After 36 years, a family-owned Chinese restaurant deemed a Jacksonville neighborhood mainstay served its final orders Wednesday of chicken wings, fried rice, egg foo young, egg rolls and other customer favorites.
Lee’s Dragon, 880 Lane Ave. S., shut its doors as owners Lily and David Lee prepare to retire. Contributing to the closure, their daughter Louisa Lee told the Times-Union, is that the building has been sold.
It’s possible her parents might reopen the restaurant at a new location if an investor is found in the future, Louisa Lee said.
The closing of Lee’s Dragon follows a number of other closings already this year, including Woody’s Bar-B-Q in Ponte Vedra Beach after 21 years, the Mr. Potato Spread franchise on Philips Highway, and two Biggie’s Pizza locations.
Known for Chinese favorites rooted in classic Cantonese recipes, Lee’s Dragon was founded by the late Yook Kut Lee and his wife, Hung Lum Lee. They opened Lee’s Dragon in 1987 on Lane Avenue.
In 1993, Lily and David Lee joined the business after emigrating from Hong Kong. In 1994, the Lee family opened a second restaurant on Baymeadows Road but it later closed.