Chinatown institution Sang Kee Peking Duck House reopens
CHINATOWN - An institution of Chinatown, Sang Kee, is finally back open Saturday after it was forced to close last week, due to a mysterious steam blasting into the restaurant’s basement.
Sang Kee Peking Duck House is finally back open Saturday after it was forced to close on December 13.
"It’s been a really long week and we’re really excited to be back open. Super relieved and I’m glad I’m not here day and night trying to organize utility agencies and contractors," said Henry Chow, General Manager of Sang Kee. "Back to serving food."
The Department of Licenses and Inspections ordered the restaurant in Chinatown to cease operations on December 13 due to a damaged steam pipe causing water to drip on the main electrical and fire panel.
"I was like, oh my God, what’s going to happen, how long will it stay closed? Everyone is already struggling with keeping their business open," said customer Dave Bautista.
Sang Kee closed: Beloved Chinatown restaurant shut down indefinitely due to electrical issues
Sang Kee, a popular restaurant in Chinatown, has been shutdown indefinitely by the city due to electrical problems.
Chow said after a painstaking seven days of troubleshooting a temporary solution was established to divert steam away from the building, allowing the restaurant to reopen on Saturday.
"It really did take a lot of people. We’re just so grateful. Obviously, we’ve been around for a long time and a lot of folks have families or friends who’ve been here before but all the same. We felt like Philadelphia really had our back," said Chow.
FOX 29 reached out to Vicinity Energy who said, "In speaking with the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD), it is our understanding that the water service line at a nearby business was identified as the cause, which was repaired yesterday. We are thankful for PWD’s collaboration and grateful Sang Kee could reopen today."
Chow said he heard this update but was still waiting to confirm if it was the root cause.
In the meantime, faithful customers said it was an early Christmas gift to have this beloved restaurant back open.
"We’ve been eating this since we were kids. It’s my favorite meal, duck and rice. I could eat that every day for the rest of my life," said customer Giovanni Lones.
"This is one of our favorite restaurants in Philadelphia," said customer Richard Levine. "We’ve been coming here for 25 years at least."
"There’s no place else in the world to get duck like they have duck here," said customer D. Levin. "Quality and consistency. The service is always very, very good and there’s no reason not to keep coming back."