On a Friday in early June 2023, Ms. Karen and I met our friend Michael at Guilin Chinese on East Broadway in Tucson. Michael had recommended this place so we assumed it would be among Tucson’s best Chinese. So that you should know, we originally met Michael when we took one of his day tours many years ago. That was before we conducted our own tours.
Michael Foltz is the owner/operator of Reisen Arizona Day Tours. He takes people on tours to places such as: Karchner Caverns, Tombstone, Bisbee, San Xavier, and Tumacacori as well as all around Tucson. One of his favorite tours is to our wine country as well as our ghost towns. He is personable and very knowledgeable, which makes for a great tour guide.
Here’s Michael’s take on our dining adventure.
“Guilin Chinese restaurant is my family’s favorite Chinese restaurant in town and my son’s favorite restaurant in the world. Meeting Jim and Karen here was a natural choice for a dining review. I ordered the Mongolian Chicken lunch special. The lunches all come with the entrée, a small bowl of soup, egg roll or crab puff, and either white, brown, or fried rice. I chose the Mongolian chicken because it is spicy but not uncomfortably hot and I love the rice noodles it is served over. Fried rice, egg roll, and hot and sour soup completed my order. Karen and I shared hot green tea. The chicken dish was good and exactly what I expected. The hot and sour soup is the stand-out of this show. It is my favorite soup in all of Tucson and if my son could, he would eat that soup for every meal. So Guilin lived up to what I have known for years, the best Chinese food in Tucson. I am so happy to have met Jim and Karen there and enjoy great conversation over great Chinese food.”
Ms. Karen can now give you her assessment of this establishment.
“We met at Guilin Chinese at noon and were seated right away. Michael immediately told us that this was his 12-year-old son’s favorite place. His son is a vegetarian and loves this place, probably due to its plethora of vegetarian and plant-based meat meals.
I had the Chicken Curry with Hot and sour soup, fried rice, and an egg roll. The chicken curry was slightly spicy, not as spicy as the hot and sour soup. Both tasty. The price was right too. My one complaint is that the veggies were giant slices of green peppers and onions and a few carrots. I would have been happy to pay a little more for a snow pea or two. ( I did find a pea or two. ) It was also okay that the amount of chicken was brief. No one needs more than 100 grams of protein in any meal. The hot and sour soup was very good as was the fried rice. The egg roll and some rice came home with me for another meal.” All in all worth every penny.
My sweet and sour pork was really good, as was my egg roll and fried rice. Is Guilin Chinese the best Chinese in Tucson? Here’s where I disagree with Michael. I think Jun Dynasty is better and we awarded it with four and a half Saguaros. We rate Guilin Chinese with four Saguaros, based on Ms. Karen’s critique of the veggies and the fact that the interior decor is fairly boring. The food is generally good, however.
Guilin Chinese Restaurant
4445 E Broadway Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85711
520-320-7768
Mon-Thu: 11am-9pm
Fri :11am-10pm
Sat: 11:30am-9:30pm
Sun: 11:30am-9pm
