I have been to P.F. Chang’s before, but this was my first time since starting the blog. The company was taking us there for a free lunch, so I couldn’t complain. My prior thoughts were: overpriced, nice atmosphere, sauce shtick is lame and therefore I wasn’t in a hurry to return.
We started with the Dynamite Shrimp (a spicy selection on the menu, I believe it was around $6). This dish was not all that spicy, the shrimp were incredibly small and over-breaded. They were going for a spicy/sweet thing here, but failed.
For my main course, I ordered the Beef A La Sichuan (around $13.00) consisting of crispy beef strips with julienne celery and carrots, which is said to be their spiciest beef dish.
I have had this once before and it was so spicy I could barely eat it. For some reason, I ordered it again. This time, it wasn’t spicy at all. In fact, there wasn’t a lot of flavor. I didn’t dislike this dish, but I also didn’t love it, so I would give it a 6.5/10.
Two people at the table ordered Chang’s Spicy Chicken. It tasted like the same sauce that was in the Dynamite Shrimp and there were no veggies served with the dish. I am thinking that this is basically frozen breaded chicken, tossed with a super sweet honey based sauce and sold over rice for about $11.50. The profit margin on this dish has to be outrageous. Oh yeah, we had their famous lettuce wraps as well…they are so overrated. Sorry.
Would I Buy It Again? No. Honestly, I think their food rivals Panda Express at twice the price. I understand why they exist, but if you cut out the ambiance and let the food talk for itself, Chang’s really struggles. I bet that Chang’s has a few dishes on the menu that are pretty good, but I just haven’t found them yet.
With all that being said, I find myself having a strong preference for hole in the wall Chinese. This does not include your China Garden #13 all the menu’s look the same type of place either.
-WIBIA
Tags: beef, Chicken, chinese, Food, pf changs, Shrimp, sichuan, spicy
Completely with you on this – their food is vastly overrated, and yet their restaurants are constantly crowded no matter where you go. They’re kind of like the cheesecake factory that way. I go here with people to be polite, but that’s about it.
The dan dan noodles are good. They’re basically lo mein noodles with spicy-ish chicken, bean sprouts, and cucumbers. The portion size is pretty good too — one of the biggest things that they have. It’s easily two meals for me.
We went there recently. After looking at other peoples’ meals, I definitely agree. Some of the portions are TINY — especially for $12+
I’m not a huge fan of P.F. Chang’s on the whole. I guess it is edible, but it is not outstanding. Although, do think the lettuce wraps are pretty good and could eat those at any time.
The only place I ever get chinese (besides buffets, lol) is a little hole-in-the-wall takeout place in my town called Beijing Chinese. Their stuff is good enough that I’ve never felt the need to stray!
I highly recommend Sesame Chinese restaurant, former Cheng Du, near 86th and Ditch. http://www.yelp.com/biz/sesame-chinese-restaurant-indianapolis
We’ve actually been there multiple times and have reviewed it as well. We are familiar with its greatness.
http://wouldibuyitagain.com/2009/03/review-sesame-chinese-restaurant/
The one thing about PF Changs is that the quality of their food varies dramatically from restaurant to restaurant. There are 2 in my town and I refuse to go to one of them, while the other is one of my favorite Chinese restaurants ever. I would recommend trying it again, because if you find one that gets it right, it’s totally worth the price.