JW Chen's Asian Fusion

Growing up as a Chinese American in rural America, it's usually very very difficult to find an authentic, reasonably-priced and delicious Chinese restaurant with a warm environment, but on our visit to Indiana, JW Chen's went above and beyond. The staff were more than welcoming, the service was exemplary, and above all the food was literally mouthwatering. I am not exaggerating when I say even the smell made my whole family impatient and eager to try the food. In fact, it was so good that we couldn't help but come back for dinner again on the second night of our stay! Over the course of two nights, we tried the spicy fish, garlic eggplant, mapo tofu, salt and pepper ribs, dry chili chicken, cumin beef, and garlic green beans. They were all elevated versions of dishes we know and love, with fresh ingredients and robust flavors. We are so happy we went and if we're ever in town again, will definitely be back. Thank you JW Chen for giving our family memories we will cherish forever!

This restaurant has become a regular stop for me! I came here after looking at the reviews a few months ago and every dish that I order has me craving to come back! The owners are very nice and will explain each of the dishes so you know exactly what to get! Everything always tastes fresh and delicious. Portion sizes are very good as well. Pictured are: Mala Chicken, Black Pepper Chicken/Lo Mein, Crispy Chicken, Garlic Chicken, and Dry Chili Chicken. I am slowly making my way through the menu and haven’t been disappointed yet!

Update to prior review: Stopped and grabbed carry out. Prices have gone up but thats just 2024 unfortunately. I drove over 30 minutes, home, unloaded groceries and my food was still so hot i couldn't eat it yet! Servings are a little smaller but still a decent price for amount of food. The gentleman that assisted me was very kind. The restaurant itself looks way better then back in the day, they are definitely trying to work on appearances. Give them a shot. ( Old review to follow) Went for lunch today and the place is definitely way less busy then older days. My food was the same as when Jean was owner the crispy chicken was still delicious. Rice was not very warm so they replaced it no problems. The place could use a face-lift and definitely a good scrubbing, especially the bathroom. But our experience was not nearly as terrible as some of the reviews on here.

*Updated review 4/17/24 This is my wife and I, 3rd time here and it’s just as good. We always get the dry chili fried chicken and it’s always delicious. Today Tiffany recommended the cumin beef and it was fantastic. It had nice cumin flavor and with a kick. We will definitely come back to try their other dishes and they have a vegetarian menu. This was my wife and I second time here for lunch. Our server Tiffany was amazing in recommending us some yummy dishes. We were very hungry so we forgot to take pictures. But I would definitely try their dry chili chicken and twice cook pork. Their egg drop and hot & sour soup was fantastic. This is as close as you are going to get to authentic Chinese food without having to buy a ticket to China. Parking was ample and restaurant was clean and perfect for a lunch date or special dinner with the family.

This place is on point the fastest I've ever seen crab rangoon come out and everything is hot and fresh. If you haven't been here you should one of the best.

This was my first time dining at this place and it DID NOT disappoint! The food & service was excellent! My boyfriend wanted some Ramen but their menu only showed Udon noodles and they gladly prepared him a Ramen Soup dish. I had chicken chop suey. Let me just say the flavor in both dishes was excellent. Get out of your comfort zone when ordering here because they will gladly make you an authentic dish. This place is a hidden gem! I cannot wait to go again and try more dishes.

One of the best asian restaurants in Elkhart and south bend. Had a lovely mother's day lunch here. Toilets are clean. Staff are very friendly and efficient. Food was very good and portion size was very impressive. Will surely return for more

The first time we’ve been here is tonight (Easter Sunday: 31 March 2024). We’ve been in the area for 4 years and this is my honest review of this restaurant. No, I’m not getting anything in return for my opinion made here. Appetizers: They were delicious but a bit overpriced. Shrimp shumai (8 for $9) was tiny (size of a quarter). $1 a rangoon (6) is a bit pricey for what it is. $7 for 4 pork buns (size of a palm sized mandarin) is still steep. The picture depicts the food already being eaten by our kids. Price: $22 Entree: Roast Pork Rice Bowl-our daughter ordered this. She gives the following review: 1. Pork was tender, good flavor. 2. Bok choy was nice, fresh, and crunchy. 3. Sauce on rice had good flavoring to it; great actually. 4. The rice tasted like sushi rice, not as sticky and perfectly cooked. 5. Portion sizing was huge (she’s a 4th grader). Additionally, she loved the crab rangoons, not “seafoody” in her words. The pork buns were her favorite appetizer. Price: $14 Entree: Chicken Lo Mein (no veggies), Curry Chicken Katsu (no sauce, with rice NOT pictured) and side white rice. Our son ordered these, his review (please excuse some wording as he is a toddler): “it was good.” This is saying a lot because our son is VERY picky (as most children are) and the owners were so accommodating as to make his food particularly to his liking! The portion size for the noodles and katsu is definitely a “shareable” size, I would say between 2 adults. Price: $28 Entree: Sichuan Beef (comes with rice and is spicy)-my husband says the following: 1. Not overloaded with veggies but veggies are fresh and crunchy. 2. Good amount of beef, nice and tender. Flavorful. Little sweetness to the kick of spicy. The spice is portioned to the entire dish (he’s not a spice person either so take that for what you may). 3. The small bowl of rice is just enough for the plate of food being served. 4. The portion size was right for an adult, I wouldn’t say it’s “shareable”. Price: $15 Entree: Salt and Pepper Fish (comes with rice) and seafood hot sour soup (no mushrooms). Salt and pepper fish is lightly battered and fried to perfection. The dish may sound as if it’s overloaded with salt and pepper but it’s not. Trust the process. It’s tossed with diced green bell peppers and onions. The taste is so balanced, between salty and peppery (ever so lightly). Paired with plain white rice is *chefs kiss*. The seafood sour soup is the star of the show (it was rainy out). It had egg, imitation crab pieces, scallops, shrimp, bambo, scallions. I’m sure there’s something I’m missing. The taste was between a lemony ginger chicken style type broth, it’s hard to explain because the flavor combination as a whole made sense and at the same time you can taste the individual pieces that make this soup alongside the delicious broth. Just the broth alone marries well with the steamed white rice that comes with the entree. The portion size of the soup was enough for 3 adults. Ask for smaller bowls if you want to share. Portion size for the salt and pepper fish could be shared between 3 adults; easily. Price: $30 Entree: Crispy Beef (comes with white rice). We took this to go so we haven’t tasted it yet. I can say the smell is intoxicating. Although we’re stuffed, it still makes the mouth water. The dish itself looks appetizing. Lots of meat to a one person dish. Price: $16 Drinks: We had water and sodas. They come in 12 oz. cans and 16.9 oz. bottles. I’m certain you can ask for a cup of ice but the cans and bottles are cold. Price: $1.50/$1 Service: We arrived around 8:30 pm and they closed at 10pm this night. We were greeted right away at the door. There was no one in the restaurant. The owners took their time to cater to us throughout the night. It made the experience much more pleasant. Ambiance: There was ample parking; handicap stalls right in front of the entrance. The restaurant was clean and looked in order. The bathrooms were clean. They have paperless drying (blower). Overall we’ll return. The food and service is great. 10/10 would recommend.

Traveling sales guy that eats around the country. Great place with new people/owners. Good food. Would recommend.

I ordered delivery and the food was piping hot and fresh. My boyfriend got a beef dish which he thoroughly enjoyed and I ordered their tomato and egg which came with white rice. It was saucy/juicy so it spilled a little out of the container it came in, but aside from that mishap it was delightfully fresh Asian food.

I've ordered delivery from JW Chen's a few times and found it to be OK. It's overpriced for the quality, but out of the options in South Bend/Mishawaka, it's probably the best of the worst. I like the sweet and sour chicken when it's consistent, consistent being the key word.

At 5 on Friday we were the only ones dining in but there were a ton of take away orders. Service was very fast and friendly. We had 2 or 3 people serving us. Food was streaming hot and fresh! Quality and flavor was what I expected. It didn't stand out,but it hit the right spot.

We are traveling through town and wanted some really good Chinese food near university of Notre Dame. This place did not disappoint. The food not only came out fast but the taste wonderfully. The owner and his wife also are very friendly and came out chat with us. We highly recommend this place.

After reading other excellent reviews, we decided to stop here on our one night in South Bend on our way to New York State. The food was excellent! We ordered Almond Shrimp, Chicken Lo Mein, Governors Chicken (Sweet and Mildly Spicy. Rich and Savory) and Crispy Chicken (Sweet and Spicy with bright vinegar notes) and Honey Chicken which is also sweet with sesame. I know. I know. We ordered a lot of chicken dishes but they were all great! And the owner was just so kind and welcoming and gave us extra bottles of water for our hotel room! We're definitely glad we stopped and we highly recommend you do too!

We enjoyed the recent remodeling and the food and service was excellent. Their official reopening will on February 27! We give it five stars! We will becoming back!

1. My pint of soup was less than half a pint. 2. The shrimp ko bo was severely overcooked and rubbery. It was missing vegetables. 3. It was supposed to come with crab rangoon and an egg roll, but those were both missing. 4. The beef raman was very fatty. 5. The lamb curry had very little lamb in it.

I went back yesterday and ordered a ton of food. I'm sorry but it's only mediocre now. I doubt I'll be back.

Worst service ever. 2 1/2 Hour wait for takeout. I will not order from here again. I am sure others feel the same.

New to the area and had struggled to find good Asian food. Ordered carryout on a couple occasions. Very fresh ingredients and well prepared. Really happy to have found this restaurant. Look forward to dining in person!

I was very very disappointed when opening my take out at home. I ordered Phoenix Dragon and crab Rangoon. Rangoon was pretty good. But not the main dish. I ordered it because menu said it had broccoli mushrooms and sweet red peppers, along with shrimp, scallops (there was just one), and chicken. I do not like cooked carrots, or pea pod, but this dish was brimming with carrots, green bell peppers, pea pods, some thing that looked like cooked celery. There were some mushrooms, but no broccoli, no red peppers. To make matters much worse, there was a piece of plastic (see picture) in my meal. I normally don't do Yelp reviews unless something is truly awful, which this dinner was. It felt like bait and switch, advertising one thing then substituting cheap ingredient. I threw most of it away.

Excellent service and fabulous food. The outside condition of the strip center mall is no indication of the inside decor nor cleanliness. This must be just a locals go to because if I was passing by I would have never stepped inside. Glad I did. The sushi roll and Chinese dishes we ordered were great!

AMAZING FOOD!! Made to order, hot and fresh! Clean, family oriented environment. Service was amazing. I would go back over and over.

Amazing service. Made no mistakes with it. Seating was fast and quick, along with the food. Would recommend if you are looking for Chinese

First time here and will not be last. Dinner portions were plentiful. and tasty. We had Pepper Steak and Shrimp Chop Suey. The Egg Drop was delish. Quite an extensive menu with lots of pics on Yelp

Great service with friendly staff. Many people do takeout as well. Prices are very reasonable

Excellent food. Had a crispy beef dish last night. It was great. My gf had garlic eggplant and she loved it. Smallish inside and good service. We'll be back.

I went a maybe like a year ago and got the pork lo mein and crab Rangoon. Loved the crab Rangoon and wish it came in a bigger size! I didn't like the sauce it came with though but the s/o liked it. The pork lo mein is indeed very garlicky but pretty tasty for being lo mein. They weren't doing dine in when I went- I ordered by phone and picked up at the table blocking the entrance.

JW Chen's delivers in both authentic Chinese and American Chinese foods, and seems to be doing so consistently over the last 7 years. First of all, they have a Chinese menu, which is always a good sign. On a recent visit, I was in an entourage with Chinese friends and we ordered classic Chinese dishes like Double Cooked Pork and 3 Cups Chicken and they all hit the spot. I know they do decently on American Chinese foods too since I've dined here for those before and have seen American diners consistently, but there are always Chinese diners in the mix so I think JW has struck a healthy balance between the two worlds. I would recommend any ND students, families & friends, both American and straight from China, to give JW Chen a try. You won't be disappointed.

As far as I'm concerned it's the best restaurant in South Bend, Indiana. Love the salt and pepper chicken (salt and pepper shrimp is great too, if you like shrimp with the heads on). Try out the special entrees too.

Top notch Asian food. Food was delicious & large portions. Quick service & friendly staff.

We went back here because they said they have new management, but the food is very mediocre. I wouldn't go back. This restaurant was amazing when Jean was running it, they have similar items on the menu, but they taste nothing like Jean's food. I ordered homestyle tofu (this was chewy and hard and overcooked), stir fried string beans (plain and tasteless, I could've made this better myself, Jean's sichuan string beans were amazing, these were barely passable), and hot hot chicken (passable, but soft and soggy). I think even the management after Jean had better food than this. They charge Chicago prices, but the food is not good.

Food is fantastic ? Service friendly, and prompt.from begins to end . Pork Buns a must. Ambiance is fine could use a liquor license would be even nicer .

I really wanted to like this restaurant. The owner was really nice and engaging but the food was just meh. I'm glad I got takeout since the place was rather dead.

The original JW Chens was fantastic and was disappointed to hear that it would close. And then the reopening was a pleasant surprise and we were excited to try it again. The menu had a lot of the same items by name which was great. Unfortunately, the recipes for most things are clearly different and not in a positive way. The flavor was missing and bland, the quality not as good and resembled more the stereotypical Chinese restaurant, not the uniqueness of the original. Certainly can't expect it to be exactly the same but unfortunately not our scene anymore.

Some really good Sichuan options - the Ma Po Tofu and the Dry Chili Chicken really satisfied our need for spicy Sichuan cooking. The menu is quite a bit different from the old Chen's menu, so don't expect the same restaurant that Jean ran. The two options we tried from the new menu were both great. I hope they do well in this new format.

Very good food and service! One of my favorite restaurants in south bend! Very nice atmosphere!

My family and I were thrilled to see JW Chen's open for business. We hoped it would be as great as our memories of it back in the day and to our delight, it was better than we remembered. We have been back to dine-in twice and order out twice. Food is consistently fresh, delicious and a great value. In my family we have issues with gluten allergies/celliacs disease that demands special dietary considerations which the staff handled extremely well. The staff are kind and attentive. We have them on speed dial for carry out and the top of our dining out choices.

So good and staff was really nice! Homey feel and I loved the rolling chairs. The food was beyond our expectations and very delicious. Definitely check this place out!

Delicious food meat and vegetables, too. Unpretentious small family restaurant with excellent service.

Food was average but service and ambiance were not good. I will not go back. Cannot say much more when you need too too many many words

It has been over an hour since we ate here and I can't stop thinking about the almond shrimp. Perfect in every way. Jean introduced herself as the owner right when we entered, and since it was out first time there she even put our shrimp on the house. We also had the sauteed green beans, chicken chili, and ginger chicken. They were all amazing. You can't go wrong here. We will definitely be back!

First 5 star chinese place. My boss and I ordered spicy fish, spiced green beans, phoenix Dragon and both got the imperial dinner upgrade. All of the food was fantastic and very flavorful. Very wow.

The service was good, dinner was well priced. The food itself wasn't impressive. The restaurant was nice enough.

Ordered carry out today, food was not good.. chicken lettuce wraps were very fish tasting. Crab Rangoon was all burnt, and vegetable lo main was just not good.. $27 what a waste, threw most of it away.. Very disappointed.

I would have left a picture here, because the crispy duck is so amazing, but once I took the first bite, I had to keep going. Perfectly crispy outside, tender inside, fantastic sauce...everything you want, in a nice, neat package. I ordered for pickup, and the place was clean, staff friendly, and food nicely packaged and ready to go on time. This is really top notch food when you're out by Notre Dame.

It's pretty good, but got take out and the spice level wasn't awesome. Maybe it's better if you dine in.

Used to be amazing!!! But food was flavorless. We took a couple to this place as we had fond memories of it being excellent! The server was very nice. It was relatively busy. It's been a few years since we went. I got the Happy family dinner. The ingredients tasted fresh and wholesome but it just had no flavor other then the vegetables themselves. We brought friends...one had coconut chicken. It was a creamy gravy flavored with coconut over breaded chicken. I tasted it and it was also bland, like flavorless coconut gravy. I said nothing afterward of my thoughts but my husband confirmed my opinions were not isolated, that his food was disappointing, (terrible was the word he used) so unless we hear they have a revival to what they once were, we wouldn't go back. Sorry to leave a sour review.

Excellent chinese food and the menu was so large. The chef created a dish for me called cumin beef because it was not on the menu and I must say they did an amazing job with that on the spot creation! If I lived closer I would be going there every day!

Very good food. They have a variation of generals tsos chicken, much better than Tso's. Owner creates me as I walked in, invited me to sit at her table and explained menu to me for my take out order. Got home and was blown away about how good it was. Governor's chicken I think it's called. Will visit again very soon. Very small place but larger tables, bring your friends.

The dishwasher was down so even though we were dining in, we were eating out of styrofoam and plastic. The food was decent and you do get a lot of food for the lunch pricing. I'll go back and try something else

Fresh food!! Delicious! Will totally return! Some of the best Chinese food we've ever had! They don't serve wine tho....

Well based on past lunches and dinners several years ago we decided to give it a try for take out. The food was mediocre and why is everything put in plastic containers? Egg rolls are hilariously small and pot stickers had no flavor. Just all around underwhelming.

I ordered the Mala Chicken in a rush, as we arrived 15 minutes before close to grab takeout and wanted to make sure that we gave the kitchen enough time to prepare our food. I had no idea what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised by the assortment of vegetables including snow peas, water chestnuts, carrots, green bell peppers, onions, cabbage, and mushrooms. The carrots, which are always a toss up when it comes to Chinese food, were perfect, and the rest of the vegetables were also cooked to their best forms. Definitely not a healthy choice what with all the sauce, but the vegetables made me feel a little less bad for eating at 10pm. There was also a perfect amount of sauce to soak up the rice provided in a separate takeout box. It was probably overall a little too much food for one sitting, but I definitely got my money's worth!

I usually base my review of a Chinese restaurant on the hot & sour soup. JW Chen is just mediocre. The egg roll was very bready. Cashew chicken was good. Everything was served in To-go plastic dishes. It'll be awhile before we go back

JW Chen is Jean, and she's just as friendly and welcoming as all the previous reviewers say. She sat down by us, took our order, checked on our spice tolerance, and found out a little about us and our visit to the son who was in South Bend. On top of that, she gave us a complimentary pork noodle dish in addition to the 4 dishes we ordered for dinner. We had: crispy duck steamed flounder filet tangerine beef sizzling tofu complimentary rice noodles, pork, and vegetables All of the dishes were nicely done and of Taiwanese style cooking, but not overly spicy per our requested preference. The three of us finished it all, so that should tell you something (besides that we're pigs). The smallish place was busy on a Sunday night, and folks came, ate, and went. Possibly it was because the Notre Dame ladies were playing their semi final NCAA basketball game. They have a large menu, though it's not apparently posted anywhere on the internet. They've been in business for 4 years now. Nice place to have around, and highly recommended if you're in the area and looking for Chinese cuisine. They're just half a mile from Touchdown Jesus!

It is with great remorse I confirm to you all that former owner Jean Chen, the lovely woman that gave this restaurant such personality and quality, has retired. I am happy for her, as her retirement is well deserved, but unfortunately the quality in the restaurant has suffered. Although not bad by any means, it is not the same, and is much more just your run-of-the-mill Chinese restaurant you'd expect to find in a small Midwestern city. That is my opinion, anyway. To me, BHG Chinese Bistro over in Granger is now far and away the best Chinese restaurant in the area. It is off the beaten path for most, but well worth the drive. Everything is super high quality, the menu is huge and very authentic, and the owner Tammy is incredibly friendly.

Customer service is superb. The owners/cook usually talk and entetains you. Very accomodating and will give you suggestions which ones are good. Tasty food