In 2014, after 30 years of building Mandarin Palace into one of Santa Barbara’s most beloved Chinese restaurants, Jerry and Jennifer Hong sold their business in the Five Points Shopping Center and retired. But it wasn’t long before fans of their fresh, authentic, creative food were demanding they come back, especially many loyal customers of Chinese descent who craved the flavors of their homeland.
So in November 2015, the Hongs opened China King on Calle Real near their Goleta home. Today, the small restaurant — formerly home to Los Tarascos Mexican restaurant/bakery and in the same lot as Zodo’s bowling — is abuzz most nights of the week, a steady flow of dishes emerging from the tight kitchen to serve both in-house diners and those hungry at home, who can either pick up their food or have it delivered.
“Mr. Hong is a very picky guy,” explained their friend Janice Wang, who joined me for lunch recently to explain the Hongs’ history and serve as their translator. “He is like an artist. He serves very elegant food.”