A favorite of tourists and locals alike, the famed Sam Wo restaurant in San Francisco Chinatown is closing after at least 116 years.
ABC7 News reports the restaurant known for its late night jook (Chinese porridge) and barbeque pork noodle rolls served its last meal on Sunday.
Co-owner Steven Lee could be seen taking down the restaurant’s signage while still clinging to hope you can find a buyer, but it has to be the right one.
“We don’t want people to be disappointed if we gave it to another family or another chef who doesn’t want to keep the legacy going,” Lee said.
San Francisco Chronicle food reporter McKenzie Chung Fegan made sure to have her farewell meal at Sam Wo this past week. She was not disappointed.
“The sampan jook, a peanut-topped porridge with a melange of seafood, was a standout,” she wrote.
She also found the rice rolls worthy of one last bite.
“The famous rice rolls — tightly wrapped, like two slender burritos, and cut into fifths — also showed well. Their springy, circular sheets of noodle were stuffed with barbecued pork, strips of omelet-like egg and cilantro and were served with a sinus-clearing hot mustard. A little dab’ll do ya.”
Long-time customers of Sam Wo will remember its legendary waiter- Edsel Ford Fung- known as “the world’s rudest, worst, most insulting waiter.”
Anyone who takes over Sam Wo will never be able to find a replacement for the late Fung- but for sure would be wise to include photos of the legend on the walls, along with the famous celebrities who have stopped by the multi-story eatery. People like Ken Jeong, Chef Martin Yan, and Conan O’Brien, reports Hoodline.
Another person who will be missed is the man behind the fine cuisine, chef and owner David Ho who is retiring.
Ho and Lee plan to take a few months break, before deciding on the restaurant’s future.
“We’ve come this far to save it,” Lee said. “Some of our shareholders want it to keep going, but it’s not easy to sell a restaurant right now,” he told SF Gate.
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