I have been on a quest to find an authentic Chinese restaurant in Longmont Colorado for quite some time. I think my search may be over! Right in downtown Longmont, I found this China Panda restaurant which I've driven by for the last twenty years! It had been right under my nose this whole time!
The service here was friendly and fast, and the quality of food was first class! You can tell by the taste that everything was fresh! The vegetables were cooked just right with bright medley of colors.
I really enjoyed the food here and highly recommend this place!
Only negative is parking. There isn't a parking lot or structure nearby. Only street parking is available.
Elliott Wynkoop
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July 06, 2018
For me, this is one of the best Chinese places that Longmont has ever had. The food for me has always been great and made fresh and the staff when they aren't completely understaffed (which seems to happen sometimes) is very attentive.
For the food out of the 10-12 dishes that I have had from here I would say that the majority have been pretty fantastic. They are always well seasoned with strong flavors and served to me hot. The portion sizes are also what we have become accustomed to from most chinese places and can easily serve as an extra or even a third meal. The only real reservations I have for the food of my favorite dishes is with the General Tso chicken which is sometimes just overly sweet. It should be a lot of spice with a hint of sweet, and I feel that its usually just the "sweet & sticky" sauce used for a few things like the sesame chicken that has some chili oil added to it. It can be overly sweet at times if you are not prepared for it.
The staff has always been very polite and accommodating to special requests. Sometimes depending on day of the week or time of day it can feel as they are understaffed and only have a couple people running around to take orders and serve food, so it can be a bit slow, but for the most part the staff is really great and knows their menu OR will easily go ask the kitchen if there is something really abnormal to request or inquire about.
The decor inside is probably my least favorite thing about this place, but it has never been something to affect my desire to eat here. It's an old building and its mixed and woven into what used to be a few other rooms and businesses so there is alternating design styles and pretty old structuring and carpeting throughout. Wooden panels bend and creak as you walk on them and the overall layout is fairly obscure with decor from the mid 80s. It somewhat seems like its slowly being upgraded, but seeing as how good the food is, I can easily overlook the decor and just focus on my meal.
Overall, this is a great chinese restaurant, hidden at the end of Main St, that can accommodate a large or small party. Can get large portions of great food OR have it delivered should you need it. I highly recommend stopping in.
Sybrina Stewart
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February 12, 2023
We are in the middle on this place.
You don’t enter from the Main St side, which took us a bit to figure out. The sign did direct us- just not intuitive at all. The front entry on Main looks so much nicer- wonder why they don’t use it?
We wandered around back and walked in through a creepy back entrance and then through a narrow hallway and eventually found a door we assumed was the restaurant. Entered in, but no one to greet us for a few awkward moments.
Eventually a man, who was very nice, but quite busy, rushed to greet us. He brought us into a large empty room with a few arrangements of chairs and tables and told us to pick a table. Meanwhile phones keep ringing for him to answer. And here we were sitting by ourselves and this one guy seemed to be running everything himself. Wow! More people did eventually join the room, so we started to feel like we weren’t the only awkward ones brave enough to eat here.
Tables were set with old fashioned dishes- It was okay. Did he buy them at Goodwill? And the atmosphere, definitely NOT Chinese. Not even any music? It felt like we were eating in an old, dark, run down bar which is being converted by one guy to be a Chinese restaurant. Let’s just say the focus here is definitely on the food- not atmosphere. And we took compassion on the guy for all his efforts.
And… the food was pretty good, although it did have a weird seasoning - MSG maybe? Would order again- but probably only by phone. I got the strong impression that is what most people do. Portions were good, though.
Tips for the guy running all this- Hire a decorator to come in and help?
And maybe a greeter? And just get some Chinese decor so it feels a little more authentic! Also get rid of the old beer bar lighting and replace it with something Chinese. Perhaps soft background music might add to the ambiance?
I can see this being a pretty great place with a few small changes.
Rob Foster
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July 05, 2022
Great food. Big portions. The crab Rangoon was really good. Excellent service. Thanks will definitely be back
Christopher
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July 19, 2021
Do not be fooled by the unassuming exterior. This place does not look like your traditional Chinese place and it is soooooo good. The food and the service are phenomenal. They don’t over sauce the sesame chicken, the lo mein noodles are outstanding. The crab cheese wontons are out of this world! I would have gotten more pics but the fam devoured it before I could! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Our Address
301 Main St #5, Longmont, CO 80501, USA
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I have been on a quest to find an authentic Chinese restaurant in Longmont Colorado for quite some time. I think my search may be over! Right in downtown Longmont, I found this China Panda restaurant which I've driven by for the last twenty years! It had been right under my nose this whole time! The service here was friendly and fast, and the quality of food was first class! You can tell by the taste that everything was fresh! The vegetables were cooked just right with bright medley of colors. I really enjoyed the food here and highly recommend this place! Only negative is parking. There isn't a parking lot or structure nearby. Only street parking is available.
For me, this is one of the best Chinese places that Longmont has ever had. The food for me has always been great and made fresh and the staff when they aren't completely understaffed (which seems to happen sometimes) is very attentive. For the food out of the 10-12 dishes that I have had from here I would say that the majority have been pretty fantastic. They are always well seasoned with strong flavors and served to me hot. The portion sizes are also what we have become accustomed to from most chinese places and can easily serve as an extra or even a third meal. The only real reservations I have for the food of my favorite dishes is with the General Tso chicken which is sometimes just overly sweet. It should be a lot of spice with a hint of sweet, and I feel that its usually just the "sweet & sticky" sauce used for a few things like the sesame chicken that has some chili oil added to it. It can be overly sweet at times if you are not prepared for it. The staff has always been very polite and accommodating to special requests. Sometimes depending on day of the week or time of day it can feel as they are understaffed and only have a couple people running around to take orders and serve food, so it can be a bit slow, but for the most part the staff is really great and knows their menu OR will easily go ask the kitchen if there is something really abnormal to request or inquire about. The decor inside is probably my least favorite thing about this place, but it has never been something to affect my desire to eat here. It's an old building and its mixed and woven into what used to be a few other rooms and businesses so there is alternating design styles and pretty old structuring and carpeting throughout. Wooden panels bend and creak as you walk on them and the overall layout is fairly obscure with decor from the mid 80s. It somewhat seems like its slowly being upgraded, but seeing as how good the food is, I can easily overlook the decor and just focus on my meal. Overall, this is a great chinese restaurant, hidden at the end of Main St, that can accommodate a large or small party. Can get large portions of great food OR have it delivered should you need it. I highly recommend stopping in.
We are in the middle on this place. You don’t enter from the Main St side, which took us a bit to figure out. The sign did direct us- just not intuitive at all. The front entry on Main looks so much nicer- wonder why they don’t use it? We wandered around back and walked in through a creepy back entrance and then through a narrow hallway and eventually found a door we assumed was the restaurant. Entered in, but no one to greet us for a few awkward moments. Eventually a man, who was very nice, but quite busy, rushed to greet us. He brought us into a large empty room with a few arrangements of chairs and tables and told us to pick a table. Meanwhile phones keep ringing for him to answer. And here we were sitting by ourselves and this one guy seemed to be running everything himself. Wow! More people did eventually join the room, so we started to feel like we weren’t the only awkward ones brave enough to eat here. Tables were set with old fashioned dishes- It was okay. Did he buy them at Goodwill? And the atmosphere, definitely NOT Chinese. Not even any music? It felt like we were eating in an old, dark, run down bar which is being converted by one guy to be a Chinese restaurant. Let’s just say the focus here is definitely on the food- not atmosphere. And we took compassion on the guy for all his efforts. And… the food was pretty good, although it did have a weird seasoning - MSG maybe? Would order again- but probably only by phone. I got the strong impression that is what most people do. Portions were good, though. Tips for the guy running all this- Hire a decorator to come in and help? And maybe a greeter? And just get some Chinese decor so it feels a little more authentic! Also get rid of the old beer bar lighting and replace it with something Chinese. Perhaps soft background music might add to the ambiance? I can see this being a pretty great place with a few small changes.
Great food. Big portions. The crab Rangoon was really good. Excellent service. Thanks will definitely be back
Do not be fooled by the unassuming exterior. This place does not look like your traditional Chinese place and it is soooooo good. The food and the service are phenomenal. They don’t over sauce the sesame chicken, the lo mein noodles are outstanding. The crab cheese wontons are out of this world! I would have gotten more pics but the fam devoured it before I could! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED