Golden Chen — Restaurant in Union Township

I eat their food and I'm instantly transported to 1968, on a run with my Dad to get Chinese so Mom doesn't have to cook that night. Make no mistake; this is not the kind of nostalgia I wish to revisit. My 12 year-old self didn't know it, but I sure do now. Good Asian food today is quite improved from the pasty, bland, boring standards of the past - but you wouldn't know that at Golden Chen.

Everything feels so dated here. From the tired decor with rows of back-lit pictures of menu items, to the cheap seating - everything screams "last century" here. That would be perfectly fine if the food were good, but unfortunately it's not. Nothing feels fresh. From the overuse of water chestnuts, to the overcooked broccoli, to too much cornstarch in the sauces, to the blandly cooked chicken - its all so yesteryear.

Maybe they're just trying to fill a niche for cheap, modestly prepared Chinese - and in that they succeed. But its boring while eating and weighs heavy afterwards - not a good combination. It feels like a place that hasn't taken it's collective head out of the sand in at least 20 years to see the evolution of its food genre. They should do themselves a favor and go one more exit down I-275 to the Mint Bistro in Milford to see what's being done with Asian cooking in this century. There's a place that knows how to produce fresh-tasting food, bold flavors, with none of the heavy starched sauces. They're also packed every night and charging 2-3x. There's a lesson there somewhere for...

Food is good! And reasonably priced too; But, service is not the greatest. I walked in and sat down at a table, only to get back up to get my own menu and notify the waitress that I was alone and will be dining in. She motions me to have a seat. I go back to the table I originally sat in. She comes to my table and asks me what I wanted to drink. I told her coke and she left. After several minutes and reading the menu a couple of times, I begin to wonder about my drink. I turn around to see the waitress just standing there doing nothing. When she sees me looking at her, she gets a coke out of the cooler, then just grabs a straw and brings it to me. I give her my order and she brings it out as it's made. No denying the freshness of the food. It never sat back there, that's for sure. She never brought a cup with ice like all the other servers had. After I finished, I looked around for my server, but I didn't see her anywhere. I got up and went to the counter again to ask for a to go box. She was leaning against one of the kitchen counters eating something. I sat down to wait several more minutes while she scurries around trying to get my check together and my box. Finally I get it and go back to the counter to pay. I didn't stiff her for her lack of customer service, but I do recommend that if you're in a hurry, this is not the place to dine in. I can only speculate that Carry out orders are probably more efficient and...

I am very critical of where I buy Chinese food. I have to say, Golden Chen was the best I have had in years. Even the reheated leftovers were mouth watering and making me wish I had more. I don't have any pictures, I enjoyed my food too thoroughly to bother. But I had an egg roll and Chicken with Broccoli. The egg roll was freshly made, crunchy yet soft on the inside and filled with a delicious variety of vegetables. The Chicken and Broccoli was juicy and succulent. There was enough chicken for you to have a piece with every bite. The broccoli was perfectly steamed and abundant. There were sliced carrots that soaked up the sauce. Now the sauce 😋!!!! The perfect amount of, what seemed like, extra sauce that coated everything and was so packed with an amazing taste. Can I get this separately? Oh, so freaking good. Now the last thing.... And this made the meal top notch, was the fried rice. A light brown in color full of peas, onions and small carrot pieces. It wasn't dry like so many other restaurants and had a flavor that was out of this world. Combining all of these amazing foods.... Fantastic 😍 Thank you Golden Chen. I now have a favorite Chinese takeout in the Eastgate area that I...