2026 Price Update: Combo A: one item with chow mein or fried rice is $7, Combo B: two items with chow mein or fried rice is $10!! What a deal!! Panda Kitchen is one of the only places that still serves cheap Chinese food in Oakland! Located right across the street from the Main Oakland Public Library and a few steps from Lake Merritt, they've been in business for more than 10+ years! I used to come here all the time when my daughter went to school nearby, we would come after school to have a quick affordable dinner, and we would share since the portion has always been huge! They used to display hot food in the front, and the lady would serve then and there. Now, when you place an order, it comes out hot and fresh, so the food will be ready in 10 minutes. If you're not sure what to order, they display food items on their walls so you can pick them from there. They also display the total prices on the table so you know exactly how much you are paying!! The portion is big and sharable. Such a hidden gem!!! Highly recommend it if you're in the area and looking for a hole-in-the-wall spot! read more

See all

Solid Chinese food especially given the price. Where else can you get massive portions of rice/chow mein + 2 entrees for under $10? My friend and I stopped by Saturday around 6 pm and ordered 2 combos to go. It's located a block from Lake Merritt so would be perfect for anyone looking for a hefty picnic meal. There is also seating inside if you want to eat your food fresh. I got the chow mein (vegetarian) + #6 green bean with fish + #17 salt and pepper pork chop for $8.84. After tax it comes out to a little under 10 bucks. I loved the chow mein, and the fish was super tender! The green beans it came with were fresh as well. I didn't like the pork chop as much as it felt like it was more batter than meat, so I'd skip this next time and get a different entree. My friend got the chow mein + kung pao chicken + general chicken. Both chicken dishes were okay, but he liked the chow mein the best. Portions were big. Neither of us could finish our meal, and I had enough leftovers for dinner the next day. Not bad at all for the price! read more

See all

My rating is based on quantity of food for the price. You're not going to come here for fine dining or excellent service. This is the place you go to for cheap eats for good tasting food. Tbh, I've only been here 3 times but I haven't had a bad experience yet. My food today was super hot, temperature wise, even after walking a handful of blocks back to work. My food tastes fresh and not too salty. read more

Panda Kitchen - 2 item combo: $10 Chow mein and Eggplant in Spicy Garlic Sauce. - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

Panda kitchen has an excellent value for the portion size if you're looking for good Asian with good portions without overspending this is a great spot to visit. read more

Panda Kitchen - Beef and broccoli & general tso chicken - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

See all

Ambiance it's a very casual quick to dine place especially after the pandemic their menu changed to cook to order. Service they try to be quick however when it's lunchtime advice is to order ahead of time because there's always customers ahead of you waiting. Food since I used to worked nearby it's our go to place. However I can recommend their food is very tasty, good amount as well quality. Their prices is very affordable and at work we always order for mini parties. read more

good food, an okay location but really bad customer service. if you want to eat inside they have about 4 tables, but it is a small dining area. good portions too! will go again eventually, but not any time soon. read more

Panda Kitchen - orange chicken, sweet and sour chicken, chow mein - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

That food was overly good. Hella cheap. It didn't take too long to prepare. The woman is straight to point so I could understand why some people might not prefer that customer service but for what you're getting she could stomp on my wallet and spit on me and I really wouldn't care. The inside was also clean just small. read more

The food was AMAZING. Fast service. Would recommend to anyone visiting the area. The ambiance was calm.

The food is very good and for the price it is excellent! The neighborhood is the only downside but it is downtown Oakland.

The food can be good when it is hot and fresh; however the customer service is something else out of Asia!! I had stopped going there for decades because I became friendly with the owner's wife and charged my order. The wife said that there is no extra fee. Well, the sneaky husband charged me and I only notice after getting my bill. Now, I have returned because I needed to study at the library due a grueling practicum that I am taking. Again, I went to eat at the expense of my good food at home that needs cooking. Well, now the owner is telling me to bring my own napkins if I need more than one thin sheet of napkin that they give. Anyway, farewell. Not a place for me! Rude and unusually cheap! I went to Safeway's and for $13.00, I have gotten fried chicken, sausage in habenaro sauce and a box of big chocolate cookies. All these is fresh and legitmately deceit food. read more

Local hole in the wall Chinese takeout spot located a few blocks away from Lake Merritt. The service was quick and the food came out hot. They also seemed to have plenty of combo and meal options for under $10 which was nice. The food was good but you're definitely getting what you pay for. read more

Panda Kitchen - Sesame Chicken & Fried Rice - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

See all

The food here is amazingly good and the portions are huge for the price. The lady behind the counter has serious attitude but that is a small price to pay for a great Chinese take-out joint. Note: I would not come here after dark as it is in a very sketchy part of Oakland. read more

A Panda Express style Panda Kitchen - pre-pandemic the steam table was loaded with all the dishes. To adjust for covial times, things are made fresh to order to anticipate a little wait unless you call in ahead for an order. It is a hole in the wall mom and pop shop, speaks Cantonese and Mandarin as well. It's a good cheap Chinese food to go place for me when I forget my lunch or too lazy to pack for work the night before. $6 for rice/noodles and a side, portions are packed generously. I always like to get fried rice with sweet & sour pork. As for the fried rice, the rice is more stuck together than other places, I do feel they use fresh made (or made the day of) rice to throw the dish together quick. Yes, it's not best of fried rice quality, but it's good and what I would expect from what a fried rice is. The meat isn't the best and there's more batter than anything at times, but tastes of the sauce is pretty dang good. I can't complain much for the price point. Their stir fry eggplants are flavorful and broccoli beef is as you'd expect (makes me think of Panda Express truthfully). I have only tried the boba drinks once, got a strawberry slushy with boba. It's a nice refreshing slush, but definitely has the artificial flavor aftertaste. The boba is overcooked - at least it still has a bite to it. Not my taste so I'd just grab a bottle drink from their fridge. There is a 50cent charge for credit card use of purchases under $10. I generally just bring cash and tip with the change. I have been coming here since 2017 and only realized now that I never got around to reviewing this place. For condiments, ask the lady up front and she'll grab what you need. Final Thoughts: It's a cheap place to grab a bite to go, a few tables available to sit and eat. The place is very unassuming and nostalgic to the feel of Chinatown restaurants. Yes, the food is a bit oily, but for fast food Chinese - I'm asking for greasy goodness with my rice. read more

Used to come here at least once every week or two when we used to work a block away. We have moved closer to Chinatown and there are plenty of options but none as affordable. A coworker gets wonton soup every week and you really get a lot for a lot less than what most places charge. I always get their salt and pepper fish or pork chop and they make it fresh when you order. Yes, you end up waiting unless you order ahead but so worth it. Well seasoned and they put enough jalapeños if you like it spicy. I've ordered a couple of dishes with broccoli or green beans and love that they're always crispy and not overcooked. A 3-item combo (e.g, fried rice/chow mein, s&p fish, and s&p pork chop) for $10? Can't beat that. Honey walnut prawns are not bad either. Definitely not "fine dining" but it will hit the spot if you order the right things. Worth a visit if you want something quick on a budget. Not too crazy about the location especially after they added a bus stop in front of the store. Order ahead and keep them in business. read more

Totally thought this place was closed from the outside until I saw the lit OPEN sign above the open door. Was expecting a Panda Express style fast Chinese food, but was pleasantly surprised that they actually make the combos fresh for you. Tried the chow mein and fried rice (with chicken) and ordered 2 combos for three people because the portions seemed big. The green bean chicken was especially good where the green beans were crisp and fresh. Yum. The pearls in the teas were a little too soft for my taste but the Thai tea was good. The fortune cookies came in a bag for $1 which I thought was decent. read more

See all

I passed this hole-in-the-wall while I was walking to Lake Merritt and decided to stop inside to get a drink. I ordered a kiwi smoothie, large size, which came out to $6. Probably not the place to go if you wanted an all-natural health fad style smoothie, but if you have a sweet tooth and wanted a sugar rush and don't want to wait long in line, then this would be a good place to go. They do offer food which seems to be at a decent price as well, although I opted not to get lunch or dinner when I stopped by. A quaint and not particularly glamorous spot, but I do find it charming because of that too and it is convenient if you happen to be near Lake Merritt but don't want to head west. read more

See all

This is a hole in the wall spot that I used to frequent this place years ago and the food was actually better and the fried rice actually had vegetables in it... These days the fried rice and chicken smells funny food is inexpensive and cheap, they are in desperate need for a overhaul and upgrade but I doubt that it will ever happen... As long as they can sell us garbage and we accept it they will continue to do it. If you like below mid Chinese food that's cheap and not clean this is for you. The service is what you would expect from a Chinese restaurant nothing special Hurry and buy. read more

Panda Kitchen - Why are Panda Kitchen Health Records not being recorded, are they avoiding inspections or is there something else I'm missing - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

Good food and large portions for your money. Items are cook fresh so I call in to order 10 minutes ahead and food is ready nice and hot. Highly recommended if you're looking for cheap/good/fresh/hot food. read more

Made fresh to order, portions are hefty and prices are cheap. Good, fast and affordable Chinese food around this area. Highly recommend if you don't want to drive or walk to Chinatown. read more

Panda Kitchen - Combo B with beef broccoli and chicken fried rice - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

This is my cheap Chinese food go to when I'm at work and want/need a cheap lunch. It's usually when I'm too lazy to think of a place to go or order from or neglected to bring leftovers. The of course there's always those days when cash flow is light. If I decide to come here it's usually before 11:30 when all the food is fresh. My go to is the sesame chicken and bbq pork fried rice. For $5.50, it's pretty hard to beat. I will say for a steam table fast food restaurant it is always clean and they don't look like they over crowd the pans, which to me says they turn the food over fairly quickly. Nothing like having soggy deep fried anything. The fried and sauced entrees I've gotten from here have always still had a crispy texture to them. I would recommend this place if you're looking for cheap but delicious eats. read more

FOOD POISONING ALERT I ordered the sweet and sour chicken with fried rice and chow mein... the chicken honestly tasted weird and I only ate half of it... threw the other half away because it really just didn't feel right. Yesterday I woke up with the worst migraine ever.... and 20 minutes later I was hugging the toilet throwing up 3-4 times.... Literally, the ONLY thing I threw up was the sweet and sour chicken.... first I thought it was blood... but no.. it was extremely orange and still had particles of chicken in it as well...... so it was 100% the chicken. Even the sesame seeds came out with it. Then after I threw up all the chicken, I spent the rest of the day in bed feeling like I was hit by a train.... my whole body was aching and weak trying to recover from the food poisoning.... I have never experienced this type of sickness in my entire life I called panda kitchen to tell them this, and the guy LAUGHED at me... he laughed and said "haha you're sick the next day? Ok." As if i was lying to him.... Never going back and you guys deserve to close down. I spent an entire day in bed because of you and when I call you to inform you, you LAUGH at me.... Trash people and trash food. Their chicken must be atleast 4 months old. read more

Panda Kitchen - THIS GAVE ME FOOD POISONING. - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

This was the closest spot next to the courthouse where I obtained food during my jury selection lunch break. My first choice was the taqueria next door, but since they only accept cash- I had to get Chinese food (since they accepted card payment). The interior is small, maybe 4-5 tables with a few bar stools on the side wall. The food is "pick and point" style- similar to Panda Express. I was pretty surprised at the selection, which were mostly chicken items. I opted for the half rice/half chow mein option, with curry chicken and fried chicken wings as my main entreè sides. The curry chicken was OK, I think they coated the chicken with flour, slightly fried it then slow cooked it in a curry paste sauce. Some Pieces of chicken seemed on the slimy side...Definitely had to force myself to eat this. The fried chicken wings, were decent. Good crunch but definitely needed hot sauce for added flavor. The chicken fried rice and chow menu were super basic. If anything the noodles in the chow mein were over cooked, and were more like moosh. Good thing is this place is close to the courthouse as a lunch option. They also accept debit/credit card as a payment. read more

Been living in Oakland for 4 months and I couldn't find a Chinese fast-food that compared to San Jose for the life of me. 1. They accept credit cards. No minimum purchase or a magical fee. 2. They only have pictures of the food under their heat lamps 3. They have Sriracha and chili oil. Not whack sambas 4. When you order your 3-item combo, THEY MAKE IT FRESH! Bravo! read more

Came here today for the first time, as I got the three item that included a nice bed of chow mein and for my two items, I got General Chicken and Mongolian Beef and both were good. Nice fast service. If you blinked, you would miss this place; because, it is a hole in the door as they are abiding the six feet rule during the pandemic. Usually, it is a sit down restaurant about a half block west of Lake Merritt and across the street from Oakland Library. read more

Yes Give it up to Panda Kitchen. Yes I can say EVERY TIME! My food Bee On Point A Must Try & Yes Reasonable, Low Cost, Good Quality Food Pass California Food & Health an Inspection read more

If I could give this place a 4.5 star I would. This is my second time here, I ordered braised tofu w/chow mein. I hate deep tofu that are soaked in sauce; so I asked for them to not deep fry the tofu. They were very nice to suit my taste. First time, my friend and I came after class. We ordered: avo smoothie (my usual fav), Kung pao chkn, honey walnut prawn, eggplant with garlic, and rice. The service here is quick and nice, I could order any of my togo meal and within 10 min the food is packed and all ready for me to go and dig in. read more

Panda Kitchen - Braised Tofu w/ chow mein; not deep fried tofu - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

Cheap and large portions. Came here after checking out books from the library across the street. The problem was folks screaming at the top of their lungs, 40 in hand. Might come again but take it to go. read more

Great food. Quick, cheap, oily, delicious. It's a good choice for lunch. There's better sit down restaurants for high quality Chinese food of course but this offers a great lunch option and fills that niche well. read more

This place it honestly under rated. I love the Honey Walnuts Prawns especially with the sauce on the side. Prawn are the perfect sizes and prefectly fried, fresh and crispy. Not sure if you have to ask for sauce on the side but I think that's a brilliant idea!!!!!! read more

another namechange for this location. now panda kitchen. still offering smoothies and scoop and eats from the steam table. 20ish selections looked anemic. noodles/rice and 2 entress for 5.85. eats: chicken banh mi(3) -bbq chicken with veggies. -slight sour taste 2.5 stars notes: -quality of food takes a slight dip... read more

My fish & chips were not as fresh as the Asian girl sitting across from me! I have been coming here for about a year now and usually order the fish & chips plate, because, honestly, it's the ONLY good thing on their menu! However, today, the fish & chips were both VERY STALE!!! The chips looked like they were RE-FRIED! And the fish had NO MOISTURE!!! And it just so happen that as I was getting ready to leave, I saw the server place a fish&chips plate on the table for another customer. It was obvious that the Asian's customer's fish & chips looked WAY FRESHER!!! That's what my food usually looks like. I actually took pictures of my plate and the Asian customer's plate. The photo was taken from a distance, so the picture is a little blurry. But you can still see a difference!!! I guess Asian people here get better service! Such bad customer service and bad for business!!! Asian Demons!!! read more

See all

It seems like no one has chicken potstickers anymore but praise the lord, not only does PK have them but they are crispy to perfection and their sesame chicken is AMAZING (++++++) read more

Love that they have chicken won ton instead of pork. They make my West Lake Beef soup exactly as I ask for it and everything else fresh to order. read more

I been there a few times and each time I go the people there are very kind to me ... they start conversation with me . Makes me feel very comfortable :-) read more

Had an appt downtown, was early and stopped here. Food inexpensive...2 entrees and can of soda $7. But it was 1:30 and food was old, soggy and pretty tasteless. Would not recommend unless just need barely ok cheap eats. read more

Panda Kitchen - Orange chicken and sweet n sour pork - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

Good Chinese food. I usually get the two meats n one side combo which come up to 7 dollars and some change. Their orange chicken,sesame chicken,generals chicken, dry fried ribs, and chow mein are good. Food is cooked fresh for you, not left out read more

I ordered fried rice with two sides. Their chicken teriyaki was bland and cold. Their portions are ok if you do take out but not if you eat in. Needless to say their food made me sick. This was around noon, is 3:18pm and I'm typing from my bathroom. Do I need to say more? read more

Worst Chinese place I ever been to. Avoid this place at all cost. My rice wasn't even done correctly you can still see the uncooked rice and the chicken was terrible. read more

Pretty Good cheap descent Chinese food. .. nothing fancy , steam table kinda set up. ... I would highly recommend checking it out.

Not bad! Salt & Pepper Shrimp, sesame chicken and chowmein was pretty decent. My 2 year old loved the noodles, which says a lot if you are accustomed to toddler eating habits which consists of cheese, bread and the occasional banana. We will get take out from here again, that is for sure. read more