Chen's Family Restaurant — Restaurant in Statham

First of all- I am giving 4 stars ONLY because 5 star is reserved for amazing, exceptional, special occasion-type restaurants that truly deliver. The kind that get $$$$ ratings. For an affordable, local restaurant; one you can count on when you're beat, the kids have been a terror, or you just don't have the will to cook, eat and then clean...CHEN'S. IS. AWESOME. I read some of the recent reviews, and well, I guess it's like they say, opinions are like (you know), and we got some HUGE opinions in the Barrow/Jackson area. So, we got Hot and Sour Soup, Spring Rolls, Sweet & Sour Chicken, and Szechuan Beef. Everything was SPOT ON. The soup was flavorful and bursting with goodies; the spring rolls were crisp & light, and not greasy in the least; the sweet & sour chicken was genuinely bursting out of the quart container, it was such a large order, and got rave reviews. I personally had the Szechuan Beef, which was plentiful, savory, and perfectly cooked. The veggies were crisp, cooked just enough to have a bit of flex to them, and the beef was tasty and not at all "rubbery", which I find to be the case in many local Chinese restaurants. The restaurant was clean, the aroma was enough to make me much hungrier than I should have been. MOST IMPORTANTLY, contrary to the reviews I have read here, the staff was extremely cordial and polite. I am officially their newest loyal customer. Prove me wrong! For a local Mom & Pop,...

I don't know what's going on but this place use to be better. We usually order about $80 worth of take out and have family gatherings. Their food use to be amazing! A few months ago I called to make a take out order. Nothing fancy just some apps. There was a misunderstanding and the order wasn't put in. I was on a time crunch but waited anyways. Didn't argue about it. Just put in the order and done. 2nd thing that happened, a family member put in a large order and the person taking the order just decided what they wanted to put in. When they spoke with the person working, the person response was oh I didn't know you wanted that... they were ordering. How do you assume they dont want something and just not put it in? .. 3rd thing happened yesterday. We ordered from the lunch menu and it was quite lacking. My husband said it was not busy. I ordered Kung pao. I didn't eat more then a few bites. The fried rice was not very tasteful. Some of it was not cooked all the way, chicken was not seasoned much, and the sauce it usually had which I hoped would save the bland rice was not there. I saved it for today and hope I can save it with my own condiments

Edit: We generally do love coming here, so we tried it again. Everything was delicious, I hope this place does not become a hit or miss but i tell you they can be freaking amazing. Hope to update with...

Excellent food and friendly service.

The General Tso's chicken at Chen's was perfectly sauced, a little sweet, a little sour, and a little spicy without being too salty. What a great flavor profile! The chicken was crispy and moist. And the lunch portion was just the right size.

The fried rice was still moist and not overwhelmed with carrots and peas.

I also ordered an egg roll, which was one of the best I have had in a long time. It was crunchy, crisp and hot with the perfect amount of filling to wrapper.

My companion ordered beef with vegetables. It looked delicious as well.

The space was delightful - it reminded me very much of a favorite Chinese restaurant on the west Coast. The dining room was immaculate! I loved the decorations and the tables were fun too.

Service was fast and friendly. The young woman at the counter greeted us when we came in. We found a table and there was no wait to get drinks and order.

Judging from the number of carry out orders going out the door, Chen's has a strong local following.

I'll...