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This Unassuming Downtown Gem Has Served Up Authentic Szechuan Cuisine Since the 1970s

By on Fri, Feb 1, 2019 at 10:01 pm

Yum Yum Chinese Restaurant sits between abandoned storefronts at 909 Race Street, looking as unassuming and empty as the vacant spaces surrounding it. While their hours are listed as 6-9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, they are regarded more as a suggestion rather than a rule; don’t expect to be served right away if you show up at 6 o’clock sharp. Unlike their hours, the cash-only payment is non-negotiable. Yum Yum serves spicy and flavorful Sichuan (or Szechuan) style Chinese food and can accommodate lesser-seasoned palates by giving diners the option to choose the spice level of their dish on a scale of 0-10. After opening in 1975, the décor, staff and menus (with inflation-adjusted prices penciled in) have remained the same. The two-person staff is married couple Tom and Mei Li who immigrated from Taiwan to Cincinnati sometime in the 1960s. Tom singlehandedly runs the floor, taking orders, topping off water glasses, making helpful suggestions and bussing tables throughout the dinner service. Meanwhile, Mei stays behind the scenes, doling out cups of hot and sour soup as well as steamy piles of egg noodles for Tom to pick up and deliver to the dining room. Food-wise, Yum Yum Mein, Sichuan Pepper Steak and Ding Dong Chicken are still crowd favorites, and the prix fixe dinners haven’t gone out of style just yet. Dessert is, as expected, a fortune cookie for each guest, and after-dinner coffee will run you 40 cents, if you can spare it. Guests don’t come for quick service and Americanized Chinese food; they come for Mei’s cooking and Tom’s kind, attentive tableside manner. Together, The Li’s have remained relentlessly authentic for almost 45 years. (Excerpted from a feature by Sami Stewart)
Photos by Hailey Bollinger
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Located on downtown's Race Street, Yum Yum Chinese Restaurant is only open 6-9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and the business hours are regarded more as a suggestion rather than a rule.
Hailey Bollinger
Located on downtown's Race Street, Yum Yum Chinese Restaurant is only open 6-9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and the business hours are regarded more as a suggestion rather than a rule.
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The front dining space has more of a casual diner feel, while the back space seems to focus on sit-down service. Owners Tom and Mei are not as spritely as they were when they first opened their restaurant around 45 years ago.
Hailey Bollinger
The front dining space has more of a casual diner feel, while the back space seems to focus on sit-down service. Owners Tom and Mei are not as spritely as they were when they first opened their restaurant around 45 years ago.
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A boxy television set with lopsided antennae projects the evening news from the corner. It’s the only link to reality in a place that seems to be cemented in the 1970s — and it’s certainly louder than the doorbell.
Hailey Bollinger
A boxy television set with lopsided antennae projects the evening news from the corner. It’s the only link to reality in a place that seems to be cemented in the 1970s — and it’s certainly louder than the doorbell.
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On the way to the dining room, guests walk through a hallway plastered with hundreds of images of diners past, with their feathered hair and double-breasted sports coats.
Hailey Bollinger
On the way to the dining room, guests walk through a hallway plastered with hundreds of images of diners past, with their feathered hair and double-breasted sports coats.
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The space has accumulated knickknacks, some may call it clutter, over the past several decades that have transformed this sleepy eatery into a museum of its own history.
Hailey Bollinger
The space has accumulated knickknacks, some may call it clutter, over the past several decades that have transformed this sleepy eatery into a museum of its own history.
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A prix fixe for two runs just over $40 and starts off with hot and sour soup, with its mélange of textures ranging from soft tofu to crunchy scallions, and an order of egg rolls fresh from the fryer.
Hailey Bollinger
A prix fixe for two runs just over $40 and starts off with hot and sour soup, with its mélange of textures ranging from soft tofu to crunchy scallions, and an order of egg rolls fresh from the fryer.
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Hot and sour soup
Hailey Bollinger
Hot and sour soup
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Tom suggests slicing the egg roll lengthwise, spooning a line of duck sauce down the middle and munching on it like a hot dog.
Hailey Bollinger
Tom suggests slicing the egg roll lengthwise, spooning a line of duck sauce down the middle and munching on it like a hot dog.
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It may not be much warmer inside than it is outside, but Tom will bring over a heater to keep you cozy during your meal.
Hailey Bollinger
It may not be much warmer inside than it is outside, but Tom will bring over a heater to keep you cozy during your meal.
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The other side of the large dining room.
Hailey Bollinger
The other side of the large dining room.
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Yum Yum Jumbo Shrimp and an order of Ding Dong Chicken, both served in silver platters accompanied by a cup of domed steamed rice.
Hailey Bollinger
Yum Yum Jumbo Shrimp and an order of Ding Dong Chicken, both served in silver platters accompanied by a cup of domed steamed rice.
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Guests don’t come for the quick service and Americanized Chinese food; they come for Mei’s cooking and Tom’s kind, attentive tableside manner.
Hailey Bollinger
Guests don’t come for the quick service and Americanized Chinese food; they come for Mei’s cooking and Tom’s kind, attentive tableside manner.
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Szechuan food is delightfully interactive.
Hailey Bollinger
Szechuan food is delightfully interactive.
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This Unassuming Downtown Gem Has Served Up Authentic Szechuan Cuisine Since the 1970s
Hailey Bollinger
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Pinching rice onto a plate and smothering it with saucy shrimp and veggies feels indulgently like making a mess of the plate, but it’s the proper way.
Hailey Bollinger
Pinching rice onto a plate and smothering it with saucy shrimp and veggies feels indulgently like making a mess of the plate, but it’s the proper way.
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This Unassuming Downtown Gem Has Served Up Authentic Szechuan Cuisine Since the 1970s
Hailey Bollinger
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Dessert is as expected — a fortune cookie for each guest.
Hailey Bollinger
Dessert is as expected — a fortune cookie for each guest.
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This Unassuming Downtown Gem Has Served Up Authentic Szechuan Cuisine Since the 1970s
Hailey Bollinger
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This Unassuming Downtown Gem Has Served Up Authentic Szechuan Cuisine Since the 1970s
Hailey Bollinger
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A stack of Chinese newspapers sitting on a chair in the back of the dining room
Hailey Bollinger
A stack of Chinese newspapers sitting on a chair in the back of the dining room
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