workmen removing the old "China Village" sign"
and repainting the exterior
New sign saying "Uncle Lee's" will be up in the next few weeks
China Village's long awaited re-opening is today under a new name "Uncle Lee's" named after the same long-time owner, Lee, who has co-owned the restaurant since 1987, with his sister, Amy.
Amy told the Laurelhurst Blog Staff:
We started off as “China Village” and now we will continue our family business and passion as 'Uncle Lee’s'! The new signage should be up by late April, but please don’t wait to come visit sooner!
The restaurant suddenly closed in October, which the Laurelhurst Blog posted about in December, when a note appeared in the window which said: "We are opening soon. Thank you for your patience as we are remodeling. Looking forward to see you in the New Year. Happy Holidays!"
The Laurelhurst Blog staff received many emails during the closure from long-time loyal customers asking when it would re-open, such as these:
I was wondering if you know anything about China Village restaurant? It has been closed for about a month and the note on the door just says, temporarily closed. Hoping they are coming back.
Do you have any info or have you considered a post about the temporary closure of China Village? Wondering when it might reopen.
Even Yelp showed
that the restaurant was closed saying "Yelpers report that this location has been closed."
One Yelp reviewer wrote on November 4th: "I think they closed out of the blue which makes me so sad! I've been driving by and calling for a few months, no one is ever there."
Once the Laurelhurst Blog Staff saw people going in and out of the restaurant last month, a staffer stopped by and touched base with the owners several times checking on the progress.
While the restaurant was closed, Lee and Amy Wong, were working on negotiations with the third owner, another family member, who they bought out of his share.
Once that was completed, Amy and Lee went to work renovating their restaurant - complete with paint, new tables and chairs and new paintings.
The kitchen equipment has been upgraded and staffers saw workmen scrubbing every inch of the restaurant, especially the back area, from floor to ceiling for opening today.
Amy told the Blog Staff that:
The inside of the restaurant is freshened up with new colors and paint, new carpet and new window dressings. The seating area is modified for more open concept feel and new chairs. The kitchen is completely renovated with modern appliances and efficiencies that any chef would be thrilled to have
The old menu is being revamped "keeping some of the classics that our customers loved (Mongolian Beef, Dry Sautéed String Beans, Generals Taos Chicken) but adding some exciting Asian inspired dishes," Amy told the Laurelhurst Blog Staff.
Lunch and dinner are now being served Monday through Sunday.
"We sincerely hope to see familiar faces and new faces again very soon. We have missed everyone," Amy told the Blog Staff.
Uncle Lee's is located at 3216 NE 45th Place.
old China Village sign
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