Panda Express International Locations: Every Country Outside the U.S.
Panda Express runs restaurants in about 11 countries. Outside the United States it is in Mexico, Canada, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Guatemala, El Salvador and, on a U.S. air base, Germany. Panda calls its 2011 Mexico City store its first international restaurant. There is no Panda Express in China.
Which countries have Panda Express?
Besides the United States, Panda Express operates in Mexico, Canada, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Guatemala and El Salvador, plus a base-only store in Germany. ABC7 Los Angeles counted 11 countries in 2024. Several markets are run by a local partner company.
| Country | First opening | Where it started | Run by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | September 2011 | Mexico City | Grupo Gigante |
| Canada | October 2013 | Nepean (Ottawa), Ontario | Not confirmed |
| South Korea | September 2014 | Seoul | Joint venture with SF Innovation |
| United Arab Emirates | Not confirmed | Al Ghurair Centre, Dubai | Gourmet Gulf |
| Saudi Arabia | Not confirmed | Riyadh | Gourmet Gulf |
| Japan | November 25, 2016 (return) | Lazona Kawasaki | Not confirmed |
| Philippines | 2019 | Metro Manila | JBPX Foods (Jollibee joint venture) |
| Germany | August 2022 | Ramstein Air Base | Lagardère Travel Retail |
| Guatemala | Not confirmed | Guatemala City | Not confirmed |
| El Salvador | Before 2018 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
Guam and Puerto Rico also have Panda Express restaurants, but they are U.S. territories, so they count as domestic. Guam’s first store opened at the Micronesia Mall in Dededo in December 2013, according to QSR Magazine.
Is there a Panda Express in China?
No. There is no official Panda Express in mainland China. A restaurant using the name opened in Kunming in 2020, but it was not authorized: Panda’s founder called it a knock-off, the outlet was closed pending a trademark investigation, and the South China Morning Post withdrew its story about the opening, according to Yicai Global.
The idea of Panda Express in China has come up before. Marketplace reported in 2011 that the company’s leaders were looking at China, but no official store has opened there. The closest official Panda Express locations to mainland China are in Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.
How many Panda Express stores are in the Philippines?
The Philippines had 27 Panda Express stores at the end of June 2026, down from 28 at the end of 2025, according to BusinessWorld. The chain arrived in 2019 through JBPX Foods, a joint venture between Jollibee Foods Corp. and Panda Restaurant Group, and opened its first Philippine drive-thru in South Luzon in September 2025.
Real-world case 1 · Philippines store count
How has the Philippine chain changed in 2026?
The joint venture ended 2025 with 28 stores. In the first half of 2026 it opened none and closed one, finishing June with 27. That is a 3.6% drop in six months.
Result: the Philippines is still one of Panda’s biggest markets abroad, but it shrank slightly in 2026.
When did Panda Express open in Mexico?
Panda Express opened in Mexico City in September 2011, the store Panda’s own history calls its first international restaurant. It is run by Grupo Gigante, which reported 23 restaurants in greater Mexico City plus 4 airport stores in 2023 and holds the Mexico rights until 2034, according to El CEO.
| Area | Stores (2023) |
|---|---|
| Valle de México (greater Mexico City) | 23 |
| Airports: Tijuana, Monterrey, Cancún, Los Cabos | 4 |
| Total | 27 |
Real-world case 2 · Mexico by location type
How much of Panda Mexico is at airports?
Of the 27 stores Grupo Gigante reported in 2023, 4 were in airports: 4 ÷ 27 is about 15%. The other 23, about 85%, were in greater Mexico City.
Result: outside Mexico City, a traveler is most likely to find Panda Express in an airport terminal.
Is there a Panda Express in Japan?
Yes. Panda Express returned to Japan on November 25, 2016, opening at Lazona Kawasaki near Tokyo after an earlier attempt that had closed, according to Japan Today. Japan now has about 10 restaurants, and Panda opened a drive-thru at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo on May 20, 2026.
The Yokota store is the first Panda Express on a military base with a drive-thru window, Stars and Stripes reported. Like other base locations, it serves people with base access rather than the general public.
Where is Panda Express in Canada?
Panda Express has stores in Ontario and Alberta. Its first Canadian store opened in October 2013 on Hunt Club Road in Nepean, near Ottawa, a location Wikipedia lists as since closed. Calgary got its first store on October 24, 2016, when the chain already had four stores in the Edmonton area.
Can you eat at Panda Express on overseas military bases?
Only with base access. Panda Express has stores on U.S. bases at Ramstein in Germany, Camp Humphreys and Osan in South Korea, and Yokota in Japan. They serve service members, base employees and registered guests, so a regular tourist cannot walk in from outside the gate.
| Base | Country | Opened |
|---|---|---|
| Ramstein Air Base | Germany | August 2022 |
| Camp Humphreys | South Korea | November 2024 |
| Osan Air Base | South Korea | August 2025 |
| Yokota Air Base (drive-thru) | Japan | May 20, 2026 |
Ramstein was the first Panda Express in Europe, opened by Lagardère Travel Retail inside the base’s exchange mall. The full story of how the chain grew from one California mall store is on our Panda Express history page.
