Kowloon Restaurant

"Kowloon has been open since 1950, and the restaurant is inextricable from this specific slice of highway, which spans roughly 15 miles from Malden to Peabody. It and the road together are cohorts of a midcentury driving and dining culture in a trio of neighboring Massachusetts counties: Essex, Middlesex, and Suffolk." - Hannah Selinger

"Kowloon has not been sold, and it is not for sale. It’s also not closing — at least not any time soon. Bobby Wong, whose parents Madeline and Bill Wong opened Kowloon in 1960, calmed some of those anxieties, telling the Saugus Advertiser that the family is merely 'looking at other options we might have with the property' sometime in the future. However, Wong did say that the restaurant industry is tough — that is especially true at the moment — and that the next generation doesn’t want to be involved in the operations of Kowloon." - Terrence Doyle

"It’s a bit of a geographic outlier on this particular map, but Kowloon out in Saugus is a necessary scorpion bowl destination on the North Shore. The decades-old kitschy landmark is a palace of tiki drinks, fountains, parties, and comedy, with a humongous menu of Chinese, Thai, and Japanese food. You can even buy your own bowl for making giant cocktails at home." - Rachel Leah Blumenthal

"As if the visually striking exterior of Kowloon weren’t enough, this Saugus staple has been a mainstay of Greater Boston’s Tiki scene for decades. Its drink menu includes its most popular mai tais and scorpion bowls, plus blue Hawaiis and more. The restaurant doubles as a comedy club, and it has group-sized cocktails for the truly festive occasion." - Dana Hatic

"Kowloon, a decades-old restaurant along Route 1 in Saugus, is known for its Tiki style, comedy nights, cornhole tournaments, bingo events, and as a function hall. It accommodates more than 1,000 people and has a new food truck decorated in its signature style. The truck will serve special events and aims to go public next year. The menu includes favorites like crab rangoon and General Gau chicken, plus new items like Chinese roast pork buns." - Dana Hatic