China Chen

I came in here for lunch and ordered the combination egg noodle soup. I like that the broth was not too salty. And the noodles were not soggy. It was a good light lunch. I thought the toppings were being skimped however. There wasn’t enough. And it made the bowl of noodles look quite empty and not pleasing to look at. Other than that, decent egg noodle soup.

The food came pretty fast but also the place wasnt too busy. The food is bomb though! The only thing I didn’t like was how they were organizing their dirty dishes in front of us ((it was really loud)) and using harsh products like bleach to clean right next to us. Other than that it’s pretty cool…

Consistently with 98 choices, you may always leave Chen’s place full of tasty Vietnamese-​Chinese cuisine. No frills diner setting. During BUSY (near full to capacity) Saturday lunch period, as a single (party of one) Caucasian from the W Pac, I expereinced NO prejudice and was seated at the front WINDOW BOOTH as a solo diner. Ordered the more Cantonese-​style «Beef & Broccoli» (with carrots) Plate accompanied by an XL scoop of fresh steamed white rice. Fresh entrée prepared to order and served tasty (nonspicy lite brown sauce) with morsels of very tender! beef without toughness and no grissel. A cut above almost every Chinese-​Cantonese restaurant serving this equivalent dish on the US Mainland @a reasonable value price for the quality & portion size… all in welcomining diverse dining environment! In business for a long time and it shows!

The food is ok, while there is almost no «service». Nobody cares you are done for lunch for a long time, and waiting… waiting… for checking out now. It’s lunch hours (~13:30), and the place is 30% occupied. It seems they are lack of people…

I am seriously addicted to the half chicken/​noodle soup combo, the food is really good BUT the service could be better. When I call to order for pickup, they answer the phone…“WHAT?”, I have to repeat myself several times due to the language barrier and when I arrive to pick it up, I am barely acknowledged and the staff is not very friendly at all. Sucks, but hey… it probably won’t stop me from eating here again.

I can’t believe I didn’t try this sooner, in all my years of living in San Jose I barely try this secret gem this week. Better late than never I guess.
Everything was so good. The broth, delicious. The won tons, filled with giant shrimp. The wide noodles, perfection. Our fried shrimp appetizer was crunchy and I’m craving it just thinking about it.
Service is meh, but the price is so low and you’re really just here for the soup anyway. Can’t wait to come back.

This place is a tradition for my mom and I to go to every time we go grocery shopping in San Jose, which is every 3 weeks. I always order the white fat noodles with won ton soup.
The last time there was soap in my soup. Yes, I declined to complain considering I know how bad their customer service is already. –So, I ignore since I go here a lot.
This time around I ordered the same thing and there was SOAP in my soup AGAIN! Feeling disappointed– I made a complaint this time and showed them the bubbles in my bowl. When they came back with my soup (assuming a brand new one) the bowl looked a mess and by tasting the broth there’s a little bit of soap. Feeling frustrated– I think they just kept all my noodles and stuff and poured out the broth and dump it all in a new bowl and added new broth!
Despite the poor customer service I’ve always enjoyed coming here with my mom. But now with this reoccurring problem and yet seem to be solved after a complain I will not be coming back here!!!
Be aware when You eat here!

Ordered the dry noodles with a side of the shrimp wonton and the rice cake pancake. Noodles are okay, soup that comes on the side is pretty tasty. The rice cake pancake is bland. The sauce that comes with it doesn’t taste that good either. Stick with the noodle! Cash only. Street parking is tough during lunch time.

One of my favorite chinese restaurants from my childhood. Definitely would recommend the combination chow fun and mi wonton soup! The bot chien is a bit dry the last time I had it, but others times it was pretty good. Seating is plentiful, although finding parking in the area can be difficult at times

Great place for lunch! I love their noodle soups. I really recommend the shrimp wonton egg noodle soup. It comes with a few slices of cha shu pork, and also some small niblets of fried pork skin! I know that fried pork skin might sound weird but it is really tasty, especially with a bite of egg noodles. Their shrimp wontons are basically just wonton skins stuffed with 3 small shrimps. It’s good though!
Their egg noodles are the perfect consistency. And I’ve come here multiple times and each time it’s great! It’s rare to find a place that has really consistent delicious food.
I’ve also tried their half a fried chicken, and its pretty good as well! The skin is super crispy, and although sometimes the meat can get dry, it’s generally still moist. I think my favorite part is the crispy skin, and it’s not overly oily or anything! It’s pretty neat that they give you half a fried chicken so you can get both a drum and some breast meat!
My boyfriend also loves their tomato fried rice with half a fried chicken, but I’m not a huge fan of tomato anything so I never really tried it. But he said it’s delicious and made well!
Service is super fast, especially during lunch hour. Normally you would expect that during rush hour it would be slow, but the kitchen is super quick with your orders. You’ll get it within 5 – 10 minutes of sitting down and ordering.
Don’t come here expecting super friendly and happy service though, it’s fast and efficient. They don’t dote on you or check back in to make sure you’re doing okay. If you need something you have to ask for it, often multiple times. But if you’re looking for a quick a delicious lunch, this is the way to go!

Pros
Service: really friendly service and super quick when it comes to placing an order. Food also comes out promptly so it’s a great place to grab a quick lunch in downtown.
Fried flour cake with eggs: they give a large serving for a pretty cheap price and it could be a meal on its own. Definitely a must order item at China Chen.
Prices: All their menu items are really affordable and a much cheaper option compared to TK noodles.
Cons:
Mi Sui Cao: I ordered it kho or the dry style version and it wasn’t as flavorful. The egg noodles they use wasn’t the best type and the broth was okay. I was hoping their dry noodles would be similar to Mi Lay Cay or Nam Vang but that wasn’t the case.

A small hole in the wall restaurant you would pass by without thinking anything. Only reason I came here was because my friend recommended it to me. Parking is a hit or miss and the décor of the place is very plain but don’t let that stop you from eating here.
You have to try their egg noodle. I always get a #20 shrimp wonton soup. Their pork is very tender and their shrimp is very tastes If you eat large portions order a large. That will fill you up for sure, they’re very generous with their portions. If you like ordering egg noodle phở you will love their egg noodle here.

Adding China Chen to my list of delicious places in San Jose that I’ve only (unfortunately) discovered after moving away. Came here on a whim after telling my friend that I only had two criteria for somewhere to eat –1) had to have wonton soup and 2) accepted cc. I was pretty bummed when I got there and found out they only had shrimp wonton soup… and that it was cash only, but we decided to just stay anyway. I ended up not even getting wonton soup and instead opted for #12, the pork egg noodle soup while my roommate ordered the shrimp wonton soup.
Service was quick, we ordered our food and waited no more than 5 minutes for it to arrive. The soup broth was delicious and definitely hit the spot after an entire day of wine tasting. I find that at most soup places they don’t give you much meat with your soup, but that’s not the case here. I had more than enough pork, which was great on its own but even better when dipped and mixed in their sriracha/​hoisin/​chili sauce that’s on the table. Surprisingly, I finished the entire thing. broth included, which is a rarity as I usually get tired of eating a huge bowl of soup almost everywhere else.
I’m sure if I were still in college that this would’ve been one of my recovery hangover meal choices, especially since it’s decently priced and located so close to school. The total came out to something like $ 15 for the two of us. Only downside is that parking could be a bit of a hassle given that it is metered parking and in the heart of downtown and that it is, again, cash only. Other than that, I really wish I tried this place out sooner but uh, better late than never, right?

China Chen has always been my all time favorites along with my family’s. My parents have been going here ever since they first came to the U.S. and man, that was 25+ years ago. So, this place has been around for a really long time. The food? Hasn’t ever changed. Not one bit. The same menu. The same things. BUT, it never gets old. Their wonton soup here is by far, the best. I’ve gone to plenty of other places but I always bring this place up in comparison and this place beats all the other places. The place isn’t too big so when the schools near by get released, it’s a mad house. Definitely worth it for the food though!

Love the chewy texture of the egg noodles, the shrimp dumpling (siu cao) have lots of shrimp, and the pork broth is light and sweet.
I also always order the flour cake which is fried in eggs and comes with a tangy vinegar sauce.
This restaurant has been around for as long as I can remember, and the food is always great. It’s an old gem in San Jose.

a hole in the wall kind of restaurant, yet the quality of their food has been consistently good for many years.
Their Bot Chien Trung (flour cake with eggs) is my one of my favorites here. The flour cake is dipped in their special sauce and fried until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I have tried this dish at many places but they don’t even come close to China Chen’s. It is just as delicious as how I remember having it in Vietnam.
My second favorite here is their Hu tieu Mi Trieu Chau (Teo Chow style rice and egg noodles). I believe their egg noodles are fresh and homemade. Their broth is out of this world! it’s very flavorful and aromatic.
Highly recommended if you are in need for a noodle fix!

YES! I absolutely love this place. All of their food is amazing. Definitely Chinese/​viet/​Cambodian comfort food. Simple but flavorful.
Just like most of the reviewers here I have came here ever since I was a kid and used to always order the spicy beef chow fun… In all its oiliness and spice. Probably not super healthy but delicious. The bot chien (fried flour and egg) is so good with their sauce.
Nowadays I order the Mi Trieu Chau KHO which is basically the Egg Noodle combo but with soup on the side. Then I asked for extra sauce (either their oyster sauce mix or some other delicious clear salty sauce) to add on top of the dry noodle which makes it super flavorful. Just ask for some extra sauce with it and I think they’ll know what it is. Add some chili oil and voila!
The best part is having the SUPER delicious and flavorful broth on the side with the pork bone and the tender meat. It’s so good and best part is you can just pour it on top of your noodles when you’re tired of eating it dry.
Came at around 4pm today and service was fine. Didn’t bother us while we ate but was polite when we asked anything and willing to help even though we spoke in English. Not the cleanest but whatever. GO!

Features:
–Growing up in San Jose, I pretty much have tasted an array of Vietnamese egg noodles all over town. Two weeks ago, my dad brought me here when I had requested that he take me a tasty egg noodle Vietnamese restaurant. I ordered the egg noodles with a fried chicken wing and boy, it was The Best Egg Noodles I have ever had in my entire life.
–The soup was very savory and flavorful. The soup had chopped onions with fried garlic – tasted just right with the soup base.
–The egg noodles were not too soft and not too hard, but really, just an equal amount of texture. The pork was good and the chicken wing was fried well. Man, if I still live in SJ, I would come here every single day for lunch and not be sick of it.
Improvement:
–More noodles in the bowl would be nice.
Tips:
–Meter parking on the streets.
–Bring cash!
–Trust me on this, get the egg noodles!

Growing up, my parents would always take my
siblings and I to San Jose for the good eats (we still do time to time). China Chen has been one of our favorites from the beginning of the time.
I believe this a family owned business, or at the very least, family friend. I still recognize the same workers there til this day. They are all always so friendly and welcoming.
This place is not the largest of places and it does get packed, but usually people come, eat and get out quick.
My all time favorite noodle soup here is the shrimp wonton egg noodle soup. Noodles have a chewy texture, just the way I love it. Wontons and cha siu are tasty, broth is flavorful but add some vinegar and its smackin’. Everything is on point. Quality of their food have not changed. With how the economy has been over the years, their menu prices have not changed much, or even at all. Surprising but hey, gives me more of a reason to come back more often.
If you are ever craving a bowl of delicious noodles, I highly recommend checking China Chen out!

#2 and #7 chef special are their most popular items. It’s soup with egg noodles, with some vietnamese influence of brisket/​tendon. #7 has the won tons and #2 has the shrimp and fishballs. Hoisen sauce and siracha sauce are standard at each table which definitely adds to the vietnamese influenced elements! If you’re looking for warm noodle soup and you’re tired of phở. This is the place to be!\
I actually enjoyed the broth, it’s light and slightly sweet, which is a nice change from phở and other soup establishments. The egg noodles were cooked perfectly; very soft and goes down really easily. The soup came out at a very good temperature. Nice and hot, but not too hot. Overall very pleased with the food for the amazing price!
This place is really close to San Jose State University. Perfect for lunch on a college budget. The soups were $ 6 – 7 and its only $ 1.00 for a large size. They’ve recently done a lot of remodeling and HVAC upgrades, though keep in mind this is still a hole-​in-​the-​wall with great food and not fancy dining.
Service was quick when I went. Though this place can get crowded sometimes, the wait is short.