Chens Restaurant — Restaurant in Derry

Have always loved the food and haven't been in for a few years. Read reviews related to how they are dealing with COVID and thought it would be safe to have a drink and order takeout. One of the bartenders was sitting at the bar without a mask, and proceeded to tell me that the owner encourages his employees to mask, but customers are not required to mask or social distance. I observed multiple customers coming in and gathering without masks, distance, or anything said by the employees. As a long time customer, I am appalled and infuriated at the lack of respect for protecting not only Chelsea employees, but the public in general. I am a Nurse Executive that deals with the effects of COVID and I wear a mask to not only protect myself, but MOST IMPORTANTLY OTHERS, 80 % of people who are positive will never even know it, because they are ASYMPTOMATIC....in layman's terms, it means they won't have SYMPTOMS at all, or so minor that they won't suspect they are COVID positive. Yet, they can infect others, who in turn will spread this in their work, communities, and to their family. I find it so unbelievable that we don't care enough about each other as humans, that we can be so disrespectful to each other. I do believe we have freedom to choose, but shouldn't there be some intelligence and reflection about how that impacts the health and well-being of others? Is it ok for someone to make the choice to infect others? We arrest drunk drivers because they made the choice to drink too much, or, have killed someone (one, or more?), yet we allow people to be free to spread, infect, and possibly cause deaths to many. I think we should think of how we can prosecute those that are as reckless as the drunk or drugged drivers...we all have a choice, and it should be what is in the best interest of life and mankind, and not just what is in a selfish and self-centered interest. Thats what will make America...

Going like a 3.6 on this one. Two different experiences from one visit at the same establishment. Went on a karaoke Saturday on a friends suggestion. Started on the dining side and got a pupu for three, Peking dumplings(potstickers), bone in spare ribs,shrimp with lobster sauce and house style rice with no shrimp. My headhunter cocktail had an odd flavor which suggested a cheap brand of mixer and nothing to doctor it up such as fresh fruit but upon sampling my friends "eastern bourbon" cocktail as I believe it was called, I gladly switched over and was satisfied there. The attentive waitress sat us in a cold but comfy half booth/ half table setup which is always welcomed by this xxxxL guy and equal stature friend. We were brought as a complimentary table appetizer a plate of fried chicken meatloaf bites that were different and unusual to us but a nice change from the usual rolls n butter or those crispy things ya usually get at Chinese restaurants. All the food was tasty and fresh with my only complaints being slightly under done chicken fingers( batter still doughy in thicker spots) and under seasoned chicken teriyaki. I'll go back there. After dinner we headed over to the bar side for karaoke and drinks. I made my way through the busy somewhat overfilled( people or tables I haven't decided) room and ordered at the bar and the bartender took my order but was quick and friendly in telling me to go to my seat they gladly bring it to ya at the table. After that the refill game was way too slow for me. At times I tried to gain the attention of servers but was back burnered multiple times as I sat dry. All in though very friendly atmosphere with a blend of people from all walks and tribes of life wedged and bumping each other with smiles. BTW karaoke quality was very good as far as the dj control and working to make people sound their best. Yeah, guess I'll be back for another...

Always wanted to stop in Chens and tonight was the night. Have lived in the area for about six years and chens looked like a great place for a drink and some food. Tonight i had the opportunity to meet up with a good friend for a drink and a bite to eat. The parking lot is large but the lighting is dull but that’s ok. I entered the restaurant we had a semi greeting and shown to our booth i typically take the bar. The waitress was very nice and not overly shadowing. I ordered a manhattan (my favorite) bad idea on my part, the manhattan tasted closer to a whisky water back. I ordered a D14 I believe, the combo plate with chicken fingers, cab rag and boneless with pork fried rice and hot and sour soup. Food came out wit a complimentary chicken meatloaf bites wrapped in egg roll dough.

The rice had an old hard bite as if it was left out too long but still had a decent flavor. Chicken fingers also tasted old but had a decent flavor, do you see a trend? Crab rag was decent but just missed the mark. The hot and sour soup was the best part of the meal, it was perfect. The meatloaf bites had a good ginger taste and almost to dry but still held up its protein.

All in all not a bad experience. it’s possible that combo plates do not receive good attention and care as is the case with some restaurants. They tend to use older food for plates and fresh cook for larger priced items. I thought that practice was long gone but maybe they are stuck in yesterday’s. You get what you pay for but money is hard earned on both sides. If I have a next time I would stay away from the combos unless you sub pork fried for an alternative.

All in all it’s basically a...