C.I. Chu's Mongolian BBQ permanently closes after more than 25 years on Broadway

C I Chu's Mongolian BBQ has permanently closed its doors at 4540 E. Broadway Blvd., ending a run of more than 25 years at the same midtown Tucson address. A handwritten sign posted on the restaurant's exterior confirmed the closure and noted that owner Calvin Chu can be reached at 520-370-7144 by anyone interested in reopening the business.

"We are sad to say C.I. Chu's Mongolian BBQ is closed for good," the sign reads.

A quarter century of build-your-own bowls

C.I. Chu's Mongolian Barbeque LLC was incorporated in March 2000 and opened on East Broadway Boulevard that same year under Calvin Chu. The restaurant built its following around the interactive Mongolian barbecue format: guests selected raw ingredients from a lineup of proteins, vegetables, noodles, and sauces, then watched kitchen staff cook everything on a large, flat circular grill at high heat. The customizable format made it accessible to a wide range of dietary preferences, and the restaurant developed a reputation for consistency and value over its more than two decades in operation.

At its peak, C.I. Chu's operated a second location at 7039 E. Tanque Verde Road, though that address closed in prior years. The Broadway location was the brand's last remaining outpost and, by most accounts, one of the last, if not the last, dedicated Mongolian barbecue restaurants still operating in Tucson.