We really enjoyed Fantasy Island. I had been here on occasion with friends when younger, but this was not my family's Chinese restaurant, so I wasn't super familiar. Everyone says it has gone downhill, but I cannot compare, and we liked our experience. Maybe they are working on improving. Service was friendly. We shared the chicken fingers, moo shi, chicken with asparagus, and chow mein. My dad had a hot and sour soup, and him and I shared a Fog Cutter. We both liked the drink. The chicken fingers were hot and delicious, and my dad, who never likes them, was a fan. I do not normally eat moo shi or chow mein and thought both were good here. The chicken with asparagus was tasty, though personal preference is for thinner stalks. Our cocktail was strong. It was quiet inside, though we visited a bit later in the evening. I hope they continue to do well, as they have been a Salem mainstay forever. I am looking forward to returning. read more

See all

Once a week I have to go and get my fixed. Their food does not have sodium glutamate. As far as I know when I leave here I don't feel like I can drink a reservoir through a garden house so that's good for me cause I usually get a big thirst and I'll try almost everything on their menu. I'm a big fan of their egg foo young chicken egg foo young that is and I'm a big fan of their lo mein, chicken, lo mein and I also like boneless spareribs my wife likes their chicken finger my wife likes the chicken fingers and I like the crab Rangoon and the dumplings pork dumplings. That is I'm getting hungry I gotta. read more

Fantasy Island - Back at fantasy Island with Ernest another great meal and the prices are right - Chinese Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

I really wanted to love Fantasy Island in Salem because the menu sounded great, but my experience was unfortunately not the best. I ordered crab Rangoon, and while the flavor was decent, I was shocked to find a small screw inside one of them. Thankfully, I noticed it before taking a bite, but it definitely ruined the meal for me. The staff was polite when I brought it up, but something like this shouldn't happen at all--it made me question the kitchen's quality control. Hoping this was just a one-time mistake, but I'd be hesitant to order again anytime soon. read more

First visit after hearing about their excellence at old school Chinese. East parking. Oddly a little divey looking from the sign and the exterior, but a modern, respectable interior without any tiki decor. Went with apps, entrees, and a combination plate to get just the right amounts. Okay, more than the right amounts. Spareribs on the Bone: Elite. Among the top 5 I've had within the last five years, with all the bases covered. Red glazy finish, ample but not overdone to the point where you wonder if they're hiding anything. Nice char, and not overdone to the point where anyone could accuse them of being burnt. Very meaty. Very tender. Most importantly, great flavor, from outside and in. Cross-sections extremely juicy. Fresh tasting. Can't wait have them again. Egg Rolls: Excellent rendition, with no special features, but every aspect was well done: good size, very crisp exterior, very moist interior, with more cabbage than celery, and more pork than most other places. Teriyaki: Not elite but very, very good. Thin, but with thick teriyaki tenderness. Elite on tenderness, actually; just a little light (but not lacking) on flavor. I'd still get them again. Maybe the early visit (hit them on opening) meant less marinade time. Wings: Very crisp. Very juicy. Not much flavor. Pork Fried Rice: Tried on a combo, this was good, with some of that dark old school flavor but more of a sticky rice texture. Gigantic chunks of roast pork. Somewhat mushy. Potentially elite; gotta try one more time. A full order of the subgum pork fried rice had all the same qualities plus extra vegetables. Sweet and Sour Chicken: Very good. The chicken fingers were all crisp with good batter, but meat-to-batter ratio varied. Pineapples and cherries abundant. Unique clear sweet sauce. Deep flavor with both sweet and sour. "Fantasteak": Surprisingly good surprise item, ordered as one of the appetizers on the sweet-and-sour chicken combination plate to minimize the commitment. Basically steak tips done teriyaki style. Very, very, very good. Will be a full order next time. Good crust outside, tender and pink inside. Just like the sticks, they were just a little light on flavor but not lacking. Can't wait to have more. Pork Egg Foo Yong: Okay. Nothing special. Not as tender as most. Decent enough gravy. Very reasonable prices. Very friendly service. Felt like home. read more

See all

We love to order from FI! Always always always - scallion pancakes. That is my non negotiable! We've never eaten inside but it is beautiful and large. I'm excited to venture out there and experience the service next time! read more

Great Christ,as menu. Great staff. Ordered in person to go, only took 20 minutes & out the door. Can't wait to go back.

Fantasy Island is the area's go to American Chinese restaurant. Tonight we got a take out order consisting of crab rangoon, moo goo gai pan and beef lo mein. The first two were great, but the lo mein was so salty (too much soy sauce) that I was super thirsty all night. The young man working the front desk was super friendly. It's been years since I've eaten here. Next time I'd steer clear of the lo mein. read more

First time eating in this place and was surprised by how good the food was considering the rating. The soft shell crab and the soup was really good. Ambience was also great with nice classical music. The people were really friendly. read more

Hadn't been here in 20 years, and won;t be back. It was terrible then, it is terrible now. Food tastes like cleaning fluid. Just gross.

Came here a month or so ago before a meeting with a group of friends. We ordered a bunch of apps and hot tea. Everything came out fresh, hot and nicely plated! We had to get a few refills of the tea, it really hit the spot that night! Its a bit run down on the inside but the service was excellent and for 8 ppl the total bill was $80!!! read more

I shall never return. I have been going to this restaurant for over 50 years since it was part of the China Sails chain. Last week, I ordered two dishes, a Shrimp and Pea Pods and a Beef and Broccoli. When I picked it up, the owner/manager was making fun of my first name, not once but several times. My parents owned a restaurant in Lynn. They never made fun of their customers. They thanked them for coming in. The Shrimp dish was lacking the Shrimp. And the Beef dish was extremely tough. I could not cut it with a knife. The worst part was the dishes had a lot of MSG. I get terrible stomach pain when I eat food with MSG. My sister's ankles swelling from the MSG. The following evening I went in to watch the end of the Celtics game. I arrived at 930 and the door was closed. The restaurant closes at 10pm on Thursday. I got inside and people were at the bar. I was not served even a Coke. Bar Closed. 10 minutes left in Game 5 of the Celtics and I am told to leave the restaurant. The following day, my friend tells me that their under new ownership. Well they just lost a longtime loyal customer. read more

Just bad... Which is sad. Rice has no flavor and came out in like two minutes.. Sketchy AF. The boneless spare ribs were fine but many pieces were tough so it made me think that older batches were mixed in with fresher batches. read more

I would never return to this restaurant granted the food is fresh and drinks are great but the service not so great they rush you out and then they approach you if they don't think you didn't give them a good enough tip and have the nerve to ask you for more money for a tip read more

For those of you that are new to the area, Fantasy Island has been serving the area for over 30 years. I've been enjoying their great apps and drinks since my days at Salem State College, now Salem State University. If you are in the mood to sample scrumptious juicy spareribs, chicken wings cooked to perfection, fresh rice etc washed down with an Asian drink or two this is the place... also check out the lunch specials they are large and affordable.. sometimes they even have live entertainment. Keno is played in the bar area. parking is no problem as they have a large private lot. Give Fantasy Island a try.... I give Fantasy Island a Solid 4 Stars read more

Great food. It's constantly delicious. Plenty of options and plates to choose from. Just a solid location for classic Chinese food. read more

Fantasy Island - Egg roll, Chicken Fingers, Boneless ribs and pork fried rice. - Chinese Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

Fast service, delicious, awesome ! Great variety on menu! Perfect for eat in or delivery. Local hotspot!

food used to be good . now its disgusting bland nooooo flavor save your money!!!!!as shrimp fried rice taste like mush

My family grew up eating at Fantasy Island, and 2 decades ago, it was the place to go; always fresh, reliable food. Often, my family would spend upwards of $100 each visit, as it was my grandmother's favorite. Like I said, it never failed in the taste department. Very sad to say, those days are over. I had such high hopes, but was left so disappointed. The quality of the food, and the care put into preparing it that was so thoughtfully done years ago, just isn't there anymore, hasn't been for quite some time. It has always been a fun place for karaoke on a weekend night, but that's about as far as it goes these days. read more

Not a bad place not fancy,not high quality food but good comfort local Chinese food. The service is excellent. People are very family oriented very nice read more

I've been going here forever and ever since owners have changed its has gone down hill. I was sad when I moved out of Salem because this is one of my favorite restaurants but when I'm in the area I usually take advantage and have dinner there. I even had my birthday dinner there over the summer. I just went there tonight and we were served our drinks and food very quickly as usual. But after that are waitress never came back to the table, I had to flag her down for drink refills and as I was eating my Pork Fried Rice I found a piece of plastic. When I showed her all I got for a response was "No problem". We waited almost 45 mins to get take out boxes and our check. I had to ask another waitress. Our waitress was more concerned about the 2 big parties that came in after we got our food. I'm very disappointed in the service we received tonight and it definitely showed in her tip. Of course they do not have an email address in there contact info on their website. I hope they see this so they can fix this issue. Especially the PLASTIC PIECE IN THE FOOD AND NOT EVEN A SORRY. I wasn't looking for free meal, the sorry would have been enough. read more

First time ordering from here. We tried their vegetable lo mein, fried shrimp, beef teriyaki, crab rangoons, and steamed vegetables. Nothing particularly stood out from other Chinese restaurants and was typically slightly pricey. Given its location, I may or may not order from here again. read more

I have been going to fantasy island since I was a kid, they have in my opinion the best Chinese food around that area, and the best I have ever had. Their portions are tremendous and it's all flavor. It doesn't have that cheap taste where it becomes generic. Prices are fair for what you are getting. They have a good size menu with plenty of options. Some of my favorites are the egg rolls, scallion pancakes, crab Rangoon, and my favorite dish would be the shrimp fried noodles with vegetables. They also offer a bar with karaoke. I highly recommend trying this place. read more

Fantasy Island - Crispy noodles with shrimp and vegetables Crab Rangoon and fried rice - Chinese Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

I always love coming here for the good food and drinks that they have and I love how I can link the juke box to my phone and play music I love very inexpensive very good piña colada strawberry daiquiris with rum scorpion bowls that will definitely get u lit very nice atmosphere I would highly recommend this place to anyone new to the area looking for good 5 star Chinese food read more

Fantasy Island - Chinese Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

If you have not been here in a while, you are missing some really great Chinese food. This is not the old Fantasy Island. New owner,Joyce, has done great changes to the menu. Items may appear the same in print, but taste is incredible. Please do not think that if you want those ribs on the bone, you'll die and go to heaven. You owe it to yourself read more

Been searching for quality Chinese in the North South. This place definitely hits the mark! Fantastic food and the people are always so friendly. I will need to eat in to get the full experience, but the takeout is always fresh and wonderful! Make sure to grab some egg rolls and the Fantasy Island rice with your next meal! read more

Most horrible Chinese food in the universe. I jave had a lot of chinese food in my life but i this place has shockingly horrible food. The teriyaki was dry and the fried rice was almost black. I didn't add any sauce to the rice it was already like that went it arrived. Shame cus i heard good reviews. read more

Fantasy Island - Fried rice - Chinese Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

Fantasy Island is not a fantasy at all. Do not go here start yelling the second we get in there it was completely dead silent. They just stood at our table and didn't say a word, and then there was Cocomelon being blasted by an employee in the corner of the restaurant. The food came out fast, but it was greasy and horrible. It made me not even wanna touch, and the Lady was mad and slammed it and we thought the tip was included but it wasn't and she screamed at us across the restaurant bad read more

Noooooo!!! I grew up in Salem, and moved out of state for work. Back in the area tonight visiting family, I had a craving for Fantasy Island. If you're from the area, you know their rice was unbelievable. It was super fresh, flavorful and smelled like deliciousness that instantly made your mouth water. The restaurant desperately needs a mini refresh on the exterior. Instead of it feeling like the island escape it use to be, it's worn and dated and depressing. It use to be better maintained and felt special. (First.. some positives.. The front desk was very friendly, and my order was made on time and was hot. The sesame chicken was good better than the average takeout.) *** The disappointment .. I am sad to report that their rice is no more. My combo plate's rice was over saturated in soy sauce. Gross!! Looks like they steamed rice followed by dumping a bottle of soy sauce and throwing in some veggies and large over cook chunks of pork. The new owner needs to get the original rice recipe and bring it back!! How did they not get the recipe? Why did they change it to this deplorable chocolate looking mud rice. The thought of not having the old rice again, compelled me to write this in hopes they will see this, and it will come back lol womp :( It would have been 5 stars for sure if it was tbe original. read more

This is where you want to go for greasy American style Chinese food. And I'm not saying that as a bad thing. Since the new owners took over a few years ago the food has definitely improved, tasty and hot every time and the best Mai tais! Great place for a Friday or Saturday night when you want to pig out and get a little tipsy. If fantasy ever closes I don't know what my family will do. We love fantasy! read more

It's crazy Fantasy has only a 3 star rating on Yelp. I have been going there probably once a month on average for years, and never once had a Bad Dine-in or Takeout experience. I don't think there is a Chinese restaurant on the North shore close to their level, and that includes the big one on Route one Saugus read more

So I wanted to share my experience with this iconic restaurant of the North Shore. My friend Joe had it in his head that it would only be an hour and a half to order food, delivered, to his home in Salem... on New Years Eve (^v^) XD I ordered promptly at 6pm, and told food would be ready by 8:15 and it would be pick-up only. Jokes on me 'cause I'm going out to get it. Oh what fun going out on New Years Eve. First, the restaurant was PACKED! and there were quite a few angry people. It was insanity. But, I kept my cool and just hung out and waited, and waited, and waited for the food. Fortunately the manager gave out free drinks because their time estimates were way off, and people waited so long. I didn't get my order until 9:05 pm. Other people would gripe and complain about the wait, but this was New Years man. I get why it took 3 hours for the order, because everyone wanted Chinese for New Years. I thought the staff were pleasant and handled it quite well, despite how unreasonable people can be. Food is amazing by the way. Only way to go for New Years, even if you have to wait 3 hours for it. read more

We had a 94 birthday party for my mother on 6/17/23. There were 39 adults & 8 kids . They food , all the staff (especially Karen) was amazing . We had the whole back of the dining room . They were so accommodating . I highly recommend Fantasy Island for your take out , in house or family get togethers . read more

I just ordered food from there like forty minutes ago and it came in pretty good time. I've never gotten their food before so I didn't know what to expect, but I honestly have to say this is a review that I'd normally not write. So they almost completely got my order wrong. I ordered a combo that came with sweet and sour pork, pork fried rice, and pork chow mein. Instead, I got pork fried rice, chicken fingers, and pad Thai. But honestly? I'm not even mad. I'm not disappointed. I'm not upset and I'm not complaining. This will sound weird but so the chicken fingers were mixed in sweet and sour sauce and you know how chicken fingers from American Chinese restaurants are those fried food type things? Well let me tell you something... I think these Fantasy Island chefs are onto something with putting them into sweet and sour sauce, whether it was intentional or not. It was so good, like they should put it on their menu honestly. So yeah. I'm not even mad even though I hate pad Thai lol. Those chicken fingers with sweet and sour sauce just saved it all. PS. It also helps that I had also ordered Tiramisu and tiramisu is literally my favorite thing in the world read more

I haven't been here in years. Just ordered chicken fried rice, crab rangoons, chicken fingers and chicken teriyaki and everything was fantastic, hot and fresh. The delivery came a lot faster than quoted too. Will definitely order again soon! read more

This pace was terrible! First off, I had a reservation for 10 people as we were celebrating a dual birthday. We arrived and there was a table waiting for us set for 8. I grabbed two more chairs and was ready to squeeze in when I was rudely stopped by the man working there...telling me that some of our party had to sit separately across the way in the booth. Glad I called to make a reservation, so myself and others could feel like we were not part of the larger group...but whatever. Oh, I should mention we were there for karaoke in the lounge specifically. Everyone started ordering their drinks and the rude guy was our waiter...yay...so I ordered a Fog Cutter, I was told "no" I wanted a Mai-Tai...they are the best! Trying not to be difficult I ordered a Mai-Tai...I'm sure they don't even know how to make Fog Cutters. Needless to say the Mai-Tai's were not good. Loaded with fake ingredients and low quality booze. I could tell from the first taste that if I drank of a lot of those I would end the night sick. My fiends seemed happy though, so again..I went along with it. Some of my group ordered food and they seemed content for the most part. The karaoke was ok, nothing special...good selection of songs, but poor quality system. I reluctantly ordered a second Mai-Tai...hey, don't judge we were there there for a while. Oh, I also noticed around this time that my first glass was broken...when I told the rude waiter, he literally just shrugged his shoulders. My second Mai-Tai came eventually, when he went to place it on my table...he was there was no cocktail napkin, so he turned around and grabbed a USED DIRTY napkin from the table behind him (which happened to be where my other friends were sitting) and put that napkin down in front of me...eeeeeewwwwwww. Finally, it was time to wrap up...since I was off at another table I was not the sober one handling the money situation...I did however see the waiter walk behind my friends chair and pick something up...at the time I did not think anything of it, but when we were short on the bill and it appeared that money had vanished...my guess is that one of my friends dropped money and the rude waiter pocketed it. CLASSY!!! SIDE NOTE: two of my friends spent the night puking...and they did not drink enough to have caused that... read more

Fantasy Island - My broken Mai-tai glass. Drink was gross and I hate broken glasses. The waiter jut shrugged at me when I told him. - Chinese Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

I usually love this place. But today when I ordered my plate, it wasn't a happy time. The food was good but I cut my tongue on a piece of glass! Work lunch break ruined. read more

Worst Chinese food I've ever had. Completely inedible. Everything was fried beyond recognition. We threw out practically the whole meal. read more

I have 1 word to decribe: Garbage. Garbage, greasy food. Garbage, service no matter what time you go. Garbage, wierd 'envelope slipping' atmosphere. Go here if you're looking to get your feet wet in the seedy underworld of the Noth Shore. Avoid if you have a pulse. read more

I drove from Boston to show off the Fantasy Island Karaoke to a friend of mine. That's right. From Boston. The staff was super super friendly and attentive and truly seemed to know all of the regulars and were glad to see them. We were out-of-towners, but were treated just as kindly. The regulars that go seem OK enough. Unfortunately, the only complaints that i have about the place pertain the customers who were sitting near us all night. This is not exactly a super gay-friendly area- so be warned... many a song lyric was changed by our nearby sing-along table to include some incredibly rude, anti gay and/or racist stuff. Yahoos. But for the most part, people were nice and went out of their way to compliment each other on their singing. On to the food. It is really good American Chinese food... made better by a tropical cocktail like a scorpion bowl or Mai Tai. The rice was a little dry- and the Chicken fingers were greasy... but isn't that what you WANT in Chinese food?! I highly recommend a trip up there for the karaoke nights (thu, fri, sat)- not so much for the food- and definitely not for the occasional sporadically degrading locals. I give F.I. a four, because you can't choose your customers... read more

Fantasy Island - Thurs fri sat karaoke. - Chinese Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

Pretty good New England Chinese food. Crab Rangoon really good. Not much crab, but fresh tasting.