The Glendale Galleria still has a Panda Express, and most people walking past it on the second-floor food court have no idea they're standing where the entire chain began. In 1983, Andrew and Peggy Cherng opened the first Panda Express here, transforming their sit-down Pasadena restaurant concept into something faster. The mall food court was a new format then, and orange chicken wasn't yet the most popular item in American Chinese restaurants. The Galleria location still operates, though the food court has been remodeled twice since the eighties and the original counter configuration is long gone.
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Most People Skip the Glendale Galleria Without Knowing
The confusion comes from the fact that Panda Inn, the family's first restaurant, opened in Pasadena in 1973. That's a different concept—tablecloths, dim sum carts on weekends, a wine list. Panda Express was the Cherngs' experiment in speed and accessibility, and Glendale was the test site. The Galleria sat at the intersection of several San Fernando Valley commuter routes, and the food court drew office workers from Brand Boulevard and Glenoaks. By 1987, there were four Panda Express locations. By 1997, there were over two hundred. Today there are more than two thousand across the country, but the Glendale Galleria still has one, and it still shares the second-floor food court with a Sbarro, a Cinnabon, and a boba shop that wasn't there in 1983.
The Galleria Route Still Works From Most of LA
Glendale sits just north of Griffith Park, which makes it closer than the Valley feels from the Westside. If you're driving from Venice, take the 10 east to the 110 north, then merge onto the 134 east toward Glendale. The Galleria has its own exit at Central Avenue, and the mall's parking structure is free for the first two hours, then two dollars per additional hour. The structure entrance is on Central, and the second floor connects directly to the food court level. Weekday midafternoon is the emptiest time; weekends and evenings after five bring families and teenagers, and the food court seating fills up fast.
If you're coming from Downtown, the drive time is about twenty minutes in light traffic, closer to forty during the evening commute. The 2 Freeway also feeds into the 134, and that route avoids some of the 5 Freeway congestion near Los Feliz. Metro doesn't serve the Galleria directly, but the Metro B Line stops at North Hollywood, and from there you can catch a Glendale Beeline bus to the mall—line 1 or line 3 both stop within a block. That adds about forty-five minutes to the trip, so it's mostly practical if you're already on the Eastside or in Koreatown and don't want to deal with parking.
The food court itself is bright and loud, with skylights that make it feel less enclosed than most mall dining areas. The Panda Express counter sits along the north wall, next to the escalators. You order at the counter, pick two or three entrees with fried rice or chow mein, and the line moves quickly even when it's six people deep. The seating area is shared, so if you're visiting during lunch or dinner rush, expect to circle for a table or eat standing near the railing that overlooks the first-floor atrium.
This Isn't a Pilgrimage Site or a Museum
There's no plaque, no historical marker, no framed newspaper clipping on the wall. The Glendale Galleria Panda Express looks like every other Panda Express—same menu board, same sneeze guards over the steam trays, same red and black branding. If you're expecting a heritage location with vintage photos or a special limited menu, you'll be disappointed. The mall itself has been renovated multiple times, and the food court was gutted and rebuilt in the early 2000s. Whatever physical traces of the 1983 opening existed are gone.
This also isn't the place to go if you're looking for a quiet, reflective experience or a deep conversation about the history of American Chinese food. The food court is loud—kids, mall walkers, teenagers on break from their shifts at Macy's. The acoustics bounce every sound off the tile and glass. If you want to sit and read or work on a laptop, the Starbucks on the first floor near Nordstrom is quieter and has outlets.
And if you're already skeptical of mall food or fast-casual Chinese, the Glendale location won't change your mind. The orange chicken tastes the same here as it does in Culver City or Koreatown or LAX Terminal 4. The appeal is purely contextual: you're eating in the geographic spot where the whole operation started, even if none of the original fixtures remain.
What's Worth Checking Before You Go
The Glendale Galleria posts its hours online, and the food court generally follows mall hours—ten a.m. to nine p.m. most days, later on weekends. Panda Express inside the mall keeps similar hours, but it's worth checking the chain's location finder to confirm, because individual franchise operators sometimes close early if foot traffic is light. The mall's website also lists any upcoming renovation closures or holiday-hour changes, which matter if you're planning a weekend visit.
If you're combining this with other Glendale stops, the Americana at Brand is a ten-minute walk east on Broadway, and that outdoor shopping center has a different feel—less enclosed, more landscaped, a dancing fountain that kids like. There's another Panda Express there too, opened much later, so if you're trying to visit the original you want the Galleria, not the Americana. The Brand Boulevard corridor between the two shopping centers has several long-standing Armenian restaurants and bakeries—Carousel, Raffi's Place, Porto's—and those are worth the walk if you're hungry for something other than food-court fare.
Parking at the Galleria is straightforward on weekdays but tighter on Saturday afternoons, especially near the Nordstrom entrance. If the main structure is full, there's overflow parking on the roof level, and the elevators are clearly marked. The food court is on level two, so if you park on level three or four you'll need to take the elevator or escalator down. The mall also has family restrooms near the food court, and they're cleaner than the main public restrooms on the first floor near the old Macy's wing.
For the ride home, if you're heading back to the Westside in the evening, expect the 134 to slow near the 5 interchange around six p.m. The 2 south to the 110 south is sometimes faster, depending on where you're going. If you're taking Metro back, the last northbound B Line train from North Hollywood leaves around midnight on weeknights, earlier on Sundays, so check the schedule if you're planning a late mall visit. Glendale Beeline buses run less frequently after eight p.m., and the walk from the Galleria to the nearest bus stop on Broadway is about five minutes, mostly along well-lit sidewalks but watch for cars turning into the parking structure.
Practical notes
- Galleria parking: free for two hours, then $2/hour; structure entrance on Central Avenue
- Food court hours follow mall schedule—check online for holiday changes
- Weekday midafternoon is quietest; evenings and weekends get crowded fast
- Metro B Line to North Hollywood, then Glendale Beeline bus (line 1 or 3) adds ~45 min
- No historical markers or plaques—looks like any other Panda Express location
- Confirm current Panda Express hours on the chain's location finder before driving
Tags: #karpo #losangeles #glendale #pandaexpress #theordedit #foodcourt #mallculture #orangechicken #lagastronomyhistory #glendelegalleria #sanfernandovalley #losangelesdining #americanchinese #fastcasual #localhistory
Sources consulted: Glendale Galleria · Panda Express Location Finder · Metro B Line Schedule · Glendale Beeline Transit
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Text Karpo before you leave to confirm the Glendale Galleria food court is open today and get a live route from wherever you are. Karpo can also check current parking conditions and suggest a backup Panda Express location if the Galleria is closed for renovations or if you want to compare the original to a newer store.
