What are some of your personal memories of Jing Fong? You pretty much grew up in the restaurant over the years. Everything was a little bit different from normal, but at least we got one last chance to go up that escalator.

I’m glad that people got one last chance to go there, even though the service wasn’t the same. He’s 13 years old now and I remember coming here before he was born, while I was pregnant, and, you know, after baseball practice, every Sunday, we’d bring him every weekend.” There were so many stories like that. But I didn’t realize how many non-Chinese customers we’ve had who have been regulars more than 20 years.ĭuring the last few days we were open, I was walking around and talking to people who came in to walk around and take pictures, and I didn’t realize how many people have been coming to us weekly for so long.

I knew that it meant a lot to the local Chinese people and the Chinese community. Truman Lam: I was definitely a little bit surprised. Resy: Were you surprised by how emotional people were about the closing of Jing Fong’s 20 Elizabeth Street location? We spoke with third-generation owner Truman Lam about the move, and about the challenges of relocating a legendary restaurant like Jing Fong. Luckily for us, although Jing Fong closed the doors to its Elizabeth Street home (pictured below), they’re planning to reopen this October in a new, smaller location on Centre Street, that can host up to 125. Or they might find themselves right in the middle of multiple banquet parties - celebrations for weddings, graduations, birthdays, retirements, and Chinese family associations. There, they were surrounded by staffers explaining the daily dim sum offerings in Cantonese, pushing around carts filled to the brim with har gow, siu mai, and phoenix claws.

Jing Fong, the Manhattan Chinatown stalwart that had occupied a 25,000 square-foot space at 24 Elizabeth Street for 28 years (and 15 years before that in a space just down the block) was a beloved institution among New Yorkers and tourists alike who loved setting foot onto its steep, three-story-tall escalators and eventually finding themselves in its massive, crimson-colored banquet hall that could hold up to 800 diners. This March, one of New York City’s most beloved dim sum palaces closed its doors and the city lost a shared piece of its culinary history.

Jing fong restaurant dinner