If you asked me what I look for in my Chinese food, I would say that fried rice and orange chicken are my favorites. If you then asked me what my two favorite Chinese places are, I would say Panda Express and Hy-vee. However, if you asked me which has better food, my answer would be much longer. 

Although tastes and ingredients vary between Panda Express and Hy-vee, they both have similar menus. Both serve orange chicken, sweet and sour chicken, teriyaki chicken, kung pao chicken, fried rice, chow mein, egg rolls, and fortune cookies. However, Panda Express is the bigger chain, and, therefore, has more food choices.

I went to both Panda Express and Hy-vee to determine which food is superior.  In my opinion, Panda Express is better, but Hy-vee has close competition. 

Hy-vee’s orange chicken and fried rice are the most popular items on their menu. Their orange chicken nails the sweet and sour taste, and their other meals are also spot-on. Their chicken tastes a lot more sweet than sour which I like. There is nothing like taking a bite out of that sweet and tender chicken. 

But Panda Expresses’ version has it beat I love their chicken because it has an equal amount of sweet and sour taste. The texture is also scrumptious because it crunches more than Hy-vee’s chicken. When I bit into the chicken and tasted it, my day felt so much better. You can never replace Panda Express’s orange chicken. 

It is challenging to compare the two restaurants because they both make delicious food, but Panda Express reigns supreme because of their orange chicken and their larger menu. 

Panda Express’s fried rice is also better because it contains more ingredients and packs more flavor. Hy-vee’s fried rice tastes very bland and there’s nothing unique about their rice. 

For these reasons, Panda Express has better Chinese food. While it may not be any more authentic, their orange chicken will always be my favorite.

So the next time you are craving Chinese head to the Panda. 

Some people prefer Hy-vee Chinese over Panda Express because the meals are cheaper and they put a lot more food on the plate. Hy-vee favors quantity over quality where Panda Express is vice versa. Their food is more expensive and valuable because of its high quality. If Panda Express served as much food as Hy-vee did, then it would be a whole different story; Hy-vee wouldn’t even be in the conversation. 

In my opinion, both Hy-vee and Panda Express have delicious Chinese food. However, Panda Express is superior because they have a larger selection of food with more flavor and fresher ingredients. I rate Hy-vee a 7.5/10 and Panda Express a whopping 10/10.