Sun Wah Kue

Growing up in Chinatown in the mid to late 60’s, I loved coming here to eat «American «food. Prime rib, beef tongue in Spanish sauce, half a fried spring chicken (best). Everything was so good when you were growing up in Chinatown and you were 6 – 10 years old. And the pies!!! Such great memories!!!

Best childhood memories! Here. Period.
Growing up in Chinatown in the ’60’s and ’70’s, I proudly can say that this restaurant molded and shaped me (round, from their meals) during my formative years. For most living or working in Chinatown, this was likely their first exposure to American food. The menu had a mix of typical comfort dishes like roast pork, veal cutlet (both with brown gravy), pan fried pork chops, hamburger steak, prime rib with au jus, grilled rib eye steak, fried chicken (half) and a mix of daily specials that rotated daily on a regular basis. Here’s what I remember: Wed. — ox tail stew, Thurs. — beef tongue with Spanish sauce, Fri. — clam chowder (soup of the day) and baked meatballs with spaghetti (brown gravy), Sun. — fried pork tenderloin. For old time Chinatown dudes, they offered ‘comfort’ entrees like stewed beef tripe, liver and onions, and beef stew.
All regular meals ranged from $ 3.00 to $ 5.00 in the ’70’s to $ 5.00 to $ 9.00 for prime rib or steak. The meal included soup, two homemade buns, dessert choice of their baked pies or ice cream, and coffee or tea. Speaking of which, they were known for their apple, custard, and orange pies which were sold whole as well as by the slice; plus they cost around $ 3.00 for a whole pie! And their sugar donuts.
Sigh…
The best modern versions of this are Pacific Court, New Lun Ting (aka pork chop house), and Café Bakery. However, in my book (be it aged), these couldn’t hold a candle taste wise to SWK.

This ABC ate here often in the mid-​century. My family patronized this restaurant from its opening a century ago to its close in the 1980s. We bought donuts, jelly rolls and flaky crust apple pies from their bakery which also offered a great custard pie and the unique orange pie. That pie’s tart filling was vaguely similar to key lime pie, but it was made with oranges.
Before the restaurant was sold in the 1980s, the cuisine was strictly western, or a Chinese interpretation of western food. Most people came for the roast prime rib which was as good as what the House of Prime Rib serves but at a fraction of the price. In 1964, the prime rib meal was only $ 1.85! (That’s about $ 14 in today’s money.) In the post WW II era, many Chinatown restaurants, such as New Jackson Café, offered western style lunches, but Sun Wah Kue had the best prime rib, especially if you liked rare roast beef.
The menu also offered roast pork, steaks & chops or fried chicken. During the week, the lunch specials of the day rotated from entrees like corned beef, curried lamb, oxtail stew, etc. Lunch included soup, rice, vegetables, a fresh dinner roll and dessert.
Breakfast was great, particularly the waffles which were light and crisp. When I was exceptionally hungry in the morning, I would order steak and eggs. The steak was the same big ribeye that was available at lunch. Breakfast included fried potatoes and a biscuit.
This was a place to get a good cup of regular coffee, usually Caswell’s that came out of the big urns behind the counter. The staff put whole eggs on top of the grounds. The yolks didn’t do anything, but the eggwhite served as a filter.

Sun Wah Kue literally means new chinese soujourner. it’s gone now. in the olde days, they served american traditional food and chinese food. fare was ok.
i didn’t come here often. though chinese all «look alike» to some people, chinese themselves can tell visually whether one is ABC (american born chinese) or FOB (fresh off the boat).
SWK was patronized by the latter. i just felt out of place here. too much jabbering in chinese. it’s the swearing about the gambling losses and someone’s Mom. (m.f.) that i diskike, not the language itself.