Uncle Chen Restaurant — Restaurant in Carpinteria

Service was good. Restaurant was nice. Food was poorly done. Rice seemed to be reheated or was old from the bottom of the pot. It was clumpy. Steamed wontons were served with dipping sauce in a to go container. It really hurt the presentation of the food. Nothing stood out as exceptional in flavor with order. We ordered pork chow mein which was bland overcooked noodles with little meat. Wonton with poor presentation with sauce in to go cup. They could have poured it into a small bowl. General tsao chicken which was dried out chicken fingers made of chicken breast with sauce. I asked for extra spicey and got fresh sliced jalepeno uncooked. It could have been better cooked, it could have been better with chili oil or crushed chili. They made the attempt at least. Crispy fried noodles with chicken proved difficult to eat. Was dry and unflavored. It could have used more sauce and presented in a bowl so we could mix it. Otherwise it was stir-fry atop a pile of dry fried noodles balanced on a plate. Portion size was good but seemed to be put together and presented without knowledge. Quality of ingredients were both good and bad. I would not...

I am SO happy to have stumbled upon this restaurant! First, the food was not only delicious, but it FELT good to eat. Like it felt nourishing, not just filling. I ordered the ginger chicken soup and couldn’t have been more happy. I’m always looking for soups that are simple, healing, and nutritious, and this definitely does all 3. I also ordered the book choy and added fried tofu, and it was fantastic. They have a lot of veggie options, even mention that their cashew chicken is gluten free (what?!), and after talking with Roy, found out they use no MSG and most of their veggies are locally grown. As a family owned restaurant, they try to make food that they want their kids eating, so it’s full of good stuff :)

I don’t eat out a ton, but I have a feeling I will more now because of this restaurant. Thank you...

This place is so great. I go here when I want to eat a lot of really amazing food. The atmosphere is calm and tranquil with some classic Chinese music playing. The complementary fried won tons they serve are delicious. The egg rolls have crispy outsides and a juicy, moist interior. The beef stick kebabs are sweet and tender. The paper wrapped chicken is always the star of my order. The beef broccoli is always perfectly seasoned and cooked. The broccoli in it is still crisp and fresh. The chow mien has a perfect consistency and a very nice flavor. Even the steamed rice is pretty good. Tsing Tao beer which is served here is light and crisp. Similar to an American light beer but with a little more flavor and less carbonation.

This restaurant is really under rated. I think they deserve more business. Keep up...