Mee Heng Low (Closed)
San Luis Obispo, CA Photo courtesy Georg Balandran
Wandering along Palm Street in San Luis Obispo, check out the sign for Mee Heng Low. The “CHOP SUEY” lettering and neon dragon give the camera a good reason to stop, even if dinner wasn't on the agenda.
Opened in 1927 in the city's Chinatown district, the restaurant served generations of customers. Its old neon sign received a restoration and was relit in January 2026, putting the dragon back on the nighttime photo rounds.
UPDATE: Mee Heng Low closed on August 29, 2026, ahead of a planned building sale. The restored sign remains, though noodles are no longer on offer inside. 09-26
Tokyo Garden Restaurant (Closed)
Fresno, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Looking for a change of pace from the roadside burger or dog ... hot dog, that is? Follow the sign to Tokyo Garden Restaurant in downtown Fresno. Can't vouch for the food from this photo stop, but the signs are worth a look, especially when lit up at night.
Tokyo Garden opened in 1956 and became a longtime family-run stop on Fulton Street. Inside, a traditional tatami room offered a different setting from the usual coffee shop booth. The lounge also hosted local musicians and jazz sessions, giving customers a reason to linger after dinner.
UPDATE: Tokyo Garden has closed, ending decades of serving downtown Fresno. A mural by Mike Howe adds another feature to check out on the exterior. The supplied history conflicts on the closing date, so the exact year remains unconfirmed here. 09-26
New China Cafe (Rem.)
Merced, CA Photo courtesy Jimmy Bowman
Check out New China Cafe in Merced and its marquee that fits right into the old roadside scene. Another reason to pause while making the rounds through town. Even when food isn’t the mission, a cafe sign can put a stop on the photo itinerary. A hungry traveler and a sign hunter might pull over for entirely different reasons.
The restaurant’s history goes back to Merced’s Chinatown, where it operated on 14th Street by at least 1955. Highway 99 freeway construction displaced the cafe, which moved to Main Street and kept serving. Quite a change of scenery for a longtime valley food stop.
The old marquee added its own character to the frontage. Signs like this could make a neighborhood restaurant recognizable before customers were close enough to read the menu. Dinner might have been the main attraction, but the exterior deserved a little attention too.
UPDATE: New China Cafe continues operating at 1002 W Main Street. The restaurant survived its move from Chinatown, although the neon marquee appears to have been removed years ago. 09-26
Rice Bowl (Closed)
Merced, CA Photo courtesy Jimmy Bowman
Cruising along 16th Street in Merced, check out The Rice Bowl and its old roadside marquee. This stop has both a sign and a building worth a look. Get a shot of the tall sign first, then wander closer to see how the restaurant fits into the old Highway 99 scene.
The marquee puts “CHOP SUEY” up top, with the Rice Bowl name below and arrow accents adding a little direction. Quite a greeting for hungry motorists passing through town. Even without lunch on the agenda, that sign could persuade the camera to make a stop.
Joe Hong opened the restaurant in the late 1940s, beginning a long run of serving Chinese food in Merced. The building was known for its pink exterior, giving travelers another way to spot the place from the road. Between the color and the marquee, there was plenty to catch the eye.
Rice Bowl Restaurant
Merced, CA Photo courtesy Jimmy Bowman
A fire interrupted business in 1987, but the restaurant was repaired and reopened in 1988. The Rice Bowl kept going for roughly another two decades before closing around 2010. Other restaurants would take their turns inside the familiar building.
UPDATE: The former Rice Bowl became home to New Thai Cuisine around 2012. The exterior has been repainted, but the old marquee remains out front, with its neon no longer operating. Still a reason to take the old road through Merced and pause for a few photos. 09-26
Shanghai Low Restaurant (Demolished)
San Luis Obispo, CA Photo courtesy Georg Balandran
The tall “CHOP SUEY” lettering gives Shanghai Low Restaurant a roadside introduction with plenty of character. Decorative scrollwork, circular crest details, and the shaped lower panel make this more than a simple announcement that dinner is available. There’s quite a bit to admire before getting to the restaurant’s name.
Shanghai Low belonged to San Luis Obispo’s historic Chinatown along Palm Street, near the Ah Louis Store and Mee Heng Low. Its sign recalls the Chinese-American restaurants that helped give these older commercial districts their own nighttime appearance.
The restaurant building eventually disappeared, but fortunately the sign escaped the same fate. Salvaged and restored, it found another home along Palm Street, bringing a familiar piece of Chinatown’s dining history into a much newer setting.
Even the name received another life. Hotel San Luis Obispo’s S.Low Bar pays tribute to Shanghai Low, keeping a connection to the restaurant that once welcomed customers nearby. The kitchen is gone, but its old dinner invitation still has something to say.
UPDATE: Shanghai Low Restaurant has closed and its building was demolished. The restored original sign is displayed outside Hotel San Luis Obispo on Palm Street, near the Piadina entrance. The hotel’s S.Low Bar also honors the former restaurant. 10-26
Far East Cafe (Gone)
Bakersfield, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Passing through downtown Bakersfield, check out the Far East Cafe sign. Part blade sign, part pagoda cutout, this one's worth pulling over for a closer look. The tiered top gives the lettering a little extra company and makes the cafe easy to pick out along 18th Street.
The sign had already done some restaurant duty before taking on the Far East name. Built in 1942 for the Chinese Village Cafe, it was remodeled when Far East moved here in 1951. That's when the pagoda cap joined the scene. A new name and a new hat for an existing sign.
Far East Cafe
Bakersfield, CA Photo courtesy Devil Doll
Far East was part of Bakersfield's historic Chinatown, giving downtown customers a place to eat until it closed in 2000. The building stayed around for other restaurant tenants, including Goose Loonies Sports Cafe and later 18th Street Bar and Grill.
The old marquee didn't make all those menu changes with the building. By the time it was removed, the sign was weathered and missing much of its neon tubing. Fortunately, there was another stop waiting for it.
UPDATE: The Far East Cafe sign was donated to the Kern County Museum in 2007 and restored by Center Neon. It now stands in the museum's neon courtyard alongside other rescued Bakersfield signs. Look for the pagoda there on the next round through town. 09-26
Mee Heng Low (Closed)
New China Cafe (Rem.)
Rice Bowl (Closed)
Rice Bowl Restaurant
Shanghai Low Restaurant (Demolished)
