Chang Express Restaurant — Restaurant in Elk Rapids Township

I’ve been coming up to Torch Lake /Elk Rapids every summer since I was a kid, and Chang Express was always a staple in our routine. My parents, brother, and I would eat here often—great Chinese and Thai dishes, fast service, and a warm, kind woman who ran it as a true family business. I still remember her two young kids helping out, and a teenage daughter sometimes working the counter. The food was consistently solid, and the experience always felt personal.

So naturally, I was excited to return after all these years and see that the restaurant was still open. But this time around, it was disappointing. The inside looked tired and neglected. The menu was awkwardly taped to the countertop and shelves, the air conditioning was blasting even though it was chilly outside, and the overall presentation just felt… forgotten.

There was no crowd—just one person sitting quietly on a laptop and the guy working the counter, who I realized was the same little boy from years ago, now grown up. But instead of a friendly greeting or any ounce of customer service, I got hit with attitude. No “hi,” no “welcome,” just “what do you want?” followed by multiple “is that all?” interruptions like I was somehow inconveniencing him. It was a quiet Friday night in late April. The town wasn’t busy. The restaurant was nearly empty. So it wasn’t about being rushed—it was just about how little he cared.

Honestly, I’d still give five stars to his mother, who built this place from the ground up with love and hard work. But the energy now feels like no one’s trying. If the next generation wants to keep this place alive, they’ve got to step it up—starting with their attitude, presentation, and basic...

How have we missed this place? So glad we stopped in to try Chang Express. The server was nice and did such a great job explaining the sauces and dishes. We ordered one dish and told her to surprise us with one of her favorites. Both dishes were absolutely delicious. Rice was great, the hotness was perfect for me at a level 5. We are already talking about going back to try some other dishes. So glad we made the stop.

Have to make a change to my review. The guy that works there has a bad attitude. We went there an hour before closing and he wasn't the nicest. We accepted it because it was close to closing. We went again well before closing amd his attitude was the same. Our friend order a hotness of 2 and it was too hot for her. I tried it and it was the same as my 6. I really enjoyed the girl that works there but the guy does not be the face of the business with such a poor...

I have to honestly say that the food tonight was probably the worst Chinese and Thai food that we have ever had. The other 2 people totally agreed. General Tso's chicken was not remotely similar to what I have had at numerous other places and it was bready and meat was not tasty. The Crab Ragoon seemed old and hard. The Thai noodle dish was ordered at spice level 8 and had zero bite to it. We paid $3.00 extra for broccoli to be added to Noodle dish and there were 3 tiny pieces included. The young man who took the order did not seem to want to be there.. Not sure if this was a totally off night based on some of the...