Pei Wei

The best part of this Pei Wei was the service. The food was good but my spouse had a different view of how the food should be made and staff was quick to help. The less star is due to their a/​c dusty vent. Dust came down from the vent as we were eating so despite that a little dust would probably do no harm it was a little ick. So just watch where you sit and enjoy a delicious meal.

Reliable quality. Never too busy. Have always gotten service with a smile. Haven’t been let down. Mongolian steak is favorite menu item.

25 minutes to get a silly salad. Maybe 3 other patrons in the restaurant at the time. Brought my order out to the wrong person. Offered a free lettuce wrap card to me for my next visit… of which there won’t be one! I hadn’t eaten at a Pei Wei since 2011 maybe, back in Houston. With all of Austin’s options, this would be my last choice. A shame since they have all the resources to be good. Oh, and please try not to offer sushi when it tastes like it came straight from the grocery store.

So this is Austin, where we only eat at chain restaurants ironically, but my experience here far surpassed my cynical expectations.
Looking at the menu, I was basically given a choice of what type of sugar I wanted. Choices include orange peel, teriyaki, «Thai Dynamite» (basically sweet and sour with citrus and basil), honey seared, and sweet and sour. There is even a «caramel» flavor stir fry — LITERALLY SUGAR FLAVORED FOOD.
I went with the «Thai Dynamite» steak with brown rice. The brown rice was actually pretty nice — well steamed with a pleasant nutty flavor. The «steak» was deep fried beef, drenched in the sticky sweet and sour sauce. The basil and lime added a nice touch, and there was something that tasted like the flame of the wok (it could have been a chemical additive). It was pretty filling and provided a nourishing 1250 calories and 31 grams (that’s over 7 teaspoons) of sugar. I couldn’t help but feel that the dish was also somehow super salty. Turns out that the dish had 2390 mg of sodium — a little over one day’s recommended value. Whoops!
My girlfriend had the «Dan Dan Noodles» with chicken. Now, this dish appears to be named after a dish from Sichuan province in China, one with a fiery spicy-​numb, savory, nutty flavor — classic Chinese street food. What we got appeared to be spaghetti with ground meat (got that part right!) and a sauce… The sauce tasted like hoisin sauce added to water, then thickened up with corn starch. Really not a lot going on in the flavor department. There were some slivers of cucumber on the dish as well — they typically accompany spicy/​salty Chinese noodles pretty nicely. I was surprised to learn that such a mildly-​flavored dish packed such a formidable sodium count — 5200 mg! If you’re looking to remedy that low blood pressure, look no further!
Looking at other menu selections I won’t try because I’ll never go back, the pad thai caught my eye. A «small» pad thai with veggies and tofu (healthy, right?) packs a mighty 1230 calories and 49 grams (over 12 teaspoons) of sugar. It seems like it’d be a great way to indulge if an ice cream sundae is too conspicuous.
This restaurant seems to combine many of the worst trends in the American diet — the holy trinity of sugar, salt, and fat; adaptation (and severe bastardization) of delicious international cuisines; and a sterile corporate ambiance. Eat here if you’re feeling self destructive. At least you won’t feel completely empty inside afterwards.

I ordered online and didn’t get what I asked for. I am on a strict diet and so when I got home to check my bag I was disappointed. I know, my fault for not looking there, but I asked for extra broccoli and what I got was 4 crowns and a ton of snow peas and carrots, which I cannot have on my diet. It was flavorful though, I might give it a go again, but check before I leave!

Exactly what it is meant to be. Fast, fresh and over sauced Americanized Chinese food. Great choice for takeout. They have this Thai Wonton Soup that is almost as good as Phở for hangover curing properties. Our favorites are Mongolian Beef, Ginger Broccoli Beef, Sesame Chicken, and Pei Wei Spicy chicken or shrimp, fried or brown rice is tasty. The food is always consistent but you should double check your takeout order before you take it home, as I have received the wrong order before. All the food is very salty but I don’t *think* it has msg, which is always a plus for me.

California mango rolls barely have a thin sliver of cucumber and mango. Wontan soup bowl had 5 wontans for $ 6. Ginger broccoli only had 6 pieces of broccoli. On the upside, kung pao steak was plentiful and good. The coke machine is full of variety too.

I ate this one night as someone was buying me dinner. It’s the same Americanized deep fried crap that’s been commercialized! Nothing traditional or enjoyable about it at all

Such good Asian food! One of the best in Austin. They make their California rolls with real crab meat and my sister and My dad loved it too as much as I did!

Fast and tasty for what it is. We walked in and ordered takeout. The young lady who took our order was great and I think genuinely enjoyed my humor so that always helps. Quick service at 9:30 on a Friday.
As an edit it’s delicious next day also. Microwave chicken bowl for one minute 24 seconds

I’ll start out with saying I’ve never actually been to the physical location. We order take-​out for lunch at my work from here quite a bit, and I decided it was finally time I write a review!
I am constantly 100% satisfied with my meal when it arrives, which for me… doesn’t happen too often. Last time I had the Honey Seared Chicken and MY GOLLY was it good! Definitely recommend that dish if you’re having trouble deciding on what to get.
I don’t recommend the Orange Peel chicken… mainly because I always am expecting that sweeter orange chicken taste. The PEEL in the name does give it away that it will be a more bitter orange flavor, so that is most likely my fault!

It’s been 2 years since I’ve eaten at Pei Wei. They took my favorite coconut curry off the menu. It seems the quality has really gone down even the napkins are now a much cheaper brand. The flavor of the food went from very good to just average if not slightly less. The sushi has a LONG way to go. Sushi at HEB is way better. I was there with my 2 sons and our meals all came out separate with a 5 – 10 minute gap in between and we don’t eat until everyone is served. I likely won’t be returning here anytime soon.

First time here and I was surprised how good the meal was. You order at the counter, seat yourself, and they bring out your food as it comes. At first I was thinking it would be like a Chinese version of Chipotle, but was pleasantly surprised when I saw the chef bust out a brand new wok and get to cookin me a super fresh meal! Yes, it takes a bit long to get your food, but I would rather wait the extra few minutes for something cooked just for me! I could’ve eaten 25 veggie spring rolls they were so light, and I got Kung Pao noodles with veggies. Ask for extra heat if you really like a kick otherwise it’s just barely spicey. The portions are huge. For just a few bucks more, order the larger size and take the other half home for lunch the next day.

The server was very helpful with the menu as I had never eaten there before. She was very knowledgeable, friendly & was able suggest something when asked.
The restaurant was clean & had a modern design.
The food was incredibly delicious. I chose a small teriyaki chicken & rice bowl. What would have made it 5 stars is if I would have had a bit more veggies. There were only about ¼ cup in my bowel & I was hoping for a little more. (Plenty of chicken. Probably about 1/​3c)
Other than that, great choice for a healthy, fresh lunch.

Typical Pei Wei. Food took around 15 min to be ready, got it to go and it was delish. not much stands out, place was clean and bright. Don’t go here often, but when I do it is always consistent. That deserves a good rating in my book. can’t stand places that are good one day, then horrible the next.

Ugh Pei Wei! Get it together. We’ve ordered takeout 4 or 5 times, and the order has been wrong at least twice. Specifically, we get steamed chicken instead of fried. It’s disappointing to see the same mistake more than once, especially when it’s so easy. The order slip doesn’t say «Steamed Protein», so please fry it up, okay?

We love this place usually. However, came here for a late dinner and were disappointed. Our food trickled at different times. They forgot one of our bowls. We asked and he said I’ll be right back. We watched as he cleaned an area first. Then went to the restroom. Really?! It was a bowl of rice.
I ordered a salad that was not complete and the lettuce was the bottom of the barrel. Just a bad dining experience.

I’m saddened by some of the 1 star reviews — especially ones saying they’re paying $ 15 for a lunch here.
My husband and I recently found that we both like the Kung Pao Beef (he finished my smaller portion one night and has been ordering it since) so we get the larger size order and split it. Since there’s 2 of us, I add an extra side of white rice ($.50) and sauce. The order we just picked up was $ 10. I’m not suggesting this works for everyone, but to spend $ 15 here, you’d be getting quite a lot of food.
We’ve also had the egg rolls (hubby likes them — I’ve had much better) and crab wontons (which I love!).
It’s pretty fast for a sit down place or a little slow for a fast food place — it’s kind of right in the middle of the two. If you’re in a hurry, call in your order.
Also — for people who go frequently, sign up for their emails or follow them on Facebook for coupons. They don’t do coupons all the time, but every two or three months, I find a BOGO coupon.

Eh, its fast food version of PF. If you like it there then maybe this is the place for you. For me, I’d rather go to a better place that has better quality.

I’ve been coming here for years, but the past two times the wait has been ridiculous. Not sure if they have cut staff or they are not employing an adequate number of people to handle the amount business, but literally ordering one meal and waiting almost 40 minutes has become normal. I get faster, better service going to a proper restaurant. There’s plenty of great places to eat along Lamar that will be getting my future business.