Chen's - Long Beach

I have bad reviews especially during this time. that said this is not the first bad meal we had there. we thought we would try to be fair after the first bad meal. everything was very disappointing and cooked. I had never had hard pork foo young the egg roll was hard like a rock, like the crabs and sweet and acidic pig. teeth break hard. I don't like to give it a bad rating, but money is tight and I would hate that friends or family spend their money and as disappointed as we were. I hope the things will improve, but we will not be back.

Two dishes were maybe 3 stars. The Orange chicken was a flat 0. Tasted like tang with cornstarch to make it thick and sticky. Waitress had zero concern over the quality of the dish.

A typical run of the mill joint with the message we really dont care Pork foo young was made 12 hrs earlier and warmed up in over used frying oil. War won ton soup had no depth to the broth. We asked for some hot sauce to give it flavor. Only charged us $1.25 for the thimble sized portion of hot sauce...but why? Have no memory of ever paying for hot sauce anywhere before. The green duct taped booth seats were a nice complement to the Christmas light still up in March.

To be fair my last experience was rough. But I am a long time customer and they have varied wildly. My meal was over cooked and hard. My guest received a pleasant meal with an unpleasant result. The service was slow but within reason. And the atmosphere was pleasant enough. Oh and the price is reasonable and portions are good.

Chen's Restaurant is a place that has it all. Excellent food, service and friendly staff. It was so good we had to eat there twice on our Long Beach stay.