Won Kow, Chicago's Oldest Chinatown Restaurant, Closes

CHICAGO, IL — Won Kow, the oldest restaurant in Chicago's Chinatown neighborhood, closed its doors last week after 90 years in business, according to the food website Eater Chicago. In a note taped to a window, the eatery at 2237 S. Wentworth Ave., announced it was closing Thursday, Feb. 1, so that owner Peter Huey could retire, the report added.

"We appreciate all the business that you have given us over the years," the note stated. "We hope that you have enjoying dining here as much as we have enjoyed serving you."

Huey, who has owned Won Kow since 1991, told the Chicago Tribune on Monday that the closing comes after he was unable to find someone to take over the restaurant. Although he'll miss running Won Kow, he said it was time for him to retire and spend more time with his family. But he won't be leaving the neighborhood.

"I'm here every day," Huey told the Tribune. "But I'm not open for business."

Built in 1928, Won Kow was a familiar staple in the neighborhood during its nine decades in operation. It's biggest claim to fame — true, false or somewhere in between — came from stories that gangster Al Capone enjoyed sitting at a favorite table in the far northwest corner of the restaurant, according to the Tribune.

More via Eater Chicago and the Chicago Tribune

Won Kow (Image via Google Earth)