I remember watching a movie with my parents as a child. It was very somber but heartwarming at the end. I think it was Chinese or Japanese.
I remember two things very clearly. One is that the main character was a young woman, and that for at least a short time, she was homeless in a major city. The second is a scene from later in the movie where a very orderly line of people waits around the block to get into a very small, unremarkable restaurant because the food was so good. (It’s not “Tampopo,” I love that movie but it’s way too bright and comedic to be the movie I’m trying to find.) I’m pretty sure the movie was older than 2000 (I would have been watching it around 2004 and I remember it didn’t look new) but not “classic,” it was in color and the city and vehicles looked pretty close to modern.
Please help, after a day of scouring the internet trying all sorts of searches I’m starting to worry I imagined the whole thing.