House of Chen

This is my families favorite Chinese restaurant. A great place where local tow folks like to eat. I especially like the Pad Thai, which was recently added to the menu. My mom enjoys Mongolian beef. All ages eat here. Open for lunch and dinner, but not inbetween. Closed on Sunday.

I have given the House of Chen a several chances to impress, they have let me down on each visit. The food was good at their old location by North Grand Mall, but ever since moving to Lincoln Way the quality and service have been poor. The menu is uninspired, the food very bland, and the omnipresent waiter (owner?) thinks it is funny to put on a floor show by shouting his jokes to staff and customers alike. During my last and final visit he was dropping F-​bombs to the staff shouting over the heads of customers.
There are plenty of other great Asian restaurants in Ames, do yourself a favor any visit any one of those. *Any* one!

The best chinese in Ames hands down. I have been coming here for 10+ years and I still love it. All the dishes are full of flavor and spice.

This is absolutely one of the top two worst Chinese restaurants I’ve ever had the experience of dining with. The food was terrible in every possible way. The fried rice was practically white rice and partially frozen. And on top of that the sesame chicken and the general tsos chicken were identical, including their soggy texture. I’m glad I’m only here for a brief period of time.

fucking place makes their food like they don’t expect people from other states or cities to come and eat here! maybe cause this place is the only chinese spot amongst the locals here in Ames, IOWA?.I’m only here for a day but, feelin kinda pissy now… Unilocal rating for this place is bullshit! Everything is bland!

Great find! All 4 of our party ordered something different and we were all very happy with our food. Prices are fair and portions were just right. We loved the home made hot sauce! The owner was very nice and welcoming. We will definitely be back.

When you move away from a place, there are some foods from your youth that you remember as good, that when you revisit them again they don’t seem so good anymore. Either because the offering now is not what it was before, or your experiences since you moved away have shaped your tastes such that what was once good to you is no longer good.
Fortunately for me even though House of Chen has changed ownership, the recipes and the way they make the food are the same, and although I’ve experienced a lot since I left Ames, House of Chen is still pleasing to the palate.
The lunch special includes a cup of soup, rice, an eggroll, and whatever main dish you choose. I really like the way that House of Chen makes egg drop soup. The broth is thickened and there is no grease. The eggrolls do seem to have changed from what I remembered; I do miss the old style. The star of my meal was the moo goo gai pan. The pieces of chicken were big and very tender, and the mix of vegetables and the brown sauce were also delicious in exactly the way I remembered. As I did when I was young, I used the serving of fried rice to sop up the sauce left on my plate.
While I like that there have not been changes to the food, I wouldn’t mind if House of Chen added brown rice to the menu. While not traditional to what I remember, it would be a welcome healthier choice option to have available

We thought this place was going to be amazing based on the reviews… definitely a disappointment! The food was just okay and the atmosphere kind of creeped us out.

OMG everything I have heard about this is place is correct. The food is incredible the staff is very friendly. This will definitely be our new favorite place.

Stopped here during a business trip to Ames, IA. The place was hard to find and it is in a industrial strip mall. Food was OK. Ambiance was eh.

The food here is great! If you are able to order the Laotian specialties (I’m not sure they are always available), please do!
Service is always friendly and efficient, and I’ve never had anything less than a delicious, filling, and highly satisfying meal when eating at House of Chen!

Unilocal kept telling me that House of Chen was the best Chinese in Ames. We were hungry for Chinese. We decided to check it out.
It’s in a strip mall on east Lincoln Way, and I’d noticed it a couple times and completely forgotten about it. Rarely am I in that area, and when I am, I’m not looking for food. The restaurant is clean and brightly lit and it smells delicious. Our server was very sweet and helpful.
We started with egg rolls and fried dumplings. The dumplings rival Little Taipei’s.
I had the chef’s special chicken — breaded chicken in a spicy sauce with green peppers and onions. My boyfriend had the kung pao chicken, and we split an order of vegetable lo mein. Nothing disappointed. Though not as spicy as I’d like it, the chef’s special kitchen might be my favorite Chinese dish in town, and the lo mein was delicious too. My boyfriend’s kung pao chicken definitely had some heat.
I think House of Chen might have made its way into our hearts as our favorite Chinese restaurant in town.

My friend and I went there just because Unilocal shows it is high ranked CHINESE restaurant. It turns out everything is American-​style. I admit that it is a clean place, and people there are nice. Food is ok. No Chinese menu. No chopstick.

This is a family run restaurant on the east side of Ames. The area is under development, but food at this place is amazing and service that you can only expect at a family run establishment. My favorite is General Zou chicken and twice cooked pork is amazing also.

They have the best Chinese in Ames.

This is the first Chinese restaurant in Ames and they purported to have legitimate street cred with the number of 5 stars reviews on Unilocal.After their online menu stated that they have Scallion Pancakes and Peking Duck, I decided to visit with two of my friends to see what they’re all about.
It was full house on this evening as the atmosphere was busy and festive. The venue was small, well lit, but divey with a few wall hangers and no windows. To the right was a row of booths that juxtaposed lines of square tables to fill out the space. The clientele were locals from the area, and like most of the places in Iowa we received plenty of stares as the only Asians on that evening.
Interested diners should be aware that their address is not listed correctly on Unilocal.Their former location was nearby the mall, but they are now in East Ames on Lincoln within distance from Lincoln Way and Duff Ave. I learned this the hard way and went on detour before arriving at the current location. I was thankful that they kept our table. My friends came to get me since I’m still learning my ways around Ames.
Their current address is:
705 East Lincoln Way
Ames, IA 50 010
Phone: (515) 233‑3144
We started off with the four-​piece Scallion Pancakes ($ 2.60). It was deep fried and served with sweet and sour sauce. The thin texture reminded me of enlarged fried wonton skin, and the absence of green onion flavors had us scratching our heads. This dish was far from what Scallion Pancakes are supposed to be. We didn’t finish the appetizer and instead felt rather deceived for what we were given. I asked for a small dish of hot sauce to brighten the flavors, but it had staled as it obviously had lingered for who knows how long.
The bright spot of the night was the Peking Duck ($ 29.69). They needed 24 hours advanced ordering and it was roasted, deboned, and served with a side of scallions, hoisin sauce, and crepes. The crepes they used were served warm but rough – same as the ones used for mu shu. They duck presented with the breast meat at the top, purposefully piled high, and plated with the skin that surrounded the edges. The meat was fairly tender and especially moist with the thigh and darker pieces. I thought the support cast should have included fresh steamed buns; and for the price, the count on the skin suggests that we didn’t receive the whole duck. I was relieved that they didn’t deep-​fry the crepes, but I was also not expecting a mu shu duck experience.
Relatively speaking, the other barely passable dish of the night was the Pepper Steak ($ 8.15). It was stir fried with lots of bell peppers and onions with small to tiny pieces of beef that came with decent flavor. The infusion of the ingredients was adequate in bringing out the flavors. However, the overrepresentation of peppers, onions, and the small cuts of the purported «steak» were sources of disappointment.
In agreement, our least favorite dish was the Ginger Sauce Shrimp ($ 10). The size of the shrimps was too small and overwhelmed by the number of snow peas, carrots, onions, scallions, and water chestnut that were there. The taste of ginger was severely absent, instead, the sauce they used to bring the dish together oddly composed of ketchup and soy sauce. The flavor was tart and semi-​sweet at the same time. This is the worst baseline sauce I had experienced in my lifetime of eating Chinese food.
Service was kind and very friendly, but my water did not arrive until it was asked at the end of the meal. I’m not sure if the servers know all that much about Chinese cuisine, and interested diners should also note that tax is not listed separately on the bill. Overall, it was not a place to recommend for those who know intimately about Chinese cuisine. They also have two Lao dishes available, and a listing of Pad Thai dishes for those looking for something other than Chinese cuisine. Overhyped, with issues ranging from execution, flavor, and authenticity. I will not be coming back. 1.5 stars for the experience.

Laotian Laap and steamed Mook Gai chicken rocket this review in to the stratosphere. Two of the best Asian dishes in Ames served with sticky rice. Make sure to opt-​in on the hot sauce.

Food was awesome… I dont think it is chinese per say, I think it may be Vietnamese or something similar. I travel a ton for work and like to try different restaurants when I am in different cities. I had one of the specials of the day, mook gai — delicious… very spicy but I am okay with that. I love trying new things and I was very impressed with that. Step out of the general tso’s and chicken with broccoli box and I think you will be very happy! The host also recommended the phở and the other special they had… both of which I also debated on. Try something new!!!

Best Chinese in Ames! Trust me, I’m super picky with my asian. They sometimes have laos food too! :)
Service is always friendly, and husband and wife are wonderfully inspirational to talk to! This place is worth the trip time and time again. You wont find the extraordinary freshness and flavor anywhere else in the Ames area… all for very reasonable prices!
They keep the dining room very clean, and I haven’t yet gotten an upset stomach from eating here like I have from practically every other chinese restaurant I’ve been to in Ames. :(

Map is wrong. Now located about 5 blocks east of Duff on Lincoln Way on North Side of Lincoln.
I’ve lived all over the country and so have developed a knowledge of very good Chinese food. Ames doesn’t really have any good Chinese restuarants but House of Chen fills the need for the many regulars who go there. The food is hot and satisfying. Prices are very good. The family that owns and runs this restaurant really put their hearts into it. For adventure go off menu and ask the Chef for what he wants to cook for you. I’m a fan for the overall experience not because the food is exceptional.