Mei-Hon Tsing Tao sits catty-corner from the Arizona Daily Star's main office, at the intersection of East Irvington Road and South Park Avenue. It's a favorite spot for newsies with the munchies.
The restaurant serves Americanized Chinese food. Greasy lo mein, crispy fried egg rolls and sweet orange chicken are some of its signature dishes.
Owner Mymy Wang was born in Vietnam, but considers herself Chinese.
"There is a large Chinese population in Vietnam," she says. "We grew up speaking Chinese in our house."
Wang, 49, was raised in the capital city of Saigon (since renamed Ho Chi Minh City) but fled the war-torn country in 1978 and spent two years in a refugee camp in Malaysia before relocating to Seattle.
She and her husband moved to Tucson in the mid-'80s because his family lived here.
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In 1988, Wang opened Mei-Hon at the intersection of West Ajo Way and South 12th Avenue. She moved the restaurant to its current location in 1996 when her old lease expired.
"This is a good location," she says. "I get Raytheon business here. And of course you guys, too."
The vibe
Ceiling tiles are stained. Beer advertisements hang in crooked frames. The buffet that houses hot trays of spring rolls and fried rice during the lunch hour is unplugged in the evenings and is used to store fried noodles and fortune cookies, which are haphazardly tossed in the bins.
In short, this place is a dive.
But like many members of our newsroom, Mei-Hon's appearance isn't an accurate predictor of its performance.
The food
On a recent Saturday afternoon, four of us went to Mei-Hon for dinner.
We dispensed with the appetizers (an eggroll is an eggroll is an eggroll, you know?) and went straight for the main course.
The sauteed bean sprouts ($7) with green onions were crispy and even our meat-eating friends found them surprisingly flavorful.
James and Brandon, the meat eaters in our group, ordered the Kung Pao Three Delight ($9.20), which was listed under the chef's specialties. It had chicken, beef and shrimp, and the guys said it was satisfactory, but a little heavy on sauce and light on shrimp and the accompanying bamboo shoots, peppers, green onions and water chestnuts. Overall, it was their least favorite dish.
Maybe the most popular entree was the Mongolian tofu ($7.85) — fried tofu cubes served with sauteed onions, red chile peppers and broccoli over a bed of rice crisps. The dish had a pleasant heat and a not-too-strong sweetness, as well as a satisfying crunch.
We walked away full and happy, as usual.
Mei-Hon Tsing Tao
1030 E. Irvington Road.
• Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturdays, noon-9 p.m. Sundays.
• Online: mei-hon.com
The bill
Kung Pao Three Delight: $9.20
Stir fry bean sprouts with green onions: $7
Mongolian tofu: $7.85
Total (before tax and tip): $24.05
