An Update On Wong's Chinese, OC Staple Since 1972

Photo by Jonathan Ho

​About a few months ago, a reader named Steve tipped us off that Wong's in Garden Grove, an OC staple since 1972 (though they began in LA in 1952), would finally close and be sold to new owners.

I said in that post that if there's a category for restaurants such as Wong's in Garden Grove, it's old-school. This is the Americanized Cantonese food that fed the Baby Boomer generation. Think chop suey, egg foo young, and "sweet and sour" everything. Throughout its lifespan, the world inside its doors has been set on pause, frozen in the age of leisure suits, 8-track tapes and Bruce Lee. When I ate there last in 2007, I sat in a brown room with wood paneling, ornamental lamps with dangling tassels, cottage-cheese ceilings and aging leather booths that squeaked whenever we shifted.

Now there's new news for those who previously bemoaned its demise.

Another reader named Nathan wrote in saying the plans the new owners had in turning it into another Vietnamese/Cajun crawfish clone called "Spicy Claw" hasn't happened. Instead, "the new owners kept the old chef and waiters. They will be serving the food on the old menu alongside new Vietnamese/Cajun seafood offerings."

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