Chinese Food in San Marcos: Panda Garden

What are the chances of walking into a Chinese restaurant you've never been to before and meeting two friends there, who are both dining there for the first time?  Well, that's exactly what happened to me a few weeks ago, when Ron and I decided to try a new (to us) Chinese restaurant in San Marcos.  Panda Garden had been recommended to me by some of my dog park friends, so we gave it a try.  I knew it was good.  It was crowded.

Right away I noticed one of my Newcomer friends, Marie, sitting in a booth at the back of the restaurant.  A few minutes later another Newcomer, Debbie, entered with a party of four.  For all of us, it was our first visit.  We've already got plans to go again.  The food was delicious.

Panda Garden is a typical family run Chinese restaurant, where the whole family helps out.  Mom and Dad are in the kitchen, one of the older boys is hosting, and some of the younger children are waiting tables.  We were there on a Saturday night, and the place was packed with customers and lots of boxes of take out orders waiting to be picked up.

Panda Garden has a huge menu, and many of the dishes can be ordered from mild to hot.  Pepper salt fry chicken wings is one of their specialties.  One of my friends ordered it and loved it.  I enjoyed the egg drop soup, but there are many other soups to choose from, including lots of noodle soups.  Double pan fried noodles with seafood, chicken or beef is one of our favorite dishes, and we weren't disappointed.  They also offer a garlic fillet, which I plan to try next time.  Sweet pungent beef (better known to me as orange flavored beef) was delicious.  The beef was thin sliced and tender, and the sauce was sweet, but not too sweet.  The best thing about their food was that it wasn't the slightest bit greasy.  The next best thing is that it's in the same shopping center as Rita's frozen custard, so you can always stop there for dessert after a delicious Chinese meal.