Mission Hunan, a Mission District staple for 38 years, will serve its last wonton soup, Mongolian beef and fried rice on Friday.
Mission Hunan is closing its doors to make space for “La Maravilla,” a 388-unit complex that will be divided into a 150-unit building for family housing on Capp Street, a 112-unit building of family housing on 16th Street, and a 136-unit building of supportive housing on Mission Street. The complex is scheduled to break ground in January, despite neighbors’ attempts to block a section of the project.
“It has always been the restaurant where my sister and I go to have dinner together,” said Reina Mejía in Spanish, adding she’s been a loyal customer of Mission Hunan for the last two decades. The sisters’ weekly tradition came to an end in 2019 when Norma Mejia moved to Kentucky.
On Wednesday afternoon, the sisters reunited once again for what could be their final meal at the location.
“I arrived a week ago and I’ve been telling them that I wanted to come to Mission Hunan,” said Norma in Spanish. The fried rice, the broccoli beef and the soups, she added, are her favorite dishes. “Everything tastes so good here.”
Mission Hunan opened in 1987, and has been a favorite in the Mission, known for its low prices, tasty food and good service. Many Latinos have gravitated to the restaurant, and it’s not rare to hear the ethnically Chinese servers throw a “gracias por la propina” (thanks for the tip.)
When she learned of Mission Hunan’s closing, said Adrian Williams, a customer of 30 years, “I ran home and told my daughter, and we both cried. We had to hug each other and cry.”
Williams said she is ready to drive to Hunan’s other location in South San Francisco to continue enjoying the restaurant’s spare ribs in black bean sauce, the tomato beef chow mein and soups.
“121 Hickey. I got it memorized,” Williams said.
Hunan is not the only business closing on the block. Hwa Lei Market, an Asian grocery store next door, will close in two weeks, after 28 years in the neighborhood. The store’s owner, who declined to share his name, said he feels sad to say goodbye to the space and to his longtime customers.
Hwa Lei may reopen somewhere else in the Mission, but the search for a new space has not been easy, the owner said.
Joey Yu, a longtime employee at Mission Hunan, said she is trying to take in all the memories before saying adios, goodbye, zàijiàn and paalan to longtime friends and customers.
“I feel sad,” said Yu, adding she doesn’t know if she’ll be able to land a job at the restaurant’s South City location. “Our customers are sad too. They tell me no more good food. They like it here.”