![]() (Pekin Noodle Parlor in Butte, Montana, which opened in 1911, currently claims the title.)įounded at a time when Chinese immigrants faced steep structural barriers in all aspects of life alongside pervasive racism, the history of King Ying Low is actually one history of Chinese Americans in the Midwest - and America. At least a century old, King Ying Low was not only the oldest still-operating restaurant in Des Moines it was one of the oldest still-operating Chinese American restaurants in the entire country. The films are widely considered controversial since the titular role of Charlie Chan was often played by an actor in yellowface.īeneath all this, Fong's sits on a small piece of American history: the remodeled remains of King Ying Low, a vintage Chinese American restaurant that closed permanently in 2008 with little fanfare. The “Fong” in Fong’s Pizza is an homage to Benson Fong, a Chinese American actor famous for his roles in Charlie Chan movies, a popular series of films from the mid–20th century. ![]() The cultural tensions at work are illustrated in the origins of its name, chosen by a partner in the restaurant group that owns the place who also considers himself a movie buff. ![]() The pizza is made on a crust as thin and white as a saltine cracker. The menu features Chinese cheese sticks (mozzarella cheese encased in an egg roll wrapper and served with marinara sauce) alongside crab rangoon pizza (the expected combination of cream cheese and artificial crab mixed with Asiago and mozzarella cheese, topped with a sweet chili sauce and crispy wontons). Food and The Best Thing I Ever Ate - is a Frankenstein exercise in American fusion. When you walk in, the booths in the narrow room and the mural of a heron on the back wall may seem like you’ve just entered a traditional Chinese American restaurant.īut to the left, there’s a fully stocked midcentury tiki bar that serves craft beer on tap and cocktails in heavy plastic cups etched with cartoonish iconography.įong's - a popular restaurant that’s been featured on shows like Man v. Fong’s Pizza is one of the weirdest places in Des Moines.
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