Cheapest Asian Chains in 2026

Asian Chains Ranked by Price

Typical price is the median of every priced item on the menu — the point where half the menu costs less and half costs more.

The Cheapest Asian Options in Detail

1. Panda Express — typical item $3.50

Panda Express prices by container rather than by dish: a Bowl is one side and one entree, a Plate is one side and two entrees, and a Bigger Plate is one side and three. Every entree costs the same inside a given container except the premium ones. Orange…

The menu runs $0.30 (Fortune Cookie) to $44.00 (Family Feast (3 large entrees, 2 large sides)) across 19 priced items, averaging $7.56. A Plate at $11.10 gives two entrees for $1.80 over a Bowl's one — by far the best incremental value on the menu. See the full Panda Express menu →

2. Din Tai Fung — typical item $12.50

Din Tai Fung is the Taiwanese dumpling house famous for xiao long bao — soup dumplings folded with 18 pleats. Ten pork xiao long bao cost about $14.50, crab and pork about $18.50, and noodle soups and fried rice $12 to $17. Most groups order several plates to…

The menu runs $3.50 (Soft Drink) to $19.50 (Truffle & Pork Xiao Long Bao (5 pc)) across 34 priced items, averaging $12.10. For two people, one basket of ten pork xiao long bao ($14.50), one fried rice ($15.50) and garlic string beans ($11.50) is a full meal for about $41.50 before tax and tip. See the full Din Tai Fung menu →

3. P.F. Chang's — typical item $17.95

P.F. Chang's is the sit-down counterpart to Panda Express: same broad Asian-American repertoire, roughly triple the price, and table service in a dining room rather than a food-court queue. Entrees run $18 to $28 against $9 to $13 for a Panda Express plate…

The menu runs $4.25 (Iced Tea (free refills)) to $34.95 (Peking Duck (half)) across 46 priced items, averaging $17.51. The weekday lunch menu cuts entrees to roughly $13 to $16 and still includes soup or salad and rice — about a 35% saving over the same dish at dinner. See the full P.F. Chang's menu →