I've been wanting to try this restaurant for a while as I had read reviews saying food was authentic. I came in very hungry and ordered the following: wontons in chili oil, Dan Dan noodles, Sichuan spicy tofu. I've had all these dishes at other restaurants before and make the first 2 routinely at home. 1. Dan Dan noodles: portion was huge. It was topped with a creamy very garlicky sauce, including rough chopped fresh garlic ( warmed through but still had some crunch/bite to it). OMG so delicious. Not meat forward (if there was even any meat, I think it was maybe finely sliced fungus instead, it worked perfectly in any case). 2. Wontons in chili oil: I was expecting a bit more flavor to the sauce, instead it was literally just chili oil and seemed kind of diluted and bland even. I added some pieces of garlic from my Dan Dan noodles and let that sit with some dark soy sauce the waitress brought and that did the trick. 3. Sichuan spicy tofu, recommended by the host: came with chicken, fish or beef, I chose chicken. This was massive and I have leftovers I'm looking forward to eating later. Very flavorful with silky tofu. I didn't really enjoy the texture of the chicken though and would have preferred it minced or lower chicken:tofu ratio or with pork. It looks like they have a smaller mapo tofu dish in a different part of the menu without the added meat and I might try that next time. The wild part was the intensity of the Szechuan peppercorn. I routinely crush it freshly at home and eat dishes containing it when out but have never experienced such an intense tingling effect. It felt like my lips and tongue were vibrating and then my water tasted like it had lemon juice squeezed in it. Not sure if it is a different kind than the red one I have at home, or if it is just THAT fresh, but wow. All in all, very enjoyable meal and service. I will for sure be back for the Dan Dan noodles but not if planning to socialize much after given how intensely garlicky they were. Looking forward to trying other dishes on the menu! A suggestion for the menu: I really like the large glossy pictures of each item but it ends up being a lot of pages to turn back and forth through to make a selection, so it would be nice to include just a plain typed list to glance at as well, like a table of contents. read more

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Chef Tan is one of the better Chinese places in the Newark area. I really don't think authenticity matters a great deal, but Chef Tan is about a 7.5 on a 1-10 point scale measuring authenticity (with Golden Wok Mushu Pork being a one and Richmond Vancouver Chinese stores being a ten), though obviously some dishes are more or less than others The place is relatively spacious, and you can totally have a large party come here. It's also regularly open on typical US holidays, such as Christmas or Thanksgiving, so if you need somewhere to go when everything else is closed, you can really rely on this place. Some things that I think are pretty good here: the vegetable options (though somewhat expensive), the kung pao chicken, the eggplant, the lamb options (including the sliced version, as well as the cumin one where you can add lamb as your option). read more

We ordered the Szechewan Wonton, Twice Cooked Fish and a custom made bowl. The Wonton wasn't quite expected but the other two dishes were both quite good. We asked for mild in the spiciness and they were just right. Very tasty. read more

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Fantastic food, everything I tried was delicious. Service was great and the prices were reasonable. Probably the best food I've ever had.

My husband and I recently drove into Newark for a weekday lunch with another eatery in mind but it was closed for the holidays, so we ended up at Chef Tan because my husband has been wanting to try it for a while! We were the only table in the restaurant and I saw two take orders go out throughout the time we sat. So, the service was good! I don't remember much about the inside but it was clean and pretty wide open in the dining room. And we were sat in the center. We both enjoyed that there was a photo on the menu of every dish. That makes it very easy to order. We did a scallion pancake and order of wontons with chili oil for appetizers and we really enjoyed both of those. And for our main course, we shared house fried rice and cilantro beef. Again, we really enjoyed both of these. I LOVE fried rice without soy sauce. I worked at a Chinese restaurant for years and the family I worked for always made their fried rice this way for themselves. I learned to prefer it this way as well, and my husband now does also so it made us both really happy to see that on the menu here! The cilantro beef was spicy but SO GOOD. Of course, you have to like cilantro to enjoy this dish - I know many people don't. I would imagine the beef with scallion is a similar, oniony, alternative. We shared a pot of hot tea as well, which was good, as expected. The only down side was that they add a service charge onto the check. And I never know if that's meant to be a gratuity or not. But it does alter how I tip, I will be honest. I hate that places do this. Please just charge more for the menu items! read more

CHEF TAN - House Fried rice and cilantro beef - Chinese Near Me - Newark, Delaware

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Great food and great price! Great service too! Great environment! Xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx

好 吃 Masterful execution beyond the standard experience. There are options here you won't find anywhere else in the area. I always like to try something different with every visit. read more

I went while I was visiting some family in the area for Lunar New Year. And all-in-all, the food is pretty good. I especially enjoyed their "Preserved Long Beans" (酸豆角) dish, which is definitely the best I had in a US restaurant. Service was also quick as well. I would recommend to any Chinese/Asian families in the area. read more

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We always get take out. Always very good! A little on the more expensive side but well worth it. Try their specialty dishes! I have never been disappointed! read more

I'm frequently not a fan of most Chinese places, because they all serve variations of the same tired tourist stuff. Chef Tan is NOT one of those places. The menu is very innovative and everything I have had was really GREAT. It's pricier than other places, but the food quality is there and they have a page menu full of tempting items. It will be interesting to go back once in house dining resumes. read more

Haven't been here in a while. I'm in town with my Dad and we decided to come here. We dined in. Everything was fresh and incredibly delicious - best Chinese food we have both had in ages. I got the pan fried pork dumplings - super good. The sauce they come with is divine. My dad got a beef dish with hot peppers and he asked for it extra spicy, and he got it! He really enjoyed it. We will definitely be back. read more

If you are looking for authentic Chinese/Asian food this is the place to go. Since my wife and son to not like "food experiences" and taking risks from traditional meals, I always hit this place on my own. This time I ordered the hotpot, all you can eat, meal. It is not on the menu and is actually written on a board in Chinese characters. However it is $29.99 so you can just point to it if you need to. The staff will bring out a pot of boiling broth (I chose spicy lamb spine) for the table. They give you a check list of about 40 selections to place in the pot from brains, to tripe, to heart, to ham, to dumplings, to veggies, to noodles, etc. You name it they have it. Ask for rice and all of their sauces too. I sat around for over an hour and enjoyed the feast. One of the best meals I have had at a place that serves international cuisine. The staff is friendly despite my language barrier and was extremely helpful explaining how to eat the food and how to prep it yourself. read more

CHEF TAN - Lamb Spine Hot Pot - Chinese Near Me - Newark, Delaware

I was surprised by the authenticity of their Chinese dishes. Not Americanized at all. I could barely taste any msg. Amazing experience overall. read more

Recommend: Salt and white pepper chicken: Like Taiwanese popcorn chicken. Cooked very well and very flavorful, again, who doesn't like fried food? Scallion pancake: perfectly made with layers and powerful green onion flavor and a soy sauce dipping sauce Three cup chicken: this is similar to things you would get at panda express, a fried chicken with a sweet/sour glaze Scallion fried rice: not worth it. The rest of the food I haven't tried or don't really recommend. I am not a huge northern chinese food person, but know what authentic chinese food tastes like, and it is similar, however, missing a little bit of something that I cannot pinpoint. One thing's for sure is that this place is very expensive for chinese food. Would not expect our bill to be so much without having ordered so much food. The owners were very nice to us though and mentioned that if they knew we were there celebrating someone's birthday, they would've given us soup or dessert (we had brought in our own cake). I'd take a look at other places before checking this place out again. read more

A completely different chinese cuisine than what I have ever had. Every one of their dishes was different and you didn't have the usual orange chicken, general tso etc. We tried spicy crispy short ribs, sichuan hot and sour with glass noodles, cumin crusted chicken, dry pepper chicken and fresh fish with pickled cabbage. If the service was a little better, I wouldn't have hesitated to give a 5 star. But the food was awesome! read more

Best place for Chinese food since Bamboo House closed. Really interesting dishes, many prepared for two to share. The lunch specials cover a wide range, from veggie to noodles to chicken / pork / beef. We had kung pao chicken and the shrimp with veggies. The kung pao had generous ginger bites which really pumped-up the flavor. The shrimp were medium to large and plentiful. No corners are cut, here. You won't go there for the decor, but the taste will bring me back next week. The menu is large, with many dishes that are new to me. I am going to enjoy learning this new restaurant. There were MANY servers on duty today. Everyone is bilingual, you won't have any problem ordering. There was no 15% gratuity, so clearly Management is listening. My experience was totally enjoyable. Our server, Sonny, was very helpful, answering a dozen questions about the full menu. Knowledgeable guy. Try this place if you haven't. It's a bit of an adventure, perhaps, but I think you'll enjoy the trip. read more

CHEF TAN - Great sauce, peanuts, chicken cooked all the way through, crunchy celery and onions just right with pea-sized chunks of ginger. Yeah, Baby! - Chinese Near Me - Newark, Delaware

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Omg, I am officially obsessed! We ordered take out and now I must go back to eat in. We had the crispy chicken, the braised pork, and fried rice everything was amazing. We also got the scallion pancake but it wasn't that great and that could be because of it being takeout . Serious flavorful dishes so happy I discovered and tried this place out I love that their menu isn't Americanized dishes. They care about their dishes and I'm so happy that they do. You won't regret trying this place out. read more

disgusting. hair in my food. Wonton soup was inedible. Service wasn't good either.

Outstanding experience - from food to service, everything was exceptional. Favorite dishes include Chef Tan's whole tilapia, Chef Tan's fried Rice, and the frog legs. The staff is very friendly, and happy to make recommendations. I am looking forward to exploring the rest of the menu. I agree with the authenticity statements. Really special place, you have to give it a try! If possible, would really love to see crab on the menu!!!! read more

Not my favorite chinese restaurant. They're alright. The bok choy and scallion pancakes were fine. The dan dan noodle was too salty and the duck dish (not pictured, don't remember the actual name) was too dry. read more

CHEF TAN - Dan dan noodle, bok choy and scallion pancakes - Chinese Near Me - Newark, Delaware

Great tasting authentic Chinese food. The staff is very helpful and even my picky 6 yo devoured his food! We will definitely be back. read more

This was my first time at Chef Tan's. We ordered dumplings, noodles, garlic eggplant and szechuan chicken. All of the food was delicious and hot, and was served promptly and courteously. Overall great experience, will be returning here for food again. read more

CHEF TAN - two plates of food on a table - Chinese Near Me - Newark, Delaware

This is pretty authentic Hunan cuisine! My mom is from Hunan and I was born there and have been back to visit my grandparents. My mom and I both enjoyed this restaurant and thought it was pretty authentic. The Szechuan cuisine here is pretty good too. I enjoyed the fuqi feipian (spicy beef and tripe) and I think the best I've had for a while. The tea duck wasn't bad either and had great smokey flavor. The reviewer on here who complained about hunting for fish pieces must not have known that authentic Hunan cuisine consists of lots and lots of hot fried chilli peppers and minuscule pieces of meat! It's something my dad would always complain about when he married my mom about how the meat pieces in her cooking were so tiny. Google Hunan cuisine and you will see! Hunan cuisine is heavy on the oil, salt, and flavor! The whole point is to cover the protein with peppers so all the flavor goes in. Eating Hunan cuisine has a similar feel as to eating crawl fish or pomegranates. You have to work hard to get a tiny morsel of food. I know some people don't have the patience for that and for them maybe a steak would be better. I do agree that the prices are expensive but I guess they need to be for an authentic restaurant serving a limited population in Newark. I like the food here but I am leaving 4 stars because the service wasn't too great. The waiters were standing around acting busy but not making eye contact to get us tea refills and napkins. They even started mopping the floor an hour before closing so the whole windowless establishment smelled like floor cleaning liquid while we were eating. In addition my sisters made the mistake of ordering dumplings. They were the not the house made ones we were used to from Philly. We could tell they came from a bag of frozen dumplings you could buy for $5 from the Asian super market. I would advise to stay away from the appetizers! read more

Best Szechuan I have had in Delaware, though not as good as Szechuan house in Hamilton, NJ. I think the star of this menu is the dry pot, which is the best I've ever had. The dry pepper chicken had way too much peppercorn which is a damn shame. They also seem to never have the jerky. read more

CHEF TAN - Fungus salad - Chinese Near Me - Newark, Delaware

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Located on main st. Or the life of university of Delaware is this Chinese restaurant that has more mainland type of food which means none of that general tsos chicken stuff. Ordered the braised pork belly which was really, in a good brown sauce The interior of the place isn't too shabby and is good for a quiet dinner Ordered a 2nd time: Eggplant with garlic Twice cooked fish Dry pepper dish with chicken Beer duck Chinese yams Spicy and sour ribeye pot All the above I'd recommend and dining in will def taste better cause it'll be more fresh read more

Ordered on UberEats. The food was very well packed. I ordered 水煮牛肉 (peppercorn beef j believe?) which was honestly the best 水煮牛肉 I have ever had in the US. Portion is decent, the beef is very tender and the flavor is so good. I order here weekly when I was in Delaware and I love this place. read more

Don't bother order from them. I ordered dinner to go from them and had my husband go to pick up, my husband drive long way to the restaurant only been informed that whoever took my order didn't write it down hence nothing was made for me. They did not offer any options to recover the loss or offer to make something immediately. The staff is incompetent and rude. read more

Tired of Americanized Mall Food Chinese? This is different. Different ingredients and different flavors. Service was typical of a college town, atmosphere is nice. I sat with my back to the wall so I could watch what other dishes were coming out of the kitchen. It was a very good experience and the Spicy Dry Pot with the numbing spices was outstanding! read more

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My husband and I ate here by a recommendation from a customer of ours from China. It wax amazing and we will be surely back. As a college town and a business owner I can understand why they add the 15% tip, students do not tip. Would be good to tell non student customers. We look forward to returning to try something new read more

I order Uber eats frequently. But today I get a paper napkins in the rice of the delivery!!! read more

CHEF TAN - I get a paper napkins in the rice. - Chinese Near Me - Newark, Delaware

Best authentic Chinese restaurant in delaware. Hot pot, pork with dried bean curd. Spicy plates are hot and spicy. You will sweat. Great food . Great service read more

Highly NOT recommended. The food is just ok,(I had diarrhoea after I ate here.) The service is horrible!They charged additional 15% Gratuities without notice. If you eat hotpot, they give you 1 hotpot for 7 people and the food is limited refills. Will never back again! read more

We found THAT in my friend's food. I made a Yelp just to share these photos because I do not want anyone else to experience this. We are not confrontational but when we did tell them the woman looked a little shook, called someone over and poked it then tried to tell us it is some kind of spice but could not say a name... we were so grossed out we paid and left and I did tip because it is not the waiter's fault himself, but we also left with almost full plates of food, wasted 38$ and they did not offer a refund. We left nauseous and still hungry. So disappointing and really put a damper on our night. EW. Also is that not a sanitation issue? read more

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I dinned in for lunch yesterday. The price was a bit high and when I paid the bill they automatically added 15% tip to my bill. I didn't have a choice. When I paid with my credit card there was a place to add a tip to the bill again. How many tips do they think they are entitled to? I have never been to a restaurant that automatically adds a tip to you bill without being notified unless you have a large party. I am local in the area and they just lost a customer. read more

I ordered a dish that's $18.95, the size is really small, like appetizer size. I don't think I want to go there anymore.

Today Is so bad feeling eat at this restaurant. Chinese lady with long hair yelling to me because I do not know they charge 15% service fee！ she told me every body know they charge 15% service fee，but I do not know！ she feel so angry to me and did not package my food. the service Is so bad，why should I give 15% service fee？？？ okay okay this Is my last time to eat at this restaurant！！！ read more

One of the worst service I have got. We ordered beef dry pot and they served lamb dry pot instead and insisted that it was beef. We let the customer sitting nearby to try the dish and we all thought it was lamb. One of the waitresses replied that we should order another lamb dry pot to really try the difference between beef and lamb. I felt very disappointed about their attitudes that they made a mistake and blamed the customers instead. read more

The taste was good. The reason why I gave two stars is that I found a fly in the dish which I already ate most of them. It's a basic rule for a restaurant to keep clean. read more

This was the worst Chinese food I've every had! Do not order from these guys! No taste to anything at all.

I've come here a handful of times with my family, and it's very consistently delicious. Located on Main St. at UD, Chef Tan specializes in spicy dishes that have a lot of deep flavor. The decor is modern with a hint of traditional touches, and the ambiance is laid back. It's a great place to go with friends and family for some authentic Chinese food. An appetizer to check out is the beef & tripe in chili oil for an authentically spicy cold dish. One of my favorites from here is a mildly-spicy pork and cabbage dish with rice noodles in a shallow broth. You can find your standard beef or fish in chili oil or la-zi-ji dishes, as well as crowd favorites like hong-you-chau-shou. There are some more specialized dishes that you can't find at other standard Chinese restaurants, like tea-smoked duck or spicy lamb. Overall, this is probably one of the best new Chinese restaurants in the area (possibly DE), and though the prices trend higher than your local takeout joint, it's definitely worth it. read more