Somewhere in the middle of most Chinese menus is a numbered list of dishes you have already seen elsewhere on the menu, at a slightly different price, with a note underneath about what comes with them. That is the dinner specials section, and it is the most efficient way to order for one person.
The short answer
A dinner special is an entrée bundled with a starch and a side, sold as one item. On the Panda Li’s Kitchen menu, the dinner specials are listed as served with pork fried rice and either an egg roll or soup. You are buying a complete meal rather than assembling one.
What you actually get
Three things instead of one. The entrée is the dish you chose; the pork fried rice replaces the plain white rice that would come with a standard entrée; and the egg roll or soup is a starter you would otherwise order separately.
That last swap is the one people underestimate. A standard entrée from the beef or chicken section comes with plain white rice. A dinner special upgrades that to fried rice and adds a course.
Combination plate vs ordering separately
| Dinner special | Ordering separately | |
|---|---|---|
| Entrée | Yes | Yes |
| Rice | Pork fried rice included | Plain white rice with most entrées |
| Starter | Egg roll or soup included | Ordered and paid for separately |
| Number of items to order | One | Two or three |
| Flexibility | Fixed bundle | Choose exactly what you want |
| Best for | One person wanting a full meal | A table sharing several dishes |
When the combination plate is the right order
- You are eating alone. This is what the format is for: one order, a complete meal, no arithmetic.
- You want variety without volume. Three components in one order rather than one large container of the same thing.
- You are ordering for a group with different tastes. Several dinner specials means everyone gets their own complete plate rather than negotiating shared dishes.
- You want fried rice anyway. If you were going to order it separately, the bundle has already done it for you.
When to skip it
Combination plates are built for individual meals, which makes them the wrong shape for family-style sharing. If four people are eating together, four dinner specials means four portions of pork fried rice and four egg rolls, which is a lot of duplication.
For a table, ordering two or three larger entrées with one shared rice covers the same ground with more variety. The guide to how much Chinese food to order per person works through that.
What is on the dinner specials list
The list is mostly familiar dishes rather than exclusive ones, which is the point — it is a different way to buy the same food. On this menu the section runs to more than thirty items and includes chicken chow mein, chicken and broccoli, egg foo young, pepper steak, beef with broccoli, sweet and sour pork, moo goo gai pan, Mongolian beef, sesame chicken, orange chicken, bourbon chicken and General Tso’s chicken.
So if you have a usual order, there is a reasonable chance it appears on the specials list as well as in its own section. Worth checking both before you order.
Lunch specials are a different thing
The two get confused. Lunch specials are a separate list with a smaller portion and a different bundle, available only during a fixed midday window — on this menu, 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, served with pork fried rice and soup or a soda.
Dinner specials are available during all opening hours. If you are eating at midday, compare the two lists rather than defaulting to one. The guide to how lunch specials work covers the midday side in detail.
Practical notes
- Check what is included before adding sides. Ordering a soup alongside a dinner special that already includes soup is the classic mistake.
- Ask about substitutions. Some kitchens will swap the egg roll or the rice; some will not.
- Order it for pickup. A bundled plate is assembled quickly, so it is usually one of the faster things to collect.
- Compare against the standard section. If you do not want fried rice or a starter, the standard entrée may suit you better.
Where to find them
The dinner specials section at Panda Li’s Kitchen lists what each plate includes. The same dishes generally appear in the chicken, beef and house specials sections as standard entrées, so it is worth comparing before you order.
Ordering a combination plate for a group
There is one situation where several bundles beat shared dishes: when nobody wants to share. A table of colleagues at lunch, or a family where everyone has firm opinions, is often better served by four complete plates than by a negotiated set of shared entrées.
It also makes the bill easy to split and removes the problem of one person eating most of the dish everyone wanted. The trade-off is duplication: four bundles means four portions of pork fried rice.
Because the starch and a starter are both included, a dinner special is easy to double up on by accident. What comes with each section of the menu is worth a look before you add a side.
A note on the format
The combination plate is a distinctly American Chinese convention, developed to serve customers who wanted a single complete meal rather than a shared table of dishes. It is a good example of how the cuisine adapted to how people in the United States actually eat. The Britannica overview of Chinese cuisine gives background on the traditions it grew out of.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Chinese combination plate?
An entrée bundled with a starch and usually a side, sold as one item. On the Panda Li’s Kitchen menu the dinner specials are listed as served with pork fried rice and an egg roll or soup.
Are dinner specials cheaper than ordering separately?
They are usually better value than buying the same components individually, because the bundle is priced as one item. Check the current menu for what each one costs.
What is the difference between a lunch special and a dinner special?
Portion and inclusions, and the time they are available. On this menu the lunch specials run 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM with pork fried rice and soup or a soda; the dinner specials are served with pork fried rice and an egg roll or soup.
Can I change what comes with a combination plate?
Sometimes. Restaurants vary in how much they will substitute within a bundled plate, so it is worth asking when you order rather than assuming either way.
The bottom line
One person eating alone should almost always look at the dinner specials first: it is a complete meal in one order, with the rice upgraded and a starter included. A table sharing several dishes should usually order from the standard sections instead.
More than thirty dinner specials, each served with pork fried rice and an egg roll or soup.
See the dinner specials