• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

California Through My Lens

California Travel, Food, Hiking & Road Trips

  • Start Here
  • Explore
    • Beaches
    • Bizarre
    • Caves
    • Food
    • Hikes
    • Historical Structures
    • Natural Wonders
    • Waterfalls
  • Drive
    • El Camino Real
    • Highway 395
    • LA to Las Vegas
    • Pacific Coast Highway
    • Route 66
  • National Parks
    • Channel Islands
    • Death Valley
    • Joshua Tree
    • Lassen Volcanic
    • Pinnacles
    • Redwoods
    • Sequoia & Kings Canyon
    • Yosemite
  • Cities
    • Los Angeles
    • Palm Springs
    • Sacramento
    • San Diego
    • San Francisco
  • Resources
    • Day Trip Ideas
    • Road Trip eBooks
    • Hotels
    • My Favorite Travel Products
    • Travel Videos
  • Browse By …
    • Map Of Locations
    • Cities
    • Counties
    • National Parks
    • State Parks

Chop Suey Peking Restaurant in North Park, San Diego (Closed)

Last Modified: April 27, 2020

650shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

This restaurant closed in 2019.

When cruising down University Avenue in the hipster capital of San Diego, North Park, you cannot miss the impressive exterior of one of San Diego’s favorite Chinese restaurants, Peking Cafe AKA Chop Suey. This historic spot has been a staple in the area for almost 80 years, and during that time, it has served fantastic Chinese food to thousands of people. I finally got a chance to visit it a little while ago, and I am bummed it took me so long to do so. Everything from the food to the family who owns it is top-notch and makes me want to come back. Here is all the info:

Pekin Cafe-1

Details

  • $10-$15 for an entrée
  • Hours: Closed Mon-Tues, Wed-Fri: 11 AM – 9 PM, Sat 4 PM – 9 PM, Sun 11 AM – 8:30 AM
  • Location: 2877 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92104

Of course, the first thing you will notice, and one of the main draws for this restaurant is the fantastic old neon sign that greets you. While I am not sure if it has been here since it opened in 1935, it has a nostalgic feel that I fell in love with.

Pekin Cafe-2

The interior has a lot of tables and booths arranged to maximize space. The decor is relatively minimal, but it has fun Chinese lights hanging from the ceiling and photographs shot by the grand-daughter of the original owner on the walls.

Pekin Cafe-6

The Food

Before I dive into what I ordered, I should note that this is not the Chinese food you have come to think of when you go to places like Panda Express, this is real Chinese food, and it is head and shoulders above anything you would see under a heat lamp.

Pekin Cafe-3

I asked for recommendations and ended up going with two of the most popular dishes and a half order of two different appetizers to try, here is what I thought.

Appetizers

Pekin Cafe-5

Fried Wontons with Sweet and Sour Sauce – Fried wontons were bite-sized and full of flavor. The fried crunch goes well with the sweet and sour sauce. I got a half order, and it was perfect for 1-2 people.

Pekin Cafe-4

Fried Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce and Spicy Mustard – The fried shrimp in this appetizer has a fantastic breading and is another good choice. The breading is pretty thick but with a delicious, robust flavor. It is served with spicy mustard that has a horse-radish vibe; it is fantastic but will clear your sinuses out.

Dinner

For dinner, I went with the orange chicken, and my wife went with the Chow Fun (with black bean sauce).

Pekin Cafe-9

Orange Chicken – The orange chicken is lightly breaded and sweet. The chicken is good white meat, and the pieces are large. This is how orange chicken should taste. I highly recommend it. The dish comes with steamed or fried rice. I went with fried rice, and even this was packed with flavor and better then I anticipated.

Pekin Cafe-8

Chow Fun with Black Bean Sauce – The Chow Fun can be ordered with one of three different sauces. We were recommended the black bean sauce, so that is what we went with. The dish consists of wide rice noodles with vegetables and a meat of your choice (my wife went with shrimp). It was not like anything I have had before and hard to describe. It was fantastic though, and the flavor is so unique that I would highly recommend giving it a try.

Pekin Cafe-10

The restaurant has been family owned for generations, and both the mother and daughter were working when I was there. I got a chance to talk to both of them, and they were great people who told me about the restaurant’s history and made me feel like I was a friend that they had known for decades.

Pekin Cafe-11

All in all, this is a fantastic spot with ridiculously good food and great staff that welcomes you like you were one of their own. I was impressed with my meal here, and I highly recommend you give it a try in the North Park area.

Filed Under: Food, Southern California Tagged With: North Park, San Diego, San Diego County

Interested in supporting this blog?

This blog is simply a hobby and labor of love for me. If you have enjoyed the posts consider sharing it with your friends. I want as many people as possible to explore this state and you can help by letting them know about all of the great spots!

Join the Newsletter

Subscribe for the four day welcome series and to get the latest content every month.

    We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

    About JoshMc

    Thanks for checking out the blog, I am happy to be sharing my adventures with you! You can get to know me by reading my about me, which includes a video and additional information on the site, myself and my full disclosure. Also, follow along on Twitter here or read all of my posts on this blog here.

    Primary Sidebar

    About

    Josh from California Through My Lens I'm a travel junkie strapped down to one state, focused on seeing as much of it as I can and encouraging others to do the same. More about me.

    Popular Posts

    The Big List of Strange, Fun & Unique Attractions in Southern California
    Pacific Coast Highway: Where to Stop on Your Road Trip
    Top Hiking Trails in Southern California
    Fun Stops on the Drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas
    24 Things to do in Downtown LA
    17 Things to do in Lake Tahoe
    Donner Pass, Summit Tunnel Hike: Old Abandoned Railroad

    Categories

    Other Resources


    Footer

    Search the site

    Additional Information

    Privacy Policy

    About Us

    Copyright © 2021 · Metro Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

    Coronavirus February 2021 Update: Please note that some information in the posts may have changed and some places may be closed.