This Panda Express replaced the beloved-but-ultimately-rendered-redundant-by-Amazon Follett's bookstore. Because it's centrally located on a college campus, the food is usually fresh but if you come an hour or so before closing time, the staff can be loath to prepare an entree if they are out of it. That said it's still quite an improvement from the atrocious quick service Chinese restaurant that used to be located nearby at the Illini Union food court.
The 'classic' Panda Express entrees, Orange Chicken and Beijing Beef, taste alright individually but collectively both score high on the saccharine sweet index. To tone down some of that excessive sweetness, pair one of the two with something less sugary like black pepper chicken and you're good to go. I find the chicken egg roll to be on point though. It's hot and crispy so no quibbles there.