Post #565648 by beadtiki on Thu, Nov 18, 2010 5:24 PM

Thanks PR - that answered my question and then some! I didn't realize the place had been around so long. I ate there in 1979 but I can't say I remember much as I was sixteen (yuk!) and was playing at being a vegetarian!

On 2010-11-17 17:59, Phillip Roberts wrote:
Aloha,

What's this about Wo Fat - I thought that was a restaurant in Honolulu?! Which came first?!

The "Wo Fat Chop Suey" building with its pagoda-styled roof has been a Chinatown landmark since 1882. The building was rebuilt after being destroyed twice by fire in 1886 and 1900.

Once a thriving restaurant opened by Wo Fat, a Chinese baker, it would be the oldest restaurant in Hawaii if it was still operating. It was instrumental in popularizing Cantonese cuisine to America. The father of modern China, Sun Yat-Sen reportedly dined there often while attending Iolani School.

I went to Wo Fat’s once, around 2002, to see some local punk rock bands (I think Grapefruit was one.) who had rented it out for a show. I remember the music was very loud and the bartender really hated being there. It is closed now, but the building is still there.