This place gets a bump because it could easily pass for a set in a John Woo film and because there's just so much bad chinese food in the Phoenix. Like a person that looks better by hanging around ugly friends, ACE benefits similarly.
Many reviewers call the place gritty. I rather think it's more that the owners just don't give a damn about the dining room. With food this flavorful and inexpensive, neither should you. And as long as you don't, you'll be treated to some of the most flavorful and uniquely flavored Chinese food in the Valley.