Vintage Diner Serving Chinese Food? Yep! Chung Sing

2018: My how things can change so quickly! It was reported that Chung Sing was to close, but they managed to stay open - but you never know what will happen, so get there when you can and bring your Retro Roadmap Roadbook of the Philadelphia Suburbs with you!

2017 UPDATE:

Happily not much has changed in this "China Diner" (said with Mod B's Boston accent) since we last visited, but here are some updated AND interior photos since it was nice and quiet before the lunch rush.

The combo meals are still a complete steal - tons of Americanized Chinese food for not a lot of money. We did learn that it has been a chinese restaurant since at least 1985, and that there is free parking out back. Also of note to diner fans - there are actually two Fodero Diner Tags in the diner! And for whatever reason, I still have a soft spot for this place, even though it's a remuddled diner :-)

The combo meals are still a complete steal - tons of Americanized Chinese food for not a lot of money. We did learn that it has been a chinese restaurant since at least 1985, and that there is free parking out back. Also of note to diner fans - there are actually two Fodero Diner Tags in the diner! And for whatever reason, I still have a soft spot for this place, even though it's a remuddled diner (As noted, I never claim to make sense!)

Even more photos including some beautiful stainless details in the vestibule here on my Flickr Page

Original 2011 Post:

We were in Ardmore, PA the other night so RetroRoadhusband and I  decided to see what the Chung Sing restauarant AKA "diner that is actually a Chinese restaurant" was all about. Since we needed to grab a bite to eat it seemed like a perfect excuse for a little RetroRoadmap investigation. Let's check it out shall we?

It was raining so I just snapped this quick view before we headed into the vestibule. As you can see there's no mistaking that this restaurant definitely a diner by design. It's actually a vintage Fodero diner, once called Dean's Diner and built in 1952 (thanks Larry at Diner Hotline for the info.)

And here's what the inside looks like today.

Yes the original booths, counter and stools are long gone, but you can still see the stainless steel menu frames above where the counter would be, the swinging stainless steel doors and curved roof. Oh well, it isn't as authentically vintage inside as I had hoped, but we sat down to dinner anyways.

The fare was your standard Americanized Chinese food, not fancy but filling for sure. The dinner specials were incredibly affordable and we were served enough food for twice as many people. Not pictured in the shot below are the two bowls of soup and small desserts that were included in the deal.

We ate 'til we were stuffed and still had plenty to take home to snack on for the next day or two. We weren't the only folks there either, as there was a steady stream of locals coming in to dine or to grab their to-go meals.

It was still raining when we headed to the car with our doggie bag, appetite and curiosity sated. Now we know what the inside of a vintage diner that is now a Chinese restaurant looks like- and so do you