Hong Kong’s Shatin Inn Restaurant to close in September, calling curtain on 60-year history
- Crowds flock to famous open-air diner used in 1989 Chow Yun-fat drama and many other local films, after word spread of its imminent closure
An open-air restaurant in Hong Kong that previously featured in many local films has confirmed it will shut down in late September after 60 years, even as news of its imminent closure attracted crowds of diners.
Scores of customers stood in line outside Shatin Inn Restaurant in Sha Tin before it opened at noon on Wednesday after its usual weekly rest-day closure, as word spread that the establishment would soon shut for good. Many cars were parked outside and all of the restaurant’s 20 tables were occupied soon after it opened.
Known for its Indonesian cuisine, especially satay skewers, the restaurant is tucked under the shade of trees along Tai Po Road and was a popular setting in many Hong Kong films from the 1960s to the 1990s, including All About Ah-long, a 1989 drama starring Chow Yun-fat and Taiwanese actress Sylvia Chang.
However, the owners recently decided the diner would cease operations permanently in late September, a staff member told the Post on Wednesday.
“Business was poor last year and fell to its lowest level during this year’s Lunar New Year, which prompted us to finally close the restaurant,” said a staff member surnamed Kwok, who has been with the establishment for more than 20 years.
“These days many people are heading north to the mainland to eat, and that affects our business a lot.”
