Yan Yan Chinese Cuisine
| Address: | 3305 Lancaster Dr NE, Salem, OR 97305, USA |
| Phone: | +1 503-581-3017 |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–9:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
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Chris Jumonville
I dont get it, I really dont. I tried this place out because of all the overwhelmingly positive reviews on Yelp. My thought was that if this many people liked it, it must be good. Boy was I wrong... I mean WOW, the food here is terrible. Now first and foremost Id like to say that when it comes to food, everyone has different taste, so what is bad to me, might not be bad to others. I would also like to say that the service here was very good, and it didnt take long to get my food, get seated, or get my bill. Everyone was also very friendly. My complaint is the food, so lets detail what I ordered: - Potstickers - Large bowl of hot and sour soup - Sesame chicken - Szechuan chicken - Chicken fried rice The pot stickers were a bit undercooked. They were cold or anything, I just felt like they could have been slightly more crispy. Instead they were a bit too slimy and moist, which isnt how Im used to eating potstickers. The hot and sour soup is the worst. First off, why is there onions in it? I dont think Ive ever seen any Chinese restaurant put onions in hot and sour soup. Secondly, the soup is the most bland version of hot and sour Ive ever had. If you want good hot and sour soup with good taste, go to Lucky Garden in Salem, Hunan Pearl in Lake Oswego, or Wus Open Kitchen in Tigard. This soup really had very little hot, and very little sort. It was honestly bland and barely edible. The Szechuan chicken was actually good, my complaint about it is that it was almost entirely vegetables and maybe one a handful of chicken. Im sorry, but I didnt order a chicken dish to have it be predominantly vegetables, that makes no sense, and it feels like they took me for my money completely. Now onto the worst Chinese dish I have ever had in my life... The sesame chicken! I ordered this because generally this is a safe bet at any Chinese restaurant. Sesame chicken is supposed to be a lightly fried chicken with a sesame based sauce on it, that is very sweet, but often times a little spicy as well. Not the case here. They brought out what appeared to be deep fried chicken nuggets (it almost was) with sesame seeds that were visibly fried in with the breading on the chicken! There wasnt one bit of sauce anywhere on it. I asked the waitress why there wasnt any sauce, and she told me that sesame chicken doesnt have sauce. I didnt bother arguing at all, but took a photo of this and sent it to almost everyone I know. Everyone said the same thing... "Where is the sauce?". In addition to that, the chicken was so fried that it was hard and tough to chew. I ate one bite (literally) and didnt touch it at all after that. Ive never been to ANY Chinese restaurant in my life that served sesame chicken without sauce, let alone deep fried it this much. If Gordon Ramsay were to sit down and eat this sesame chicken... Oh wow! Last but not least, the chicken fried rice. WORST FRIED RICE I HAVE EVER HAD! It was bland, it was baseless, the chicken used in it was fatty and had actual hard chunks in it, and they added bean sports to it as well (who the hell adds bean sprouts to their fried rice!?). My idea of fried rice is the kind you get at Benihana, that is what fried rice should taste like. I had three bites of this and not a single bite more. Ive been to almost every Chinese restaurant in Salem, and this one is by far the worst. Like I said, the service is great, but the food is complete garbage, I cant even stress that enough. If I didnt know better, I would say that they probably are cooking their garbage! If you want good Chinese food (in my opinion) in Salem, I stand by my belief that Lucky Garden is the best. Go have sesame chicken or hot and sour soup there if you want to know what it should taste like. All I can say is that the overwhelmingly positive reviews on this place were incredibly deceptive. I learned my lesson though. Just because people on Yelp think its good (or bad), doesnt mean it is!
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Jacob Wood
I went here on a Thursday evening and the place was packed. As a result, the service was slow--I overheard one guy say "I was told my food would be ready in 15 minutes and that was 35 minutes ago." The waitress didnt even give an apology, it was just "Oh, well it should be about 5 more minutes." Given that the place looked dirty on the inside as well as the out, I turned around and walked out. I wouldnt even bother to rate the place if it werent for the fact that I have also had their food before via takeout. It was reasonably priced, but it wasnt very satisfying. There are better nearby Chinese food places in Salem that wont waste as much of your time and have much friendlier staff. Id steer clear of this place if I were you.
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Daleer Badiei
I love this place. It looks a little like a dump on the outside. The inside isnt much better as far as layout and decor, but the seats are comfortable and the servers are friendly. Once you start eating you forget your lackluster surroundings. The food is really fabulous; the best food Ive found in Salem so far. Try their sesame chicken! If I want better tasting Chinese food I drive to Wilsonville; but in Salem they are my favorite. The portions are huge and I will be too soon.
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Rebecca Rushford
Im not going to say that this is the best Chinese I be had, but I will say this is my favorite place in town. You get a lot of good food for a little miney. Im that difficult customer that always wants to substitute something, and they always accommodate to me and are so nice. Dining in is always pleasant, but Ive ordered take out/delivery many times and they always get the order right and include the soup, and all the sauces you could need without even asking for it. I recommend !
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martha wright
We ordered from your restaurant for the first Time. Wow what good food you serve. I will never order a pizza again, I found you when I told my son there has to be other places that deliver. To think of all the money I wasted on Pizzas, when we could have had good food from you folks. I am going to tell all my family on face book where to get good food. Only at Yan Yan Chinese Cuisine on Lancaster Dr. Thank you so much. Martha Wright
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Irvin Wilson
Wow. Need to temper some of these reviews. Yes, its a LOT of food for the money (you could easily split one of their specials) but frankly Id be happier with half the food if they bumped the quality of the ingredients a bit. Their cashew walnut chicken wasnt good at all but the kung pao chicken was ok. Certainly better than something like Panda Express (and barely more $) and is clean but not fantastic by any means.
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Carolyn Reynosa
The food is excellent as well as the service. My order was to go and I had my baby daughter with me in her carrier and he helped me out to my car and put the food in the front seat while I put my daughter in the car. He was very personable, kind and accommodating. The portions are big and for a great price. The chicken chow mein, egg flower soup and the fried rice was top notch. I will definitely be going back!
