Butte's Pekin Noodle Parlor closing after 115 years

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Butte's Pekin Noodle Parlor closing after 115 years
by NBC Montana Staff

Thu, April 23, 2026 at 1:43 PM
Updated Thu, April 23, 2026 at 4:36 PM


After 115 years in business in Butte, the Pekin Noodle Parlor is closing. The restaurant has been referred to as “the oldest continually operating family owned Chinese restaurant in America.” Photo: NBC Montana

BUTTE, Mont. — After 115 years in business in Butte, the Pekin Noodle Parlor is closing. ... The restaurant has been referred to as “the oldest continually operating family owned Chinese restaurant in America.”

“My father gave me the Pekin to make a decision he could not make for himself or have his beloved daughters do . . . someday having to close the restaurant. He knew how difficult this line of work was and how people truly behaved. He never wanted this life for his family including me and passed knowing he left a better life for his children and I would make the right decision. The legacy was continued, the prestigious awards were won, the reviews were top tier, and the food/service was excellent. The Pekin was a family restaurant and without family this just would not work. Family/people just stop coming and more and more online orders flowed in. Chinese takeout was part of our equation but online food delivery was not the answer. The negative attitudes of dining out overwhelmed our staff and the countless dine dash never ended. There still a future for the Pekin but it’s not expecting customers to dine out and enjoy each others company over hot tea and a warm bowl of noodles, tipping your server, and supporting mom/pop restaurants that made up this great nation,” said Jerry Tam/Pekin

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[Faux pas]

1. That's really sad.

[2naSalit]

2. And...

There are few good Chinese cuisine restaurants in Montana. The last town I lived in there has a good one, family owned since about 25 - 30 years ago. Ate there often. Then, a couple years ago, some venture capitalists swept through town buying up buildings, the one housing the Chinese Restaurant was one of them. Then the new owners suddenly gave the restaurant a 30 day vacate notice! They had been there since they opened and now some outsiders were taking our one Chinese restaurant from us. The 'city' residents fought back, the restaurant wasn't given a proper notice so they kept on for a couple more months but had to leave in the end. Fortunately there was a closed restaurant a block over and the building owners leased it to the Chinese family and they reopened after about six months.

They are having a similar concern with the door dash and takeout orders but people still go for dine in like my friends and I would do about once or twice a month.

Hope they don't close any time soon.