![\"MEAT!!!\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/paexebbqbsk1.jpeg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Whenever you order a shrimp or steak entree at Panda Express, there’s an upcharge for the premium proteins. At locations near me it’s $1.75, but the standard around the country appears to be $1.50. Now the chain has a new premium-premium protein \u2014 the Cantonese BBQ Brisket \u2014 with an upcharge of $2.20 in my area and $1.95 elsewhere.<\/p>\n
According to the Panda Express website, the dish is “tender beef brisket flame-seared in our signature Cantonese Char Siu style BBQ sauce.”<\/p>\n
I liked it the first time. I liked it the second time. But I don’t plan on a third. <\/p>\n
Yes, I ordered it twice. Not because I’m addicted to it like YouTube channels that summarize entire TV show seasons in 15 minutes, but because I was so underwhelmed with how my first order looked. Those pieces looked smaller than the promotional photos and were so dark at some places that I thought they were overcooked. Despite how they looked, though, the tenderness was excellent and it was tasty enough that I didn’t completely mind having to purchase the premium entree again.<\/p>\n
![\"MEAT](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/paexebbqbsk2.jpeg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n
My second order, from a different location, was much more appealing. The pieces looked more like the size of what\u2019s in the promotional photos and less charred. The meat was slightly tougher to pull apart, but just as tasty overall.<\/p>\n
![\"MEAT](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/paexebbqbsk3.jpeg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n
The BBQ sauce was savory, sweet, and quite good, which isn’t surprising for Panda Express, which reliably nails that combination. The sauce also had a warmth that stopped just short of being actually spicy. It tasted different from the char siu I’m used to, probably because this is my first time having the dish with beef. I’ve only had pork versions, which have been much sweeter than this.<\/p>\n
While the brisket appeared coated with sauce on every millimeter of meat, there were a few bites where the sauce wasn\u2019t present. With my first order, those bites tasted like beef jerky. Nothing against beef jerky, but that’s not what I’m paying a premium for. The second order didn’t have that problem, but it reinforced that this brisket really needs its sauce to shine.<\/p>\n
Panda Express’ Cantonese BBQ Brisket is tasty enough to try once. It’s a nice change of pace from the usual limited-time chicken dishes in sweet and savory sauces. But at a price that could get me another serving of Orange Chicken or Eggplant Tofu, I\u2019ll pass on getting it again.<\/p>\n
If this premium-premium protein becomes a crowd-pleaser, I wonder if there’s a premium-premium-premium protein in Panda Express’ future. Perhaps wagyu beef or fried fugu?<\/p>\n
Purchased Price:<\/strong> $12.50 (includes $2.20 upcharge) *Because I live on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Whenever you order a shrimp or steak entree at Panda Express, there’s an upcharge for the premium proteins. At locations near me it’s $1.75, but the standard around the country appears to be $1.50. Now the chain has a new premium-premium protein \u2014 the Cantonese BBQ Brisket \u2014 with an upcharge of $2.20 in my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1440],"tags":[1477,1618],"class_list":["post-78316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-fast-food","tag-panda-express"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":18217,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2015\/03\/19\/fast-food-news-panda-express-chinese-spare-ribs\/","url_meta":{"origin":78316,"position":0},"title":"FAST FOOD NEWS: Panda Express Chinese Spare Ribs","author":"Marvo","date":"March 19, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Update: We reviewed it! Click here for our review. Panda Express has ventured into an area in the fast food world that only Burger King has traveled through -- bone-in ribs. Panda Express' new Chinese Spare Ribs are St. Louis cut and slow-cooked for five hours. Then they're wok-fired in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fast Food News"","block_context":{"text":"Fast Food News","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/fast-food-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Panda Express Chinese Spare Ribs","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Panda-Express-Chinese-Spare-Ribs.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Panda-Express-Chinese-Spare-Ribs.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Panda-Express-Chinese-Spare-Ribs.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18219,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2015\/03\/19\/review-panda-express-chinese-spare-ribs\/","url_meta":{"origin":78316,"position":1},"title":"REVIEW: Panda Express Chinese Spare Ribs","author":"Marvo","date":"March 19, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Panda Express' Chinese Spare Ribs are Andy Kao's swan song. Who's Andy Kao? He's a man you should hug if you're ever fortunate enough to meet him because he invented Panda Express' wonderful Orange Chicken, which for some of you is the only reason why you go to Panda Express.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Panda Express Chinese Spare Ribs","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8696\/16239715364_c8f6c3a0a8_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8696\/16239715364_c8f6c3a0a8_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8696\/16239715364_c8f6c3a0a8_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16773,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2014\/05\/01\/quick-review-panda-express-orange-chicken-with-bacon\/","url_meta":{"origin":78316,"position":2},"title":"QUICK REVIEW: Panda Express Orange Chicken with Bacon","author":"Marvo","date":"May 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Purchased Price: $7.89 for 2-entree plate, plus 50 cent upcharge Size: N\/A Purchased at: Panda Express Rating: 8 out of 10 Pros: Does bacon make Panda Express' Orange Chicken better? Yes. Applewood-smoked bacon pieces are thick and their smoky and salty flavor goes well with the sweet orange sauce. I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Panda Express Orange Chicken with Bacon","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7339\/14079651854_359d19130e.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":52876,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2022\/09\/09\/panda-express-beyond-orange-chicken-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":78316,"position":3},"title":"REVIEW: Panda Express Beyond Orange Chicken","author":"Marvo","date":"September 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I have not eaten my weight in Panda Express' Orange Chicken, and moments of my life were used to calculating whether I did. But I've eaten so much of it that I can instantly tell Panda Express' faux fowl Beyond Orange Chicken doesn't taste EXACTLY like the real deal. But\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/pandaboc4.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/pandaboc4.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/pandaboc4.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/pandaboc4.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":43387,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2020\/03\/30\/fast-food-news-panda-express-black-pepper-angus-steak\/","url_meta":{"origin":78316,"position":4},"title":"FAST FOOD NEWS: Panda Express Black Pepper Angus Steak","author":"Marvo","date":"March 30, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Panda Express has a new premium entree -- Black Pepper Angus Steak. It features wok-tossed Angus steak, baby broccoli, onions, red bell peppers, and mushrooms in a savory black pepper sauce. As with all premium entrees, like those with shrimp and Shanghai Angus Steak, it comes with an additional charge.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fast Food News"","block_context":{"text":"Fast Food News","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/fast-food-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/News-Panda-Black-Pepper-Angus-Steak.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/News-Panda-Black-Pepper-Angus-Steak.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/News-Panda-Black-Pepper-Angus-Steak.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/News-Panda-Black-Pepper-Angus-Steak.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/News-Panda-Black-Pepper-Angus-Steak.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":43541,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2020\/04\/13\/panda-express-black-pepper-angus-steak-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":78316,"position":5},"title":"REVIEW: Panda Express Black Pepper Angus Steak","author":"Marvo","date":"April 13, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"What is Panda Express\u2019 Black Pepper Angus Steak? The premium entree with a premium price features Angus steak with baby broccoli, onions, red bell peppers, and mushrooms in a savory black pepper sauce. I got it as part of the $20 Family Meal online promotion that Panda Express is offering,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Panda-Express-Black-Pepper-Angus-Steak-Meat.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Panda-Express-Black-Pepper-Angus-Steak-Meat.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Panda-Express-Black-Pepper-Angus-Steak-Meat.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Panda-Express-Black-Pepper-Angus-Steak-Meat.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Panda-Express-Black-Pepper-Angus-Steak-Meat.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78316"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78316\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nRating:<\/strong> 7 out of 10
\nNutrition Facts: (5.61 oz) 410 calories, 5 grams of saturated fat, 14 grams of carbohydrates, and 44 grams of protein.<\/strong> <\/p>\n