Kowloon Restaurant
Saugus, MA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Heading up Route 1 through Saugus, there are plenty of signs competing for attention, but this one is pretty tough to beat. Rising above the highway is the colorful neon sign for the Kowloon Restaurant, pointing the way toward a sprawling Polynesian-style building that looks like it belongs along an old vacation highway. With the palm trees, pagoda roofs, glowing neon and all that roadside decoration, you know this isn't going to be an ordinary dinner stop. 02-08
Kowloon has been part of this stretch of Route 1 since August 22, 1950, when William and Madeline Wong opened the Mandarin House. The family changed the name to Kowloon in 1958, and what started as a much smaller restaurant kept growing over the years. Eventually the place became a 1,200-seat roadside giant and one of the largest Asian restaurants in New England.
Kowloon Restaurant
Saugus, MA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Step inside and the roadside show keeps going. Kowloon is divided into a collection of themed dining areas with names like the Luau Room, Tiki Lounge, Coral Room and Thai Room. Depending on where you end up sitting, there's bamboo, tropical scenery, tiki decorations and enough old-school atmosphere to make you forget that busy Route 1 is just outside the door.
The menu is almost as big as the building. Cantonese, Szechuan, Polynesian, Thai and sushi are all served under one roof. Hungry yet? This was the kind of Route 1 stop where the big roadside sign pulled you off the highway, then the building gave you plenty more to look at once you got there.
Kowloon Restaurant
Saugus, MA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Kowloon also developed quite an entertainment history. Over the years comedians including Jerry Seinfeld and Denis Leary appeared here, along with plenty of professional wrestlers and other entertainers. Dinner, drinks, tiki decor and a show all in one place. Not bad for a night along Route 1.
Of course, it's that big roadside presence that makes Kowloon such a RoadsidePeek stop. The neon sign, tropical styling and sprawling restaurant fit right in with the old Route 1 landscape of giant signs, restaurants, motels and roadside attractions designed to grab the attention of passing motorists. You really don't need directions once that Kowloon sign comes into view.
UPDATE: Kowloon remains open, but this stretch of Route 1 will eventually look quite different. The Wong family has plans to redevelop the property with new residential buildings while keeping a much smaller Kowloon restaurant as part of the project. For now, the sprawling restaurant and its familiar roadside sign are still greeting traffic along Route 1. 08-26
International Chop Suey (Gone)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada Photo courtesy Rod Holcomb
Now here's a sign that's hard to miss. The faded marquee for the International Chop Suey House reaches out over the sidewalk, complete with a big arrow pointing the way inside. It may have been showing its age, but this old sign still had plenty of character. 10-10
International Chop Suey House was once part of Toronto's original Chinatown along Elizabeth Street, where restaurants and colorful signs crowded the downtown blocks. Much of the neighborhood was later cleared during redevelopment for Toronto City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square.
A later International Chop Suey House operated on Kingston Road before eventually closing.
UPDATE: International Chop Suey House is closed, and the old marquee seen here has been removed. 08-26
International Chop Suey (Gone)
