Day 315: Republic Café and Ming Lounge, Portland, Oregon

📌APIA Every Day (315) - The Republic Café, one of Portland's oldest continuously operating Chinese restaurants, initially opened circa 1930. Located in the city’s Chinatown district, the café was housed in the O.B. Stubbs Building alongside other Chinese businesses and organizations like the Hop Sing Tong Association. For early Chinese Americans, the café and lounge served as a social center, where people could gather and enjoy cultural dishes. 

In its early years, the café primarily served Cantonese cuisine as the owners were from the Guangdong province of China. A popular Americanized dish included Chop Suey, a meal prepared with meat and a variety of mixed vegetables. In 1939, Sam Soohoo, who had immigrated to the U.S. in 1928, became the principal owner and head chef of the business. By the 1940s, the café was located in a prime food neighborhood, surrounded by prominent Japanese eateries like the Tokio Sukiyaki House and Yodogawa Restaurant. 

In the 1950s, Dr. Victor Wong became a minor partner and helped secure a liquor license for the Republic Café in 1951. With this new development, Soohoo opened the Ming Lounge to serve alcoholic drinks, and revamped the restaurant’s interior with Chinese decorative motifs. Through the 1970s, the café continued to thrive, serving a variety of signature Cantonese dishes. While other clubs and restaurants in the area closed early, the Republic stayed open until 4 a.m., attracting busy crowds of customers. During this time, the café quickly became known as one of the best Chinese restaurants in Portland and was often frequented by important public figures and celebrities. Dr. Wong, who had later become the manager of the restaurant, was referred to as the unofficial “Mayor of Chinatown.” 

In 1989, the Republic Café and Ming Lounge were added to the National Register of Historic Places as part of  the Portland New Chinatown/Japantown Historic District. Although Soohoo and Wong sold the restaurant to new owners in 1979, it continues to operate and serve Cantonese food today. Now managed by the Mui family, the café hosts a variety of cultural events, including art shows, live bands, and maker fairs in its gallery and lounge spaces.

Written by Avneet Dhaliwal

LEARN MORE:

AsAmNews: The Landmark Republic Café of Portland Chinatown

EATER: The History of Chinese Food in Portland, America's Second-Oldest Chinatown 

The Republic Cafe Is Entering Its Second Century

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