Chef Chen's — Restaurant in Mineralwells

I just happened to pull into this parking lot, while traveling for work, at lunchtime. I'm usually on the lookout for unique places to eat while on the road, which wouldn't typically include a walk-up restaurant serving American-style Chinese food, because there are many of them in my own area, and in my experience, from coast-to-coast, they're all roughly the same. Chef Chen's is a cut above the typical.

While the building exterior is low-key, and shares a wall with the 7-11 next door, the interior of the restaurant is very clean. Most importantly, the kitchen is clean, and well-organized. Overall, the condition of the kitchen reflects a chef/owner that cares, which is usually a great indicator that they care about your dining experience as well.

I had the Hunan Beef lunch special. Both my beef, and the accompanying pork fried rice (yellow, NYC style, rather than brown), were cooked to order, using fresh-tasting ingredients, and served right away. The dining area is currently closed, so it's a little difficult to gauge sales volumes at the time, but it was around 1PM; they didn't appear to be hectically busy.

The entire meal was delicious, and not overly sauced; one of my favorite ingredients, the fermented black beans in the Hunan Beef, were plump and perfectly flavored. Moreover, when the chef/owner overheard us asking for confirmation that the dining area was really closed, she let us know that we would be welcome to eat in the small waiting area at the front. I've certainly eaten many a meal on or in my field vehicle, but I was grateful for the use of the table and chair. Again, I saw this as a chef/owner being concerned about the finer points of my dining experience.

The restaurant is a couple hours away from home, for me, so I know I won't get to stop in as often as I would like, but I'm already looking forward to my next visit. I really want to try the Dry Pot! There are many ups and downs in the restaurant business; in many cases, this can lead to variable quality depending on business volumes. However, when you find a place where the chef clearly cares about not only the food they serve, but also the dining experience as whole, you're far less likely to have a bad experience. Chef Chen's is just such an establishment, and I would highly...

The food was ok. The service was bad. I understand when a business is overly busy. That being said, when said business is busy, they should tell you there may be a long wait. I ordered here tonight and was told my wait time would be 20 minutes. I asked if I could pick up in a half hour because I was about that far from them. I was told that would be fine. Due to traffic I got to the restaurant about 40 minutes later and let them know I was there. I was given a number after I paid and asked to wait while my food was finished (it had not been started). I waited an additional 40 minutes before I got my order which consisted of one meal and one appetizer. While I was there I heard them take 10 more orders and inform every customer their order would be ready in 20 minutes. They even took phone orders while a person at their counter was trying to place an order. After waiting an hour and 20 minutes for my small order that would only take 20 minutes, the food was just ok. I have no problem waiting for an order if I am aware I will have to or I will order someplace else. This was my first and last time ordering here. The quality of the food was not worth the wait or being lied to about the time it would take to receive my order. I was excited to try them because I was told they had the best quality Chinese food and service in the area. If that is the case, I would hate to...

This is my all time favorite Chinese restaurant. The facility is astoundingly clean and well maintained. I cannot overstate how clean and still welcoming the facility is.

There family who runs it is terrifically friendly and I have never had any issues with any orders or interactions.

Recently I was in town for the first time since COVID-19 hit and they have done a tremendous job of setting up safety measures. The main dining room has been blocked off and the kitchen and counter have a full plexiglass barrier complete with two step comparts for giving your payment and receiving your food. Additionally they wear protective gear and, as far as I can tell, change their gloves with every interaction. They should be held as the gold standard for safety protocols not only for all restaurants, but any business.

I would recommend this restaurant to anybody who wants some...