The famed Chinese restaurant in Central has officially closed its doors, ending its century-long presence in Hong Kong
As one of the last traditional tea houses left in the city, Lin Heung Tea House was considered a culinary institution, attracting many that loved the nostalgia of old Hong Kong and its unique dim sum culture to Wellington Street in Central. Now, Lin Heung Restaurant Group has announced the closure of both Lin Heung Tea Houses—better known in Chinese as Lin Heung Lau (蓮香樓) in Central and Lin Heung Jaan (蓮香棧) in Tsuen Wan—on Facebook.
The official announcement, which thanked all those who supported Lin Heung Tea House over the years, bid farewell to its customers and mentioned that while management did its best to keep going during the pandemic, it could no longer go on. They also stated that they will continue to work hard at its other Lin Heung venues and hope to meet everyone again in the future.
Back in February 2019, the news that Lin Heung Tea House would cease to operate after its landlord failed to renew the lease shocked the city and caused a wave of old and new supporters to visit the restaurant. Fortunately, it was taken over by employees through a joint venture and the traditional restaurant, which is famous for its bustling, no-frills atmosphere in which diners would scramble over trolleys to grab bamboo baskets of steaming dim sum, was able to resume business.
After saying our goodbyes to other historic venues including Jumbo Kingdom, Mido Cafe and Happy Cake Shop to name a few, we can't help but hope that others celebrating Hong Kong's culture and heritage can hold on, and perhaps we should all be paying our favourites a visit soon.
Lin Heung Kui (蓮香居), under different management, will remain open and continues to serve traditional dim sum in Sheung Wan.