China Town Chinese Restaurant , Camdenton, MO (restaurant)

Name:China Town Chinese Restaurant
Type:restaurant
Street:465 W. US Highway 54
City:Camdenton
State:MO
Zip:65020
country:USA
Phone: (573) 346-4962
Status:operational

Description:
A small Chinese restaurant located along the southern arm of the Lake of the Ozarks, this in one of the very few places in Missouri that STILL serves polynesian drinks in tiki mugs!

We were actually on our way through town headed for the Chinese Chef House in Lebanon when we spotted this small Chinese Resturaunt with a big sign out front that said "Polynesian Drinks." We hung around till 11:00 AM when they opened and I went in to investigate. I talked with a waitress mostly. The owner seemed more than skeptical of my reasons for stopping in with no intention of eating there. I managed to get one shot of the menu befre he told me he didn't want me to take ANY more photos, including the exterior of the place.

I saw no tiki decor. They don't let you buy or keep the mugs and bowls. The owner told me that he gets them from Dynasty Wholesale. The drink prices look reasonable, but we didn't have time (or desire) to try some. Another trip, another day.

More than a little surprised to find a place like this in Camdenton, MO!

Wow, what a great menu for a contemporary restaurant! Serving the Tiki, Beachcomber, Zombie...! And the prices! Do they put alcohol in these!? Or is that an old menu...

Hey Bigbro, I was thinking the same thing!
Those can't be the prices with alcohol can they?? That's what pop costs up here!!!
Cool to see the pictures of the drink mugs. I've never seen a picture of a Blue Surfer Guy or that Orchids Oriental man on a menu before.
Nice to see.

Thanks SilverLine!! Hey, you got a picture of that sign (Polynesian Drinks) or the outside of this place?

TabooDan

Yes, that is a current drink menu and those are the current prices. The waitress said that the drinks were very good. Maybe if we'd been stopping in later in the day we'd have given them a try. No other pics, though. The owner didn't want me to shoot anything more (including exteriors), so I honored his request.

Classic Silver Line Boats

[ Edited by: SilverLine 2008-10-31 19:13 ]

My wife and I had a chance to go down to the lake this weekend so we dropped in on the China Town restaurant for dinner. Anxious to try something from their drink menu but having a long drive back after dinner, we decided to split a Scorpion. Yep, $3.50 was the price, and it was good! Fruity-sweet, but a good dose of rum, served in the correct bowl even. Trader Vic's it ain't, but considering we may never get a Trader Vic's in Kansas City, and that this is the only place in the state that you can still get a drink like this, we were giddy with joy! The food was good; standard Americanized Chinese offerings, good service, nice clean Chinese decor. Who'd a thunk it . . in the OZARKS even! We'll be back!

This time a grabbed a few more pics:

On 2008-10-31 19:10, SilverLine wrote:
Yes, that is a current drink menu and those are the current prices. The waitress said that the drinks were very good. Maybe if we'd been stopping in later in the day we'd have given them a try. No other pics, though. The owner didn't want me to shoot anything more (including exteriors), so I honored his request.

---

Classic Silver Line Boats

[ Edited by: SilverLine 2008-10-31 19:13 ]

What kind of owner is this ?

He doesn't want promo for his restaurant, in THESE times. Whatadummy !

Amazing tho'....$3.50 for a Scorpion BOWL, no less.

If you go in there again, Tell the owner about TC and let him know that your photos will help promote his restaurant business.

Amazing Drink Menu....Looks like this place is stuck in a wonderful time warp.

We've been back to Camdenton a couple times since last year and either the place is growing on us or the drinks are really getting better! Either way, each time is more fun that the last. I asked the owner how long he's been serving these drinks and he pondered it for a moment and said, "Forty . . fifty years."

This time we had to try the Volcano. Sure enough, it came in the proper bowl (albeit highly used) complete with flaming 151! Delicious! While the Mai Tai Lounge in Omaha is the only vintage tiki bar for hundreds of miles, China Town may be the only vintage establishment in those same hundreds of miles that still serves these drinks in tiki mugs!