This is the front of Jong Mea Restaurant, located in Columbus, OH at 747 East Broad Street. The restaurant first opened in 1951. This was taken on our graduation day from Ohio State in 1982.From left to right: founder and paternal grandfather, Irving Chin, grandmother Virginia, my sister Cindy, yours truly, my mother, Susan, and my father, Hank. My grandfather passed away last year.
While the restaurant is no longer around, this is for those of you who did eat there at one time or another. I hope seeing the picture will bring back fond memories of your visits there.
15 comments:
Wow, thank you for this picture. We are getting together a reunion of a bunch of us who worked at the first Donato's Pizza in the south end of Columbus and I was searching for a picture of Jong Mea, which was our favorite place to go after we closed at midnight.
I remember Hank fondly, very nice guy. I will always remember where I was when the blizzard of 1978 started, leaving Jong Mea and trying to get my key in my frozen car door lock in tha back parking lot.
Also do you remember having a chef named Frank Louie? There is a place in Reynoldsburg called Sun Tong Luck and he is, or was, the owner. People have said he used to be the chef at Jong Mea, I never confirmed that though.
Anyways thanks again for the picture, brings back fond memories.
Scott Walden
Wow, when did the restaurant close? Wish I could go back in time and take a picture of that wonderful neon sign. As a fan of "old school" Chinese restaurants and neon signs, I would have loved the place. I have lived in Columbus over 20 years and graduated from Whitehall Yearling High School and OSU, but I do not recall ever eating at Jong Mea.
I remember my father used to go here on Friday nights circa 1970's, he would buy pints of chicken and beef fried rice!!! He knew the manager of Jong Mea, and learned Chinese.....well sorta of!! I also remember my father and mother taking me here for dinner, I must of been 5 or 6 years old. We ate chicken fried rice, and for dessert orange sherbet!! I no longer live in Columbus,Oh, but I remember the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant next door! Those were the good ole days, My father and mother have passed away and most of the Great restaurant Ions of Columbus,Ohio are also gone, But the memories of this Columbus landmark will live on in my memories.
I REALLY MISS THE INDIANAPOLIS LOCATION
Picture on FB Group "you grew up in Indianapolis if..."
Cant paste picture here...
My Mother (Betty B.) and her friends lived above Jong Mae in the early days of the restaurant in Columbus. She has many fond memories of the time she spent with your Grandparents. They were all young and starting out in life and had many laughs together. My Mom loved being a guinea pig for new dishes!
A random search for places to eat in Mansfield if I tour the Reformatory made me LONG for Jong Mea’s As a small child, I would go with my parents and their friends. It was the ONLY Chinese restaurant in the area to my knowledge and it felt so exotic and fancy. We would drive up from Mt. Vernon. The egg rolls and soup are still indelible in my taste buds!
Thanks for Sharing! Went there many a weekend and used to see your Dad sitting in His favorite spot(I guess) He was always Friendly to me.
Lani, my family lived in Bucyrus, Ohio and made a pilgrimage to the Jong Mea in Mansfield, Ohio many times each year to enjoy the delicious Chinese food served by the restaurant. We have never come across another Chinese restaurant that makes a dish similar to the Beef Subgum Chow Mein with Almonds and Mushrooms and probably never will again. I still remember the food being delivered in a shallow shiny oval shaped metal pan with lid that kept your food piping hot throughout your entire meal. I sure wish the digital age existed back then so I would still have pictures of those memorable meals. The egg rolls were also the best on the planet and everything served today pails in comparison to that standard. I have never found another egg roll with that slightly sweet sour cabbage mixture that includes tiny baby shrimp that were just deep fried to perfection. I also enjoyed trying both egg roll sauces with the sweet being my preferred and the mustard being the one to light up my tastebuds with some heat on occasion. I was so surprised and happy to find your blog about the restaurant, since it brings back so many fond memories of growing up in Ohio. I thoroughly enjoyed reading everyone’s story! I agree that a Jong Mea recipe book would make a great keepsake and a way to pass down history and a story from one generation to the next. Imagine putting a smile on a parents face on Christmas Day by bringing back great memories, great food, and the history of the restaurant all wrapped up in one package.
I hope this finds your family well. Putting Wor Sue Gai on my bucket list!
Thanks for sharing!
Doug
I remember this restaurant very well…. Used to order takeout all the time!! :-)
The best egg rolls ever.
I first ate here with my parents when I was only 3 or 4 years old! I had orange sherbert for desert!! I remember my father would go here on Friday nights he would stop by Jong Mae and bring home pints of chicken fried rice, beef fried rice and delicious egg rolls!! That was like 1975 or 76!! Great Memories!! Awesome Times!
We ate at Jong Mae so many times. Loved it!! My husband ate his first Chinese there. A lot of fond memories of some of the best Chinese food ever!! Thank you so much!
I saw this picture and had a fond memory that brought a smile. I must confess…after 50 years I must clear my conscience. As a student at OSU from 1969-73, I ate at Jong Mea twice with a group and we left the restaurant without paying. The food was great…that’s why we went back! Please accept my sincerest apology.
51 years ago on this night we spent our very first New Year's Eve together as a married couple (12/31/72). We were new to Columbus, but we did know where Broad Street was. We spent a wonderful evening there, and we fell in love with it. We went there often and eventually moved even closer to it finding ourselves there even more often! No longer living in OH we've reminisced about those days and our favorite restaurant often. We missed it, and we were so sad to hear it had closed. Jong Mea was a big part of our lives. We still think of it every New Year's Eve. That was our tradition. Thank you. b&B
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