Ming's Cafe (Chinese)
Location: 2604 Guadalupe St. [map]
Phone: (512) 476-8888
Cost: Lunch specials $6-8; Dinner dishes $6-12
Atmosphere: Clean, good tunes, comfy booths and a semi-private outdoor patio.
Food: The word on the street is that Ming's is hit or miss, so we decided to check in and assess the situation. We ordered straight off the Daily Specials menu: crawfish with jalapeno black bean sauce, curry chicken with potato and the specialty spinach. We started off with the egg drop soup, which was super smooth - we lapped it right up. A massive helping of stir-fried spinach tossed with sea salt, garlic, ginger and sherry proved to be a nice way to get your greens. Ming's curry is the real deal, a harmony of heat and sweet. As promised, the crawfish (which was a bit on the fishy side) had an intense jalapeno bite. Should you like, any dish can be “intensified.” As we’d been forewarned, Ming’s serves everything on plastic plates, and admittedly, it’s a little weird (not in the good way). Our advice: Go for the chow, not an elaborate table setting. Counter service only (don't expect to be waited on). Ming's is BYOB with a convenience store located just across the alley. Dine in or take out.

Images courtesy of Devon Grey