Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Chen’s Kitchen

    3.3 (41 reviews)
    InexpensiveChinese
    Open 11:00 am - 9:30 pm

    Chen’s Kitchen Photos

    You might also consider

    More like Chen’s Kitchen

    Recommended Reviews - Chen’s Kitchen

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos - Chen’s Kitchen

    a view of the dining room
    Gerald S.

    Cheng's Kitchen on Route 31, Pennington, NJ, took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting anything more than a run of the mill Chinese takeout house with maybe a little space for those who prefer to eat when the food is right from the wok. They did look like most of the others, with standard fare, lunch specials and a side dining room, but where they stood apart was the quality of the meals themselves. I ordered General Tso's Chicken when I arrived around 3:10 PM. First, the owner had no problem honoring the lunch prices, despite my late entrance. Second, the meal was of a higher quality than found at such places. The chicken seemed fresher. The sauce was just prepared for me and had a very good taste. They even threw in a few Szechuan small red peppers to provide the extra heat I requested. The breading was thin, allowing for the texture of the bird, and full flavor of the deep red amber sauce to shine on the tongue. Sure, the fried rice was colored by the bouillon dye, but even that was surprisingly tasty and full of pork and veggies. Of course, the ubiquitous broccoli florets were mandatory, but fresh, a beautiful green, and more plentiful than found in almost any other shop I have visited. Too, they had eliminated egg rolls or soup as part of the package, but given how good the General was, I did not mind foregoing those accessories in favor of better primary ingredients. At $8 and change with a bottle of water, it was a very good deal. Thanks for renewing my faith in Chinese American fast food, Mr. Cheng.

    egg drop
    Dave F.

    My work colleagues and I over the years ended up calling this place "Cheap Chinese". We have been going here for over 10 years although I have just returned back for the first time in about 6 years. This tiny hole in the wall has a special place deep in my heart. The lady who runs the front is rock solid, a real sweet heart. She'll fire off questions back to you like a machine gun. The order is always right. The decor is, yes, cheap, but acceptable, and for today's visit all the light bulbs were on. Plus they must have scrubbed the walls clean. It is bright in the dining room now, something, if I remember correctly, that was missing previously. The main dish everyone I know comes here for are the Hunan spicy wonton appetizer. Those soft puffy little orbs of rice pasta filled with cooked pork, ginger and scallions, bathed in a pool of slightly spicy soy sauce. Still the best around! Still pleasing. Today I had the shrimp with vegetables, side of pork fried rice and egg drop soup. The soup was ok. The shrimp and veg was delicious and a good size portion. The fried rice was good. My friend had General Chicken and reported it to be good. All the food came out piping hot. My lunch was 7.50! Now that is cheap Chinese! Back again on 06/02 for a spicy wonton fix and an egg roll. So good!

    Had to throw out the whole order. The egg drop soup it's literally inedible. Even the white rice is as disgusting

    If I could give this place zero stars I would. It was the worse Chinese I've ever had. I just ordered house special, chicken wings, and generals chicken. Ended up throwing Aeverything out. The soup is inedible, everything had a really funky rotten smell and tasted terrible. Even the white rice was bad. How do you mess up white rice. This place should be close. I will never go there again.

    Unkempt table and floors.
    Bill S.

    Had to meet some returning family at nearby airport and decided to have an early dinner here. A huge mistake. Ordered the General Tso chicken and walked to the "dining room." What I encountered was the filthiest restaurant eating space I have ever been in. Dirty, filthy tables and floors along with stained and soiled chairs. Disgusting. Probably has never been cleaned. The food was below par on all levels. Void of flavor and customary heat.

    See all

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - Chen’s Kitchen

    Review Highlights - Chen’s Kitchen

    That being said, I've been going to Cheng's for nearly 20 years and can't complain about anything there.

    Mentioned in 8 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Chinese 4,819 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Shu House Restaurant

    Shu House Restaurant

    4.4
    (270 reviews)
    15.4 mi
    $$

    The highlight of the meal was easily the hot appetizer -- the wontons in chili oil. The delicate…read morewontons were packed with flavorful filling and coated in a rich, aromatic chili oil that delivered the perfect balance of heat, spice, and savory depth. The sauce had just enough numbing warmth without overpowering the dish, and every bite was incredibly satisfying. The texture combination of silky wrappers and bold sauce made it an unforgettable starter. Beyond the appetizer, the restaurant offered a warm atmosphere and attentive service that made the dining experience even better. The presentation was thoughtful, portions were generous, and the flavors tasted authentic and carefully prepared. If you enjoy dishes with a little spice and a lot of flavor, the wontons in chili oil are absolutely worth ordering. I would definitely come back just for them.

    Kendall Park, NJ - the unassuming location of this restaurant in the corner of a strip mall belies…read moreits presentation of some of the best Chinese food I've had in NJ/NY, and in a region with no shortage of good-to-great authentic Chinese cuisine, that's saying something! When it comes to food, I never judge a burger by its bun, so thanks to Yelp for helping me find it. The sign in the window says "Asian fusion" which usually sends me running as it's often a cop-out label for bad mixed-up Asian cooking, but this is authentic y'all, meaning true-to-tradition dishes with a sometimes more contemporary application of ingredients or flavors. The "fusion" part must come from the fact that they have a small Taiwanese section as well as the main Szechuan/Sichuan menu, alongside a few familiar Chinese-American favorites like sesame chicken or broccoli x protein, so you can get that here too. Everything we ordered was phenomenal! Great flavors, generous portions, cooked with confidence and finesse. Compliments to the kitchen - they really know what they're doing. Not a single dish was lacking. They even put out peanuts at the start and serve fresh orange slices at the end of the meal. Very old school. We loved it all: * Salt & white pepper crispy chicken ("Taiwanese specialty") - well-battered and flavored, and perfectly crispy * Taiwanese minced pork rice * Chicken red curry - fabulous, with fresh vegetables and just the right balance of spice * Golden dish (fish) - very special dish in a salted duck egg yolk batter * Beef chow fun * Marinated crispy duck Wish I lived closer, but will definitely come back when we are in the area. Best of the best - very highly recommended!

    Photos
    Wall Decor
    Wall Decor
    Salt & White Pepper Crispy Chicken
    Salt & White Pepper Crispy Chicken
    Golden Fish battered with Salted Egg Yolk

    See all

    Golden Fish battered with Salted Egg Yolk
    Szechuan House

    Szechuan House

    3.8
    (271 reviews)
    8.2 mi
    $$

    I haven't been to Szechuan House in a couple of years since switching jobs, and I often find myself…read morethinking about how much I missed it. For this year's Chinese New Year, I decided to take the family there for our New Year dinner, and the food was just as good as I remembered. The place hasn't changed a bit, the decor still looks exactly how I remember it, which brought back memories. Since some of my family and friends don't enjoy the same spice level as I do, we adjusted the heat for dinner, and everything still came out fantastic. We ordered the whole steamed fish, happy fish, green beans, tea smoked duck, pork chop, beef pan fried noodles, and more. Every dish was delicious, and the flavors were spot on. The service was a bit tentative at times, but the quality of the food definitely made up for it. Overall, it was a wonderful meal and a great way to celebrate. I definitely need to come back more often.

    Ordered lunch via GrubHub from here and it was solid…read more The lunch special entrees are great and they come with your choice of rice and then a choice between soup or egg roll as well. It seems that both the pepper steak and chicken with broccoli were in the same sauce (& I've actually found that to be common in this area for some reason) but were tasty overall. The egg roll was quite greasy and the wonton soup was pretty solid with the broth being the star. Oh the white rice was cooked how I expect and wish all Chinese white rice is cooked so that's a plus. Overall a true 3.5 star rating but since halves aren't possible I had to go to 3 because it certainly wasn't a 4.

    Photos
    Szechuan House
    Fungus in Chili Vinaigrette
    Fungus in Chili Vinaigrette
    Lunch special L21. Pepper Steak

    See all

    Lunch special L21. Pepper Steak
    Schouse

    Schouse

    3.7
    (98 reviews)
    7.8 mi
    $$

    In my four years as a student on Princeton campus, there hasn't been another restaurant remotely…read moreclose to SC House in terms of the consistency of their offerings and also the deliciousness of their food. The lunch specials that run M-F from 11:00-2:00 is so so good. the 土豆丝 is absolutely to die for. the restaurant may be a bit of a walk from main campus especially if you are not coming from the engineering quad, but wow, is the walk worth it every time. the free 蛋花汤 that comes with every lunch special entree order is great, and each of the specials are very affordably priced. I highly recommend the rattan pepper fish, the kung po chicken, and the lamb with cumin. outside of these options, I also highly recommend trying their pork belly entree (if you are coming for dinner) or their egg tofu dish. prices are not as good for dinner portions but I think if you are eating potluck style with friends it's worth it. service is solid - the staff make sure your waters are filled and that you are waited on properly. food comes out decently fast and the bathroom at this establishment has always been clean when I visit (probably over 20-30 times at this point) SC House also does a great job offering catering discounts to student groups so that aspect also deserves a shoutout. Will sorely miss this little chinese restaurant when I graduate this coming may.

    Have not been here in years and I can report the food is just as fresh and scalding as I remember…read more If you enjoy cauterizing your tongue with spice have at it. The letdown is the service which I'm sad to report (at least on this day) was slow and indifferent. Fine, if this were a hole in the wall take-out joint but at the prevailing price points, is just annoying (at best.) Three middling stars.

    Photos
    The interior
    The interior
    红油抄手
    红油抄手
    Schouse

    See all

    Chen’s Kitchen - chinese - Updated August 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...