China Chen

Reviews

• Lisa T.

  star star star star star 5 June 2026

  I've been going here since I was kid. We would eat here as a family and then my mom would go to the market down the street. And then when I went to SJSU I went here all the time. I freaking love this place! Mi sui cao always is my go to order and I do soup on the side or with soup depending on  my mood but it never fails.
  
  It's soo good, I drive here to eat by myself... that freaking says something. Haha

• Yu L.

  star star star star_border star_border 28 May 2026

  My roommate and I had just gotten off from work and wanted something quick, relatively cheap and good. Looked up on google possible good restaurants near us and we found China Chen.
  
  Parking was easy but being new to the area and seeing the area around, we both were a little skeptical as we did not feel the safest especially with the bad reputation of cars getting broken into. Nevertheless, we were too hungry to care.
  
  Got in, the staff were very friendly, quick and responsive. I asked for recommendations and they were easily able to provide me with some of their most popular ones. I ordered and within minutes my food came to the table.
  
  Food:
  I ordered the #10 which consisted of slices of pork and shrimp wontons in an egg noodle soup. The meat was good and the noodles had good texture but the soup was a little too salty for my tastebuds. I also got the fried half chicken and I would say that made up for the entire meal. The chicken, although oily, was fantastically seasoned and lightly fried. It had a fantastic flavor that even the bones were edible.
  
  Overall: next time if I were to come back, I would definitely try the rice noodle soups and see if the flavor would be better. Otherwise, the fried chicken and some rice or dry noodle dish would be another good option.

• Hummer W.

  star star star star_border star_border 28 May 2026

  Getting reacquainted with the neighborhood around SJSU.  Aside from the annoying bike lanes, the area looks pretty much as it did.  Dakao is still there (been, never tried).  Probably worth mentioning that the popularity of Vietnamese sandwiches is predicated on the thousands of alumni who reckon of their forlorn days as a starving student and discovering that a banh mi can get you by for a buck.  Another joint that I have never tried until recently is this place.
  
  I remember passing by China Chen during my college days and wondering, 'who (would want to) eats here'?  As it does today, a divey little Asian joint with regular local clientele.  I pretty much turned my nose up at it only to think about the other dives we use to frequent around campus.  One being a converted house turned Vietnamese restaurant where my friend asked for ketchup for his fried chicken.  That fool actually got it.  Not only that, but his fork and spoon technique was on point as he carefully dissected meat from a drumstick along with a mouthful of rice.  There was that other time too when we hit up another converted house turned taqueria only to answer to a flurry of 911 pages of the crew suffering the runs later that afternoon.
  
  Come present day and tasked with finding a decent restaurant to dig into some ABC food for lunch, we compromised on won ton soup when Google kept turning to this place.  The one thing that didn't exist back then is that China Chen now has a website with a soundtrack.  Recently taken over by another family member, the website and FB page has brought China Chen into the 21st century.  Asian Baby Girl recommended.
  
  There are alot of standards and good looking dishes.  I am curious about the egg rice cake and the fried chicken and noodle special.  However during recent visits, my lunch companions and I settle on the shrimp won ton soup based on our friend's recommendation.  I can see why this is her go to.  A clear, light yet an ever so slightly greasy pork borth with pillowy shrimp wontons.  I go with the traditional yellow noodles which were very springy and has a nice chew to them.  A regular bowl is plenty, Vaguely reminds me of saimin but not really.  
  
  Surroundings are cramp, but windows throughout bring in a lot of sunlight while gazing at downtown and the campus just down the way.  There is a bit of grease in the air and the hallmark of a great soup restaurant...sticky menus.

• Katelynn S.

  star star star star star_border 26 May 2026

  Came here on a Monday around lunchtime and the place was pretty busy, but the service was good and quick.
  
  I always get the #22 which is fried shrimp wontons and egg noodle soup. The soup is filling and a simple base in which you can add more flavor too with jalapenos or chili oil sauce. The noodles are also nice a firm
  
  This is a great place to grab a quick bite for lunch or dinner and is quite inexpensive too for a large serving size

• Tiffany W.

  star star star star_border star_border 18 May 2026

  Atmosphere/service:
  Pretty spacious and packed! Came on a Saturday around 11 and almost all the tables were taken. Service was great, they were kind and attentive.
  
  Food:
  Decent.
  #11  Mi Tieu Chau $9.95 this portion was significantly smaller compared to #35 BUT IMO it tasted better. I loved the egg noddles though I just felt like nothing else was in it really...portions of greens and meat could be improved.
  #35 Hu Tieu Mi Sui Cao $10.50 this was okay. I'm not the biggest fan of wontons but they packed it with shrimp so that's a plus. The rice noodles got soggy fast so the texture of both the egg noodles and rice noodles was weird. I'm giving this restaurant a 3/5 because the shredded pork was DRY. I had to drink water to get the meat down. Again, more veggies would've been a good addition too.
  
  Would I come back here? Maybe.