Chow mein, its famous sandwich, and its Fall River history

The history of chow mein in Fall River is deeply tied to the city’s immigrant past, textile mill boom, and Chinese-American culinary adaptation, most famously through the invention of the chow mein sandwich, a regional specialty that’s become an iconic part of local food culture.

Chinese immigrants began arriving in Fall River in the late 1800s, many relocating from the West Coast after working on the Transcontinental Railroad and facing anti-Chinese hostility amplified by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. They opened restaurants catering to the city’s large factory workforce, primarily immigrants from Ireland, Quebec (French Canada), England, Poland, and later Portugal, who labored in the booming textile mills.

These diners sought affordable, hearty meals that felt familiar, so Chinese restaurateurs adapted traditional dishes like chow mein to local tastes.

The most famous chow mein innovation is the chow mein sandwich, placing chow mein on a toasted hamburger bun, often topped with crispy fried chow mein noodles for crunch. It was practical for mill workers. Easy to eat on the go or during short breaks and quickly became a staple at Chinese restaurants and takeout spots.

A key figure in chow mein’s popularization was Frederick Wong, a Cantonese immigrant who arrived in the U.S. in 1926, initially to study but instead joined his uncle’s restaurant business in Fall River. After a decade cooking there, he founded the Oriental Chow Mein Company in 1938 on Eighth Street, producing signature noodles and chow mein components that supplied local eateries. The company became legendary, selling millions of portions over decades.

Frederick’s family, including son Albert and daughter-in-law Barbara Wong, continued the tradition, even rebuilding after challenges including a 2009 fire.

The chow mein sandwich remains a point of local pride—still served at places around the South Coast area—and has been featured in NPR, Yankee Magazine, and food history pieces as a unique slice of New England immigrant history. It’s not widely known outside southeastern Massachusetts but endures as a nostalgic comfort food for many Fall Riverites.