Panda Express brings drive-thru dining, Mongolian beef to largest US base overseas

Panda Express opens second Camp Humphreys restaurant this time with a drive-thru, more family-oriented experience and introduction of Mongolian beef to the menu.

Panda Express opens Camp Humphreys restaurant with a drive-thru, more family oriented experience and introduction of Mongolian beef to the menu. Customers line up for the grand opening of Panda Express' first drive-thru location at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Oct. 6, 2026. (Julie Masson/Stars and Stripes) CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — Panda Express has opened a second restaurant on the largest U.S. military base overseas, introducing a drive-thru and bringing Mongolian beef to the chain’s South Korea menu for the first time. The standalone restaurant, across from the Sentry Mini Mall, opened Oct. 6, offering sit-down dining and family-sized meals alongside the chain’s familiar Chinese-American dishes. Unlike the first Humphreys location, which opened in November 2024 at the Troop Mini Mall food court, the new restaurant provides a more family-oriented experience, Army and Air Force Exchange Service business manager Choe Un-hye said at the grand opening.

Dozens of customers lined up before the 10 a.m. debut. Military spouses Marissa Conkright and Serena Platko arrived at 8:40 a.m. to claim the first spots. Fans of the chain’s grilled teriyaki and kung pao chicken, they described attending the opening as a “fun side quest.” About 820 customers visited the restaurant on opening day, training leader Jeremy Kim said in an email Saturday. Orange chicken and grilled teriyaki chicken were the top sellers,