Republic Cafe and Ming Lounge
Portland, OR Photo courtesy Jim Zahniser
The towering sign at Republic Cafe and Ming Lounge still catches your eye along Portland’s Northwest Fourth Avenue. Even with portions of the neon dark, the vertical lettering and neighboring lounge sign give the storefront plenty of character. This is the sort of restaurant front that deserves a photograph before dinner. 09-10
Republic Cafe has been part of Chinatown for generations, with historical accounts placing its beginnings between the 1920s and around 1930. The Ming Lounge added another reason to linger into the evening, helping establish the restaurant as a familiar gathering place.
UPDATE: Republic Cafe & Ming Lounge remains open, and its historic signs continue marking the location. Their illumination has varied, but the combination still recalls the days when glowing restaurant signs helped give downtown Portland its nighttime personality. 07-26
Swan Garden (Gone)
Portland, OR Photo courtesy Jeff Raber
The low roof and broad windows at Swan Garden suggested a hamburger stop that had changed its menu. This North Interstate Avenue restaurant retained the look of an older roadside drive-in, making the building worth a second glance even before you noticed the Chinese restaurant signs.
Former customers remembered its earlier burger business, while others recalled eating at Swan Garden as far back as the 1970s. That combination of roadside architecture and a longtime neighborhood restaurant gave the property a story beyond the usual storefront conversion.
UPDATE: Swan Garden has closed, and its roadside sign has been removed. The building’s latest occupancy remains unconfirmed, so it’s best remembered here for the drive-in character visible in this photograph. Another familiar restaurant name has slipped out of Portland’s roadside landscape. 07-26
Kim's Fine Foods (Demolished)
Medford, OR Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
With its sprawling mid-century building and towering roadside marquee, Kim's Fine Foods was one of those places that practically demanded a stop along old Highway 99. The big sign, classic architecture, and neatly kept grounds made it feel like the kind of family restaurant that had been welcoming travelers for generations.
Kim's opened in 1950 and became a longtime Southern Oregon favorite by serving both Chinese and American dishes under one roof. It was the sort of place where families celebrated birthdays, travelers pulled off the highway for dinner, and regulars returned again and again for the Mar Far Chicken and the restaurant's famous pink dipping sauce. Inside, the Kwan Yin Room lounge added another layer of mid-century charm.
By the time this photo was taken, the restaurant had already closed, but it still looked like it was waiting for one more busy evening. The weathered marquee continued to stand proudly out front, and the distinctive building remained an unmistakable landmark for anyone driving through Medford.
UPDATE: Kim's is no more. The Kim's Restaurant in Medford was demolished on November 21, 2014 as it sat and met its fate with a bulldozer. The building was being torn down for the Coquille Indian Tribe who has proposed an Indian casino at the nearby bowling alley. 09-17
Kim's Fine Foods (Demolished)
Medford, OR Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
A few years later, the old restaurant was demolished as the property changed hands. Thankfully, someone recognized the importance of the sign before the wrecking crews arrived. Rather than disappearing with the building, the familiar neon marquee was carefully saved for future generations.
UPDATE: The Kim's Fine Foods building was demolished in 2014, but the landmark roadside sign was preserved and donated to the Terpening Motor Museum in nearby Phoenix. 07-26
Lee's Cafe (Gone)
Centralia, WA Photo courtesy Devil Doll
The rooftop sign at Lee's Cafe made it easy to spot while driving through downtown Centralia. Rising above the historic storefronts along Tower Avenue, it was one of those simple restaurant signs that gave the street just a little more personality.
For years, Lee's Cafe served Americanized Chinese food from this downtown location and became a familiar stop for both locals and travelers. The building itself blended into Centralia's collection of historic commercial blocks, but the rooftop sign helped it stand out from the rest.
By the time this photo was taken, the sign had already become a bit of a rarity. Rooftop restaurant signs like this were once common, but each year fewer seemed to survive. Sometimes it's those straightforward signs, quietly advertising a neighborhood restaurant, that end up being the ones you miss the most.
UPDATE: Lee's Cafe closed in 2008, and the rooftop sign has since been removed. The building remains and has been repurposed. 07-26
The Pagoda (Gone)
Portland, OR Photo courtesy Jeff Raber
Few restaurants have ever looked quite like The Pagoda. With its colorful rooflines and unmistakable oriental-inspired architecture, it stood out as one of Portland's most eye-catching roadside landmarks.
Built in 1939 and opening the following year, The Pagoda was Oregon's first restaurant designed specifically as a Chinese restaurant. Inside, diners crossed a small bridge over a koi pond before settling in for dinner, making the experience just as memorable as the building itself.
For generations, The Pagoda was a favorite Portland landmark and one of those places that people remembered long after the meal was over.
UPDATE: The Pagoda closed in 2008, and the building has since been remodeled into a bank. The roadside marquee is gone, but the restaurant's distinctive entrance arch was preserved and relocated. 07-26
Fu Shung (Gone)
Tacoma, WA Photo courtesy Lauren Freeland
The marquee at Fu Shung looked unlike just about any other Chinese restaurant sign. With its unusual shape projecting over South Tacoma Way, it hinted that the building had a much different life before diners started coming here for Chinese food.
Originally built in 1920 as the Realart Theatre, the neighborhood movie house entertained audiences for more than forty years before eventually becoming a dance hall and later the Fu Shung Restaurant. Rather than replacing the old theater marquee, the restaurant adapted it with bold neon lettering, creating one of Tacoma's more distinctive roadside signs.
UPDATE: The restaurant is gone, and the historic marquee has been removed. The former theater building still stands and awaits a new chapter. 07-26
Canton Restaurant (Gone)
Cottage Grove, OR Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The roadside sign at Canton Restaurant had just enough of an oriental flair to make passing motorists take a second look. It was the kind of eye-catching roadside design that fit perfectly along the old Pacific Highway.
Opened around 1950 as the Canton Cafe, the restaurant served Chinese-American food to locals and travelers passing through Cottage Grove. Owner Ben Chin, a World War II veteran, operated the restaurant until a new highway bypass diverted traffic away from town. Like so many roadside businesses, fewer cars meant fewer customers.
Rather than give up, Chin headed south and opened another Canton Cafe in Eureka, California, where his restaurant became part of that city's history as well.
UPDATE: The original Canton Restaurant building is gone, and its distinctive roadside sign disappeared many years ago. 07-26
Swan Garden (Gone)
Kim's Fine Foods (Demolished)
Kim's Fine Foods (Demolished)
Lee's Cafe (Gone)
The Pagoda (Gone)
Fu Shung (Gone)
Canton Restaurant (Gone)
