The Panda Express Kids Meal Adults Should Have No Shame In Ordering

Panda Express is a Chinese-American fast food empire and a staple of mall food courts across the country. Unless you live in the one U.S. state without a single Panda Express location, you're probably familiar with the chain's menu of loaded orange chicken and chow mein plates. However, if you're looking to switch up your Panda Express order and try something a bit lighter, the franchise also offers one of the best fast food kids meals for adults. The adorably named Panda Cub Meal comes with a pint-sized portion of one of the chain's popular entrees, as well as a side, fruit, and water or juice.

The Panda Cub Meal is clearly targeted towards kids — beyond the name, the company notes that it was designed based on USDA dietary recommendations for children, and offers "balanced options for parents and kids to choose from" (per Panda Express). However, there's no official age limit, so adults should feel absolutely no shame in ordering it. As one Reddit user put it, "Kids meal at Panda Express is a good deal, I'm not embarrassed at all to order for here even though I'm not a kid." Plus, the Panda Cub Meal is refreshingly customizable compared to many fast food kids meals.

One of the best things about the Panda Express Panda Cub Meal is that it allows customers to enjoy practically any item from the adult menu in a smaller portion. Kid and adult diners alike can choose from three set Panda Cub Meal options, all of which include one of the chain's most popular entreés (orange chicken, broccoli beef, and grilled teriyaki chicken), plus cooked veggies, rice or chow mein, apple chips, and water or fruit juice. You can also opt to build your own Panda Cub Meal and select from any of the chain's entreés, with a $1 upcharge for premium options (by the way, here's our ranking of Panda Express entrees).

At around $7, the Panda Cub Meal is on the steeper end of fast food kid meals, but it's still one of the cheaper options on the Panda Express menu. You might get slightly more bang for your buck, portion-wise, with a larger plate or bowl – many internet reviewers point out that the Panda Cub Meal serving sizes are truly pint-sized. However, even if ordering a kid's meal doesn't save you money, it's a great option for when you're not too hungry or just need a snack to sustain your shopping (Panda Express is a mall food court icon, after all).