Wong's King
Wong's King was a Portland-area Chinese Cantonese and seafood restaurant chain known especially for dim sum.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Wong's King, also known as Wong's King Seafood Restaurant, was a Chinese Cantonese and seafood restaurant chain serving the Portland metropolitan area of Oregon. Its principal location occupied a large space in the King Plaza shopping center on Southeast Division Street in Portland's Montavilla neighborhood. The business became particularly associated with dim sum, including steamed buns, dumplings, rice-noodle rolls, congee, turnip cakes, chicken feet, and other Cantonese specialties, while its broader menu included seafood, noodles, roast and barbecued meats, tofu, rice dishes, and desserts. The Portland restaurant was established in 2004 after the owners developed experience through a smaller group of American-style Chinese restaurants in the region. An Estacada location associated with the business had opened earlier, in 1998. The Portland operation received an early boost from the culinary reputation of Andy and Fulai Wong, who won gold medals at the Fifth China International Cooking Contest in China before the restaurant opened. Early local reviews treated Wong's King as an important addition to Portland's Cantonese dining scene, emphasizing its large dining room, extensive chef's recommendations, and busy weekend dim sum service. During its active period, Wong's King operated locations in Southeast Portland, Beaverton, Estacada, and Sandy. The restaurants helped popularize a more expansive Cantonese and Hong Kong-influenced dim sum experience in the Portland area. Reviewers frequently highlighted the restaurant's steamed barbecue pork buns, shu mai, dumplings, seafood, and cart-style service. Its popularity and visibility extended beyond Oregon: Martin Yan recommended it in a 2009 list of places to welcome prosperity, Chinese Restaurant News ranked it among the leading Chinese restaurants in the United States in 2010, and CNN included it in a 2017 national list of the country's best Chinese restaurants. The chain also underwent format changes. The Beaverton location was rebranded as Lychee Asian Bistro and Noodle House in 2011 without a change in ownership, shifting its emphasis from dim sum toward noodle and rice dishes. That restaurant was later replaced by Spicy World. Wong's King continued to operate as a recognizable Portland restaurant brand and participated in community events, including the Avenue of Roses parade and an Asian Reporter Foundation scholarship and awards banquet. The business ultimately closed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. It received a $10,000 city-sponsored relief grant but subsequently filed for bankruptcy. The original Portland site was later occupied by Excellent Cuisine. Although defunct, Wong's King retained a strong reputation in local food writing and later retrospectives, which described it as one of Portland's best-known Chinese restaurants and as a business that significantly broadened the city's public understanding of Cantonese cuisine and dim sum.
History
Wong's King developed from a small regional group of American-style Chinese restaurants that operated in and around the Portland metropolitan area. An Estacada restaurant associated with the business opened in 1998. The Wong family later established the flagship Wong's King Seafood Restaurant in Portland in 2004, locating it in King Plaza on Southeast Division Street in the Montavilla neighborhood. The Portland site was substantially larger and more ambitious than a typical neighborhood Chinese restaurant, with a broad dining room and a menu centered on Cantonese cooking, seafood, and dim sum. The restaurant's opening was supported by the culinary credentials of Andy and Fulai Wong, who won gold medals at the Fifth China International Cooking Contest in China. Local coverage presented Wong's King as a major new destination for Cantonese food. Reviewers praised its chef's recommendations and its daily dim sum selection, while weekend crowds helped establish the restaurant as one of Portland's most popular Chinese dining venues. The business was sometimes compared with large Cantonese restaurants in Vancouver and Hong Kong and was viewed as a regional rival to the former Ocean City Seafood Restaurant. Wong's King expanded or operated additional locations in Beaverton, Estacada, and Sandy. Its menu ranged from dim sum staples such as har gow, shu mai, steamed barbecue pork buns, dumplings, spring rolls, pot stickers, turnip cakes, and beef rice-noodle rolls to larger Cantonese dishes including crab, Peking duck, roast pork, barbecued ribs, noodles, congee, tofu, and rice dishes. The chain's service and food were repeatedly recognized in local and national dining coverage. It received a runner-up result in a Willamette Week readers' poll in 2007, was recommended by television chef Martin Yan in 2009, and was ranked among the leading Chinese restaurants in the United States by Chinese Restaurant News in 2010. Later recognition included appearances in Portland restaurant guides and CNN's 2017 national ranking of Chinese restaurants. The brand also participated in local community life. Employees marched in Portland's first Avenue of Roses parade in 2007, and the restaurant hosted the Asian Reporter Foundation's twentieth annual scholarship and awards banquet in 2018. These activities reinforced its role as both a commercial restaurant and a visible part of Portland's Chinese American and broader Asian community. The chain experimented with different formats. In 2011, its Beaverton restaurant became Lychee Asian Bistro and Noodle House. Ownership did not change, but the new concept concentrated more heavily on noodles and rice dishes and reduced the emphasis on dim sum. The site later became Spicy World. Wong's King continued under its original identity at other locations and remained a reference point in Portland food writing, where it was often described as a restaurant that expanded the city's Cantonese dining culture. The business closed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although it received a $10,000 municipal relief grant, Wong's King later filed for bankruptcy. The closure also generated reporting about employees facing difficulties with language access while attempting to use Oregon's unemployment-benefits system. The original Portland location was subsequently replaced by Excellent Cuisine. Wong's King is therefore a defunct brand, but its influence survives in local restaurant histories and retrospective descriptions of Portland's dim sum scene.
- 2020
Chain closes and files for bankruptcy
[1]Wong's King closes during the COVID-19 pandemic after receiving a $10,000 city relief grant and later filing for bankruptcy.
- 2018
Hosts Asian Reporter Foundation banquet
[1]The restaurant hosts the foundation's twentieth annual scholarship and awards banquet.
- 2017
Included in CNN's national Chinese restaurant ranking
[1]CNN places Wong's King at number 37 on its list of the 50 best Chinese restaurants in the United States.
- 2011
Beaverton location changes concept
[1]The Beaverton location becomes Lychee Asian Bistro and Noodle House, changing its menu focus while retaining ownership.
- 2010
Receives national Chinese restaurant recognition
[1]Chinese Restaurant News ranks Wong's King third among Chinese restaurants in the United States and recognizes it for overall excellence.
- 2009
Recommended by Martin Yan
[1]Martin Yan includes Wong's King among ten recommended places to welcome prosperity.
- 2007
Employees participate in the Avenue of Roses parade
[1]Wong's King employees march in Portland's first Avenue of Roses parade.
- 2005
Receives strong early Portland reviews
[1]The Oregonian describes the restaurant as a new benchmark for Cantonese cuisine in the city.
- 2004
Wong's King Seafood Restaurant is established in Portland
[1]The flagship Portland restaurant opens in King Plaza on Southeast Division Street, introducing a large-format Cantonese and dim sum destination.
- 1998
Estacada restaurant opens
[1]An Estacada restaurant associated with the Wong family’s earlier regional Chinese restaurant operations opens.
Products and positioning
A large-format, neighborhood Cantonese and seafood restaurant brand positioned around authentic dim sum, Hong Kong-influenced dishes, broad family dining, and an expansive menu.
Cantonese cuisine · 2004
Dim sum
The brand's defining offering was daily dim sum, served in a large dining-room format associated with busy weekend service and, in descriptions of the restaurant, carts carrying steamed buns, dumplings, and other small dishes. Frequently noted items included har gow, pork shu mai, steamed barbecue pork buns, chicken feet, rice cakes, turnip cakes, spring rolls, pot stickers, and beef rice-noodle rolls.
Chinese seafood · 2004
Cantonese seafood dishes
Seafood formed a major part of the restaurant's identity and menu. Offerings included crab and other Cantonese preparations, alongside roast meats, noodles, rice dishes, tofu, and family-style entrees. Spicy crab was specifically highlighted by Portland food coverage as a signature dish associated with the Southeast 82nd Avenue area.
Restaurant concept · 2011
Lychee Asian Bistro and Noodle House
The Beaverton Wong's King location was rebranded as Lychee Asian Bistro and Noodle House in 2011. Although ownership remained unchanged, the concept shifted away from the chain's dim sum emphasis toward noodle and rice dishes. The site was later replaced by Spicy World.
Brand decisions
2020
Close operations during the COVID-19 pandemicOtherBackground
Pandemic conditions placed severe pressure on restaurant operations and contributed to the chain's closure.
Action taken
Wong's King closed its operations, received a $10,000 city-sponsored relief grant, and later filed for bankruptcy.
Aftermath
The original Portland location was subsequently replaced by Excellent Cuisine, ending the Wong's King brand's operations.
City-sponsored relief grant. $10,000 (2020)
2011
Rebrand the Beaverton locationStrategyBackground
The Beaverton operation was adjusted to pursue a concept focused more on noodles and rice dishes than on the dim sum associated with Wong's King.
Action taken
Ownership changed the location's name to Lychee Asian Bistro and Noodle House without changing ownership.
Aftermath
The Lychee concept was later replaced by Spicy World, while Wong's King continued as the identity of the remaining locations.
Recent events
- 2020
Wong's King closes during the COVID-19 pandemic and files for bankruptcy[1]
Bankruptcy · Regulation
The restaurant chain closed during the pandemic. It received a $10,000 city-sponsored relief grant but later filed for bankruptcy.
- 2018
Wong's King hosts Asian Reporter Foundation scholarship banquet[1]
Other
The restaurant hosted the foundation's twentieth annual scholarship and awards banquet.
- 2017
Wong's King appears on CNN's list of the best Chinese restaurants in the United States[1]
Other
CNN ranked Wong's King number 37 in a national list, citing its authentic dim sum, friendly service, and popular steamed specialties.
- 2011
Beaverton restaurant is rebranded as Lychee Asian Bistro and Noodle House[1]
Other
The Beaverton location changed its name and moved its menu emphasis toward noodle and rice dishes while ownership remained unchanged.
- 2005
Wong's King receives early recognition from Portland food critics[1]
Other
Local criticism characterized the restaurant as a significant new benchmark for Cantonese cuisine in Portland.
- 2004
Wong's King opens as a major Cantonese dining destination in Portland[1]
Other
The Portland restaurant began operations and quickly drew attention for its large dining room, extensive Cantonese menu, and dim sum service.
Sources2 sources
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