Jing Fong Confirms July Reopening Will Take Place in Chinatown

Jing Fong plans to reopen at a new location in Chinatown this July

It’s official: Chinatown’s largest restaurant is staying in Chinatown. Jing Fong, which previously announced it would be reopening at a new location this summer, has confirmed that it’s staying in the neighborhood, though its address is still unknown. The new restaurant is substantially smaller than its previous home on Elizabeth Street, marketing director Claudia Leo tells Eater, but owner Truman Lam is apparently working with an architect to recreate the ambiance of its sprawling dining room at the new 125-seat location. Executive chef Jin Ruan will continue on at the new restaurant, as well.

News of the new location comes just under three months after the celebrated Chinatown restaurant announced the permanent closure of its indoor dining room. Jing Fong, which also has a second location on the Upper West Side, offered takeout, delivery, and outdoor dining throughout the pandemic, but it wasn’t enough to make rent on the restaurant’s sprawling 800-person dining room, reportedly one of the largest in Chinatown. “The larger space was unsustainable,” Leo told the Post in April. “We finally gave up.”

In a post on Instagram this week, the restaurant announced it will be officially leaving its longtime home on Elizabeth Street on May 16. The restaurant Fong was previously set to close on May 31, according to a report from the New York Post.

A Greek restaurant is planned for the former home of Charlie Palmer Steak

Ioannis Chatiris, owner of Ethos in Midtown East and a previous partner at Kyma in Roslyn, New York, has taken over the former space of Charlie Palmer Steak NYC at 5 East 54th Street. He’s planning on opening a Greek restaurant in its place called Skorpios, set to debut on May 26th. In addition to classic Hellenic dishes, the menu will serve squid ink pasta with lemon anchovy bread crumbs; tomahawk steak; and risotto with truffle butter, lemon, peas, and chanterelles. Dinner only for now, with weekend brunch planned for June.
— Beth Landman, Eater contributor

In other news

— Send Chinatown Love is working with businesses across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens to distribute meals, PPE, and hygiene to communities in need during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The local group has committed more than $100,000 to the initiative, according to a spokesperson.

— The team behind the Bronx Night Market is bringing a similar event to West Harlem this summer. The outdoor night market will take place on the second Thursday of each month from June through October in the 12th Avenue corridor of West Harlem. Open 4 to 10 p.m.

— Makina is bringing its beloved Eritrean-Ethiopian food truck to Talea Beer Co. in Williamsburg today as part of a food truck pop-up series at the brewery. Open from 3 p.m. onward.

— Michael Lomonaco’s Porter House Bar and Grill reopens for dinner service this evening for the first time since December. The acclaimed steakhouse is open Tuesday through Saturday.

— Moon Man, a Southeast Asian dessert stall at Essex Market, is selling Thai tea-flavored coconut jams through its website to benefit local group Heart of Dinner.

— Mayor Bill de Blasio officially signs the city’s popular Open Streets bill into law, making the program a permanent fixture in New York City.

— As part of Peter Luger’s ongoing quest to modernize during the pandemic, the historic steakhouse is now on Instagram.

— Grub Street steps inside All Night Skate, a Brooklyn bar serving up Pop Rock cocktails and retro roller rink vibes.

— Breaking: