Chinatown Dumpling Legend 88 Lan Zhou Will Close on October 31

Chinatown legend 88 Lan Zhou is closing for good on October 31

Despite a surge in customers and support, legendary Chinatown hand-pulled noodle restaurant 88 Lan Zhou will close at the end of this month, the owners announced on Instagram over the weekend. “We tried everything we could to stay afloat, but in the end, it was just too difficult to just survive in these current conditions,” the owners wrote on Instagram.

The restaurant was initially set to close in August, but buoyed by local support the dumpling and noodle destination was able to hold on just a little bit longer. Still, that didn’t the help the restaurant overcome the financial burdens of the coronavirus pandemic. Community group Send Chinatown Love notes that the restaurant had been a one-woman operation for the past several months and had outstanding rent payments dating back to February. The group is currently hosting a fundraiser through October 11 to gift Lan Zhou dumplings to seniors and homeless individuals in the neighborhood.

88 Lan Zhou will close its doors for good on October 31, but until then it is continuing to sell frozen dumplings and sauces for takeout only from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily from its home at 40 Bowery, between Canal and Bayard Streets. The restaurant didn’t completely rule out the possibility of returning and has asked customers to stay up to date on news on its Instagram account.

In other news

— Cult-hit Cantonese food vendor Joe’s Steam Rice Roll is opening a new location on the Upper West Side at 422 Amsterdam Avenue, near West 80th Street. An opening date is yet to be announced.

— Two Michelin star Korean restaurant Jungsik’s pastry chef, Eunji Lee, is hosting a virtual dessert-making class later this month for $240 per person.

— Flushing karaoke bar the Platinum Lounge was shut down over the weekend, and had its liquor licenses suspended after state officers reportedly found dozens of people hanging out inside without masks.

— Spicy noodle pro Hana, which operates a stall inside Dekalb Market Hall in Downtown Brooklyn, is now opening a new restaurant called Noodle Craft in Long Island City this month.

— Tens of thousands of items from the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, which are currently sitting in Boston while the establishment undergoes a revamp, are now up for auction.

— Broome Street has a new vegan Chinese restaurant in the form of Fat Choy. Located at 250 Broome Street, between Orchard and Ludlow Streets, the restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.

— Starting off the week with cake: