Chinese food was the first type of ethnic cuisine to become a food considered ‘restaurant food.’ The history of Chinese food is a rich and interesting subject, especially since it helps tell the story of the first major Asian immigration to the United States. The first documented Chinese restaurant, the Canton Restaurant, opened in 1909 in San Franciso. But, what is the oldest continually operating Chinese restaurant in the US?
Oldest Chinese Restaurant That is Still Open
The oldest continually operating Chinese restaurant in the United States is the Pekin Noodle Parlor, in Butte, Montana. The restaurant is located at 117 S. Main Street.
The building was built by attorney F.T. McBride during Butte’s boom days as a mining town, in 1909. The noodle parlor opened in 1911 on the second floor when Hum Yow relocated his restaurant there, which had originally been on Mercury Street. He later purchased the building. The downstairs hosted a shop that sold Chinese goods, herbs, and silks and a sign painting business, while the basement, or ‘ground floor’ housed a casino and saloon.
Pekin Noodle Parlor sits in what used to be the heart of Chinatown in Butte, in front of a small passage called China Alley. The restaurant is identified by a neon-orange Chop Suey sign. Diners have to go up a very plain, and a bit spooky, flight of stairs to get to the restaurant, where they are ushered into their own curtain dining nook. These nooks are part of legend, as, for many years, rumors dogged the business claiming that they were used by prostitutes to entertain clientele.
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The Survival of the Merchant Class
By the mid-20th century, the vibrant Chinatown that once thrived in Butte had largely vanished. The Chinese Exclusion Act and local boycotts led by labor unions made life tenable only for a specific group: the merchants. To stay in Butte by the 1940s, a Chinese immigrant typically had to own a business, like a laundry, an herbalist shop, or a restaurant, that the local community relied upon. The Pekin Noodle Parlor wasn’t just a place to eat; it was a strategic “economic fortress” that allowed the Yow family to maintain a presence in a city that was otherwise purging its Asian population.
Architecture as a Social Buffer
The restaurant’s second-floor location (often referenced in Mister Jiu’s in Chinatown) served a dual purpose. While it provided cheaper rent, it also acted as a social buffer. In the often-violent atmosphere of a “Copper King” mining town, having a storefront on the ground level meant being exposed to the street. By moving the dining room upstairs, the Pekin Noodle Parlor created a controlled environment. The curtained booths, which locals often associated with the Red-Light District, were actually a brilliant business adaptation: they provided privacy for miners, businessmen, and families alike, making “Chop Suey” a safe, middle-class luxury in a rugged town.
From “China Alley” to the Congressional Record
The longevity of the Pekin Noodle Parlor is more than just a family achievement; it has been formally recognized as a vital thread in the American tapestry. In 2011, the restaurant was officially entered into the Congressional Record by Senator Max Baucus.
The record commemorates the Tam family’s 100-year legacy and acknowledges the restaurant as a centerpiece of an evolving Butte community. Senator Baucus specifically noted the Tam family’s 100-year legacy of serving everyone from “.have timeless appeal and are cherished for quality food that reflects the character of their community.”
The Congressional Record also notes the interesting historical artifacts stored in the basement, such as herbal medicine and social club registers, which help narrate the history of the Chinese community across the entire Western U.S.
This national recognition culminated in 2023 when the Pekin Noodle Parlor was named an “American Classic” by the James Beard Foundation. This award is specifically reserved for locally owned restaurants that have timeless appeal and are cherished for quality food that reflects the character of their community. For a business that began in the second-story “nooks” of a mining town, receiving the culinary equivalent of an Oscar is the ultimate validation of its “economic fortress” strategy.
McDonald’s doesn’t cut it when you need a slider. And sure, the history of McDonald’s is interesting. But, the company is a baby compared to While Castle, the Oldest Hamburger Chain.
The True Pekin Legacy: Improbability of a Century
To truly understand the legacy of the Pekin Noodle Parlor, one has to look past the menu and consider the sheer math of restaurant survival. It is highly unusual for a restaurant to survive past a decade! Two decades defines a landmark business, in restaurant terms. But the Pekin Noodle Parlor has survived for eleven decades.
This isn’t the survival of a major retail corporation with deep pockets and boardrooms; this is the survival of a single family in a single building. When Hum Yow opened these doors in 1911, the Chinese Exclusion Act had already been law for nearly thirty years, specifically designed to prevent the very existence of a family like his in a place like Butte.
The fact that a diner can still walk up those “spooky” stairs today, sit in a curtained booth that saw the tail end of the Copper King era, and order a plate of Chop Suey isn’t just a matter of “staying in business.” It is a rare, living defiance of both economic gravity and social history. In the world of American dining, the Pekin Noodle Parlor isn’t just a restaurant; it is a staggering achievement; statistical impossibility that happens to serve great food.
Further Reading
- Do Chinese People Hate American Chinese Food?
- The Oldest Food Trademark in the United States
- Who Makes Those Plastic Packets of Soy Sauce?
- The Real Truth About the Restaurant Failure Rate