heavenly dumpling goodness! We ordered the usual fare: siu mai, har-gow, spare-ribs, chive dumplings, tripe, chicken feet, etc.... all of which were delicious! Seeing as it was Chinese New Year, we also ordered "special" items such as their house pan fried noodle and three small bowls of sharks fin soup...sooooo good! The restaurant itself is clean and the service isn't bad. I like that they were right on top of refilling our water glasses and clearing our empty dishes. Prices were also on the higher side but it's really not so bad since it's right in town and you don't have to go all the way to Chinatown to deal with the usual hassle. The only down side? The food induced coma you experience afterwards from all its yummy, delectable goodness. I don't care though. I'll gladly go through it again just to go back to Panda Cuisine. YUMMY!
(5)
Tracy M.

Seriously? A dim sum place open till 1 am??? OMG i've died and gone to heaven. I am a HUGE fan of dim sum and this place rocks! Normally, when I go get dim sum, the servers are super inattentive and don't refill water or have any personality whatsoever. Panda cuisine, though, the servers are ON IT! My water did not empty once. We over-ordered, as I usually do, but it was still a cheap bill! All of the food was amazing. The mustard was a little watery, but I'll let that slide this time. I am such a fan of the food, but i seriously just order off the pictures and never remember what anything is called. I love panda cuisine and can't wait to go back!
(5)
e m.

So we went for the dim sum without realizing its only available certain hours then debated about whether to stay, so glad we did. Salt & pepper asparagus & prawns - yes. Very fresh and cooked perfectly, best dish we got. We also got a chicken dish I can't recall the name, bell peppers, onions and a delicious sauce with just the right amount of heat. Eggplant with pickled pork, decent. Didn't really know what to expect anyway with that one, probably wouldn't order again but nice to try something different, Service was nice, very pleasant experience overall.
(4)
Steven L.

Decent dim sum selections compared to dim sum from the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles. Panda Cuisine will definitely help curve your dim sum cravings. For dim sum, it is one of the better offerings in Honolulu. The staff also speaks cantonese so you know they are pretty legit. They offer most of the standard dim sum items like sui mai and hai gow. They also offer char sui bao both steam and baked which is nice. Service is fast and friendly. a bit pricey but hey, your in Waikiki. Free parking with validation from restaurant.
(4)
Kirk W.

Came to Panda looking for dim sum. No more dim sum but $9.99 lobster and $7.99 lunch special. Looks like they are competing against Lobster King. Crowded with 15 min wait. Service is ok but need to get their attention if you want something. They don't come to you. Food came out fast but was nothing special. Order the house fried noodles, roast duck and lobster black bean style. Noodles was okay but not much taste and bok choy was in large chunks making eating difficult. The roast duck was a large order but skin was not crispy and duck was very fatty. Overall there was no taste and lots of grease as my shirt will attest to. Lobster in black bean sauce came with a decided lack of black beans, sauce and taste. Best I could say is that the lobster was fresh. Come at your own risk. Lower expectations will be good.
(3)
Elbert K.

General Idea: Dim sum and chinese food. Simple menu with ladies pushing the carts. Not sure if they cart it all day. Pros: Dim sum come get some. Dim sum is pretty good in general, but finding a place with good dim sum is something special. Get the ribs in black bean sauce, a staple of good dim sum. Cons: I wish they would leave hot sauce on the table, but they don't. Basically digging for something to add here. Tricks of the Trade: This place is open 7 days a week from 11 to 2 am.
(5)
CingCing J.

I love dim sum, and they have good dim sum here. they are the few ones that offer dim sum at night time. so I like eating here, besides it's clean. and service is very good. I also tried their other dishes (chinese food) hum.. yummy!
(4)
Jing H.

Started yesterday, tuesday, Feb. 5, Dim sum back, special lunch deals are gone.
(4)
Jonathan N.

first time here since they changed ownership...food is great...lunch specials for 7.99 a dish is really a great deal.
(4)
Liz T.

While I'm loyal to the dim sum at Legend ( yelp.com/biz/legend-seafâ€¦ ), I decided to go to Panda Cuisine this past Sunday because of the rave reviews. The restaurant is incredibly clean--a world away from Chinatown--and the service was prompt albeit on the pushy side. My boyfriend and I stuffed ourselves silly with har gau, siu mai, look fun, taro puffs, and fried wontons. Everything was yummy--I liked the tiny but unique touches such as the bamboo shoots in the har gau and green onion in the wonton. I still think Legend's food is better and the selection wider, though--it's all about small things like a thicker skin on the har gau and softer shrimp in the look fun. I was surprised at how empty Panda Cuisine was at peak time--just a third of the tables were occupied. Actually, the dim sum is expensive... $3.50 for one of the small steamer baskets. It's a dollar less at most places, which doesn't seem like much but adds up if you eat more than a supermodel. I've also had dinner here and while the food is delicious, it's similarly overpriced like dim sum. The service was excellent, though--and not just for a Chinese restaurant. Give it a shot if you don't want to weather the lines, bums, and smells of Honolulu's Chinatown.
(3)
Michelle L.

it was 12:00 AM and we were hungry. zippy's just wouldn't hit the spot for us last night so i suggested panda cuisine since i knew they were opened til late. they don't have a large variety of dim sum but it has all your essentials. you just check off what you want on a sheet of paper and they get it for you. their prices are higher than chinatown but the pieces are humangous! only downer was that it lacked flavor, nothing like a little hot sauce can't fix :) clams in black bean sauce was really good since i like my sauce thick but the clams were shrimpy. five orders of dim sum, clams, and a bowl of rice ended costing $30 without tip. ouchies. food was three stars but four stars for the amazing service for a chinese restaurant and that it was good food opened late night.
(4)
Rose O.

Service was slow today but dim sum was good especially tofu skin wraps and black bean spareribs.
(3)
Inku H.

Mediocre food & terrible service. I would not go there again.
(2)
Jocelyn L.

"Really like their dim sum (at night too!) and mu shu wraps and fried rice. They also do a good Peking duck....open late nites and all day....reasonable prices
(3)
Pablo Q.

Great food, great service and great hours. Definitely a must.
(5)
Anita L.

I think we finally found a 5-star dim sum restaurant in Honolulu. We've heard many good things about this place but never made it there until today. From the outside, it looks rather inconspicuous, but when you walk through the glass doors, you are immediately greeted by the nice interior of the restaurant and the warmth of the owner. We were seated quickly and although the trolley of dim sum baskets was promptly pushed towards us, it took forever to get our pot of tea and glasses of water (and we had asked several times too). The dim sum selection was good and the quality of each morsel was even better. Everything was superb and in the class of Harbor Village in San Francisco. I was thrilled to find this place! Naturally, with fabulous quality comes a price tag along with it. Although it wasn't as pricey as Shanghai Bistro in Waikiki, Panda Cuisine serves up far more tasty dim sum and it is authentic at that! Service can improve some as one of the waitresses was rather rude when I asked her several times for our tea. Still, with that aside, the entire dim sum experience was THE best we've had on the island! They have validated parking under the building for that added convenience, but we just parked across the street at the Walmart/Sam's Club parking structure.
(5)
Shay F.

Another place I like to go for dim sum....not as great as the one in the Ala Moana hotel...but I still like it here. =o)
(4)
Lauren S.

I've had this Dim Sum craving long enough. I had to put an end to it once and for all. My friend suggested this place since it was dinner time. I have to say it was pretty good! We ordered an ample amount of dim sum, but I was sad that they didn't give us hot mustard or chili sauce to go with it. Maybe I should have asked? Oh well. The servers were very friendly and our glasses were filled with water at all times. They allow you to order your dim sum by writing it on an order sheet they have there for you. It's much easier than trying to pick out what you want in a cart or try to order from a chinese waitress who doesn't understand half of what you are saying. Overall, this place satisfied my dim sum craving, but it is more on the expensive side.
(4)
Gunther W.

I went here on Sunday evening and I really enjoyed my meal. The only bad thing was the service was slow since there was a big party in the back room with ~20 people. Their best dish was the fried shrimp with the mayo sauce which is a little sweet but just YUM!!! The beef chow fun was also very tasty. I have been here a handful of times and it has always been good. I will give them a pass on the slow service since it has always been good otherwise.
(4)
Consuela P.

The choices were plentiful, tasted ohhh so ono (delicious!) as I ate my favorites - steamed shrimp dumplings (ha gow), steamed minced pork dumplings (sui my), steamed roast pork buns (cha siu pao), steamed baby pork ribs (see jup pai guat), steamed Mochi rice in Lotus leaf (lo mai gai), 3 mini egg tarts and deep fried shrimp with mayonnaise but the service was a little too slow. The full pot of chinese tea kept me going but the carts (which had the FOOD) didn't seem to be wheeled towards my table and just waiting for it to come by kinda made me do a little hissy-fit! Next time around, must choose a table that is smack right in the middle of the restaurant so the flow of food will not end and am able to eat until I can't get up and need to waddle out of the restaurant! Overall, the food was good; but the service receives a thumbs down!
(4)
Panda K.

Food was good enough. Service was terrible. They charged tip automatically even though there were only 4 of us and we told them we would decide tip amount by ourselves when we saw their "suggested tip" was on the bill.
(2)
Tessa t.

dim sum makes my tummy smile :) i love this dim sum spot because they serve dim sum relatively late....1am? i think... they make it to order so its ALWAYS fresh! they have one of the most fantastic seafood bean curd, chicken feet, and shrimp and chive half moons EVER!!!
(4)
Jennifer D.

Ma ma hu hu. Clean and spacious, but unmemorable.
(2)
Augusto D.

Not as good as Mei Sum Dim Sum in Chinatown, but still satisfied with the taste.
(4)
Sasha Y.

we had dinner here last Friday when my parents in law from Kauai visited us,we ordered ginger garlic lobster,Mongolian beef, steamed eggplant w/minced pork,seafood chow fun and 4 bowls of rice,it was a standard Chinese meal you can get on this island,pricing was average,service could be better,I would be happier if they gave me a bigger plate on which I put my food,maybe some wooden chop sticks instead of the plastic one which was really slippery and made my eating kind of mission impossible! also I would appreciate if the waiters and waitresses could come help us change the plate more frequently while we ate lobster instead of just watching us make a mess with our greasy hands!I prefer Fook Yuen, Lobster King or Yee Hong Pavilion.
(2)
Ahjeck K.

Keep in mind that this place is no longer the same 'Panda Cuisine' that it once was. There is a new owner in town and most importantly, new chefs in the kitchen. This 'New Panda Cuisine' is no longer my favorite place. In fact, I no longer recommend this place because you can definitely find better. I come here only for dinner; never tried their lunch.
(3)
Brandon B.

I've only eaten here during the night time since it closes pretty late. The dining area is neat and tidy and the service is usually good. The menu offers a decent array of Chinese dishes ranging from average restaurant prices for the usual suspects like chicken and rocket high prices when it starts coming down to the pricey items like seafood. At least the quality of the food is pretty high as the price tag indicates. The most notable thing about Panda Cuisine is that they offer a large dim sum selection for dinner, which is an instant hit for those night people to fill their cravings for dim sum. The dim sum is slight priced a bit more than other places, but that's the price you pay for having it around the clock. Panda Cuisine is a strong, fancy Chinese restaurant in its own right, but it's better known as a dim sum lover's paradise.
(4)
Andy D.

Late night dim sum rocks. So many times I'm craving dim sum at 10 pm, so its good to know that this place exists. Just the fact that its open until 1 am gets it an extra star. Thanks yelp! Onto the food: The prices are a little high, especially in comparison to some other places in town. I think that the dim sum makes up for it though. I got a few dishes, including mochi rice, pot stickers, xiao long bao, and turnip cakes. The mochi rice and xiao long bao were as good if not better than any place I've ever eaten including bay area restaurants! (I'm tired of bay area people bragging about their dim sum) The potstickers were decent, but they were browned on all sides so it was too crispy. Also the skin was inconsistent: thin in some places, thick in others. The turnip cakes were fried well, but had a really off-putting fishy taste.
(4)
Boki C.

i'm lived in hk for 12 years, so i think i know what pretty good dim sum is. and this is it! it's as authentic as it gets in north america. the stuff isn't as oily as you would expect @ a chinese restaurant. prices are good. portions are good. taste - uuuberlicious. reminds me of home & makes me happy! outside looks kinda sketchy, inside looks good! "ho may do!"
(5)
Jenny C.

Okay first of all, I'm going to be biased. Chinatown dim sum is the best in all cases. But I needed my dim sum fix in the evening so we checked out Panda Cuisine. Yes, I agree that this restaurant is very clean and upscale compared to those of Chinatown..but you certainly will know that with the price you pay. The dimsum is much more expensive, and not much better. Not at all. If you are feeling like dimsum at night, by all means check this place out. I won't be returning here anytime soon unless I have to.
(2)
Glade W.

I've been to Panda Cuisine several times now, both for the late night dim sum and the regular dishes. While Panda is known online for its dim sum offerings, the regular dishes are just as good, if not better. Some outstanding must-have's include (I don't know the actual names on the menu): -Lobster with crinkled noodles underneath -Crab in soup with yellow curry and clear thin noodles -Panfried yellow curry noodles with shrimp -Sauteed greens with garnish -Mochi rice balls with read bean stuffing in ginger broth (dessert)
(5)
Florence K.

Panda Cuisine is the perfect place for those looking for a nice meal past midnight. They're open until 3, and they have convenient parking located under the restaurant. I know a lot of people have been reluctant to try this place because of the new management, and now the lack of dim sum...but the food is still super good. On a Thursday night, at about 1 in the morning, there were about ten of us who decided to come and enjoy some food. Their bartender was already off duty, but they could still serve us the simple drinks like the beer, wine, and sakes. They do last call for alcohol at 1:30 since all drinks need to be gone before 2 AM, but they're not SUPER PUSHY about it, like I've seen at other places. They're very nice, and just want to make sure we have no alcohol on our table once 2:00 hits. Due to the new management, there's also a new menu. It looks awesome, and there's a few different items that you don't see at too many Chinese restaurants. Yeah, no one on the table had ever tried frog or duck tongue before, so those were ordered. It was funny, because when asked how the frog was...the server offered to show us the live frog before they cut it...apparently frog is no good if its not fresh because it gets too chewy. But then again...how would you feel knowing that the animal you're about to eat was cut right before you ate it. It's different, and it's not bad at all. I encourage you to just try it...venture off into trying new things. Life is short. Or as our server said that night..."Just Do It....Like NIKE?" We also ordered the lobster which was amazing, because it was $9.99 and it was a HUGE lobster. We ordered two lobsters because we thought it was cheap, and when the first one came out, we thought it was both of it until we saw the next lobster. Fried Rice-Fu Jian style was delicious too, probably one of the much better ones I've tried in my life. There were so many different seafoods in the dish, that it surprised me. The Fried Rice and the lobsters are a MUST here. Service was spot on here. They had a hard time speaking English, but they tried to converse well with us and made some funny comments as well. Luckily, I speak Chinese so I could converse with them in some of the harder things they had understanding. But one of the servers even split the fried rice into separate bowls for us, something that no one had done for me since I was a little girl at a Chinese restaurant. Oh, and another way you know everything is fresh? You see the tanks of crabs, lobsters, fishes, abalone and giant clams! Great to look at while you're entering the restaurant.
(4)
Pali K.

Gotta say, I'm pretty bummed that I hadn't discovered this place before. I guess I figured Pandas was like the somewhat questionable 'Chinese food' from Panda express-boy was I wrong (maybe it's like how you have Korean fast food chain Yummy's vs. Yummies vs. Yummys vs Yummy etc). Ate there for the first time a few weeks ago and it was O-N-O. Dim sum wasn't oily at all, they kept the food coming and weren't too pushy like some dim sum places (e.g. "WHY YOU NO LIKE DA PORK!??!?! IT GOOD YOU KNOW!!!"), where they guilt you into ordering stuff. The fried taro puff thingy was great, the baked manapua nice and fresh, the ha-gau (shrimp dumpling) rocked and the mochi rice thing (notice I don't know any of the proper names), was excellent. Best of all, Dim Sum, all day long-doesn't get better than that! It's no wonder they have tons of celeb pictures on the wall.. here's one to look out for, see if you can spot Abarenbo Shogun himself-Ken Matsudaya-smiling away after eating some great dim sum. Cheers!
(4)
Natalie T.

Part of Panda Cuisine's appeal is that you can enjoy dimsum any time of the day (or night). Their varied selection allows you to satisfy your craving for baked manapua, taro puff, steamed mochi rice (glutinous rice with pork wrapped in lotus leaf), shumai, chicken feet (if you dare), egg custard and more! During lunch, they serve dimsum with traditional carts pushed around by their servers and at dinner time, you can pick out your choice of guilty pleasure from a menu. Panda's ala carte menu should also be worth exploring. Soup and noodles are always a staple and good compliment to dimsum. Panda Cuisine draws tourists and locals alike who are enticed not just to the food but also to the convenience of being located near the Ala Moana Shopping Center, Walmart and Sam's Club. Parking is also available at the lower level of the building. The owner pleasant and personable and service is generally ok. So if you're craving for dimsum or Chinese food be sure to check out Panda Cuisine.
(4)
C L.

Very authentic. Almost too authentic for me. I really enjoied the spring rolls, I also do not eat meat so there were very and I mean VERY few options to choose from. The staff was friendly and helful so despite their food not being my taste (too authentic and too meaty) I still enjoied my time there. Chineese food here is different than that on the mainland.
(4)
Jani C.

Came here for Chinese dinner with the usual Chinese fam bam, everyone raves about their taste but I've had better...Dinner itself was okay however they need to work on their service. We attempted to order few dishes off their regular menu, the woman waitress responded, "Ohh we might not have that, wait let me check on that" Pretty disappointing and I am baffled as to why they would even place them on the menu. Mind you now, these are just regular food items like oysters and bak choy and nothing exotic like monkey brains or cow balls now. We were rejected with at least three of our orders last night. In the middle of our meal, the same woman waitress came around twice and asked " any desserts?? red bean soup." Hello lady!! We still had at least half of the lobster on the main entree plate, and most of us are still digging deep into our rice bowls asian style. Were you that rush to rush us off the table?? The whole restaurant was empty and we were one of the only three tables inside. I did not understand the purpose of the other wait staff at the restaurant, they never respond when you ask for an item and seem to be pretty purposeless. The two stars are given for the taste, the other star is given for the 90s Cpop music they play in the background, nostalgic reasons, I grew up listening to those 90s Cantonese pop. However, they seriously have to work on their service.
(3)
Rahn H.

I recently started coming here with my family for lunch. They have an excellent lunch menu separate from their other one which everything on that menu is $7.95!!!!! It also includes a pot of complimentary jasmine rice and their house soup which varies from day to day. Service is... Blegh. I've been in the food and beverage industry as a bartender and server for over 10 years so service to me is key! I always have to remember though that this is a 'typical' Chinese restaurant where they speak mostly Chinese and if you don't speak there can be a bit of a language misunderstanding. Now the important part... The food!!!! OMGEEE it's super good!!! We always order a lot because you can always box it up and eat at home. There are so many delicious items... For example they have a chili salt and pepper shrimp soooo good also a full flounder pan fried with an excellence sauce. Their mushrooms and ginger also good for the vegetarians out there full of flavor! The only reason they are getting 2 stars knocked off is service.. And the fact that if you look like a tourist or a non frequent diner they won't offer you the special lunch menu... The regular menu is super expensive!!!! If you haven't been there before I recommend trying it out!
(3)
Cecilia K.

FIve stars just becuase they serve dim sum all day!!!! Price isn't the cheapest dim sum but it will suffice for a craving of shumai or har gow. Friendly and helpful servers. Nice and quiet environment to enjoy my meal.
(5)
Catherine L.

This restaurant was confirmed to have served shark fin soup. Shark fin soup!!!??!! What the heck...don't eat at an establishment that not only breaks Hawaiian law, but supports the brutal killing of sharks. Mahalo.
(1)
Janet K.

I would've given this restaurant 5 stars had it not been for one unfortunate incident. I've dined here on numerous occasions (lunch, dinner, and late night dim sum). My BF's mother wanted to eat Chinese food to celebrate her retirement so I recommended Panda Cuisine. The food and service is usually so great so why not? Well, our food came out one by one at a snail's pace, the water wasn't refilled until we asked, they gave our cake noodle dish to the table next to us (who sat and ordered AFTER us) and when they finally brought the cake noodle dish out to us... THE CHICKEN WAS RAW!!! This was enough to make her livid. See, the lady (who I think is the owner's wife) lied to my BF's mom when she asked where the cake noodle dish was. She said "cake noodle takes longer to make." Then why the hell did the table next to us get it BEFORE us? I can only assume that she then went into the kitchen and rushed the dish out to correct their error. Well guess what... the dish wasn't ready and we bit into a raw piece of chicken. GROSS!!! BF's mom was worried that we were going to get sick because there's nothing more sickening than RAW CHICKEN! So she tore the owner and his wife a new one and all I wanted to do was crawl under the table and hide. After all, it was MY restaurant suggestion. Anyway, rule #1, don't lie to the customer. Just say you made a mistake and dropped it off at the wrong table who also happened to order cake noodle. Rule #2 Never mess with a Mama Bear by feeding her cubs raw chicken. She will rip your heads off! I'll probably come again, because this was a one-time bad experience and where else can you go for late night dim sum? Mr. Panda Cuisine Owner, you should tell your wife to smile once in a while. She literally looks like an angry witch. No kidding. :-P
(4)
Leena H.

I came here a few years ago with friends for lunch...and was hooked ever since. It has become a Sunday tradition with my bestie. Bestie didn't want to come back with me because they give you the "slippery Chinese chopsticks"... so if you can imagine slippery plastic chopsticks and steamed slippery food = big splashy mess in front of me. Now I request wooden ones :) We always get a yummy selection: fried shrimp, seafood dumplings, spinach and scallops, shrimp wrapped in the thick rice noodles... and bestie is in love with the Chinese Cake Noodles. We never leave here spending more than $20 and we are usually stuffed. The space is clean, the staff is attentive. parking is easy...it's perfect! Side Note: In honor of the Chinese New Year...I made my coworkers find the Chinese in them and come celebrate with me. They are good sports, I emailed them "lunch time" convo about what Chinese New Year means, what this year of the Rabbit will bring and some typical traditions :). I'm all about embracing cultures, traditions...and any kind of celebration. We had so much fun. I love it here.
(5)
Ryan T.

Located on Keeaumoku St. in close proximity to a bunch of sketchy bars, this is a great hangout for late night dim sum. Plus, they offer a 10% discount for any orders between 10 A.M.-1 A.M. on Saturday. This is a great late night alternative to Zippy's.
(4)
M M.

After my co-workers told me that this place serves dim-sum, I went there one Saturday with my family. ... I wish we never did. After we walked in, we waited for the lady (owner's wife) behind the counter to finish playing with her cellphone. A simple "Hello, I'll be right with you." might be nice lady. But no, she looked up from her phone without even a slight smile and seated us. It wasn't much better after we were seated. We had to ask the ladies pushing the wagons to give us the dishes when they were asking everyone else around us if they wanted anything off of their wagon. When we were finished eating, a man that looks like the owner came up to our table to give us the check and he was actually very nice. That was very nice.... until we got home and my Dad noticed they had charged my Dad's card for someone else's meal too. The charges were eventually removed but WTF?! Never going back there again. I'll go to Happy Days if I want dim-sum.
(1)
Mr P.

NOOO! Panda has been closed for what I thought was only renovations. CI (confidential informant) sadly tells me that ownership has changed and when they reopen they will NOT SERVE dim sum :( Again,NO DIM SUM At least 2 dim sum chefs are looking for jobs. I will change my rating if I am wrong.
(1)
Chilly W.

Coming from the SF Bay Area, I am accustomed to good Chinese food. So when my Hawaii relatives recommended this restaurant for dinner, I didn't expect much. To my surprise, the food was excellent. It rivals SF Chinese restaurants. Unfortunately, that night they were out of clams, so we couldn't order Clams in Black Bean sauce. Instead, we ordered the calamari (squid) in black bean sauce, and it was good. Probably the best Chinese seafood restaurant near Waikiki. I will return there the next time I am in Waikiki. P.S. They get one additional star for having free validated parking!
(5)
AsianRunningDiva S.

Sunday afternoon, post surf session from the North Shore, and we're hungry....instead of stopping in at Haleiwa for some Thai, we decided to wait it out and go out for dim sum! I LOVE DIM SUM! My only problem with dim sum here in Hawaii is that no where serves hot silky tofu with ginger honey...MY FAV and so easy to get in Flushing, NY or Chinatown back home! But, I digress! So we arrive at Panda at 2:25p...little did we know, they stop serving at 2:30! They sat us, gave us tea, and said "last call for dim sum"! Well, with only 2other tables there, everything came out QUICK! We had siu mei, shrimp look fun, xiao long bao, steamed char siu bun, chicken and chive dumpling, bean curd roll...all of it was really good! Fresh and tasty! Great place for dim sum--fast service close to closing time! I like it a littler better than Legends (although I've gotten the silky tofu and honey at Legends before) and way better than Hee Hing! Def will be back here for another dim sum craving! :)
(4)
Yuree N.

I said this in my review of Legends, but this place is my other go-to restaurant for dimsum. I might actually like this place more than Legends for its convenient location on Keeaumoku, right across from Walmart. I'm not a fan of the one-way streets and tight parking spots in Chinatown. Anyway, back to Panda, it has great quality dimsum (but not quite like the dimsum in LA or SF!), but it is on the more expensive side. But, I always feel like I'm getting what I paid for because (a) the food is delicious, (b) the place is clean, and (c) the service is nice. I came here to eat with a friend and we spent about $15-20 each, and I had an extreme kanak attack. Pretty sure I took a nice long nap after that meal. One side note: there's something called a "char siu pie" that my overly-ambitious friend grabbed as the carts were strolling by, and I have to say it wasn't really to my liking. There was so much dry, flaky dough and little char sui inside. But I'm guessing some people have to like it if they keep it in their cart. Try it and see how it fares with you!
(4)
Marjorie C.

Awesome dim sum! You can park on the street (metered parking) or there underground parking (right next door, under Crooks & Castle). They validate inside. I've been here for a large party, lunch and dinner. For the large party sometimes it gets confusing when it comes to ordering, I suggest you break up the ordering by table because the dim sum usually comes in 2, 3 or 4 pieces. During lunch the servers roll carts around and you can pick things from there, sometimes we go overboard because everything looks so good. When we went during dinner it did take a little longer than usual to make steamed pork buns, I chalked it up to the dinner crowd and the fact that usually during dinner diners would eat other dishes. My bf loves the baked pork bun, it has a light, sugary glaze on it that goes well with the hot pork inside. I love the spinach shrimp, the custard tart, and pork shumai. Service is good, they're a little quiet and I would put this place on my list of places-where-if you-don't-look-Asian-you-may-feel-that-you're-Âbeing-stared-at. You need the key for the bathroom and it's down a hall and is kinda creepy and dirty.
(4)
Dean H.

The best, hands down, dim sum on Oahu. You cannot beat it. Pricey but darn,finger lickin good stuff up in this place, ya hear? GOT to try the chicken feet, cold platter of jellyfish and pig feet, shumai, ha gau (spelling?, shrimp dumplings), scallop and chives, fried shrimp with the mayo dipping stuff (winner), tripe, yang chow fried rice, chueng fun, and many many many more..... Sorry for the mix of English and Chinese, I just call um as I HEAR um.... I like everything with the red chili paste and a little of shoyu but no need for that with the flavors of the stuff served here. NO joke. Legend is good, but this place is great, sorry Liz T. and Michelle L...... For a table of 2 that eats like a table of 4 it will cost you about $30. Which is a bit high in price but to me, well worth every single hard earned Abe Lincoln. You gotta go here....no doubt....DEUCE!
(5)
Karina U.

Lachelle and I came here for my belated bday dinner. Wanted to try out a new dim sum place and the Yelp gods said this place was worth a shot. Well, we gave it a shot. The company was wonderful, the food was aiiiight. Food: The entrance way to the restaurant was lined w autographed photos of the owner w celebrities of old. Made me feel like I walked into a restaurant in SF Chinatown. I feel like its their way of saying "our food is so good celebrities eat here, you should totally sit down." We filled out our dim sum score card asking for half moon, spinach scallop, sweet/sour sea bass, bean curd roll, and chive shrimp. The skin on the spinach/chive dumplings were soft, fresh and delicious. Beware.. the bean curd roll has pork in it! Crap. I was a bit bummed to see the sea bass had been batter fried to look like fish 'n' chips, but it was tasty if you took the batter off. Service: We got our food relatively quickly but I never saw them again until it was time for our bill. No water refill. No "would you like anything else?" Bang-a-rang: As other reviewers mentioned, the biggest plus this place gets is that they serve dim sum all day. Most places stop at lunch time. It's pretty cool that they're open till 1am lest I ever get the urge for late night dim sum. But do I think their late-night hours warrant more stars? Nope. Heads-up: Very few vegetarian options. Its across from Walmart, next to Crooks & Castles. Verdict: Maybe if its too late for Mei Sum or Fook Lam. Otherwise Panda has been filed under "Only If I'm Drunk"
(2)
Jonn D.

I'm giving this place 4 star's, because there's always room for improvement. I use to be a big fan of Legends Seafood in Chinatown for years, until I found out about this place. Not only is the food good, you can order from their dim sum menu anytime. It doesn't stop there. The service is way better than Legends Seafood, which was never good in the first place. They treat you with respect, unlike most Chinese Restaurants. I rarely give 5 star's. If i were to give another 5 Star review, it would be this restaurant, but we'll see on my next visit.
(4)
George B.

Broccoli was $11 !?? Quality was pretty decent but pretty expensive Next to Crooks & Castles clothing store. $1 parking in parking structure below.
(3)
Czarina A.

Yeah, I know... I just wrote a review on Gomaichi Ramen.... and YES I tried both places tonight for dinner =)... I can't help it I love to eat and I couldn't decide between ramen and Chinese. So here's the story.... My mission tonight was to try Gomaichi. But parking was a pain so I decided to park in the lot next to it, which happens to be where Panda is located. The attendant asked where we were going and he answered for us, "Panda?", of course we just agreed.... for the sake of free parking. Out of curiosity, we went upstairs to check out this "Panda" restaurant, which I never thought much of even if I've passed by it almost everyday of my 27 year life, until now. Low and behold I find a VERY CLEAN Chinese restaurant that happens to have a full bar (tropical drinks included haha) and dim sum that's served until 1:00 am.... WOW!!!! Did you know that???? Of course, we had to also take out our handy blackberry to "yelp" this place to ensure that it was even worth trying... So after reading the raving reviews, I was confused so my friend and I decided that we would share 1 bowl of ramen at Gomaichi and then finish off dinner at Panda. Talk about being glutenous!!! The dim sum was absolutely DEEE-licious! We ordered juicy pork dim sum, steamed char siu manapua (the baked is only offered during the lunch), pork spare ribs in black bean sauce, jin diu, and fried shrimp.... YUMMY! They really put Chinese restaurants like Happy Day and Hee Hings a run for their money! And did I mention... they have a full bar =) I think the place is perfect for family functions and dates without it being too sober-ish. And the service... wow... talk about impeccable. Drinks were constantly replenished, empty plates were taken away, extra plates were given when our old plates needed replacing,... all this without us even asking. Mind you, we were NOT the only people there. I LOVE this place... great service, great ambiance, very clean, very professional, excellent food, and did I mention they had a full bar???
(4)
Juliet K.

no stars!! this place is horrible!! if u folks haven't notice they microwave ur dim sum thats why its made to order ! its also dirty as heck we had to wash our utensils, sauce dishes and the baby bok choy that came in the won ton min . it had dirt still inside it . never ever will eat her again !!! dim sum sucks!! on top of that you have to pay for parking ...
(1)
Aaron W.

I would probably be as big as a giant panda if I ate here every day because I looove dim sum! This place is my second favorite dim sum restaurant in Honolulu, as it is second in taste/service/decor only to Royal Garden in the Ala Moana (for sit down dim sum) there are a few quick/take out joint in downtown Chinatown. Besides the excellent dim sum, they carry the standard Chinese dishes, and as my friend noted 'best Chinese restaurant that doesn't serve General Tso's chicken!' and if you didn't catch that, your either not Chinese or you love panda express, cus Tso's chix is NOT Chinese food! Lots of cheap parking in their garage, or park across the street at walmart/sams club. Price for a group of 8 of us was about $140, and we ordered too much food.
(4)
Claudia M.

Came here after their "new management" changed everything...its horrible...no more dim sum!!!! Their service lacked a lot when we were there. They forgot to bring us rice and the soup which came with our order. I will admit their food is good but they took the dim sum away and their service was horrible. I will never come back again!
(2)
Linda K.

Having lived in the Bay Area and used to eating great dim sum; I say this place rates right up there with those. Dim Sum seemed hot and fresh though I did notice the carts were stationary for a while. It wasn't too expensive either. We paid around $22 for 2 people and got about 4 medium items, 1 small, and 1 large. All the stuff from the steamed cart is great! Decided to try this place after I was too afraid to try Happy Garden after another yelper said they found a roach in their dumplings. One downside; a bathroom that's not in the restaurant itself but out in the hall of the building. Have to hassle with bathroom keys... I'll be back though, I'll just use the bathroom before I get here.
(4)
Hawaiian M.

On Sunday, dim sum servings began 2 min after being seated. Excellent taste w more than 3 dips: mustard, vinegar, hot, fish sauce. Stomach's full after $21 incl tax. Underground parking $1. Shopped at Ross's afterward.
(4)
Hazel T.

Best pork dumpling ever! Try their steamed egg custard bun for desert, amazing! Fried bacon seafood roll taste so yummy! This place is a bit pricey, but worth it lol. The food is good, but not the best customer service.
(4)
Matt R.

Panda, one of our favorite restaurants in Honolulu, is currently closed for remodeling, and is likely to open in January. Not certain as to whether restaurant will change on reopening. Daniel, the owner, said he is going to open a new restaurant (Mixed Asian) on Beretania.
(4)
Yu T.

I agree with many of Yelp reviewers. This is one of the best dim sum restaurants in Honolulu. Originally, I mixed up with Panda Express. It is located across from the Honolulu Wal-Mart. If you are around this area and feel like having dim sum, this is the place to go.
(4)
Alyssa K.

I love this place! The owner used to be a HK superstar I think. He's very friendly. The staff is nice too. yum yum! I think their website has coupons too: pandacuisinehawaii.com
(5)
Stella J.

i would say that the dim sum here is a 3.5 stars the service was good, and the chicken feet was good, so was the rest of everything else we ordered. the egg custard wasn't too good, i have had better.
(3)
HY L.

Panda Cuisine is the best dim sum restaurant in Honolulu. When comparing with other dim sum restaurants the quality is far superior. I used to go to China House at Ala Moana but it closed. Panda has a higher quality of fillings and wrappers. The Shanghai dumplings are far superior too. And the price is almost the same. If you don't believe me, do a taste test just like I did.
(5)
Lisa C.

Poor service. The dinner plates were the size of little saucers. The cashew chicken and Kung pao beef had ample pieces of meat in them without a lot of extra fillers which was nice Minced pork dim sum was not very good. The restroom is outside down the hall that is shared with other tenants of the building and you need to bring a key tied to a big wooden stick. Just like in some gas stations! Would not go again.
(2)
Lyn N.

It's Sunday and what are we looking to eat for brunch food????...DIM SUM! We got a few recommendations to try this place out and referred to YELP to see what people have to say and oh my, I'm a fan! Right across from Walmart on Keeaumoku Street we is this little tiny plaza. From the outside, it looked like business was closed and there is a parking garage underneath the plaza where you pay just $1 for unlimited parking time. When we walked in, we were greeted by a smiling host who was very friendly and immediately led us to our table. The cart ladies came up as they usually do and picked our choices. We loved the chicken wings (OMG SO TASTY), shrimp and pork dumplings, chinese broccoli with oyster sauce, bbq pork buns, and this bamboo wrapped rice with chicken - that was ok but we left very happy and satisfied with our meal. We paid including tax $40 with odd change. I wish the cart ladies came around more often - I guess b/c the other banquet rooms were most busy than ours, they attended to them more. Over all the experience was pleasing. The restaurant itself was really nice and very spacious inside. You can tell the restaurant throws banquet parties so this is not a hole in the wall kind of place. Fast, efficient, and friendly service from staff and waitresses. I highly recommend this place and will return with friends and family the next time we're in town.
(4)
Norman H.

Best dim sum on the island. Nice atmosphere which is complimented by great service and excellent food. My wife and I make it down here about once a month. All the standard items (Har Gow, turnip cake, beef look-fun, ect...) are done quite well and are very consistent from visit to visit. Pricing is a little higher than would you will find in chinatown proper but the service alone is worth the difference. They will also bust out a few specialty items (scallops wrapped in bacon then deep fried anyone?). If planning to visit on a sunday I suggest getting there around 11am, 30min after they have started which gives them time to get all the food up but before the rush which starts around noon.
(5)
Karen H.

Have gone here a couple of times but was not too impressed with the food -- went once for dim sum on a Friday night and since you place your order with the server, the food was freshly prepared and hot -- the room is much nicer than you'll find in most Chinese restaurants and it was quiet --
(3)
Rebecca N.

Disappointing. Food was just ok. Service was lacking. The carts didn't come around to the back where we were seated so we left still somewhat hungry.
(2)
Jen W.

Pretty solid dim sum. The only problem was service was a little slow, we did have to ask for water three times before it came.
(4)
H K.

food was good. service is bad. waiter only changed plate for a couple of people on our table. no water refill. when we tried to flag down a waiter for the bill, he ignored us and acted like he didn't see us. but paid ALOT of attention to the table drinking expensive liquor. we had to yell to get his attention. same thing when we held the bill in the air to get him to take the payment. the only good employee was a junior waiter who brought more tea, remembered the free dessert (we had a coupon), and was very personable. we wanted to tip only him.
(2)
ra c.

I think there is no comparison to other dim sum restaurants. At Legend, all the dim sum seems to have a rancid oil taste,---maybe the bamboo baskets haven't been changed in YEARS? Also, the owner of Panda is also the cook --(there are 2 ownders) so the food is always consistently good. Many restaurants change their cooks often,--so the food is usually very inconsistent in these cases. Even when it's not so good, it's better than any other dim sum restaurant I know of. The ones in Chinatown all seem pretty bad to me. I've eaten dim sum all over the world---and Panda ranks very high. Just got back from San Fran--and the most highly rated Yank Sing was so bad and expensive and crowded---I didn't want to eat the dim sum. But Ton Kiang in the 5,000 block of Geary was fabulous.
(5)
Angel H.

This is the first time that we had been back since the new owners took over. I was glad to see that they kept the old crew. Service was OK. They weren't overly friendly and always seemed in a rush. They did come around to fill the water glasses and tea pot. I am fluent in Cantonese, so maybe that helped. We ordered capitol pork chops, sweet and sour fish fillets, ginger onion crab and salted fish and chicken fried rice. They were all good and tasted like how all the other Chinese restaurants make them. However, the portions were small. The crab was tiny. I think it was because they were running a special for the crab for $14.99.
(3)
Lily S.

This is honestly the first restaurant that I visited twice in a day, since I started Yelping. What can I say? Our friends loved it and now I do too. Everything I've had from lunch to dinner, from fried rice, noodles, soups, congee, stir fries, deep fries, meet, veggies, were all pretty great. With the exception of the sauteed bitter melon with beef which was too average, and the salt & pepper ribs that tasted dubiously more like sweet & sour ribs. I adored the fact that they serve glazed walnuts in a saucer-sized dish as a dinner appetizer. Saved me from having to order Walnut Shrimp just to get a few pieces. I swear there were more than enough pieces in the little dish for the entire table! If I ever visit Honolulu again this will be the default place for Chinese!
(4)
John F.

Panda Cuisine is conveniently located just across Keeamoku St of Wal-Mart. Me rikee dim sum and den sum! My favorite part was that Panda Cuisine has the all important and super helpful PICTURE MENU for those of us that are challenged by the overwhelming choices involved with dim sum. All the food was very good but beware that there are about 15 steps to get to the entrance with no elevator available. Parking is $1 with validation.
(3)
Evie Q.

This place was once really good and had a great vibe. Ever since they changed the owner this place has never been good since. Now days this place serves rude service with a side of bad chinese food. The wait can be extremely long for your food and employees are not tentative to customers.
(1)
Ting Ting L.

This was my first time here and I promised I wouldn't go there anymore. Delicious aspect is their lobster cook very good. Bad side are a lot. 1. There are some tiny insect around our dining area. Then the insect fell down inside the honey walnut shrimp. We said to the sever, they took the plates then back maybe about three minutes. They didn't say sorry at that time. When we finished, there is a lady said sorry. That"s fine. 2. They only only refilled water one time. My brother has to drink my mom"s water. That's fine. 3. When my father wanted to drink tea, he found a dirty tea cup. That's fine. 4. We asked them checks 3 times. That's fine. 5. When we leave the restaurant, they said we have to give them at least 15%. I said no. The host/cashier said you have to. I said we are not tourists, we are living here. You are not supposed to let us tip 15%. She said, "yes, I know, because you are Chinese, so we don't automatically charge you." I said." If you want to charge automatically, you should write down in menu." In America, we have the right to tip whenever The customer want unless there is a rule post in the restaurant:"We automatically charge tips." She said you have to tip 15%. I said the service is not good. She just kept saying that. She also said, if we automatically charge , there is 18%. We go happy, ends up angry. I don't really want to write this review, but me and my family was really angry with it.
(2)
Stella H.

HOLY S****!! THIS PLACE SUCKS! I thought my previous experience here could have be a fluke, so when my guests suggested here, i decided to give this place one more chance. Arrived on a tuesday night with reservations for 7. They were busy, but got sat down right away. Ordered 10 dishes. They all came extremely slowly, one at a time, until the 8th dish. I realized i was missing 2 so i asked the waitress to check on them. Another waitress that actually took our order beforehand, came back with her, and tells use the 2 orders weren't put in. The one that took our order tries to defend herself by saying you we didn't order place those order... She then goes on arguing with my guest whether or not we said the order or not... Seriously?! Every order we make is more money for you? WHY ARE YOU ARGUING? I then ordered 2 cups of water ... Which NEVER came.. & when i asked for the check the waitress asked if we wanted a box... & NEVER bought it.. Why ask, if you werent even going to do it. I understand they were busy, BUT that doesnt mean you basic customer service skills should be lacking. The food here isnt great chinese food. It's extremely basic, i think pandas express could have done better.
(1)
Jasmine N.

Don't confuse Panda Cuisine with Panda Express. Upstairs in the Samsung Building (I think). I would primarily come for dim sum but we heard about some dinner specials. So we decided to check it out. If you order a dish you can get a lobster or crab. The crab I think is $14.99. LIVE dungeoness crab prepared how ever you want it. Salt and peper, black bean, ginger and onion. MMMMMM We decided to get two. Black bean sauce and ginger and green onion. OMG so yums. We also had their scallop soup, fried rice, lemon chicken, and noodles. Everything was so yummy. We had lots of left overs to take home to the rest of our family that couldn't make it. To top off the meal they threw in a free dessert for the table. Taro/ coconut tapioca. YUM! Can't wait to go back. Tip: parking is underneath. Order the crab!
(4)
Rick L.

Dim Sum at 9:30PM-1:00AM??!! God bless you Panda Cuisine!!! They serve very good dim sum and in the middle of the night! It's usually pretty dead at night as you can imagine. It's nice to have the restaurant all to yourself sometimes. The food is great and one of their waiter is hilarious and super friendly. Now, they do have certain items that won't be available at night. If you want all the goodies, I would recommend you come during their regular lunch hours. Parking is free at night. Bathrooms are around the corner and can feel a little creepy for the ladies. They also have a huge selection of fresh seafood. Gigantic lobsters for about $400 are available if you're a baller, they're shipped in from Maine.
(4)
Jon H.

It's always the right time for dim sum, and Panda Cuisine has a few things going for it: 1) it's a place that has stood the test of time and been a place I've been going since I was a little kid, 2) it's conveniently located on Keeaumoku (across the street from Walmart), and 3) the dining area is HUGE, so you're more or less guaranteed to get a table no matter how large a party. Having said all that, there are reasons why I'm only giving it 3 stars. First and foremost, there's nothing special about their dim sum. Now don't get me wrong, the food is tasty, and you won't be disappointed for the most part with the standard favorites like look fun or char siu bao. However, I personally feel that the overall quality is average at best, and because of that their dishes should be priced similarly to other cheap dim sum places (ala Mei Sum). But, their dim sum is actually a dollar or two more expensive than the competition. The other notable gripe I've come to have with Panda Cuisine is the service. Like I said, the place is relatively gigantic, so I can understand waiting times and less than attentive servers. What I cannot condone, however, is the need to physically get up to catch someone's attention because the server who last "helped" us forgot to come back or ignored our request for more tea and water. If this happened maybe one time I'd brush it off as a bad day, but multiple visits with the same results is too much. Lastly, and this is pretty minor in comparison to the other faults, they really need someone to go over their menu. The last time I went here, I went with a native Chinese speaking friend of mine who ordered a shrimp dish only to be brought a pork dish. The menu clearly said shrimp, and she even confirmed the Chinese description also said shrimp. But after inquiring about the discrepancy with a server, we were told that there was never shrimp in the dish. Even with their faults, Panda Cuisine is somewhere I'd still go if I'm craving dim sum just for convenience sake. It's not the best, but it'll hold you over.
(3)
Nat N.

As some of the Yelpers have already pointed out, Panda Cuisine is now offering dim sum. Their dim sum menu has all of my favorites and the more. I wouldn't say it's the best tasting dim sum that I've had on this island, but it's great that they are located outside of Chinatown and they have a parking lot ($1 on Sundays). In addition to their dim sum menu, you can also order off of their regular menu. Worthy of special mention is the boneless minute chicken cake noodle: yelp.com/user_local_photâ€¦ The service this time around was not very friendly, and they forgot about one dim sum dish that I ordered.
(3)
jennifer i.

DISGUSTING && Terrible Management. This morning my bf and I went to eat Dim Sum here. He found a worm in his food. I alerted the manager named Cindy. This lady proceeded to take the plate with the worm on it, throw it in the bin as if it was nothing && offer me more Choi Sum. ... Which I refused. Of course I canceled the rest of my orders. She did not apologize. All she said was "ok you found a worm in your food and you not going to come back again." I informed her I will be complaining to the Board of Health because if I found a worm in my food they obviously aren't cleaning their vegetables and should be retrained. She did not seem concerned with the fact that this was unsanitary and that customers could get sick. In fact I had to pull the plate out of the bin and take a picture for her to care. Isn't it amazing that because of social media and apps such as YELP she finally decided to apologize and inform the cooks that we found a worm in our food. And to answer your next question... Yes we still paid for our bill. At the front I was still livid at her lack of care for our health so I informed the cashier I would be reporting this to the Board of Health as well. As my bf paid the bill Cindy, the manager, came out and ask him why I was so upset. Really???! And yes I am reporting them tomorrow.
(1)
Shana L.

Very dirty and ghetto felt like there would be rats or something. Very old and ran down! I had better Chinese food! No good!
(1)
Doris B.

Very mehhhh. Food was okay, nothing extraordinary. Service kinda sucks, had to wait for water. We went here because we were in the area... I should have gone to Lobster King... Or L&L.
(2)
Lynn T.

Extremely rude service. I wished they wore name tags. Spent $300 at a birthday/family dinner and they could not have been more excited about getting rid of us. I find a run-on sentence adequately expresses my displeasure and experience: bringing all the courses out all at once which meant having to stack plates of food on top of each other, not removing empty plates or even trash, ignoring our questions, throwing plates and utensils down and disturbing our meal, and waiting for us to ask for the dessert that was already paid for and smiling/laughing that we remembered to ask. They would've let us gone home without it. Disappointed and pissed. Will not be coming back.
(1)
Darren N.

Unfortunately I have to give this place a two star review. Basically the parking is easy to find though it can fill up if the building is busy. The dinner menu items we tried were a mixed bag and not to my taste. Besides differences in personal preference, the shrimp fried rice lacked a lot of everything except oil-drenched rice to the point where it appeared gray. On the other hand, the Mongolian beef was the best dish in regards to flavor, but it wasn't spicy at all. The fried tofu stuffed with shrimp was a good dish as well though. Probably my biggest complaint was service. No water refills and having to flag down the servers to order was a disappointment. Also oddly a pork dish arrived before the soup dish so there definitely were timing issues there. Perhaps if I got to try their dim sum, I would have had a better experience.
(2)
Norm G.

Oh my stars! Or, should I say "star," since I'm only rating it one? I pray thee, canst thou tell me what hath happened to this dining establishment? (Okay, I'll stop trying to channel Shakespeare!) In years past, this used to be a high quality place for dim sum. You used to be able to have your choice of tea, and they were quality brews at that! Let's do start with the tea, in this, my first and last review of Panda. Tea: I asked the server what kind of tea it was and she said ti kun yum. It was not even reminiscent of any ti kun yam I've ever had. My wife asked if we could have heung pin (jasmine) tea instead, and I have to tell you, those pink Yamamotoyama boxes of jasmine tea bags you can buy in the supermarket are way better than what we were served at Panda. In summary, the so called jasmine tea didn't taste any different than the ti kun yam. Food: The lo bat go (fried daikon cake) didn't have the taste of daikon in it. The beef meatballs (ngau yok) were a yellowish color and had a strange aftertaste, Chinese broccoli (gai lan)was salty and had a very odd tasting oyster sauce on it, sesame-mochi dumplings (jin doi) were thick and extremely oily. The chow mein noodles consisted of too much thick sauce (too much cornstarch?) and not enough noodles. Service: We waited until almost before we left for them to finally refill our water glasses and empty teapot. I used to consider this a classy place, and would gladly entertain my in-laws from Hong Kong here. I just thank my lucky stars I gave it a trial run before subjecting my out-of-town extended family to this place that has clearly seen better days.
(1)
Carol M.

I haven't been here since the new management took over several years ago.
(3)
Bixby H.

Since I left off, the customer service is downright HORRIBLE! Wait staff is a painful dismay. The menus are tattered, the uniforms are not very presentable. Kissing ass to your regulars don't make it very appealing to the first timers or the non regulars. You don't give snooty answers like we should know. If I could do half a star I would.
(1)
Connie W.

Waited 20 minutes until we finally asked for water. 50 minute wait for first plate -- which was oversalted and dissatisfying in portion. They even sent at least three other plates to the same neighbor table. Kitchen was obviously understaffed. Been to a majority of the Chinese restaurants on this island, this place is undoubtedly one of the worst.
(1)
Randall H.

These people give the WORST customer service out of every dim sum place I've been to.. Beware of the lady who's dressed like a flight attendant on China airlines cuz she's a bitch. If you're not Asian they won't check up on you no joke!.. The dim sum is expensive and not even all that great, I wish I could've given this place a zero star for how shitty it is.
(1)
Kris B.

From what I've heard of this place, it's not what it used to be. First of all - how do you have dim sum without the people pushing the carts, lifting 5 different lids in 10 seconds, and yelling at you?! This is the only service I ever want when I go to Dim Sum! Panda Cuisine is so quiet and the waiters so scarce, I couldn't believe we'd come to a dim sum place! (Haha just joking, there are great dim sum places that don't have cart service or yell at you, but still ...) They now have a little piece of paper on your table when they seat you, and you select what you want from the menu. Ordering everything you want at one time would seem efficient, but service is definitely slow and inattentive. I guess it doesn't help that they only had like 4 or 5 waiters/waitresses. We came here because someone in our group didn't want to go to Chinatown, saying it was filthy there. However, the dishes on the table weren't very clean and neither were the glasses semi-filled with chlorinated water. I've been to a couple of dim sum places in Chinatown, and the service and cleanliness at both restaurants were better than here. They had a couple of dishes that were pretty tasty but overall not worth it. (The noodles and pork hash were good, but that's kind of it.) I'm pretty sure I'll just stick to Chinatown. It's possible all the rat stories actually make their service and food better there keke.
(2)
Hnl -.

It was dinner time. Was craving dim sum. Was going to go to Mei Sum but it was first friday, so didn't want to deal with the crowds. Decided on Panda. Called for reservations. Should've be wary that they could take our reservations for 6 people an hour before we wanted to come in. So the deal with their "anytime dim sum". They offer only dim sum that can be steamed and they add $1 for EACH dim sum ordered. So a $3.50 dim sum is now $4.50!! wow, that's crazy cuz you don't just order 1-2 dim sums, you order like 10 +. won't be going back for dinner dim sum anymore.
(3)
Kate L.

Really bad customer service. I had a reservation and we still had to wait for 20 minutes. When we got seated, no one came to ask us what we wanted to drink. 20 minutes until someone came to let us order, even though we kept asking. Food is pretty good. Not worth the customer service.
(3)
Henry L.

NEVER NEVER NEVER order abalone or the king clam!!! They show you a large 2+ pounder, but they actually cook and give you less than half!! They slice the meat paper thin and fill the void with vegetables to hide you are not getting what you are paying through the nose for!! A total rip off!!!
(2)
Jan K.

I miss the old panda cuisine with dim sum. This place is lacking in service but more importantly quality of food?!? Their "complimentary" soup tastes like dirty sock water... Their black bean sauce is overloaded w cornstarch with no real flavor.. Their eggplant which is supposed to be spicy was SWEET!!? So disappointed. People excuse food quality because its cheap... I know tons of places with quality food that cost about the same as this hell hole.
(2)
Annie Z.

My parents "love" to judge on freshness, quality and how the food is for Chinese food. I love to judge things myself and as you can see our verdict was just no. First off, it was ok, the first 3 times we had went there but the quality just doesn't seem there anymore. They served us raw pork and we told them to take it back and they looked confused ( For your information we said it in Chinese, not English. So i don't know why they were like that.) Their salted fish and chicken fried rice is very strong so if you can't handle the salted fish taste then don't order it. Honestly they used the wrong salted fish ( yes there are different kinds). Their servers just stand their watching you when it's not busy or their never there when you need some water. The owners are nice. We were also unlucky to have gone there when their oil was old because i could taste it in their walnut shrimp. I think i've said enough. You can try your luck because their food taste different depending on their chef thats on duty but if you strike bad luck, thats it for you.
(1)
Vince B.

Panda Cuisine has turned into my Chinese Good Luck temple of lunch. Cheap and I mean really cheap prices plus some very satisfying authentic Cantonese food. Certified authentic by my wife who is Honolulu's unofficial authority on Chinese Food Authenticity. At first she didn't even want to come with me as she believed that no one could top restaurant Fook Yuen's lobster lunch deal. She was sold before we even got our food. She saw all the other customer's lobsters and it was all over. Lunch deal is this: $7.99 for rice, soup, and hot tea and large plate of your choice of dishes. Plus, the (New price) $10.99 lobster add on. Ambience: Nice place with white table cloths and lots of tables. Much bigger than it appears to be from outside. All customers and staff are Chinese. They talk in Chinese and write in Chinese. Very busy at lunch time. Service: Efficient, well trained staff and fast. The waiters speak english but not all of the helpers will understand you. Food: I've tried quite a few items by now. All very good. It goes without saying that you should order what you like. Like this Salt and pepper Lobister: ( yelp.com/biz_photos/wIG-â€¦ ) I recommend it "Salt and Pepper" Style. Or: yelp.com/biz_photos/wIG-â€¦ This is "mushrooms and onions" dish. Big, thick, meaty, fresh mushrooms. Never seen these before. 5 Stars! Salted fish fried rice is excellent and you get a massive serving. Chinese aren't vegetarians. But I am. My meal recently was Salted fish fried rice and the Mushrooms and Onions. Very nice and nutritious too. Very satisfying vegetarian meal. Parking: is validated in the lot next door. But, to be honest we just walk over from the Walmart lot. Some metered street parking is available. Once we got lucky and just parked right in front and paid the meter. Yelper Val Y. had a UYE here not too long ago. That got me hooked along with a bunch of other people. Thanks Val !
(4)
Jaymi G.

My bf and I love dim sum. We came here for the first time today and were disappointed. They gave us menus and tea but after that everything we needed we had to ask for. We asked for water, shoyu dishes, hot mustard. I ordered the spring roll, took a bite into it an it was not hot. It tasted room temp so I asked them to warm it up. They took it in the back for 'literally' a min and brought it back out, it was the same temp... Finally I told them I just didn't want it and was not going to pay for it. No apologies, just a blank stare and an ok. Quite rude, as I am a server myself. I also ordered the steamed seafood wrap and I felt it was more soggy than it was supposed to be. I doubt we will return.
(1)
Ely Y.

My wife and I have been coming here off & on for a few years now though it looks like the management looks different now, but their service is still great, we went for lunch and were seated immediately and were served within a reasonable time, when we walked in it wasn't busy but by the time we left it was full, there was a line waiting to be seated so their wait time was probably long, as for the food it was excellent ! when you order the dim sum it comes straight out of the kitchen not like some other dim sum restaurants which the food are on warmers, we also ordered the Lobster dish , after we ordered it the waitress went straight to the holding tank and and took out a live lobster, boy you can't get any fresher than that ! a great place and we'll be back again soon and next time for the crab !
(5)
Nathan N.

I'm pretty impressed with Panda Cuisine. The decor is upscale. The service is great. The food is tasty. And the prices are good. Oh and the best part....they aren't trying to push the chicken feet. Yuck! Good job.
(4)
Lai T.

Like variety? How about 72 lunch special options? I'd never been to the old Panda Cuisine, but what I can tell you about the new Panda Cuisine is that I think the food is quite decent. It isn't my mom's home cooking, but the dishes offered in the lunch specials (11 AM to 5 PM) are what I'd probably eat while out for lunch with my parents. I'd compare it to Sam Woo in California. Quick, convenient, Chinese food that isn't Panda Express. My bf and I came by around 1 PM and the place was not crowded. Initially, we ordered the Braised E-Fu Noodle and the Fish Fillet with Black Bean Sauce, but then we found ourselves ordering a lobster plate as well ($10.99) when the waiter brought it by another table. It was just too tempting! The lunch special plates come with soup and steamed rice. Both are pretty standard. The soup was a plain broth which reminded me of the peanut soup my mom makes (sans peanuts, carrots, and meat). We both really enjoyed the fish fillet. My bf kept asking me if I wanted some fish, which I thought was funny...until I realized that he was emptying the plate each time he was asking me. The noodles were similar to E-Fu or Yi Mein was a very generous portion. It had some sprinkles of mushroom with the noodles. And the lobster was a perfect dish to share between the two of us. For the most part, the lobster meat was easy to take out and before we even asked for wet naps, a waitress brought us a bowl of water with lemons in it to rinse our hands. Also, she brought us extra plates so that we could switch out our post lobster plates...without even being asked. I would definitely come here again! Dining here reminded me of family dinners I used to have at home. The lunch special dishes are generous and I appreciate the fact that they don't charge you per person for rice (something which I never understood at Chinese restaurants). Our waiter was fluent in Chinese and English and he was a very nice. Lunch for the two of us was under $30 and we had leftovers to bring home! A note on parking: They'll validate your ticket and it is a $1 for the first hour. If you come for dinner, they'll validate your ticket and it is free. Also, it is about 2 blocks away from Ala Moana Shopping Center so if you're at/near the mall and craving Chinese food, you can take advantage of the lunch special ;) I'm not sure if they have it running during the weekends, though.
(4)
Leslie Y.

This place is about the best in Chinese food.....accross the Walmart...easy parking. We ordered everything from crab to vegetables.....not bad considering all the food we have tried in Chinatown.... Its not located in Chinatown but very close to the Ala Moana... Owner came by to say hi...service very pleasant...
(4)
Russel M.

This Review is about the NEW PANDA CUISINE (1-1-2012). I have to admit I was Heart Broken when PC changed ownership and discontinued Dim Sum. The Good News is they have transformed into a Seafood Chinese Restaurant which is really good! We enjoyed 10 different dishes today and WOW! Don't miss this new place with a old name.
(5)
Belle B.

It's great how there is a large variety of Cantonese resturants in Honolulu - I'm from the San Gabriel Valley in California where you can find a wide variety of Chinese restaurants from all the different regions and areas of China. The good Cantonese restaurants in the LA area are not always the easiest to find in the crowd. I wish I could properly relay the conversation with my husband's aunt about the "new" Panda restaurant. There was also some confusion in the translation from Cantonese to English (I guess the Chinese name doesn't translate directly). What I remember most about my dining experience here is LOBSTER, LOBSTER, LOBSTER. I don't know exactly how many lobsters we actually had, but I know they were prepared about 3 different ways. We also had crispy fried fish, beef chow fun dry, tripe, chicken chow mein and fish with black bean sauce. I think there might have been a few other dishes thrown in there somewhere but it was hard to tell. We had a large party of hungry men so lunch looked like mealtime for the piranas in the Amazon. Looking around at the other tables at the restaurant it appears that lobster and fried fish are the preferred dishes. It seemed like EVERY table had them. In general... good food, good service, good company.
(3)
Mei-Lan C.

they have dim sum again . we came and ordered a few items. the selection is very big and the have pictures of all the dim sum. the taste of some dishes are not there yet, need a little more improvement. it's a good alternative if you don't want to go all the way to chinatown. most of the dim sum cost around 2.95 $ and 3.50 $
(3)
John N.

Panda Cuisine has been for a few months under a different ownership. Gone are the succulent dim sum at all hours in a day and now it is just a "Seafood Chinese Restaurant that has a Lobster Special". Yep, one of those Lobsters on special places. But peel that back and you will see that this restaurant has hidden gems such as a fabulous lunch special where for $7.99 an order you can enjoy its vast lunch menu. Taking the tips from other Yelpers, we ordered the sweet sour pork and deep fried whole fish. It comes with a bucket of rice and soup. A steal for this price. Panda Cuisine has their own parking lot underneath where depending on the hour, you will have to validate. For those who want a simple yet comfortable dining experience, this place is a gem. 100 Reviews, 1 Day 55/100 January 12, 2013
(4)
Connie M.

My family and I had dinner here the other night. I was pleasantly surprised by the decor inside since its facade isn't that great. Lobster here is super cheap, so we ordered two. Along with that, we had the honey spareribs, roast pork & tofu clay pot and white rice. A lot of the tables surrounding us were either local Cantonese-speaking people or Japanese tourists. There was a Chinese waiter who spoke fluent Japanese, which was pretty cool! When we first sat down, our waiter poured our hot tea. He noticed one of the cups was dirty, so he promptly changed it. Food wise- the lobsters were cooked with diced onions. Sadly, the onions were a bit too raw; it would've tasted better if the onions were caramelized. Portion wise, it was adequate. The honey spareribs also had onions that weren't cook throughly enough. The chops of meat were also too large, so it was difficult to eat. My favorite was the clay pot. Generous chucks of fatty roast pork, succulent mushrooms, and puffy tofu all came together in this stand out dish. I'll probably visit again, but I can't say this is my favorite Chinese restaurant.
(4)
Dave F.

At first thought, I mistakenly confused Panda Cuisine as being connected to the fast food Panda... That automatically left doubts in my mind about this possibly being a traditional Chinese restaurant. Well, my doubts were soon quelled when we arrived at the restaurant. Upon entering the restaurant, there are a couple rows of tanks displaying the various types of seafood being offered for dinner. I saw dungeness crab, lobster, clams and sunfish. There is also a bar to your right for your alcoholic beverage cravings! Upon being seated, I immediately ordered a cold Heineken and a glass of water. A menu was given to us and also a separate one describing the house specials. My companion and I decided on the dungeness crab prepared spicy, the house special noodles which were Hong Kong type prepared cake noodle style, bok choy with oyster sauce and an unusual dish called crispy char siu. After they take your order, they bring you the crab, still moving in a bowl to see if you accept it. After you ok it, well, you know what happens... When it arrived prepared table side, I couldn't help but think that ten minutes earlier it was in it's cozy tank hanging with the rest of the crabs! The crab was good, but I am not one who has the patience, nor for that matter, the skill to eat a crab of that size. I guess I'm spoiled having one extra large Alaskan King Crab leg! As for the other dishes, the noodles were quite tasty and were prepared with an assortment of seafood such as, squid, white fish, baby octopus, and shrimp. The dish I particularly enjoyed was the crispy char siu. It actually looks like roast pork, but tastes like char siu. It is delicately crispy on top, not crunchy, just that light crispness. It was good! The service was good, but one thing weirded me out and that was the waiter. As soon as we were seated, this waiter just hung around, almost like a butler, waiting for you to give him his orders. I felt somewhat rushed and maybe I ordered without fully looking over the menu. I mean, he kept glancing over at us and I felt uncomfortable. Go figure... It got quite busy after awhile, mostly with Chinese customers, a great indicator of the quality of the food served. I mean, if it weren't good, would they still come to dine here? Me thinks not! Aside from the waiter, I feel this was a good choice to have a nice Chinese seafood style dinner. Try the crispy char siu, it was good!
(4)
Annie L.

I don't know why I didn't Yelp this place before coming for lunch, but like many other yelpers have commented, Panda's has been under new management (AGAIN) since February. They have added dim sum back to their afternoon menu, along with the ala carte items they were previously serving. Unfortunately, their great lunch specials are now a thing of the past, with an increase in price of about $1-$2 an entree, and dim sum served at $2.50-$5.50 a dish. I wish I could say that the revival of dim sum was a good one, but there was nothing spectacular about my lunch, and sadly, I don't think I will be back anytime soon (unless they switch management again, which is likely).
(3)
Misty P.

I came here on a whim after craving some crab. I saw a pic of someone who came here and ordered some crab and dragged my fiance here. I don't like Chinese food really, but I do like their crab. I am a fan of this place. Parking sucks, and was full so we parked at Wal-Mart and crossed the street. The atmosphere was weird as there were lots of drunk Chinese men talking really loud and yelling about 3 tables from us. The waiters wait around your table as you are eating which is weird, but I think it's a cultural thing. Service is just ok, but what do you expect from a Chinese restaurant. We got the crab with Salt and Pepper X.O. sauce. They brought out a fresh live crab from the tank and showed it to us prior to preparing it. The crab was full of garlic and chilis and was awesome. Very fresh and tasty. We also got some fried calamari which was prepared in the same way. Very garlicky, light and crispy. We also got the shrimp fried rice. I thought it tasted great, but my fiance thought it was bland. It was bland as in not much things in the fried rice but shrimp and eggs. No onions, or veggies. Nevertheless, I thought it tasted yummy and the shimps that they used were big. I'd come here again if I ever get a seafood craving.
(4)
Vivian Y.

My family always comes here for dinner mainly because we know the owners. Honestly, you do get some special treatment if you are Chinese but just a bit. The last time my family went, we were served some rancid tofu. We complained to the owner and he apologized. We asked him if he knew about the tofu.. He did but served it to us anyways. The food can be hit or miss on some days but majority of the time, its hits. The food here always comes out piping hot and ready to eat. The seating and tales could use some work. The parking for this place can be found downstairs in the garage. After a certain time however, parking is free (the guy in charge of tickets leave). Overall food here can be delicious if they are on their A game.
(4)
Doris D.

A great value for lunch! They have over 50 lunch specials, all for $8, which blows all other whimpy lunch menus out of the water. You'll get variety, large portions, and tasty food. I mean, it's not THE best Chinese food ever (only mom's cooking will ever do) but it's a good value. We got the whole fried flounder (only $8 but the mark up is like $30 at dinner), house special spare ribs (great, it's like deep fried and they put a sauce over it), salt and pepper snow crab (great, meat is tender and not overcooked--not a lunch special), black bean beef and noodles dry fried (good). There's free soup and rice and they'll refill if you ask. Service can be a bit standoffish but you don't go to a Chinese restaurant for the service, right? Parking's $1 with validation.
(4)
Amy G.

I've been here a few times and I like to do take out for lunch as well. They have a really good lunch special $8 for every entree and that includes free rice!!! and if you dine in, you get a bowl of soup too! $8? yup, my fave is the whole deep fried fish. it is deep fried and comes with a shoyu sauce on top that is just perfect. they also have a dine in only for lunch special: lobster over noodles. crazy. can't remember how much it was, but its under $10. There is parking underneath which isnt too bad. I'm a fan of this place b/c its decent food at a really good price. Service here isn't that great if you dont know Chinese b/c most of the workers there dont know any English. It can be a bit difficult, but you'll deal.
(4)
Megan L.

Do not bother coming here unless the majority of your group is Chinese and you speak Mandarin, otherwise you will be ignored and served after everyone else in the restaurant is. One star for the food being good ... But not worth sitting for 10 minutes before having to get our own menus. Then having to wait another 15 minutes before we try to flag down someone to take our order. Waitress is extremely snappy and rude and literally runs away from us after we order only 2 dishes. She comes back about 3 minutes later to get our order, still snappy and rude then disappears for at least an hour. During that time, everyone around us is getting their food (even those that sat down after us). After about 45 minutes, we flag someone down to ask about our food ... And the waters and forks we had asked for when we ordered. They tell us it is coming. Meanwhile the table next to us, who sat down after us has finished eating and is getting up to leave and we still do not have a single dish on our table. We ordered dim sum! How long does that take? Our food FINALLY comes out more than an hour after we sat down and ordered and 2 of the dishes we wanted they told us they were out of. Funny, the table next to us that sat down after us and ordered after us was able to get those 2 dishes. Why they ignored us and treated us subpar from the beginning, I have no idea. Perhaps we did not have enough Chinese people in our group. Or perhaps since we didn't speak mandarin, we were ignored. Whatever the reason, our family will not be coming back here again. I don't expect having lunch (especially starting at 1pm) to take over 3 hours.
(1)
Rissa K.

I come here for dim sum at night! mmm I usually get Chinese broccoli, spareribs, shumai, shrimp dumplings, and sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf. Service is pretty good. This is the only spot that you can get late night dim sum from that I know of here on Oahu.
(4)
Val Y.

"BJ" No! Not the "Blow thingy". No! Not "Boysenberry Jam". No! Not "Before John". For this update "BJ" is "By Jove". "By Jove" .....IMPORTANT UPDATE! Lobster special is now $10.99 ....snooze you loose! Consider yourself lucky if you got your lobster for $9.99. Now serving LIVE ...HUMONGOUS ....Alaskan King Crab! Check this out...two ten pounders fighting....."You're next! Hell no!! You're next!" yelp.com/biz_photos/wIG-â€¦ 3-27-12 market price was $45.00/pound. This one WAS a 10 pounder....that's $450.00!!! yelp.com/biz_photos/wIG-â€¦ This is that monster, ten pound Alaskan King Crab that was in the tank, now being held by the Panda Cuisine owner John ...BW (Before Wok). yelp.com/biz_photos/wIG-â€¦ Let us pray! ....RIP! P.S. No! I didn't have him killled. I'm Buddhist, peace loving; and have a love of sea creatures. Some insensitive Chinese guys at the next table ate him ....they looked berry happy. I have to admit ....I was jealous!
(5)
Jonathan L.

Came here for mother's day and this was the first time I have seen this restaurant this packed. I heard that this restaurant is now under new management and the old management opened Asian Mix (fast food chinese joint located under beretania Safeway). Never actually tried Panda Cuisine when when did had dim sum only so I can't say if it is better or worse. When I made reservations they were courteous enough to tell me that the food will take a little longer than usual to come out because it was Mother's day. The menu is pretty large and intensive. The only thing that they didn't have a shark fin soup and of course dim sum. All other chinese food will probably be on the menu. It took us a while to decide on what to order. We stared off with jellyfish that came out literally in a minute. I guess it was prepared prior since it was cold so that's why it came out so fast.. I missed the taste of jellyfish and eating this brought back memories. The jellyfish came with pickled cucumbers that complimented the jellyfish well. It had a sweet and sour flavor. The next couple dishes for some reason came out super quickly as well. We had all of our food within 10 minutes. We order the salt and pepper pork chops, beef with onions and bell peppers, king crab, and green beans. I ate pretty much everything except the king crab. I really like the green beans. I am usually not a fan of vegetables but the green beans were really crunchy unlike the one my mom makes which turns out soggy. The food was really good here as it was not too oily nor was it too salty. After our meal they gave us free dessert. It was some sort of sweet soup with mung beans. I didn't really care for it because it was a hot dessert. The price of our meal was pretty reasonable for authentic chinese food. My mother really enjoyed it as well. Service was decent for a chinese restaurant. They are yelling at you and the waitresses english was pretty good. Overall I would probably come back again in the future.
(4)
Shayna R.

Love this place! It's best to visit for lunch so that you can take advantage of their lunch special: $8, including rice, soup, and your main dish of choice. The soup is not very impressive - usually a clear soup with some pork and a few chinese greens, but I don't mind. The main feature is the main dish, and I highly recommend trying the deep fried fish for at least one of your dishes. It's super crispy, so you can eat the fish fins fried to a crisp, which are some of the tastiest parts of the dish. The fish is topped with a shoyu-green onion sauce, and the fish, sauce, and crispy bits go perfectly over the rice. Other great lunch main dishes that I've tried and love are the salt and pepper pork chop, capital (sweet sour) pork chop, and the salt/pepper deep fried shrimp. Dinner is good as well, though I do miss the lunch deals at night time. I recently enjoyed the lobster with garlic, and it was deep fried and topped with a ton of deep fried garlic and jalepenos. They have good deals on their seafood - the lobster was recently $10/pound. My dad likes their steamed pork hash with salt fish, but I find it way too fishy. While I've enjoyed this dish at all other chinese restaurants, salt fish has a really strong flavor, so I find that the salt fish in Panda's version is too overpowering for me. Definitely my favorite deal in town!
(5)
Raych D.

Just came back from eating here last night (VALENTINE'S DAY) after the BABYFACE concert and after being so disappointed from missing Sweet Home Cafe by 8min me and my Valentine was so glad that they where open till 1am! And so we drive straight there a little after 10pm. We where only the 3rd couple in there, and when we ordered the waiter was really pleasant to help us...we ordered a dinner plate of there roast duck (ONE MY FAVE DISH OF ALL TIME)!!, custard, pork hash, and bbq roast pork dim sum. Everything was good portion and delicious because we ate everything!! The best thing was all that food came out to only $20!!! We didn't know if it was because it was Valentine's and we got a discount or if it was the 10% discount after 10pm but we where pretty happy and so was our stomach and his wallet especially after spending almost a bill at Yanagi sushi a few hours before and over $250 on the babyface concert tickets! Only scary thing is the bathroom is a few yards away from the restaurant in this creepy area and room...so I always feel weird walking solo there
(4)
Amy Y.

Ate there during the afternoon when they have those specials, sort of cheaper...but the food amount compare to price isn't that decent. Some dishes were pretty salty and some were good. So depends what you order. Maybe they have new management or something, but the service kinda sucked. The waitress and waiters were slow and seem to not know what they gotta do. Usually some restaurants would set up a table quick when they know they have a lot of people dining. But they were slow as a turtle. They took their sweet time. The manager who was doing the setting up walked soooo slow. I was like...seriously. omg. Crazy, they need to improve their service. When we wanted more napkins, he gave us like two piece of napkin from a table that's set up. Omg, I was so shocked. That was cheap, man! Not a very cheerful environment.
(3)
Francesca B.

The service is amazing, we were promptly seated and the waiters were very tentative to our very needs, even helped us decide on our order. The dumplings are my favorite, the friend rice, and lobster are all delicious all for a very reasonable price. Food arrived fast and was fresh. Love this place!
(5)
Jerry E.

The new owner of this place needs to do better. Example, clams in black bean sauce were terrible. They had no taste and were so dry. Also, the scallop soup looked almost like hot & sour soup. Warning! Do not use the bathroom because it will make you sick. When I used it, it was filthy & stink. If we judge a restaurant's cleanliness via its restroom, Panda will be unsatisfactory. The owner needs to invest in renovating its old, dirty, and repulsive bathrooms and to enhance the ingredient quality of its dishes.
(2)
Alan W.

Sadly the great days of panda cuisine is now in the history books. Keep coming back to this place for 2nd and 3rd management changes. Lunch dim sum is now at a sub-standard level if at best. Will not return unless drastic changes. It is overprice for the current quality.
(1)
Addie L.

We love it here! The $7.99 lunch special is such a great deal! We ordered the seafood noodles and the portion was huge! The oysters with onions were prepared in the classic Chinese style. BTW, the service is pretty good, unusual for a Chinese restaurant. Free rice and soup. We are coming back here as one of our regular places to eat.
(4)
LeaDan Y.

First of all, the few stars that I have added is purely based on the quality of their food. Meaning, the food we ordered met the bar for dim sum. The service, however, was terrible. We were there during lunch but there were only 4 other tables of patrons. The restaurant was quite empty. Despite having at least 4 people handling the floor AND having one of the simplest ordering methods (checking boxes off of the paper menu and handing it to the server) we were practically ignored for the entire time. The table next to us called for the busboy, who was cleaning the table next to them, and he completely ignored them. We had to walk our order to one of the waiters who seemed to be just talking story with people on another table. I really felt as though they felt that they did not need our patronage. I don't intend to eat here again. Unfortunate because I really love dim sum.
(2)
Courtney O.

My favorite chinese restaurant!! I have been going here for years and the food is always great. They give you a list of dim sum on a paper and you mark off what you want. They also have specials late night where I think your bill is 10% off? I love a place where you can get dim sum after 10 pm! The parking can be tricky during peak times so watch out. TO TRY: Ma Po Tofu Pan Fried Noodles Crispy Shrimp Balls
(4)
H. H.

Went there for lunch with 2 others and we had 2 lunch specials and dim sum. We had the deep fried fish as one of the lunch specials. Bad fish and they don't believe us. It wasn't the whole fish and we weren't sure until we ate certain parts of the fish. It was hard to tell them sooner since the waiter we had never came back although it wasn't crowded. The fish was mushy in parts and fishy and bitter at the same time. There were fish eggs too (kind of gray looking) on parts of the fish which were hard to see due to all the batter. Waiter said flounder but the manager said no it's sole. What kind of fish do they serve? Manager said the mushy fish is because it was sitting in the sauce and the flour and eggs might not be a good combination. I told her I cook and that doesn't happen with fish in a soyu ginger sauce. There was hardly any sauce and I even put some fish between my fingers to show the consistency of the mushy fish. I wonder if they gave us arrowtooth flounder. NOAA website said arrowtooth flounder's flesh has an enzyme that rapidly degrades the flesh when it's heated, making it mushy when cooked. Mushy, Mushy, Mushy bitter and fishy tasting fish...blech... Avoid. The quality has gone down and prices have gone up. What a disappointment.
(2)

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Address : 641 Keeaumoku St
Honolulu, HI, 96814
Phone (808) 947-1688
Click To Get Directions

Opening Hours

Mon :10:00 am - 1:00pm

Specialities

Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Garage, Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : No
Dogs Allowed : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No

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Panda Cuisine

641 Keeaumoku St, Honolulu, HI, 96814

Panda Cuisine Menu

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