Derry Express Chinese Restaurant

Love their food and cooks. The wonton soup is great. Wings are huge. Ribs are tasty. Rice and other orders are always packed full. Parking can be rough. But they deliver. However I pick mine up. They usually have to wait for me.

Derry Express doesn’t look like much on the outside but it is a great option for take out or delivery. It is not ideal for dining in unless you’re eating on the go. They have an open kitchen and you can watch them prepare the food which I like so you know no one is being sketchy with your food. The prices are reasonable and the portions on the dinner plates is great! I know the owner so I don’t have an issue with him, but yes, he does have his days but don’t we all?! I recommend: Singapore rice noodles, General Tso Chicken (ask for white meat for $ 1 extra!), chicken wings (well done), boneless spareribs, lobster sauce (best around), house fried rice, scallion pancakes, crag rangoon, chicken fingers, french fries w/​gravy, spring rolls, beef and chicken teriyaki, kung pao beef and lo mein.

The food I am told used to be better but has gone downhill in the last couple years. After ordering the food I must say I agree it is rather subpar. My wife and I bought the sesame chicken and chicken and broccoli with pork fried rice. The best part of the food? It was cooked to temp. The rest was all dark brown, greasy, slimy, bland, dry, and probably too many other words I cannot begin to imagine. I, despite my better judgement of the rather monochromatic food, ate the sesame chicken and it basically tasted like semi sweet soy sauce. The horrible sauce was far too thin in consistency and the overly floured (possibly starched) chicken absorbed most of it any way making it almost seem dry if that is possible.
When I brought the food to the store to say that I wanted a refund because my wife and I did not enjoy the food, I was interrogated. As if somehow it is my fault their food lacks certain quality standards. I was trying to be kind by just saying we didn’t like it and when I explained more of my reasons why it just made the person at the front (the owner?) more mad. This seems to be a common theme amongst other Unilocal reviewers, that the front desk staff is rude and thinks the worst of customers. He rather angrily gave me a refund as I asked but said he never wanted me to buy from him again which frankly will not be a problem.
As others have mentioned you can learn from your PAYING customers reviews Derry Express… listen to your customers concerns and do not make them out to be the enemy.

For take out chinese, it doesn’t get better. It’s your typical take out joint, just never had a single complaint. Perhaps they could improve the front of the house to make it seem cleaner. Otherwise, no issues here.

The guy at the front desk was very rude. He didn’t even welcome us and we wait and waited for him to take our order. I missed up saying the order and I did acknowledge it was my bad and he was very rude and told us to leave the resturant rudely. Very unhappy walking out and will not go back there ever again.

The quality of the food has dropped and it was only average to begin with. The service has taken a hit too and I’ve been hung up on more than once now when ordering. This place can join Chen’s and China Garden as another awful Chinese place in Derry, If you are looking in the area, try Kang’s Kitchen which will be my go to now. This place lacks everything and I won’t be back.

The WORST Chinese food I think I’ve ever encountered! Didn’t even eat it, it was so bad! How this place stays in business is beyond me

We ordered hot and sour soup, general taus chicken and Kung pao tofu and fried rice for delivery and it was the worst chinese food I’ve ever had. Soup was so sour I’m suspicious they must have spilled vinegar in there and the chicken was bland and sweet at the same time. Kung pao tofu was tasteless. Maybe I ordered all the wrong things but my whole family agrees we are not ordering from this place ever again. My stomach feels sick after eating the food. Stay away!

Its about what you would expect from the outside. Food is your typical «feel good» spare rib and fried rice. Its been here for a long time so they must be doing something right.

I got great service from this restaurant, but the food had no flavor. The reason I gave this 3 stars was purely based on the service. The chicken wings tasted like they were over fried and not seasoned. The chicken and broccoli tasted like it was just boiled. At least the broccoli wasn’t overcooked. I would love it if they would just try some salt and pepper.
I really hope that take these criticisms as suggestions. I live local to this restaurant and I would love to frequent this place because it is close to me. Thanks for reading

Best pork fried rice around… though their hours are strange. On busy nights (Fri & Saturday) you can tell they are in a rush (burnt rice) — food is always better when they’re slow.
Would suggest take-​out or delivery only.

it is what it is. food came fast and hot. no utensils, no dipping mustard, no napkins etc. there was a large plastic container with the brown fluid with the sugary orange taste… i think it is called duck sauce… but that is it. the brown paper bag smelled of cigarette smoke. the food is not quality food. the store front picture says it is. fast, easy like mcdonalds of chinese. the price is above the food value though big time. pu pu for 2, house fried rice and lo mein…$ 35. Most is fried and the meat skimpy. the fried rice has shredded lettuce like u would find on a cheap burger and the meat sparse, the «shrimp» is like chum. it is something u would get late late night with friends after partying that would hit the spot. do not recommend outside of that

I get takeout from them atleast twice a month. I use to enjoy trying out different places until I moved to Derry four years ago and tryed Derry Express for the first time. Now it is the only place I go for Chinese food. Plus, the soups are the best. My favorite is the Hot and Sour soup.

I’ve tried this place twice so far. My wife and I love to experience various Chinese food spots throughout the area. She is a fanatic… while I enjoy, but don’t cherish the food because of the sodium and grease content. We ordered takeout twice, because that’s their thing here. It’s not really suited for a sit down meal as there is only a scant amount of tables and chairs. The first takeout visit was fantastic! We placed the same combination dinner option order, which many Chinese restaurants offer. This is the «pick any three appetizers» served with fried rice. I chose the crab rangoon, beef teriyaki, and Chicken fingers, while my wife ordered the Chicken fingers, jumbo shrimp, and Chicken teriyaki. We also always enjoy the bbq spare ribs (on the bone) when available. Their’s were meaty and succulent! The food seemed cooked to order… fresh and tasty! The cooks and the owner are all business, while the ladies in front try to satisfy and accommodate any order. The second takeout order was made in advance… well in advance… since it was on New Years eve! This turned out to be a disaster! I figured I’d drop in to the place and order multiple Apps and Pork fried rice for our small gathering. I told the girl who wrote my order down, that I would like to pick up the food at 7:30 P.M. The owner/​head cook overheard this conversation, and quickly chimed in that there should be no more orders picked up for 7:30 because they had too many orders being picked up at that time and beyond that time. So… basically he was telling me to take this order home now. This order was being placed there at 3:00 pm. I had no intention of bringing home food mid afternoon for an evening party. The girl at the counter seemed to know that this was the standard, stressed out reaction by the owner (probably due to past new years eve experiences?) Anyway, the girl quietly whispered to me that 7:30 would be fine. And with a seemingly unconvincing smile, with a small dose of uncertainty… the order was scheduled for a 7:30 pickup. I, knowing full well that at this point, I would be waiting some time after the said time. I just did not know how much time! When I got there at 7:35 PM., there was a small army of people waiting for food. I silently cringed thinking that I might be walking into a war zone to see who’s food is ready. But at the same time thinking that… maybe these poor suckers must have ordered their food much later than me. Boy, was I wrong with the latter thought!!! The orders being tended to behind the counter were orders scheduled for pickup at 7:00 PM. Needless to say, I got home with my order late. One hour late. Lesson learned: order here the day before New Years Eve. The food quality also suffered due to the multitude of food that was prepared for the masses. Apps were a bit dry, rice was barely warm. I’ll give the Derry Express a pass on the New Years Eve order, and I sure am looking forward to that fresh, fast, and tasty food that first touched my palate!

Fantastic best Chinese in derry and a 40 mile radius at least

We used to love this place. They have the best food and friendly service until they hired the most unfriendly person i have ever met in my life. She is the rudest person ever.
We may try the resaurant again if she doesnt work there. We cant stand people that dont understand that we are there paying customer and that we are not bothering them.

This place is great. It doesn’t pretend to be anything more than it is — a small, Chinese fast food joint. The people are exceedingly friendly and the one time they switched up our order by mistake, we called them and they gave us free drinks for everyone who ordered with us the next time.
This is why I’m so surprised to read Stina’s comment — I can’t believe it was such a bad experience. I’m sure there was a misunderstanding. (And by the way, the number 4 actually comes with lobster sauce, so perhaps the mixup was on the customer’s end?)
Definitely check this place out if you’re looking for reasonably priced, fresh Chinese food. I’ve never been disappointed.

So I can only review this place based on professionalism because I was so disgusted with the «business» I could not even eat the food I paid for!!!
After being very specific about a order for delivery, we receive our food 40 mins later. We open the plates to find multiple unordered items, that included lobster sauce. Maybe not a big deal but with someone who is allergic to seafood this is a big mistake! So my brothers girlfriend calls to calmly state how we did not order what they brought and explained how we would like to have it fixed, the man states «Oh you think you can make your own personal combination plate? You said number 4!!» Um yea we should be able to order our own personal plate! Wth do you mean? So my brother gets on the phone and states how he is allergic to seafood and needs the order changed. He says «NO» and hangs up the phone!!! After paying almost 40 $ the audacity of this man to hang up on us! My brother calls back and asks to speak to a manager and gets hung up on yet again by the manager himself!!! So he and my husband decide to take the food back, when they walk into the restaurant the manager actually calls the police! They are giving us something different then what we already PAID for! As a business it is their duty to provide the customers what they ask for! So the police come and are no help. They say file a civil suit or take the food. Real fucking nice thanks alot. Never ever will I do business with these people even if the food was the best in the world. Worst customer service everrrrr!!!

Very average Chinese. We tried it a few times — it never knocked our socks off and we’ve since found better alternatives.
It’s in a great location and is always busy (the buildings on that corner need some serious TLC or possibly should be taken down and started from scratch.) Lock your cars while picking up your takeout orders.

Good place for Chinese takeout right smack in the center of Derry.
Each time I’ve driven by here, the place seems fairly busy. So I’m thinking, this place has to be pretty good. I decided to give Derry Express Chinese a try for dinner takeout. The place has no atmosphere with a couple of tables and worn out chairs in the waiting area. Derry Express Chinese offers a basic Chinese menu including Szechuan dishes and 25 all day combination specials ($ 3.75-$ 7.50). The prices here are very reasonable with most items under $ 10.
The place was very busy. The cooks in the open kitchen were hard at work cranking out the food for several orders (takeout and delivery) including a very large takeout order. I ordered Pork Lo Mein/​Beef Teriyaki/​Pork Egg Foo Young Combination ($ 7.00) served with a dinner roll and the food was ready in 15 minutes despite the craziness in the kitchen and eight other customers in the waiting area.
The portion of food was generous and very tasty. The egg foo young was covered in beef gravy, the 2 beef teriyaki sticks were tender and tangy, and the lo mein had water chestnuts, green peppers, vegetables, and lots of pork. I couldn’t finish it. Now I see why this place is so popular.
NOTE: No personal checks accepted.