Chef Chen

You’re not coming here for atmosphere. You are coming here for some of the best food 40 miles east of Santa Monica, California. There are only two places like this in Los Angeles county, and I’m not telling you them. I will one-hundred percent come by here again on my way back from Palm Springs or Joshua tree. If you want to have a date night at home and make it a romantic setup, this is probably the best place to come and pickup takeout. Your date will want to know where this food is from. Incredible.

You’re not coming here for atmosphere. You are coming here for some of the best food 40 miles east of Santa Monica, California. There are only two places like this in Los Angeles county, and I’m not telling you them. I will one-hundred percent come by here again on my way back from Palm Springs or Joshua tree. If you want to have a date night at home and make it a romantic setup, this is probably the best place to come and pickup takeout. Your date will want to know where this food is from. Incredible.

The Food was awesome. It had good flavor. Milk tea too sweet. Waitress We're always checking on us to see if we need a refills on our drinks.

The Food was awesome. It had good flavor. Milk tea too sweet. Waitress We're always checking on us to see if we need a refills on our drinks.

This one didn’t come from my usual social media rabbit hole. This one came straight from my uncle. He lives in the area and orders from here with my aunt sometimes. We were originally going to hit Delicious Café in the Alhambra/Monterey Park area, but he said, “Try Chef Chen, you get a lot of food and it’s pretty good.” So we went. It’s in a strip mall and honestly, it’s not much to look at. The inside is a little rough around the edges and there’s even a section that looks like storage, so yeah, you’re not coming here for atmosphere. You’re coming here to eat. We kept it simple. We ordered shrimp chow fun and chicken curry. When the food came out, it was huge. I mean legitimately huge portions. Two dishes easily fed two of us with plenty left over to take home. Total was about $36, which for that amount of food is kind of crazy in a good way. Flavor-wise, the shrimp chow fun was good. Not mind blowing, but solid. If I’m comparing, I’d say Delicious Café probably has the edge on flavor, but Chef Chen wins on portion size and price, no contest. The chicken curry was also solid, good flavor, plenty of meat, and a big portion. If I had to break it down, flavor is around a 7. Price and quantity are easily a 9 plus. When you average that out, you’re sitting around an overall 8, which honestly feels right. This is definitely a neighborhood-style Chinese spot. Friendly staff, fast service, plenty of parking, and a steady flow of locals coming in and out. It’s not fancy, it’s not trying to be trendy, and it’s definitely not Instagram food. But if you want a lot of food for a very reasonable price, this place delivers. Bottom line, don’t expect food that blows your mind. Expect good, solid Chinese food and a ton of it for what you pay. If you’re hungry, on a budget, or just want leftovers for later, Chef Chen is absolutely worth checking out.