This Woodland Chinese restaurant is said to be the oldest in the US. It has new-found fame
Chicago Cafe has endured two World Wars, myriad financial swings and more than a century’s worth of changing palates. After 121 years — maybe — it’s experiencing its moment in the sun.
The dive on Woodland’s Main Street may be the United States’ oldest enduring Chinese restaurant, UC Davis law school professor Gabriel “Jack” Chin announced in late January.
Chin leads the university’s Asian Exclusion Research Project, an interdisciplinary group that digs into Asian Americans’ tales of prejudice and perseverance. The group found solid evidence that Chicago Cafe has been operating since at least 1910, though owners Paul and Nancy Fong give a date of 1903.
Either way, Chicago Cafe is now believed to be California’s oldest Chinese restaurant, eclipsing the famous Sam Wo Restaurant in San Francisco’s Chinatown. It would be the longest-running Chinese restaurant in the U.S. if founded in 1903, longer than Pekin Noodle Parlor in Butte, Montana, which was founded in 1909 or 1911.
UC Davis’ study and subsequent media coverage brought a deluge of new customers to Chicago Cafe, staffed only by the Fongs and longtime server Dianna Olstad.
Bay Area residents Susan Chew and Rose Fua had never heard of the restaurant before it was written up in the San Francisco Chronicle last month, despite the first-generation Chew’s constant search for Chinese food while attending UC Davis’ veterinary school in the 1980s.
The friends stopped by for chop suey and paper-wrapped chicken on their day trip to see the region’s almond blossoms. Sitting at the counter next to Edward Tafoya, 74, they represented a shift in Chicago Cafe’s clientele.
Tafoya lives in the nearby town of Yolo and started coming to Chicago Cafe in the late 1960s to celebrate the weddings of his high school peers. He ate his usual chicken-fried steak that Friday, having secured a rare empty seat during the lunch rush.
“It’s way too crowded now. I even came in early so that I could get something to eat,” Tafoya said.
Chicago Cafe is popular, but its next steps remain murky after three generations of family ownership. Paul and Nancy Fong are 76 and 67, respectively. The restaurant’s refrigerator is plastered with photos of their children, who have carved out careers outside the restaurant industry, and young grandchildren.
“If somebody took over, I can retire,” Paul Fong said. “I’ll still run it until somebody takes over and I can play with the grandkids.”
For the time being, Chicago Cafe’s owners are racing to meet demand and capitalize on their restaurant’s newfound fame. Overhearing Fua’s comment that the owners needed to hire more staff, Olstad responded, “It’ll never happen.”
Chicago Cafe is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday-Sunday. It’s open until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, and closed Thursday.
Take a look inside the Chicago Cafe, California’s oldest Chinese restaurant
What I’m Eating
Mother is back, and it’s better than ever.
Michael and Lisa Thiemann and Ryan Donohue’s acclaimed vegetarian restaurant reopened in September, a dozen blocks east on K Street from the downtown Sacramento location where it previously stood. Chef/co-owner Robb Venditti (formerly of Pangaea Bier Cafe and Mulvaney’s B&L) has joined the crew as well.
Mother’s new midtown space is brighter, more colorful and less rushed than its predecessor, which became a lunchtime favorite and earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand before closing in January 2020. An expanded kitchen gives Venditti and Thiemann more room to stack the expanded, ever-changing menu with seasonal dishes as well as classics.
The oyster mushroom po’boy sandwich ($18) that made Mother famous still stands out a decade after its creation. Fried mushrooms explode out of soft torpedo rolls, joined by crunchy iceberg lettuce, coriander pickles and an acidic remoulade, with a side of housemade potato chips.
There are small plates as well, including cozy Grass Valley grits ($9) from Early Bird Farm & Mill, topped with sweet molasses butter and served in a skillet. Marinated baby beets ($10) are another pleasant shareable, sitting in half-teardrops atop a pistachio crumb ricotta spread with lavender oil and watermelon radish slivers.
Thiemann wedding lasagna ($27) is a hit entree with a romantically practical backstory: Michael made it for his and Lisa’s reception, guests raved that it was the best they ever had and it landed on Mother 2.0’s menu. Stuffed with spinach, green tomatoes, grilled crookneck squash and ricotta, it was surrounded by a tart tomato coulis and baked to a crispy top.
Mother
Address: 2319 K St., Suite B, Sacramento.
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday.
Phone: None, they’re proud to say.
Website: https://www.mothersacramento.com/
Drinks: Local beer, wine and a cinnamon-housemade jamaica called the “Jamichael” as a tribute to Michael Thiemann.
Vegetarian options: Everything. Vegan and gluten-free items are marked on the menu, as are dishes made with tree nuts or seed oils.
Noise level: Medium-loud.
Openings & Closings
▪ Little Morocco Cafe is downtown Sacramento’s newest restaurant, now open at 716 7th St. Jamal Kabbaj’s breakfast-and-lunch concept makes halal Morocccan specialties such as kofta tajine or shredded lemon chicken sandwiches with crinkle-cut fries.
▪ Seapot opened its first Sacramento-area location (and 12th planned or running overall) on Sunday in Florin Towne Centre at 6009 Florin Road. The 8,000-square foot restaurant and bar presents all-you-can-eat hot pot and Korean barbecue dishes on conveyor belts.
▪ Yoshi Ramen began its soft opening Feb. 24 in The Marketplace at Granite Bay shopping center. The Japanese restaurant at 6869 Douglas Blvd. is owned by Josh Gurbazar and Pearl Amgalanbaatar, who also own Sushi House in Roseville, and specializes in tonkotsu ramen.
