Master Kong
Master Kong is a Chinese restaurant brand with two locations in southeast Portland, Oregon.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Master Kong is a Chinese restaurant brand operating two locations in southeast Portland, Oregon, in the Montavilla and Richmond neighborhoods. The business began in March 2018 with a 35-seat restaurant located in a house on Southeast Division Street in Montavilla. Its menu has featured a range of Chinese comfort foods and casual dishes, including buns, congee, dumplings, and jianbing. The restaurant's format emphasizes approachable dining rather than a large-scale chain model, and available reference material describes the two Portland locations as the extent of its operations. A second Master Kong location opened in early November 2022 on Southeast 32nd Avenue in the Richmond neighborhood. This expansion extended the brand's presence within southeast Portland while retaining its focus on Chinese cuisine and relatively informal neighborhood dining. No evidence in the supplied material indicates ownership by a larger restaurant group, franchising, national expansion, public-company affiliation, or operations outside Portland. Master Kong received substantial local recognition soon after opening. Willamette Week named it Newcomer of the Year in 2018, and the restaurant was nominated for Restaurant of the Year in the Eater Portland Eater Awards that year. The Oregonian included it among Portland's ten best new restaurants in 2018 and later listed it among the city's forty best inexpensive restaurants in both 2019 and 2020. These references position Master Kong as a notable addition to Portland's affordable and independent Chinese restaurant scene. The brand continued to appear in local restaurant coverage after opening its second location. It was a runner-up in the Chinese Restaurant category of Willamette Week's Best of Portland readers' poll in 2024 and a finalist in the same category in 2025. Willamette Week also included the restaurant's Meat Folder in its 2026 list of Portland's best cheap eats, while Eater Portland included Master Kong in a 2025 guide to the city's best affordable restaurants. The available sources do not identify the founders, current executives, ownership structure, exact annual sales, or an official website URL.
History
Master Kong opened its first restaurant in March 2018 in a house on Division Street in Portland's Montavilla neighborhood. The original venue had approximately 35 seats and established the brand as a small, neighborhood-scale Chinese restaurant serving casual dishes. Its menu has included buns, congee, dumplings, and jianbing, reflecting a broad selection of Chinese comfort foods rather than a narrowly specialized format. The restaurant gained attention during its first year. Willamette Week named it Newcomer of the Year in 2018, and Eater Portland nominated it for Restaurant of the Year in its 2018 Eater Awards. The Oregonian also selected Master Kong for its 2018 roundup of Portland's ten best new restaurants. Subsequent coverage continued to emphasize the restaurant's value-oriented appeal: The Oregonian included it in both its 2019 and 2020 lists of Portland's forty best inexpensive restaurants. Master Kong expanded within southeast Portland in early November 2022, opening a second location on Southeast 32nd Avenue in the Richmond neighborhood. The expansion gave the brand two locations while keeping its geographic footprint concentrated in the city. Available material does not indicate that Master Kong developed into a national chain, entered franchising, or became part of a larger hospitality group. Local recognition continued after the second opening. Master Kong was a runner-up in the Chinese Restaurant category of Willamette Week's Best of Portland readers' poll in 2024 and a finalist in that category in 2025. Eater Portland included the restaurant in a 2025 list of Portland's best affordable restaurants. Willamette Week later highlighted the Meat Folder in its 2026 list of the city's best cheap eats. The supplied sources do not provide verified information about the founders, ownership, management, financial performance, official website, or plans beyond the two Portland locations.
- 2026
Meat Folder named a Portland cheap eat
[1]Willamette Week includes Master Kong's Meat Folder in its list of Portland's best cheap eats.
- 2025
Further local recognition
[1]Master Kong becomes a finalist in Willamette Week's Chinese Restaurant category and is included in Eater Portland's list of the city's best affordable restaurants.
- 2024
Best of Portland Chinese Restaurant runner-up
[1]Master Kong finishes as a runner-up in Willamette Week's Best of Portland readers' poll for Chinese restaurants.
- 2022
Second location opens in Richmond
[1]Master Kong opens a second restaurant on 32nd Avenue in Portland's Richmond neighborhood in early November.
- 2020
Receives continued value-oriented recognition
[1]The Oregonian again includes Master Kong in its list of Portland's forty best inexpensive restaurants.
- 2019
Included among Portland's best inexpensive restaurants
[1]The Oregonian includes Master Kong in its list of Portland's forty best inexpensive restaurants.
- 2018
First restaurant opens in Montavilla
[1]Master Kong opens its original approximately 35-seat restaurant in a house on Division Street in southeast Portland's Montavilla neighborhood.
- 2018
Early Portland recognition
[1]The restaurant is named Willamette Week's Newcomer of the Year, nominated for an Eater Portland Restaurant of the Year award, and included in The Oregonian's list of Portland's best new restaurants.
Products and positioning
An independent, neighborhood-oriented Chinese restaurant brand focused on accessible and affordable casual dining in southeast Portland.
Chinese casual food
Buns
Buns are among the Chinese comfort-food offerings associated with Master Kong's menu. The supplied reference material does not specify particular fillings, preparation methods, or whether the selection is available at both locations.
Chinese casual food
Congee
Master Kong has served congee, a rice-based Chinese porridge, as part of its casual menu. Detailed flavor, topping, and seasonal availability information is not provided in the available sources.
Chinese casual food
Dumplings
Dumplings are another established menu category associated with the restaurant. The supplied material identifies the category but does not document specific varieties, fillings, or preparation styles.
Chinese street food
Jianbing
Jianbing, a savory Chinese street-food crepe, has been included among Master Kong's offerings. No complete ingredient list or product-level launch information is available in the reference material.
Signature dish
Meat Folder
The Meat Folder is a named Master Kong offering that received recognition in Willamette Week's 2026 list of Portland's best cheap eats. The available source does not provide a fuller description of its ingredients or preparation.
Controversies
2022
CCTV investigation exposes problems involving suppliers of pickled vegetables
A televised food-safety investigation reported unsanitary practices at suppliers connected with pickled-vegetable ingredients used in products including Master Kong's old-jar pickled-cabbage beef noodles. Affected products were temporarily removed from sale, and later relaunches used changed sourcing arrangements.
2022
Pickled-vegetable supplier food-safety controversy
A March 2022 CCTV consumer-rights investigation reported unsanitary practices, including outdoor or poorly controlled processing, at suppliers producing pickled vegetables used by several food brands. Master Kong's old-jar pickled-cabbage beef noodles were named in coverage. Affected products were temporarily removed from some sales channels, and later products were associated with changed suppliers.
2014
Ting Hsin oil scandal affects Taiwan Master Kong operations
An adulterated-oil scandal involving the wider Ting Hsin group damaged the associated brand reputation in Taiwan; Taiwan Master Kong subsequently stopped making and selling instant noodles and later dissolved.
2014
Ting Hsin adulterated-oil scandal
An adulterated-oil scandal involving the wider Ting Hsin group damaged the reputation of associated food businesses in Taiwan. Taiwan Master Kong stopped producing and selling instant noodles and was later dissolved. The event concerns the wider group and Taiwanese operations and should not automatically be treated as evidence that every mainland Master Kong product was involved.
Brand decisions
2022
Expand to a second Portland neighborhoodStrategyBackground
After operating its original Montavilla restaurant since 2018, Master Kong expanded its local footprint.
Action taken
The brand opened a second location on 32nd Avenue in the Richmond neighborhood in early November 2022.
Aftermath
Master Kong operated two locations in southeast Portland and continued to receive local recognition for affordable Chinese dining.
Recent events
Tingyi, JD.com and Wharton launch a joint big-data project[4]
Tingyi, JD.com and the Wharton School launched a joint big-data project to combine their capabilities in digital and physical economies and apply big data and AI to business management and industry-chain development.
Kangshifu announced the sale of Ding Tong[5]
Reported:
Kangshifu Holdings announced that its wholly owned subsidiary had agreed to sell all issued shares of logistics company Ding Tong for US$6.7643 million. The sale had not yet been completed; Kangshifu said it would continue using Ding Tong’s logistics services under a logistics agreement.
Tingyi releases 2019 annual results[6]
Reported:
Tingyi released its 2019 results on March 23, reporting revenue of RMB 61.978 billion and profit attributable to shareholders of RMB 3.331 billion.
Sources6 sources
- 1Master Kong (restaurant), Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- 2CCTV investigation exposes problems involving suppliers of pickled vegetableszh.wikipedia.org
- 3Ting Hsin oil scandal affects Taiwan Master Kong operationsja.wikipedia.org
- 4康师傅、京东与沃顿启动大数据共建项目myrb.net
- 5康师傅宣布出售顶通finance.sina.com.cn
- 6康师傅发布2019年业绩finance.sina.com.cn
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