For more than 10 years, a plan has been underway to relaunch an iconic restaurant in Vancouver’s Chinatown in its original location.
However, problems have persisted at the new Sun Ah Hotel building, but the dream of reopening has never died.
The iconic Ho Ho is now being revived on the ground floor of the Beijing building that is owned by Carol Lee, in the heart of Chinatown.
Demolition began this week on the 5,000-square-foot space across from the Sun Ah Hotel, where the original opened in 1954.
“I think that it became apparent that it was going to be really difficult to open the kind of restaurant we needed to open so we decided that we were going to move kitty corner to the original location,” Lee, the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation Chair, told Global News.
After the Ho Ho closed its doors, another restaurant moved in before Lee took over in 2015.
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She was determined to relaunch the eatery, but years of challenges renovating in a more than 100-year-old SRO, including floods and fires, forced her to shift her vision.
“It looks very historic, but just a little bit more modern, but fun… we will have a lot of photographs to remind people about the neighbourhood and what it was,” Lee said.
The new restaurant will recreate the old neon sign, with its signature bowl of noodle soup and chopsticks.
Manager Jason Lee told Global News that people are constantly asking about the dining spot, known for homestyle Cantonese cooking and celebrations.
“When we gonna have restaurant open, when will Ho Ho be open, and they share a lot of their stories as well,” he said.
“Those seniors who are now 80 or 90 years old that they have their weddings or receptions at the original Ho Ho.”
Simon Fraser University’s city program director, Andy Yan, said this opening is a testament to Lee trying to re-anchor Chinatown with restaurants and nightlife that were always a staple in the neighbourhood.
Lee and her team held a blessing ceremony in May and they are optimistic the new Ho Ho will help activate the neighbourhood and build on its heritage.
She is hoping to open her take on the legendary restaurant by the end of the year.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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