Koi Palace Express

I used to come here all the time on my lunch break when I worked at SFO. This is nothing like Panda Express, they use premium ingredients, everything is made from scratch and it is not that Chinese American nonsense but authentic. The prices here are reasonable since their name is well known across the Bay Area. The staffs here are very welcoming, well trained and understanding where I never had an issue at any of my visits. Their menu consists of lunch meals, dim sum, special dishes that are made to order, soups, etc. If any of their item is out, I usually wait for the next batch since I know it will be hot and fresh and I never mind the wait since I am a very patient person. I highly recommend this place if you have a limited time, a quick bite before a flight or for all the Chinese food lovers. I definitely will be back to tryout the other delicious options they have to offer.

Wish I could give half stars cause this is a 3.5 not a true 4! I went here last year and again just now and got the same thing; the pulled noodle wonton soup. The food itself is pretty good all things considered, but this year’s portion was smaller than last year’s. The spoon they give you is laughable; it’s made of flimsy wood and warps at the slightest touch of the hot soup water. I gave up on using it when it became so flat it could no longer hold water 😭 also, who pays 19$ for this? Desperate travelers, that’s who.

If you’re looking for delicious food at San Francisco Airport, Koi Palace is a fantastic choice! Their menu has a great variety of options, so no matter what you’re craving, you’ll find something that hits the spot. The food here is truly amazing. The flavors are rich, fresh, and perfectly balanced. My personal favorite is the shrimp fried rice—it’s absolutely delicious! The rice is cooked just right, the shrimp are juicy and flavorful, and every bite is packed with that classic, comforting taste you’d expect from top-notch Chinese cuisine. One of the best things about Koi Palace is their on-the-line choice menu, making it super easy to grab something quick without sacrificing quality. Whether you’re in the mood for dim sum, noodles, chicken or a hearty rice dish, they have something for everyone. If you’re passing through SFO and want a meal that actually tastes great (not just airport food), Koi Palace is definitely worth a stop.

Most of the Koi Palace Express I have tried weren't very good, but this one inside San Francisco International Airport is the worst. I don't know why Koi Palace would allow such a lowest food quality fast-food restaurant to be part of its business or use the name Koi Palace. The food I tried before was not good. This time, it's worse! I’m sure this is my last time eating at this Koi Palace Express.

I have 3% battery charge remaining and I need to show the digital boarding pass to board my flight. But the food is so bad here that I am risking boarding the flight to just warn you all before eating here. Soggy, cold, over priced version of food. Better to stay hungry for 5 hours than eat this.

I don't know why this place has such low ratings. The food was pretty good and the portions were a lot more than what you would typically get at an airport for $17.

Just go hungry! This place makes Panda Express seem like gourmet faire. Tough greasy gloppy and stale. Koi palace was supposedly brought to SFO to showcase Bay Area cuisine. What a failure.

The size of the portion is huge. Noodles were too greasy for my taste, but it was compensated with the enormous amount of chicken. Teriyaki chicken was better than orange one, but either is good at the end of the day. 17 dollars for such a portion in the airport feels good enough.

While flying home to da 808, my flight plans with United Airlines originally was to fly from Dallas to Houston, then from Houston back to da 808. Unfortunately for me, United ran into some plane issues, so my flight that was supposed to pick me up in Houston & take me back to da 808 kept getting pushed back. Not wanting to wait forever to get home, I decided to reroute my entire flight plans just to get back to da 808. While finding another route, I rerouted myself to San Francisco, and from there, I'd make it back home at a reasonable timeframe. Upon landing in SFO airport, I had about a 3 hour layover so I'd figure I'd look for something to eat. While walkin' around in Terminal 3, I came across a little food court area by gate F11, and while lookin' over the food options, I decided to check out Koi Palace Express, because I had several great dining experiences at Koi Palace when I ate at their restaurant in Daly City. Of course I wouldn't put this fast food experience as the same as a restaurant, but when one is flying/commuting, havin' something to eat is totally better than nothing. Lol! Upon walking up to Koi Palace Express, there was a small line. After waiting in line for my turn, I decided it was easy to just pick up a two item plate ($16.99), so I ended up getting some chow mein noodles, some farmers greens (sautéed vegetables) & some orange chicken. What can I say about the grub? I am just thankful to get something to eat! The food wasn't outstanding, but I wasn't expecting the restaurant quality food I experienced at the Koi Palace restaurant in Daly City either. Lol! It took care of my hunger, after all, that one chocolate glazed Dunkin' Donut wasn't enough for me that morning. Lol!

We have eaten at several locations in the air port and this was the worst. If everything has a huge line and you're in a rush and starving..... I still wouldn't recommend this place. The portions are big and that's the only positive thing I can say. It's all bland, dry, and hard. Run and just grab something premade to go if you don't have much time.

The dim sum was legit. The non dim sum sitting in the warmer trays did not look great, which is probably why this place has such a low score. If they only served dim sum the score would probably be in the 4s. Great place to stop if you're looking for something tasty during a layover.

It's ok for greasy Chinese food. Considering it's at the airport it's also reasonably priced. Had the beef broccoli and chow mein. It was ok. Tasted like greasy cheap Chinese.

This was a pretty good place to eat at SFO airport. We needed a quick bite that wouldn't break the bank. The Dim sum was fresh and had really good flavor. The lo mein was also a really big portion. We asked an airport employee for a quick place to eat and this was her recommendation. We sat in the food court and there was plenty of wipes to clean your table and even a purified water bottle refill station. The employees were great too.

This is the place in SFO Terminal 3. Surprisingly good dim sum for an airport terminal eatery! Friend got the ready serve Kung Pao chicken and rice. She is used to Hawaii style and said it wasn't as flavorful as she is used to but it was ok. Probably a regional difference? The dim sum I got was surprisingly good! Sticky rice (joong) had a half of a shiitake mushroom, egg yolk, lup cheong, dried scallop(? Or shrimp). Rice was good. The Xiao long Bao was surprisingly good! Each is in a foil cup so you can carefully separate the edges and not break the wrapper and get all the soup inside! Wrapper is slightly thick but is it means not loosing a drop of soup it's ok by me. I would get the dim sum again next time I'm in the airport. They even give chili oil and soy with vinegar packets.

I stopped by because I was craving some Chinese food while waiting for my layover. As expected, all foods in airports are overpriced. The chicken was also pretty dry and hard. Seasoning was not bad. Staff is friendly but nothing above and beyond.

If I could give it a zero I absolutely would. This was a terrible experience. The costumer service was beyond horrible and the people serving us were literally dehumanizing and trash talking us in front our faces. We ordered 4 meals which is more than enough for us but they said we ordered too little??? They then proceeded to point at us and stare at us while we were eating which made the atmosphere even more intense. This place is literally Panda Express but a bit pricer with worse food quality. The orange chicken is somehow hard and soft at the same time, the chicken itself was hard and the coat was drenched in sauce which made it soggy. The price per meal is 16.99 AND we tipped them, so the end total was 80.79. You could definitely find a better place than here to eat. AVOID.

Food was mediocre and wasn't exactly the best lack of taste. Panda Express is a lot better than this place anyway. The service was also bad since they gave us attitude for wanting to share a plate every 2 people instead of getting a plate for everyone. I'm going to assume that they were talking bad about us because they were staring at us and smiling at each other. We even gave them about a $17 tip just to get attitude back. Wouldn't recommend coming to this place since neither the food or service were any good.

Food: Lol, very average Chinese food but when you're starving after a long flight, it's bearable... They give you a lot of food, which is filling and greasy haha but it did not taste fresh at all. Lo mein definitely could've used more flavor, orange chicken was hard and not juicy, and the beef was also not great.... Service / Ambiance: It's Panda Express type food so it's fast. I saw a lot of people eating this food at the SFO airport so I got tempted. I also needed a heavy meal lol but overall was very average.

A panda Express knockoff, which I do encourage. The food quality needs to get better. The orange chicken needed more batter and more tender. These were like dry bricks. Also there's a burnt flavor, someone didn't wash the wok enough. The flavoring leans to sour, so this tastes like sweet and sour pork rather than orange chicken. The broccoli and beef was not bad, but way too bland for the usual American tastes. The beef was more palatable than the chicken. Using long grain rice is not what I would've done, but ok

MENU AND FOOD: Koi Palace Express cooks up a selection of Asian cuisine such as rice plates, noodle dishes and basic dim sum. SERVICE AND ATMOSPHERE: Service was quick and efficient. They are located in the food court and have seating. PARKING: Not applicable, but they are located in terminal 3. IMPRESSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Waiting for our flight to Vancouver, we had their steamed BBQ pork buns and their chicken stir fry udon, both of which were tasty and impressive for being in an airport. The pork buns and other foods were cooked and ready, while the udon was cooked to order. We'll definitely be back the next time we travel through SFO!

The food was trash got orange chicken and teriyaki chicken rice and noodles. Tasted like it had frostbite on it before they tried to cook it. Ate about 1/4 of the meal and totally regret it. Wish I would have just went to Burger King. Absolute trash food.

Is it good Dim sun? No. But, at 8AM in SFO, mushy overcooked har gaw and siu mai scratch an itch for warm food far better than Burger King does. The skins were falling apart and the whole dumpling was very uniformly textured. However, it was a filling, quick meal and the bar is very low for airport food. Side note: the spelling of "Xiao Lung Bao" is perhaps a good representation of their authenticity.

Like everyone else, I came here because I had a huge craving for Chinese food while waiting for my flight. I would say overall, if you are insatiably craving Chinese food specifically, get it. It's not great but it will still hit the spot. If you are unsure and craving something else as well, probably get the other thing. The orange chicken was both very dry and soggy but the flavor of the sauce was ok. The beef dishes (Mongolian and broccoli and beef) aren't bad but definitely lacking some flavor so make sure to grab some sriracha packets.

3/11/22 Well I'll be damned... remember back in the day when Panda Express used to be great?!?? I mean, so good that even Chinese from China wanted to get some (not cuz it really tastes authentic, but it tasted good to Chinese people)! Well, those days are long gone.... maybe 20 years gone. BUT....... Man, food here is REALLY good! For one, the stir fried beef tasted like steak-grade medium-done meat! Tender, juicy, not dry. Wtf. The fried stuff was tasty, relatively crisp, and again whatever meat was inside was relatively juicy. Like WOW... it's NEVER like that at Panda no more. Even the rice was cooked perfectly. Alas, this place is in a frickin' airport, so.... guess it's kinda hard to drop by for lunch. 5/5 #sanfrancisco #sfo #sanfranciscoairport #airportfood #fastfood #chinesefastfood

Minus the cart, dim sum The airport is an international mix of foods There always the sandwich shop with the three inch bread and one slice of meat covered with a thin slab of mayonnaise. The standard pizza joint that has either too soft a crust or too hard a crust. And then there's always the Chinese fast food shop. Now this place has always been here for as long as I can remember but this is my first time ever eating at this establishment. I know you read my SFO reviews. I had the special (choice of starch and two entrees). The chow mein was nestled in front of my orange chicken and broccoli beef. And for good measure I got the shrimp dumplings. Only because I didn't want to wait 10 mins for the pork hash. Surprisingly everything was good. The noodles were nice and chewy. The orange chicken was flavorful and soft. I was thinking the sugar would give it a hard crust but pretty good. And the broccoli beef was savory and the greens were green. Overall four stars. A pleasant experience after my vaccination card fiasco with the Hawaii website. (That's another story) The food was good but the service a little pushy. It was like a toned down version of "What you want?!? There's a line" Now excuse me, I've got wait...10 MINS BEFORE THE DOORS CLOSE!!!! M

So this review is in the context of being trapped at SFO and the choices there. KPE is a great value for SFO. With our 2 kids we were able to be full and have reasonably tasty meal at about $30. I honestly do not believe that can be done anywhere at SFO. We got the mongolian beef for us and the orange chicken for the kids and all reasonably good for what it is.

When I arrived from Boston at 11:30AM, I went to this restaurant located in San Francisco Airport. I asked this Chinese lady for a 1 item (shredded beef & Broccoli) order that goes with chow mien. Because I only ordered one-item, I was shorted with the shredded beef-- just about 3 very small slices that I have to locate where the meat is with the bunch of broccoli. I asked the cashier if I could have a plastic cup with water in it. She said they only sell water in a bottle. I left the store very disappointed. I saw a guy with 2 cups and asked him where he got the cups, he said American restaurants. He further said, other restaurant owners in the area are nice but not all.

I have bought from koi palace express many times before when I fly and I almost always fly united. Today when I went to the counter for a pair of chopsticks, I received a cold look and reply: did you purchase? No, I didn't purchase today, and no again, I never will. You can keep all the chopsticks you will be obliged to me for all the future purchases that just disappeared.

Bought food togo for flight. Sweet and sour chicken was so dry it's making my stomach hurt during 5 1/2 flight. What a scam at airport prices. Threw away half. Never again.

This CANNOT be related to the Koi Palace we all know and love. The quality of the dim sum is pretty horrible. I also tried their beef noodle soup, which I guess was palatable if you were absolutely craving some soup (there are no other good Asian soups in this terminal). Disappointing.

Pretty much your average mall Chinese food, but at the airport. Koi Palace Express is conveniently located in the food hall area, and they offer combination plates and dim sum. I got the 2 item combo (comes with a choice of noodles or rice) which wasn't bad, but wasn't anything special either. The orange chicken was flavorful, noodles tasted good, and the portion size was pretty big. The only downside is if you get an egg roll as one of your items, they only give you one. Pricing was very reasonable though and I definitely didn't leave hungry!

We found good Chinese food at SFO Terminal 3 food court. Compared with other places, they are reasonable and the food we had (kun pao chicken, Mongolian beef, Farmers veg and noodles) was really yummy. The chicken & beef were juicy, the noodles had a good texture, and none of the food was oversalted. The portions were pretty generous.

Four stars because it's rare to get dim sum in an airport! Service was alright, though they didn't hand out chopsticks for some reason. Counterintuitive. How do you enjoy dim sum with forks? I told them I need chopsticks. They said yes, and yet still forgot to put any in my take away bag. By the time I discovered it, it was too late (I was at my gate). Overall reasonable range of choices. Lotus leaves wrapped sticky rice chicken was delicious, as was the shumai. They do run out of items frequently. I was here twice within 17 days. The first time, one of their special dishes were out. The second time, the Taiwanese beef noodle (which I would have loved to try) was unavailable.

Food was ok. Mongolian beef and noodles were the better part of the meal. Kung Pao Chicken was awful. Sauce was not good and meat chunks were huge and flavorless. Menu style was like a Panda Express where you pick two menu items and get rice or noodles with it for $14.99. I asked for half and half noodles and rice.

Xlb fast food style was pretty good. Taste was fantastic and skin thin. Soup part was piping! Definitely will come here between flights when flying thru SFO

First time here - super hot and super fresh smorgasbord to choose from to create your own combo platter. Choose fried rice or noodles, and then your pick of two from chicken, fish, veggies, beef and short ribs - $12.99 for VERY GENEROUS PORTIONS. And, really happy, friendly, efficient service. Don't miss the fresh shumai as well, prepared with shrimp and pork; the servers pull them from hot steaming bamboo baskets upon ordering. DELISH! I will definitely be back!

My first experience with Koi Palace was at their restaurant in Dublin, CA. We had a wedding rehearsal lunch there with a big group of people and the food was pretty good. Fast forward to SFO where we survived the line & security and came out hungry. I spotted Koi Palace Express in the distance and decided it was the best choice out of all the other places available in Terminal food court. They had a 2 entree special going on so I went for that and got my choice of short rib beef broccoli and orange chicken with my usual half noodles, half rice. Then I saw they had xiao long bao. YAAAAS! I had dim sum at 2 different places earlier that morning, but there are no dim sum places on Maui so hell yeah! Dim sum for the 3rd time that day! I didn't even care that it was $7.99. It was xiao long bao which I have come to love and I wasn't going to have it for a very long time. The food was fresh, delicious and the xiao long baos? Maybe I'm dim sum deprived, but that was super good too! Lol. The short rib beef broccoli was tender and had great flavor and we really enjoyed the noodles as well. 2 entree plate, dim sum, & drink set me back a whopping $27. Yup, it's expensive, but this is San Francisco at an airport. What do you expect? We actually got a pretty generous portion though compared to other places. So, I have no regrets!

Pleasantly surprised. I read all the comments before trying this place and took out all comments not related to customer service. You don't expect spectacular customer service here. Reminded me of my grandma. Not very nice but honest and hard working. Everything tasted good. Noodles were tasty. Chicken was flavorful and not dry. Mongolian beef wasn't to spicy but that tasted good as well. Will want to try something else and some dim sum next time. I didn't think of trying the sushi as it was pre packaged. Eat the Chinese food. It's like the no soup for you man.

Worst Chinese food ever even at airport level . I don't even know what kind of mystery meat I got under the super hard batter ! Is this supposed to be orange chicken ????? Koi palace has a good reputation in Daly City but this sfo scam is ruining the brand !!! Don't go here ever !!! Threw away and can't eat 3/4 of what I bought ! Total waste of money .

I had just arrived at the San Francisco Airport and I was having Asian food cravings. I looked online for the food options in my terminal and I was able to find Koi Palace Express. I expected the usual Chinese food like General Tso's Chicken and Sesame Chicken, but Koi Palace Express had various dim sum options that intrigued me! I ordered Xiao Lung Bao and BBQ Pork Bao. The workers were friendly and the food came out in an decent amount of time. The Xiao Lung Bao is their version of soup dumplings and they were okay for what they were. They were smaller than most, but I did enjoy having them in the airport. The BBQ Pork Bao was a decent pork bao and it filled me up so I was happy. Overall, it was not too bad for airport Chinese food. I was very surprised to see dim sum in the airport, but the food itself was decent at best. The workers are friendly and work hard to make sure you are fed and on your way.

Disclaimer: this review is for the dim sum ONLY. I can't speak for the sushi or the cooked food (orange chicken, etc), but you wouldn't be going to Koi Palace for either of those things anyways. I can't even count the number of times I've been to Koi Palace proper in Daly City. Even though I haven't lived in SF in years, we still make a trip there for delicious dim sum every time we visit. Many people will say it's overpriced, but the food is always top quality and the ambiance is nicer than most. We had a recent layover at SFO, and my mom was SO EXCITED to see they had a Koi Palace Express. We split some shu mai ($6.50 for 4) and sticky rice ($7), and the quality was just as good as the original establishment. I might be a little biased due to nostalgia, but I was more than satisfied with the amount of food we got. Besides, this location is right next to a Boudin in case you're still hungry.

The line for overpriced Chinese food was craaaazy. But this is what happens when I spend two weeks in Europe--I start craving rice and will pay $10 for fried rice and orange chicken. Oh well, what do you expect from an airport food court? Dim sum (like three pieces of siumai) is $6.50 lol entree like things cost $13-$15. Service is slow and unfriendly. At least there are Chinese people working the counter? Hahaaa. The food court is pretty nice and always packed with people. This is the only Asian food option now that the Japanese place closed. Oh and in case you were wondering, they do offer sushi..... also over priced and didn't look too fresh. I didn't care for the orange chicken. The fried rice was pretty good and I had a piece off beef broccoli, which was good if you like broccoli lol. There wasn't much beef in it. They also had mapo tofu garlic eggplant, teriyaki chicken (ha!) and chicken curry.

Pricey. But worth the price to an extent. There are plenty of options. However was not truly fresh or even inviting. Must have been the lighting or appeal. It is casual here. The Airport dining area. Similar to a local mall. My meal was very tasty. Giving it the stars. Flavorful and good portions. The orange chicken was more naturally flavored along with the noodles. The fried rice was also naturally flavored. Small portions of sides but filling. $14 a plate plus water $17. Get the order fresh if possible. Good selections on the menu to order as well. Recommended if you are hungry for an airport express meal only. Grab and go. Sushi available to order. Along with soup selections. I paid because I was hungry for noodles and rice. No complaints here. I received it. Friendly service.

Service was fine food wasn't tasty at all, bland and Lukewarm. I had the fried rice, orange chicken and broccoli with short rib.

Koi Palace is one of my favorite restaurants in Dublin and I am glad they have an express store in SFO that I can taste their food even during transit. However this store is just spoiling their reputation. The food is horrible, greasy, over price, I can't really find any positive things about it. There are other better options here.

Food was so so. I forgot my credit card so called about 15 times and they don't answer their phone. Had to cancel the card and get a new one!

I love eating at the Koi Palace Restaurants in Daly City, Milpitas, and Dublin so I had high expectations for Koi Palace Express. I already knew the prices would be high cause it is inside an airport. I ordered har gow and shui mai and was disappointed. They weren't fresh and seemed like they had been sitting there for a while. I wasn't expecting this cause I got my dim sum around 11:30 AM. I'd only be back if I'm really craving dim sum right before my international flight.

For airport food, this was great. Both the hot and sour soup and mapo tofu were flavorful and spicy. Can't speak to other items.

The Shrimp Wonton Soup is so good. The filling is well seasoned very fresh and flavorful. My stomach is satisfied after having this bowl of hot wonton soup.

This place actually has excellent food to price ratio in the airport. We are Chinese and often eat at Koi Palace, dragon beaux and Platte. We did not have high expectations for the food given the 2.5 stars but the quality of food beats our expectations. The har gow and siu mai are about the same quality of food delivery from those good restaurants and shrimps inside tastes fresh. The specials is like 12.95 or 13.95 for one side and 2 entrees. We had teriyaki chicken and Mongolian beef. Beef is quite tender and juicy, chicken is not bad as well. Beef is not a lot but chicken is quite generous. Overall, the portion is large and $32 feeds two, which is very reasonable for airport food.

terminal 3 food court...precooked trays of rice, noodles, broccoli beef, etc...typical fast food chinese....1-item, 2-item or 3-item combos....1 item starting at $9.99....a tacky yellow menu above with dumplings and steamed items for order....the precooked food item was soggy and over sauced...panda express is better...maybe the steamed dumplings are better, but the food wasn't what was expected of a koi palace...

Was looking for lower carb options (protein & veggies) in the food court, and was able to substitute stir fry vegetables for the white rice. They did charge it as an extra entree though. Food is ok, nothing wrong with it, decent quality. Not cheap, but that is normal for SFO. Based on the other reviews, seems like the dim sum is the star here, didn't try that though.

The dimsum here is excellent, even by non-airport standards. The soup dumplings are wonderfully authentic, and I get them every time I have some downtime at the airport (it takes ~10 min to steam but it is so worth it). If you're looking for something more substantial, the BBQ pork buns, sticky rice pillow, and siumai are great options as well. My only complaint is that the hargow (shrimp dumplings) tend to stick together in a gummy mess, but even then, it's delicious because the shrimp they use is top notch. Prices unfortunately are 2x what you would find in SF Chinatown ($7-8 for per dish), but if you adjust for airport inflation, it doesn't seem too unreasonable. The entrees and sides are pretty mediocre, but I get them from time to time when I'm craving Asian food. It's Americanized, a bit greasy-the typical Chinese takeout one would expect.

The soup dumplings (Xuo lung bao) were very small but so delicious! They are bitesize and do not come with soup. You get 4, so it's more of a snack than a meal. I couldn't quite figure out why 4 little bao and a Coke cost $15- but the glass Coke was $4.50. So there ya go. Airport food is expensive. And delicious.

When you step off a six hour flight and are looking to feed the tummy I would recommend this stall if you like American Chinese food. Certainly not the "real deal" but sometimes you need some spice Mongolian beef! I was impressed by the freshness and crunch of the veggies and the cornstarch thickened sauce was just the right consistency. I would eat it again because there was zero gastrointestinal problems after eating it.

When it comes to being hungry in an airport, I left my high standards back in California and brought my checkbook. Was on my way home from Houston and had a layover in San Francisco. Since I didn't do any research for all the locations on the American Express Centurion lounges in airports, I wasted $12 for the following. However, it did taste pretty good. But still.... Wonton Noodle Soup ($12): it had about 4 good size shrimp won ton's, egg noodles, romaine lettuce (this type of dish in a real Chinese restaurant is supposed to serve it with bok choi) and green onions. The dish was not bad, the wonton wrapper was very thin, the shrimp was a decent size and the noodles were cooked perfectly and a nice refreshing broth. It was served an a tiny plastic bowl so the portion was pretty sad. Right after I finished, I made a beeline to the American Express Centurion lounge and thoroughly enjoyed myself for a good hour (see my pictures) before heading home.

I needed food to-go ahead of my 5 hour flight back to NJ, and this place was pricey, but LESS pricey than all the other places. I went with the hot-item special which offered a ton of options. I did 1/2 rice, 1/2 noodles with the orange chicken and beef and broccoli. I must say, the portion was HUGE. Was it good? Yes, for what I paid for. It wasn't the best, but did its job on my flight home. My SO got sushi to go, and that was pricey. Salmon sashimi and a regular roll for $20, ridiculous. Its airport food, you cant really expect greatness here.