We Tried The New Cantonese BBQ Brisket From Panda Express

Panda Express is generally known for doing classic Chinese-American cuisine well. It’s not, however, generally known to have new and innovative products added to their menu on the regular. But if you need a guaranteed delicious order of orange chicken at the ready, then Panda Express is always a safe bet. That’s why we were so intrigued when we saw this Cantonese BBQ Brisket popup on their limited-edition menu. 

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It’s available in both combo meals and as an à la cart option. The brisket itself is made by taking slow-roasted, smoked brisket, cutting it into bite-sized chunks, and wok frying it with Char Siu-style BBQ sauce. And frankly, that’s pretty much all it took for us to be sold on this limited-time offering. But, we still wanted to try it out for ourselves to make sure reality lived up to our expectations. So, here is our official Sporked review.

Our Official Thoughts

Pros — To us, this is a genuinely perfect protein addition to the Panda Express menu. Not only does it add something completely new in terms of taste and texture to the Panda Express menu that isn’t represented in any of their other protein options, but it is executed to absolute perfection. This is delightfully toothsome and tender at the same time. And, the fat of the brisket is not greasy, not overwhelming, and still has that wonderful juiciness to it.

Additionally, the flavor of the sauce and seasoning is an absolutely superb display of what Panda Express can do. Not only is it sweet, but it is deeply savory and translates something that you typically associate with American-style barbecue seamlessly into a Chinese-American cuisine setting.

Cons — To be honest, this is a pretty faultless option at Panda Express, especially when considering the fast casual nature of Panda Express overall. Our biggest complaint at this point is simply that this isn’t a full-time addition to the menu, and that we will only have a brief time to actually got our hands on it. At this point it’s going to be a sad day when we can’t have an order of this ready whenever we go to Panda Express in the future. 

Final Verdict

At this point, we will unabashedly admit that this is our official plea for Panda Express to extend this item past it’s limited-edition offering. It invites such nuance to the Panda Express menu that we’ve been desperately craving for sometime now, and it pairs perfectly with all of the carbohydrate and side options. Of course, not all Panda Express locations will be executing the dishes to the same caliber. But for us, this new option is an absolute knockout.