Chen's Family Dish — Restaurant in Salem

★★★★★ Chen’s Family Dish: Where Lunch Specials & Legendary Service Collide (And Your Fortune Cookie Says "You’re Coming Back Tomorrow")

Listen up, hungry humans and fellow takeout enthusiasts—Chen’s Family Dish isn’t just a Chinese restaurant; it’s a cultural experience where the food is hotter than your last failed attempt at stir-fry, and the service is so friendly, you’ll wonder if you’ve been secretly adopted by the staff.

Why This Place Rules Lunch Specials That Defy Economics Every. Single. Day. For prices that make you double-check the receipt (did that really include shrimp?!), you get heaping plates of General Tso’s chicken, Mongolian beef, or vegetable stir-fry—all paired with fried rice so good, you’ll fight your tablemates for the last grain. Leftovers? More like planned-overs for dinner .

Customer Service: The "We Remember Your Order" Edition These folks treat you like family—if your family actually wanted to feed you instead of asking when you’ll move out. Need a recommendation? They’ll guide you like a culinary Gandalf ("You shall not pass... without trying the crab puffs!"). Forget your tea cup? They’ll refill it before you even notice. It’s borderline witchcraft .

Portions Bigger Than Your Regrets The shrimp fried rice is loaded with shrimp (none of that "one-shrimp-per-bite" nonsense). The meat-to-veggie ratio is so perfect, Pythagoras would weep. And the crispy egg rolls? They’re the size of a small submarine. Come hungry or bring a forklift .

Ambience: Cozy Meets "I Can’t Believe This Isn’t My Living Room" Wooden booths, a fish tank that hypnotizes toddlers, and a vibe so relaxed, you’ll forget you’re not wearing sweatpants. Plus, they’ve got bingo nights (because nothing pairs with dumplings like yelling "B-12!") and live music for extra flair .

Pro Tip: Order the "Family Dinner" and Pretend You’re Festive The Cantonese Dinner (spring rolls, almond chicken, and fried shrimp?!) is basically a edible parade for 2+ people. Bonus: Leftovers taste even better at 2 AM when you’re in your fridge like a sneaky raccoon .

Final Verdict Chen’s Family Dish is the unicorn of Chinese restaurants—affordable, delicious, and run by people who clearly love their jobs. Whether you’re a picky eater, a hangry tourist, or just someone who appreciates a waiter who laughs at your terrible chopstick skills, this is your spot.

P.S. If you don’t leave with a to-go box and a new life goal to "learn wok skills," you did it wrong. See you at lunch tomorrow—I’ll be the one hoarding the...

Chen's Family Dish is a wonderful surprise in an unassuming location. While what we first ordered wasn't what we expected, it was our own fault for not asking more about the dish. Despite that, they were so sweet about offering another dish and even taking the first off our check; all without us asking.

Excellent customer service aside, Chen's has a very relaxing atmosphere and comfortable seating in booths or at tables. On top of that, our food was quickly served and very tasty.

For more detail, we ordered the Sesame Chicken, which turned out to be more of a stir fry with onions. My wife has an onion allergy, but it was completely our fault for not asking. I've never seen Sesame Chicken served with onions, and I didn't consider it, but you never know! I was still happy with the dish overall, and she ended up getting the sweet and sour chicken instead. It was crispy, excellently breaded, and fried white chicken. With a fantastic sauce.

Overall, it is a real hidden gem in Salem. If you're looking for great customer service in a soothing atmosphere with delicious food, give...

I first discovered this restaurant back when it had a 4.6-star rating, and I was impressed. One of the things I really liked was the portion sizes. For the first time, I ordered beef and broccoli and actually got beef, not just a mountain of broccoli. The rice even reminded me a little of the fried rice you’d find in New Jersey/New York—and after living on the East Coast for 20 years, that flavor brought back memories I truly missed.

Unfortunately, things have gone downhill since then. The quality has dropped noticeably, and even the overall rating has gone down. The service is terrible—staff don’t greet you, don’t smile, and make you feel like they’d rather be anywhere else.

And the food? Honestly, it’s awful now. Prices are high, but instead of generous portions of meat, they now serve huge piles of broccoli with just a few strips of beef. It feels like a complete waste of money and quality.

If you’re new around here, I’d honestly recommend skipping this place. Don’t waste your time or your money. Sadly, they’ve lost me...