Review: The Panda Express And Compartés Collab Brightens The Season With Delicious American Chinese Chocolate

I've seen some unique culinary collaborations in my day, but this one takes the cake. Though, "takes the chocolate" is more apropos. Panda Express, the beloved, fast-casual, American Chinese restaurant chain has teamed up with Compartés chocolate, an award-winning, luxury chocolatier known for its premium, gourmet chocolates. I can assure you, this surprising partnership was not on my radar, which made it decidedly more fun.

Family-owned Panda Express has been dishing up iconic Chinese American dishes since 1983, and each menu item is inspired by a particular region of China. The chain transforms authentic Chinese flavors into mouthwatering dishes for the American palate.

Compartés chocolate boasts a small team of visionary chocolatiers who have been handcrafting high-quality chocolates since 1950, and the California-based company prides itself on its dedication to excellence and decadence.

So, what happens when you put the two brands together? I'll tell you want happens: You get four indulgent chocolate bars inspired by Panda Express' most treasured dishes. Imagine the nuances of orange chicken — tangy citrus and fiery chili flakes — woven into creamy milk chocolate. Or walnuts and honey (inspired by honey walnut shrimp), nestled into satiny white chocolate. Each of the four bars promises creativity, and the packaging is artistically stunning. 

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

All four limited-edition Panda Express x Compartés chocolate bars are available now (starting December 2, 2025) and can be purchased exclusively from Compartes.com. The individual bars — Original Orange, Honey Walnut, Fortune Cookie, and Kung Pao — are $11.95 each. A holiday gift box set that includes all four bars in premium packaging is also available for $49.95. The individual bars and gift box will be available until the supply runs out. Hence the term "limited-edition."

On December 5, 2025 (National Comfort Food Day), participating Panda Express locations will offer a free Fortune Cookie Bar with the purchase of any 2-item Plate. Again, while supplies last. For more details and to find a participating Panda Express near you, visit pandaex.press/Compartes. In terms of nutrition, the chocolate bars range from 220 to 250 calories, and contain 11 to 16 grams of fat each.

I'll admit, considering the chocolate bars are designed to highlight Panda Express menu items, I was surprised by the short ingredient list on each one. Each bar contains the premium ingredients needed for high-quality chocolate (cocoa mass, cocoa butter, sugar), plus a few flavorful, textural add-ins. All the ingredients were recognizable, and there was nothing artificial, or jargon I couldn't pronounce. It's clear that Panda Express and Compartés chocolate are both committed to excellence. 

Inspired by Panda Express orange chicken, The Original Orange Bar features tangy bits of orange, crispy rice, and a flurry of fiery red chili flakes — all woven into creamy milk chocolate. And when I say creamy, this bar literally melts in your mouth. 

The milk chocolate was incredibly tasty, much more flavorful than a standard American candy bar. I presume that's because the chocolate is made with 44 percent cacao — compare that to an American-made Cadbury bar with 23 percent, and Hershey bar with 11 percent cacao and you can truly tell the difference. More cacao means a deeper, richer chocolate flavor, not one that's milky and sugary.

The orange flavor was distinct, starting off citrusy and leaving tangy notes on the palate. I also loved the addition of rice because it provided a light, crispy crunch, which partnered beautifully with the creamy milk chocolate. The same was true of the taste — what started as creamy, buttery chocolate evolved into tangy citrus with a slight flavor of chilies. I didn't get much heat from the chilies, just depth of flavor and supplementary complexity. My sons sampled these bars with me and we all agreed — this was our favorite of the bunch. The marriage of ingredients brought the ultimate sweet meets heat experience. All chocolate bars were incredible, but we kept coming back to this one.

The Compartés Honey Walnut Bar is extremely unique. Imagine a white chocolate Heath bar studded with crunchy walnuts. Add a drizzle of golden honey and there are multiple, delectable layers of flavor and texture going on. Inspired by Panda Express' honey walnut shrimp, this chocolate bar is sweet, crunchy, and texturally satisfying.

The white chocolate itself was deliciously flavored and left a buttery mouthfeel. I've had plenty of dry, crumbly white chocolate in my day and this was the exact opposite. White chocolate is made using only cocoa butter (not the brown-colored cocoa mass), and I've found that sometimes it delivers less cocoa flavor. That wasn't the case here; this bar tasted wholly chocolatey. Made with 36 percent cacao, I can see why (as mentioned, American chocolate bars are often made with much less). Compare this bar to Hershey's white creme bar with almonds (made with sugar and vegetable oil — no cacao) and there's no rivalry at all. Compartés is simply superior.

The walnuts are candied, so they added sweetness, crunch, and nutty undertones to every bite. But my favorite part about this chocolate bar was the honeycomb — it was crisp, buttery, and reminiscent of toffee.

The Compartés Fortune Cookie Bar was a fun one, boasting silky white chocolate and loads of crushed Panda Express fortune cookies. The chocolate bar even comes with a cute fortune inside the box (I won't tell you what mine said to ensure it comes true).

Like the white chocolate in the honey walnut variety, this chocolate bar is made with 36 percent cacao, which means the deep flavor of cocoa butter is prominent. Even Ghirardelli's white chocolate hovers around 20 percent cacao; the extra 16 percent in this chocolate bar is decidedly noticeable. I'll be honest, I was truly amazed by how much flavor the white chocolate delivered; the brand clearly uses high-quality cocoa butter, so the flavor speaks for itself.

I also liked the flavor and texture of the crumbled fortune cookies — for me, they tasted like crispy, vanilla-scented pancakes. I cherished how the toasty cookie nuances commingled with the decadent chocolate, both in flavor and texture. There's no doubt the snap of cookie was a pleasant contrast to the velvety white chocolate.

The Compartés Kung Pao Bar is unlike any chocolate bar I've ever had. It's the only dark chocolate option in the pack so it was a nice complement to the milder white and milk chocolate varieties. This bar contains elements found in the classic Chinese dish — peanuts, chilies, and sea salt — melded into rich dark chocolate. One of the most creative concepts I've ever experienced.

The chocolate bar is made with 73 percent cacao, the highest percentage of dark chocolate in this review, so it was rich and bold — like a marriage of fudge, cherries, and caramel. I detected zero bitterness. The first flavor to hit my palate was the peanuts and it was magical. The roasted nuts were crunchy and toasted and the perfect partner for the full-bodied dark chocolate. I also detected a trace of the sea salt, which further enhanced the sweeter ingredients.

But what really shocked me was the chilies. Compartés and Panda Express aren't playing around here — this chocolate bar is fiery. Like seriously spicy. And as the chocolate melted on my palate, the intensity of the chilies increased. If you like lots of spice in your sweet treats, you will adore this chocolate bar.

This was one of the coolest collaborations I've been fortunate enough to review. Compartés has done other collaborations, but this one was truly unique. I appreciated that both brands are based in the U.S. (California to be exact) and that they decided to come together to create something distinctive. And I was determined to taste all the chocolate bars like a chocolate connoisseur so I could provide an honest review. 

The flavors and textures of each bar were unmatched. The chocolate was top-notch, and the elements of Panda Express flavors were identifiable and enjoyable. Each chocolate bar perfectly balanced sweetness and heat (or sweetness and tang in the orange bar), as well as creaminess and crunch.

I also admired the packaging. The boxes were colorful, playful, and beautifully designed. And each box featured an adorable panda doing spirited things, from using chopsticks, to riding a chile pepper, to perching on a take-out container. I had a strong impression he was a mischievous fella, and I found joy in that. In addition, I appreciated that the illustrations on the packaging featured ingredients in the chocolate (honeycomb, walnuts, oranges), depicting the essence of the bar.

The commingling of luxury chocolate, Chinese American flavors, and packaging pretty enough to hang on your wall was flawless. Compartés means 'to share' in Spanish, and it seems that was the impetus for this partnership — both brands aimed to share happiness, joy, and creativity with adoring fans. I'm quite thankful they did.