Kowloon Restaurant

An Ode to Kowloon and the Iconic Restaurants of Massachusetts’ Route 1 | Eater

"A gargantuan, totem-festooned restaurant on U.S. Route 1 in Saugus that has anchored a fading midcentury driving-and-dining corridor since 1950, founded by Chun Sau Chin and Tow See Chin and later expanded into a 50,000-square-foot escapist fantasia by William Wong. Inside are hazy lights, a fountain, an ’80s-era Hong Kong Lounge bar and seven named dining rooms — including a Tiki Lagoon with a massive water feature and a Volcano Bay Room centered on a ship replica and glowing volcano wallpaper — plus a sushi bar, frozen-drink novelties served in outrageous vessels, huge shareable platters and a pan-Asian menu (with an off-menu cult favorite known as Saugus wings). The sprawling operation also houses a respected upstairs comedy venue that has hosted top comics, employs large numbers of local staff, and functions as a multigenerational community hub; the family owners are weighing sale or subdivision even as locals defend its cultural importance, making its future uncertain but its legacy unmistakable." - Hannah Selinger