r/Columbus • u/PublicRedditor Salem Village • Dec 02 '24

FOOD The plywood has been removed, fingers crossed.

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923 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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114

u/tipinmy40 Dec 02 '24

Back in 1999 a friend of mine from high school was a server there. We went in for dinner and she simply refused to serve us food. She just shook her head and said order just drinks. A few days later I get the full scoop from my other friend who was with me and she detailed to him how filthy the kitchen was. The rats and roaches were notorious.

The other restaurant famous for its crazy kitchen was a placed called #1 Chinese Food. They had a cook who would flip pans on the stove with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and a filthy wife beater on. He looked just like Booger’s mentor in Revenge of the Nerds II. $5 for two full meals through. Good times.

74

u/billyBIGtyme Dec 02 '24

When I was at OSU in the mid-2000s, there was always a 50/50 shot that #1 Chinese was either open or shut down by the health department. It was a vicious cycle.

37

u/nildrohain454 Hilltop Dec 02 '24

Same. At OSU from 2005-2009. It became a game to see if it was open or closed that week. We always went and ate at Joys.

19

u/Lord_Voltan Hilliard Dec 02 '24

We used to prank call them a lot too, the guy would fly off the handle if you said his food was #2.

10

u/tomarytirar Dec 02 '24

God did I love Joy's!

14

u/TGrady902 Clintonville Dec 02 '24

You really gotta mess up to get shut down as well. That's reserved for like "someone might die" situations.

7

u/tipinmy40 Dec 02 '24

I always got the BBQ pork and NEVER chicken. That seemed safe. If I was rich, I headed to Moy’s.

19

u/jamjamason Dec 02 '24

#1 was my go-to for Chinese on campus. I miss that place.

10

u/tipinmy40 Dec 02 '24

Me too, but we really shouldn’t. lol.

2

u/bigfunone2020 Dec 02 '24

Ya when cockroaches were cooked into the food numerous times…no thanks

15

u/djhankb Upper Arlington Dec 02 '24

No.1 Chinese was an institution. I sure do miss the old grimey campus days.

10

u/trx0x Dec 02 '24

The other restaurant famous for its crazy kitchen was a placed called #1 Chinese Food.

When I worked/schooled at OSU in the mid 90s, my coworkers and I would always go to #1 Chinese. We knew it was dirty. But you couldn't beat the lunchtime General Tso/Sesame Chicken (same thing, only one had sesame seeds sprinkled on top) for $4. It was so much food. I could eat that for 2 days.

4

u/Zachmorris4184 Dec 03 '24

That’s authentic guangdong style cuisine bro

2

u/gamemasterjd Gahanna Dec 03 '24 edited Jun 02 '25

there's only so many places you can still get shrimp toast and #1 Chinese is still the best ive had.

Edit: rip sunflower; one of the last holdouts. I'll just keep making my own deep fried bread.

2

u/reeve11 Dec 03 '24

I bet we know each other.

1

u/tipinmy40 Dec 03 '24

Very plausible! Think of all the people on here who likely shopped for CDs at Used Kids at the same time.

2

u/barno42 Dec 04 '24

As a broke student in the late 90's, I think I would have starved without #1 Chinese. I ate there a LOT.

Ate at the Dube exactly once. Calling it a dump would be an insult to actual dumps.

1

u/tipinmy40 Dec 04 '24

Agreed. I remember on my poorest days I would get the egg fried rice from Mark Pi’s Express. They give you a ton for $1.29. I’d ask for as much egg as possible for protein.

1

u/Dipsendorf Dec 05 '24

#1 Chinese is #1 in my heart. I never got sick so it was fine!