A Bounty of Fresh “See”-Food

Enter the doors of Panda Cuisine and see what’s cooking, literally. You will be greeted with tanks of live lobster, crabs, clams and other seafood assortments. The restaurant, which has been under new ownership for a little more than a year, is a fresh seafood haven with a combination of regional Chinese flavors.

“Whatever people order, we fresh-catch from the tank and show them to make sure it’s the right size; they can choose whatever they want,” says manager Cindy Lee, who runs the restaurant with husband Chris and co-owner Jason Liang.

Live Dungeness Crab ($9.99 per pound) is steamed and served with your choice of one of many different sauce options. Lee recommends trying it with the Panda house special sauce, which includes fish sauce, butter, fresh chili, basil and green onion.

For something a little more filling, and made to be shared with at least one other person, the Dungeness Crab Combo ($49.99) is a more than generous portion of food. The dish includes snow crab, clams, shrimp, mussel, corn and fried noodles, with your choice of sauce.

A newer menu item growing in popularity is the Crispy Char Siu ($11.99). Unlike the typical way char siu is prepared, the outside of the pork belly is crisped before it is served, adding a unique flavor and unexpected texture.

And if you stop in for lunch, served daily from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., you’ll have 79 dishes to choose from, and all at the price of $7.99. Items from the lunch special menu are served with the soup of the day and steamed rice.

Panda Cuisine

641 Keeaumoku St., Honolulu
947.1688
11 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily