Apr 25, 2017 - Food and Drink

Is it just me, or are you also struggling to find a go-to Chinese restaurant in Charlotte?

Ted Williams

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My two favorite Chinese restaurants in Charlotte are P.F. Chang’s and Panda Express.

Yes, both are chains. Does that make me basic? I’m too old to care.

panda-express-charlotte — My order from P.F. Chang’s in Phillips Place is the Chang’s Spicy Chicken with fried rice and my order from Panda Express is the Orange Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken with Fried Rice.

There’s a huge opportunity for a Chinese restaurant to emerge as the clear #1 spot in Charlotte.

We recently polled our 25,000 Agenda daily newsletter subscribers and they seemed equally as confused. Unlike Italian, Thai, Mexican, and Indian – there is no clear consensus on our city’s top tier Chinese restaurants. In choosing a favorite Chinese spot, geography feels like it’s more important than taste.

Our survey results had Baoding in SouthPark at #1 and P.F. Chang’s at #2. Typically in surveys like this, people are anti-chain, so I was shocked to see the Chang’s love.

I had never been to Baoding, so I picked it up for our latest Agenda Thursday team lunch. It was solid, but didn’t blow me away.

boading-chinese-food-charlotte — Our team’s aggressive takeout order from Baoding.

boading-chinese-food-charlotte-chicken-tangerine

And while Katie is a Ho Ho Cherry House fan, it’s another case where the food is solid, but doesn’t blow me away.

ho-ho-cherry-house-takeout — Ho Ho Cherry House in Elizabeth came it at #4 in our Agenda survey.

I’m still in search of my go-to local Chinese restaurant. Until I find it (email me suggestions at ted(at)charlotteagenda.com), you’ll see me on South Boulevard eating Panda Express’s Orange Chicken.