Shanghai Garden, Van Ness - Closed

[legant]

Shanghai Garden... known for its Peking Duck... will be closing at the end of the month. A Van Ness neighborhood staple for over 37 years, the owner has decided to turn the building into condos.

[Tweaked]

Shanghai Garden... known for its Peking Duck... will be closing at the end of the month. A Van Ness neighborhood staple for over 37 years, the owner has decided to turn the building into condos.

Can't say I'm surprised since it was always empty. Our one meal there was memoriable for the terrible duck and gloppy food...although they did have a great menu of tiki-bar style drinks, served in those cool tiki-head mugs!

But condos, lame...like Van Ness needs more condos/apartment buildings. A nice pub is what we need!

[BayingHoundAleworks]

Van Ness seems to be plagued. I remember going to Shanghai Garden as a kid. Last time I was there was about 30 years ago. I remember the pupu platter and though that was such an amusing name. The rest of Van Ness hasn't done much better, restaurants seem to open and close fairly frequently. I guess the old guard is leaving, Yengching Palace went under a while ago. Which one is next? There are better places these days, I can't say that I will miss Shanghai Garden.

[Tweaked]

If there was any justice Quiznos, Subway, Burger King, and Jerry's would all next be on the chopping block! Then I would convert the Potbelly into a pub...

It's sad because Shanghai Garden has a good location, with lots of foot traffic, multiple apartment buildings nearby, and a hotel across the street...any reasonably priced, decent/good restaurant *should* do well along that block (and in Van Ness in general).

[BayingHoundAleworks]

That whole stretch seems a little sterile. If it were to wake up a little like Cleveland park...

I agree Potbelly should have a pub in its place.

[The Hersch]

There's always Coat of Arms. Oh, wait....

[DC Deb]

That's too bad. The food there is old-school American Chinese but the family that runs it is really nice. I really liked their little lunchtime buffet of soup and pickles to go with your entree. A guilty pleasure.

[sweth]

If there was any justice Quiznos, Subway, Burger King, and Jerry's would all next be on the chopping block! Then I would convert the Potbelly into a pub...

It's sad because Shanghai Garden has a good location, with lots of foot traffic, multiple apartment buildings nearby, and a hotel across the street...any reasonably priced, decent/good restaurant *should* do well along that block (and in Van Ness in general).

The problem isn't whether it can do well; it's whether it can do well enough to support a rent high enough that for the owner of the building, continuing the lease is the "highest and best use" of the property as compared to redeveloping it as condos or something else. Unfortunately, as the potential value of the condos increase, that "well enough" tipping point moves higher, so that only places w/ very high traffic and relatively low overhead (e.g. fast food franchises) or moderate traffic and higher prices can survive; the moderate traffic/moderate price places tend to be the ones that get priced out of the market.

[Tweaked]

we dropped into Shanghai Garden friday night...just felt like we couldn't see this place close without one last visit (even if it was just our second time there!)

8pm on a Friday and the dining room was full with people saying goodbye to the staff and getting in a final dinner. We snagged the last table. At one point someone stopped in with flowers and the restaurant erupted in applause. Definitely a mood of bittersweet nostalgia.

Settled in with a Flaming Volcano and Pu Pu Platter.

Then went with an eggplant and shrimp dish (not that bad but very sweet) and spicy duck (which was advertsied as being spicy hot and lived up to the warning)

Again, the food was mediocre at best, but the tiki cocktails were great!.

According to the waitress, it appears the condo deal is not done and they are hopeful that they can sign a new lease.