Doraville mainstay Yen Jing will close its doors at the end of this month after more than three decades.
Shu Hsia and his wife, Hsiu Hsia, opened the restaurant in December 1991 at 5302 Buford Highway NE, after the ethnically Chinese couple emigrated to Atlanta from Korea. The restaurant will remain open through June 30.
Their daughter, Ching Hsia, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that part of the reason behind the closure is Shu’s death four years ago.
“It’s not the same without him,” said Hsia, who has been managing the restaurant while her brother, John, has served as the chef. “Yen Jing was his legacy, his sweat and heart were all poured into the restaurant. It’s hard, but it was time for my family to retire.”
She said John is looking at the possibility of opening a smaller version of Yen Jing in another location.
In a Facebook post announcing the closure, Ching thanked the customers who have patronized Yen Jing over the years.
“We will miss everyone very much! We know what you will order even before you sat down to order, we know you like salt on rice, we know you like to make your own dumpling sauce with lot of chili pepper, we know you want your shrimp peeled in your soup, and many more,” she wrote. “No regrets! Loved every moment!”
In a 1992 review, former AJC food critic Elliott Mackle wrote, “We finished the meal with oranges slices and fortune cookies. I kept my printed fortune: “Your future is as boundless as the lofty heaven.” I hope so. But my guess is that the prediction applies more surely to the prospects of Yen Jing. I can’t wait to go back.”
Yen Jing is one of several longtime metro Atlanta restaurants to close in 2022, with others including Babette’s Cafe in Virginia-Highland, Ken’s Corner Grill in Smyrna and Sweet Melissa’s in Decatur.
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