Famed 116-year-old SF Chinatown restaurant serves its last meal, but there's hope for reopening

Monday, January 27, 2025
Famed SF Chinatown restaurant closes, but there's hope for reopening
Sam Wo, a 116-year-old San Francisco Chinatown institution famous for its rice rolls, served its final customers before the chef retires.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Sam Wo, a 116-year-old San Francisco Chinatown institution famous for its rice rolls, served its final customers Sunday evening. But the restaurant's closure may not be forever.

Throngs of loyal customers packed the historic eatery along Clay Street throughout the day for one last meal before the chef, David Ho retires. Ho has been working at the restaurant for approximately 40 years.

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Co-owner Steven Lee was seen taking down the restaurant's sign, drilling the screws off after the final diners streamed into the shop just before 6 p.m. He said there is interest in keeping the legacy alive. However, the future of Sam Wo depends on finding the right successor.

"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.

The co-owners plan to take a breather before determining the restaurant's next chapter.

"We're going to take a couple months break, clean everything up, do a bunch of repairs, and hopefully in a few months we'll have some good answers for the city," Lee said.

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Sam Wo has faced closure before. In 2012, it shuttered due to safety violations but was revived thanks to its current investors.

It's not just fans hoping for a return of Sam Wo.

"Everybody's praying, actually," Lee said, as he posed for one last photo with Chef Ho and his family.

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