Moon's Chinese Kitchen (Gone)
Oakland, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Near the Oakland border, check out the towering neon sign for Moon’s Chinese Kitchen. Although the restaurant was commonly identified with Oakland, it actually stood just across the city line in Emeryville. The vertical CHINESE KITCHEN panels made this tiny six-table restaurant look much bigger from the road.

Moon’s was operated by the Fong-Torres family and served generations of nearby residents and industrial workers. Future Rolling Stone writer Ben Fong-Torres and his brother Barry worked here as teenagers during the late 1950s, packing takeout orders and helping in the family kitchen. Back then, shrimp fried rice cost 75 cents, fried prawns were 80 cents, and a ham sandwich could be had for 40 cents.

UPDATE: Moon’s Chinese Kitchen and its little roadside building are gone, replaced by the Key Route Lofts. The metal frame of the old sign survived for a time but was stripped of its lettering and completely altered into a neighborhood marker. 09-26

Gim's Chinese Kitchen
Alameda, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Traveling through Alameda, check out the bright neon sign for Gim’s Chinese Kitchen. With GIM’S written in script above the stacked CHINESE KITCHEN lettering, the big facade sign has been guiding hungry customers toward Lincoln Avenue for generations.

Gock Gim Wong opened the restaurant in 1953, making Gim’s a longtime part of Alameda’s neighborhood food scene. The kitchen became especially well known for its oversized fried chicken wings, along with beef chow fun, chow mein, and plenty of other Chinese-American favorites.

UPDATE: The original restaurant briefly closed before reopening under new ownership as Gim’s Chinese Kitchen Express on January 3, 2026. The dining room has been replaced by a takeout-and-delivery format, but the familiar vintage sign remains mounted on the building. 09-26

Betterway Famous Family Restaurant (Demolished)
Oakland, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Traveling along MacArthur Boulevard in Oakland, check out the arrow pointing toward Betterway Famous Family Restaurant. One side of the sign promised “Famous Chinese Food,” while the other advertised a “Famous Family Restaurant.” Not sure how famous the food really was, but the sign certainly did its best to settle the matter.

James F. Yee opened the Betterway in 1946, serving a combination of Chinese-American dishes and classic American diner food. The restaurant originally stood across the street before moving into a larger Art Deco building in 1961. It closed around 1980, but the faded marquee remained behind for more than 35 years, still pointing toward the parking lot of a restaurant that was no longer there.

UPDATE: The old double-sided sign was removed in 2017, and the former Betterway restaurant building was demolished soon afterward. What became of the wonderfully confident “Famous Chinese Food” sign is unknown. 09-26

Formosa Cafe
Sacramento, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

After dark on Del Paso Boulevard, check out the colorful neon surrounding Formosa Cafe. The towering green, yellow, and red sign lit up the road, the sidewalk, and probably anyone standing around trying to take a photo. Across the street, a wonderfully retro McDonald’s added even more roadside scenery to the neighborhood.

Formosa Cafe opened in 1934 and served Chinese-American food in North Sacramento for more than 90 years. The Yee family operated the restaurant during its final 36 years, preparing its familiar comfort dishes from scratch and cooking them to order. Through all those changes along Del Paso Boulevard, the Formosa and its blazing neon remained familiar neighborhood landmarks.

UPDATE: Formosa Cafe permanently closed in 2025. Its landmark neon sign was carefully dismantled and removed, although where it ultimately ended up remains uncertain. The retro-style McDonald’s still stands across the boulevard, but the corner is considerably darker without the Formosa’s neon glow. 09-26

King Yin Cafe (Closed)
Lodi, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Walking through downtown Lodi, look up for the old projecting sign advertising King Yin Cafe. The battered red marquee hung over the sidewalk for decades, pointing diners toward a restaurant that was actually waiting for them upstairs.

King Yin opened in 1921 and became Lodi’s oldest Chinese restaurant, operating under the same name for more than a century. Customers climbed a long wooden stairway into a wonderfully old-fashioned dining room filled with leatherette booths and vinyl flooring. Those heavy footsteps coming up the stairs also gave the restaurant a little advance warning that another customer was arriving.

The restaurant changed owners several times after the founding Yip family stepped away. Following an extended closure and renovation, King Yin reopened in 2014 and continued serving downtown for several more years.

UPDATE: King Yin Cafe has permanently closed, and the historic building was placed on the market in September 2026. The weathered sign remains attached to the brick facade, though its neon is no longer known to light up Main Street. 09-26

On Lock Sam (Gone)
Stockton, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Looking for Chinese food in Stockton? Then check out the delightful pagoda-style marquee for On Lock Sam. Can’t personally vouch for the food, but a neon sign like this certainly made a convincing argument for pulling into the parking lot.

On Lock Sam was founded in 1898, making it one of California’s oldest Chinese-American restaurants. Its original Washington Street building was demolished for the Crosstown Freeway in 1964, forcing the restaurant to relocate to South Sutter Street. The Wong family continued operating it until 2003, when an ADA compliance lawsuit led to its closure after 105 years. New owners reopened it as New On Lock Sam in 2004.

UPDATE: New On Lock Sam has also closed, and the property is being repurposed as a community gathering and food-event space. The historic pagoda-style marquee remains mounted outside. 09-26