Noodleholics
Locations: 3502 E. Grant Road; 7850 N. Oracle Road
When in doubt, go to Noodleholics. Its housemade noodles are a consistent crowd-pleaser. While everything on their menu is good, when you find the thing that you like best, it’s hard to branch out. Their Guilin regional specialties shine, like the rice noodle dishes at the center of their menu. But my favorite, personally, is the Sichuan beef noodle, which offers tender meat in a heady, numbing broth. The Oro Valley location has vegan options!
Chef Wang
Location: 356 E. Grant Road
Chef Wang has a big menu. It’s a Chinese restaurant in the style of the cold Dongbei region, which favors hearty tapas to be shared by the table. Dongbei specialties include jiaozi (饺子), a delicate boiled dumpling. The cabbage and pork jiaozi at Chef Wang are not-to-be-missed — I always regret not ordering them.
A hallmark ingredient of the region is sauerkraut, which is especially worth trying in their rich stews. If you want a more familiar gateway item, the guo bao pork (锅包肉), fried sweet and sour pork, is another signature dish of the region.
While you can order from the “Popular Dishes in America” or Sichuan portions of the menu, you’re missing the best stuff.
81 Hong Kong Cafe
Location: 625 E. Wetmore Road
I was told to order 81 Hong Kong Cafe’s chicken bites and basil eggplant by Isabella Joffroy (@yelptucson), and that was one of my favorite meals of 2022. The basil eggplant has a beautiful, custardy texture and generous flavor. The fried chicken bites are the best popcorn chicken in Tucson. I reheated the leftovers for lunch for days and didn’t get tired of them once.
Honorable mentions: Sushi Lounge and Go Dim Sum for dim sum.
