Chen's Family Dish

I first discovered this restaurant back when it had a 4.6-star rating, and I was impressed. One of the things I really liked was the portion sizes. For the first time, I ordered beef and broccoli and actually got beef, not just a mountain of broccoli. The rice even reminded me a little of the fried rice you’d find in New Jersey/New York—and after living on the East Coast for 20 years, that flavor brought back memories I truly missed. Unfortunately, things have gone downhill since then. The quality has dropped noticeably, and even the overall rating has gone down. The service is terrible—staff don’t greet you, don’t smile, and make you feel like they’d rather be anywhere else. And the food? Honestly, it’s awful now. Prices are high, but instead of generous portions of meat, they now serve huge piles of broccoli with just a few strips of beef. It feels like a complete waste of money and quality. If you’re new around here, I’d honestly recommend skipping this place. Don’t waste your time or your money. Sadly, they’ve lost me as a customer.

Went to Chen's on Sunday May-18-2025 with my wife, our youngest son and his girlfriend for the first time after a recommendation from a friend. WOW! my friend was right and all four of us agreed, Hands down the best Chinese food we have had in the Salem/Keizer area in years. We had Chicken Lettuce Wraps and Crab Puffs as appetizers then each of us had a combination dinner. I had a #4 Shrimp, Sweet and Sour Pork, Pork Fried Rice, and Crab Puffs. Tara had a #3 Chicken Lo-Main, Sweet and Sour Chicken and Crab Puffs. Justin and My Wife had #1 General Tso's Chicken, Pork Fried Rice, Crab Puffs and Bar-B-Q Pork. The Crab Puffs were three times the size of anywhere else I've had them. All of the food was Fresh, Hot and Delicious. The wait staff were quick, friendly and answered any questions about different dishes. Chen's also has a well stocked full service bar and lottery games.

We hadn’t eaten and it was late and many restaurants were closed but I’m glad this one wasn’t. The service was great and the food was even better. We ordered the lettuce wraps which were absolutely my favorite part of our meal. I ordered some orange chicken and some veggie rice. The orange chicken has a mild to moderate spice level depending on your tolerance but was really flavorful. My partner ordered the chicken chow mien and really liked it as well. The best part were the portion sizes. We ended up eating left overs for two days because we had no idea the portions were so big. Everything was hot and flavorful.

Food was amazing. Price was awesome. Service and atmosphere was soothing and calm. I didn't expect to eat it all...then the plate was empty. The tea was hot with amazing presentation.

Very satisfied with the food as it's hard to find a really good Chinese place. The portions are huge and everything was so fresh and really fair prices...10 /10.. we will be going again.

Best Chinese food in town! Seriously try the general tsao chicken best I’ve had ever!!!!! Service is so fantastic, very clean place. You won’t be disappointed! Egg flower soup top notch!

This place is my absolute favorite when it comes to non buffet Asian food. The spicy dumplings and shrimp balls are incredible. The shrimp egg rolls are a must. Everything is just SO GOOD. I literally cannot recommend this place enough. If you have not been here then please stop in because the food is incredible. 11/10 recommend.

We enjoyed our meal! Tasty general chicken. Tasted super fresh. The breaded chicken was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. I also found the dumplings to be mildly spicy. The low mien and the fried rice were also a hit. Next time I would try the shrimp and broccoli. Great portions for a decent price. Husband enjoyed the strawberry smoothie. 8/10 try it!

Really yummy food, best Chinese I've had in a while. Not much to look at on the outside, but inside it is very serene and nicely decorated. Fast service. Beef broccoli and green bean chicken were both excellent. Large portions, reasonable prices.

I feel really cheated by my yelp people. This place came up highly rated and there's absolutely nothing worth eating that we ordered tonight. I judged Chinese restaurants by their hot and sour. It was neither hot nor sour. Do what you want maybe like fried things in this taste good to you, but if you're from New York New Jersey, do not order from here. You know I hate to leave bad reviews, but this is one.

Clean, friendly servers, service was fast. Tofu dishes had tasty sauces, not too spicy but just right zing. Asked for no sugar in Mongolian tofu and they accommodated my request. We ordered dumplings as a main course. Dumplings are like tasty little soups encased in dough. Definitely was filling.

We don't usually go to Salem aren't familiar with the restaurants there, so I reviewed the Yelp reviews for some guidance. We were very disappointed with Chen's Family. The inside of the restaurant was nice. The service was alright. The food, however, was bland and sub-par. The egg flower soup (which was charged extra) was hearty with noodles and vegetables, but lacked any flavor. My husband ordered Kung Pao Chicken, which was indicated on the menu as spicy, which it was not. I ordered Chicken Lo Mein, which was made using spaghetti noodles rather than chow mein noodles, and it hardly had any vegetables in it. We also had BBQ pork, which was rather dry. The hot tea was very weak. All in all, a bad experience.

I came here for a solo lunch. You would never know from the outside how pretty the interior is. I was seated right away and ordered the szechuan chicken lunch special, which is a good value for the amount of food you get. Chicken was extremely tender and pleasantly spicy. Service was good, too.

We were having a nice dinner, and the server decided to sit four extremely chatty boys right next to us with an entirely open restaurant. The night was ruined, and we got our food boxed up and left. Never, ever coming back and not recommending this place to anyone.

Restaurant is located in a strip mall just off of Lancaster Drive. It's a bit hidden behind a 7-11. Lovely place with lots of seating available on a Saturday afternoon. Has a full bar as well. Upon entering I was almost immediately greeted and seated within a few minutes. I ordered the lunch special. Schezwan Chicken, Pork Fried Rice, Vegetable Spring Roll and Egg Flower Soup. I was brought my soup first which tasted a bit flavourless but I can tell it was fresh made. I added some salt and pepper to it which made it taste better. Had plenty of chicken in there and crunchy bamboo shoots. The Schezwan Chicken was very flavourful and delicious! Same for the accompanying fried rice and spring roll. Great value for what you get...$9.50. I would definitely recommend this place and plan on returning again.

I was hyped that this place was good from pictures and reviews. Honestly, I found it to be just OK. Service was good and prompt! The food is mediocre at best, but came out very hot. I've had better other places in town. The portions were great for the price, that was about it. I may try again sometime just a "different dish". Just not going to be a "go-to" for me.

Great service and delicious food! So far best chinese food we've had in Salem. We will be back!

Friendly service. Huge portions. The food looked amazing. What a disappointment to bite into it and have it be very, very bland. (Green bean chicken and Broccoli beef). At least the BBQ Pork rolls were good.

I've been here multiple times now and have enjoyed the food and service every visit! The food here is so fresh and they do not have pre-frozen appetizers like many other Chinese restaurants. I eat mostly vegetarian and they have delicious tofu entrees.

The food always tastes great here but the restaurant hygiene has gone downhill. At our most recent visit, there was no hand soap in the restroom, but an open bag of powdered laundry detergent near the sink, with the assumption it was left for handwashing. The tables were sticky and the drinking glasses had a powdery film. The staff was kind but rather unconcerned. What used to be a beloved family meal has turned into a dirty dive bar essentially. The lettuce wraps really are the best in town. I hope the establishment is able to figure out something about keeping the place clean so we can one day return.

Chen's Family Dish is a local Chinese restaurant that seems to be a popular pick for the locals. They offer daily lunch specials, various appetizers, soups, salads, combination dinners, chicken/beef/seafood/pork/vegetarian entrees, noodle dishes, sizzling platters, egg foo young, family-style dinners, as well as senior and kid options. We decided to give this place a try while in the area, and came here for an earlier dinner. We ordered: +Mongolian Beef - more wet and saucy than what I usually like, this was okay +Kung Pao Shrimp - large pieces of deveined shrimp; more heavy with the water chestnuts and whole peanuts +Yang Zhou Fried Rice - contained lots of large deveined shrimp and Chinese sausage The food tasted clean and the portions were generous. Service was friendly and attentive. We liked that the place was also well-maintained and everything seemed to be wiped down often. Plenty of parking in the shared plaza lot. +clean, large portions +friendly service +plenty of parking in plaza lot

Yum yum yum. When we are in the mood for Chinese this is our go to place. It's a bit of a drive from West Salem but we have never been disappointed.

First time here and impressed by the portions and price. We got the veggie rolls, 3 nut tofu, and two 3-choice combos. We tried orange chicken (spicy), sweet & sour chicken, chicken lo mein, and pork fried rice. All delicious. Best egg flower soup I have had in a long time.

We went Chenns for our Bible study. We have a Recovery group and it was delicious as always. The service is impeccable. The staff just love me and I love them. They were so kind to my Bible Study and so patient we had a three year-old spilling his water and Just ignored it and was not a big deal but we had. U

The food is so good. The combos are a great deal and a lot of food! The service is good and staff are nice. My favorite Chinese restaurant in Salem.

This is an updated review. It's been 4 years since I've eaten here. The egg drop soup is still good and large portion. The lunch menu and regular menu items are also large portions. The food itself was not good at all. I've eaten at many Chinese restaurants in big city where the food is authentic. The bbque pork was chewy and flavorless. This is basic standard American Chinese food with off flavors. Lovely space and friendly staff. They just need to revisit recipes and add authentic flavors.

Ordered this to be delivered. I'm glad, too, because it was sooooo good, I would have been too full to drive home. Here is a breakdown of my order: General Tso chicken- nice and crispy with perfect spice. There was not too much breading, and the chicken was beautifully seasoned. It was not drenched in sauce, and didn't need to be. #7- Hot and spicy Kung Pao, sweet and sour pork and pork fried rice- KP was wonderfully seasoned. Crispy vegetables, tender chicken with perfect spicing. Pork was tender and moist, too. Breading was crispy, seasoned perfect. The sauce was not too sweet, and not too sour. A great balance. Pot Stickers- Best in town, hands down. They had great flavor, and the meat was seasoned and included cabbage in the potsticker. The dough was flavorful and not plastic in texture like many are. Shrimp Egg roll- Heaven. Could use some more shrimp, but full of flavor and nice and crispy. Pork Fried rice- It was average, Good flavor, nice spices, and not mushy. Overall, I will order here again. To me, it rivals the San Francisco China Town restaurants. Great food, will make a wonderful midnight snack!!!

This hidden gem has some of the best Asian food I've had in a long time! The crab appetizers are addictive. The staff was super friendly and the seating areas were clean. It has limited parking and is hard to find but is a hidden treasure.

The food here is always hot and delicious. The service is excellent. I recommend the Mandarin Chicken and the Green Bean Chicken. We like to add chili oil to the green bean chicken to give it a little spicy kick.

the food for the price was amazing. under $10 for each plate and drinks were reasonably priced as well. quick service and they were constantly making sure everything was going well! if you're looking for a cheap quick meal I would definitely recommend this place

on the 14 th yesterday we ordered on line and picked up or food at 2:00 pm we went straight home and ate what we could! we ordered house fried rice the rice was hard and didn't have much of anything in it, we also had crab puffs that were like they were made the day before bad very bad, we also had house chow mien that had the wrong noodles, had only a couple pieces of meat and no shrimp. it was a bad Dinner. We have eaten at Chens many times and enjoyed it but it's going to be like yesterday, we won't be eating there anymore we can always go down the street!!! Dan

What a hidden treasure. This is a little run-down strip mall behind a 7-11. Across from a Walgreen and down from a Mexican market. Welcome to Chen's. A serine oasis in a busy town. With a world spinning around outside, you are greeted by a calm piano song and images of a mountain flight from a bird's view on the television. The waitress welcomed us and showed us to our seats. Even the bathroom was clean and smelled fresh. We enjoyed a simple lite meal of orange chicken and Mongolian beef. The meals came with egg flower soup, and we drank chrysanthemum tea. The orange chicken was the freshest and tastiest I have had in recent memory. The beef was excellent. Please take the time in your busy day for a breath of fresh air and have a crab puff. I know I did. Out.

Went to call in a lunch order for two and it more hassle than it was worth....... She couldn't understand me and I didn't understand her. Luckily it all worked out but JEESH.... I wasn't sure very frustrating The food was great but they prepare it and then it sits by the register so get there sooner than later

Claimed they were open, took my money and then changed the delivery to tomorrow!!!! Why do you cheat your customers ? Just be honest! Other stores are closed. I ordered because you claimed to be open.

Ordered Mongolian tofu and Szechuan tofu. Both dishes tasted the same just veggies were chopped differently. The dishes were both stir fired but overly cooked. Didn't taste like Chinese food at all. Seems like old oil used to fry the egg rolls which left a nasty after taste. Would not go back to this restaurant.

I cannot believe what I experienced at this establishment I noticed a cockroach in the bathroom as I was washing my hands and the bathroom is literally across the hall from the kitchen and I was sitting in a booth when my sister alerted me of something crawling in the backrest of the booth seat next to me, and it was a cockroach, we couldn't believe what we were seeing and the staff didn't seem surprised at all which kind of made us feel as if this is a normal thing in this restaurant. I was looking forward to enjoying a meal at this place for the first time but instead was greeted by creepy crawlers! The staff were polite and I appreciated their hospitality but I could not overlook the roaches.

Highly recommend Chens!!!!! The food was fabulous, with soup, spring roll, rice and Mongolian beef. Loved it all. The staff was gracious, attentive and on top of everything. The food came so quickly, we couldn't believe it. Will definitely be back. Our new GO TO!!!

Delish, affordable, great service! The egg rolls are not my favorite. I had Kung Pao chicken and it was spicy hut not too spicy, the chicken was tender and the vegetables were cooked to perfection and it came out hot!

Average - food was good and service was good. Average - food was good and service was good. Average - food was good and service was good.

Friendly staff. Great food. Large portions. Will definitely continue to return for more.

Nice, spacious, good food, went there on my friend's recommendation, good ambiance, very helpful staff.

I was not a fan. The highlights of this restaurant were definitely the customer service and nice interior design. The food was decent, but I probably won't be back again. We came in on a rainy day and saw that they had a few specials. We got a dozen Pork Shiu Mai, which was discounted! These were very delicious. They were huge in size and had a TON of pork! Juicy, fatty, not soggy, and flavorful. Very good dim sum dish. We also saw that the crab puffs were very popular and decided to get an order, but they were majority cream cheese. Very little crab inside. They were nice and crispy though. The Walnut Honey Shrimp was not good. Too much breading and not enough mayonaise. It was not flavorful at all. The Beef Chow Fun was okay. It normally comes with bean sprouts, broccoli, and onion at most Chinese restaurants... but this place stir fried it with zuccini, mushrooms, carrots, water chestnuts, and more... It was more like a chow mein with wide noodles. Overall, the customer service was top tier. Very friendly women working at the store front. They are very polite and even gave us a free Hot & Sour Soup (enough for three of us!)

Great take out for Chinese. Have not dined in yet. Portions are enough and the food is good. Thank you!

Definitely recommend. I normally eat Panda Express, but this time wanted quality and authenticity. You definitely get it here

Nice folks but not nearly as good as it was years ago when I first ate here. The food is greasy and tastes like your basic "Americanized" Chinese food. Large portions, which is nice, but tons of MSG (hello headaches) and very greasy. Won't be back.

Good fresh food, clean restaurant nice employees. Definitely We'll go back again for sure.

Atmosphere was very calming. Service was great. Our waitress was very kind and helpful!!! I went to try the Pork steam buns! They were very delicious as was everything else we ordered. Not pictured were the crap puffs, they were the best crab puffs I have had in a while!!

Yummy- large portions and pretty good food :) Really big selection, it was hard to choose! Things tasted home made.

The best authentic Chinese food in Salem Keizer They are consistent and everything is always delicious and fresh!

Typical American Chinese food! Not a good feeling after your full! I wish there were authentic Chinese restaurants in Salem!

Only place open on Christmas Day and we were traveling and hungry. Took an hour and half for our food to come after ordering, other tables never got their food. Hopefully the service is better on other days because the food was delicious. Would try again if in the area.

Ordered for delivery. Found that they use a lot of msg from getting the worst headache I've ever had after eating takeout. I knew msg impacted me but didn't know they use it here. From another review, sounds like they have the option to skip the msg. After having spent $70 on a meal that I can't eat any of without planning for another headache to Keep me up all night, I'll really disappointed. China gourmet isn't too fast and they don't use msg. Im sure there are people who don't experience negative reactions to msg in which case, this doesn't apply to you.

Might be the best Chinese food I've ever had. Came out super fast and the staff was friendly.

Amazing food a lot of different choices for everyone. Spicy dumplings were good honey walnut shrimp was my favorite! Will come again, the service was perfect ambiance was relaxing!

Party of 7 on a long road trip. It was 15 minutes before closing when we walked in, and the waitress was extremely welcoming, kind, and explained a few of the dishes we were curious about. Initially when walking in, the ambiance and music felt extremely relaxing. Paired with the gracious service and yummy food, we were all extremely satisfied. For dishes and drinks, I recommend the boba milk tea and curry shrimp. Overall, 5/5!

For the price and portion size of the lunch specials, this is a good place. The hot and sour soup is good, the fried rice is tasty and the spring roll is yummy.

I wanted to support a local family business. The food was quick and our order was accurate. Portions were great in size. The flavor missed the mark on all accounts. I had the fried shrimp, moo goo gai pan and fried rice- was very flavorless. My son had the kung pao chicken combo dinner (spicy). It was missing any spiciness and again, lacking in flavor all the way around. We got my granddaughter the teriyaki chicken, she enjoyed the pineapple and ate some chicken but it too was lacking in flavor. The staff was friendly and our take out order was ready well before the 15 minutes we were told. Retaurant is clean and ou we order was accurate. Everything was great other than lacking spice and flavor. Hopefully they get it right next time as I do believe in second chances. Prices were comparable and portions were great!