Testing any Waco olds here. In the mid 80s, There was a Hunan Chinese restaurant located on the left side of Valley Mills as you would drive from 35 out toward the lake. I would say about half way out. That place had great egg rolls. Am I the only person even vaguely remembering this place?

Are you thinking of the one across from Fuddrucker's? It was in the former Shakey's Pizza Shack building which is now Taqueria #9. Right next to Church's Fried Chicken. Loved that place. Home of the Suffering *******. The owner drove a gold late 70's or early 80's Trans Am or Z28.

There was another chinese restaurant in town named House of Chen (can't remember the location). Ironic that the above mentioned owner of Hunan was named Frank Chen. Lol.

I think that is right. Kind of a smaller place. I will check out that building to see how it connects with the memories.

I just looked. That is the location. Front door faced East but building was right there. Is that the same building redone or did Shakeys build a new one?

I found this old article and picture of the original Shakeys facade.

https://wacohistory.org/items/show/205

There were two Hunan Restaurants on Valley Mills

Peking Restaurant is the one that was in the Old Shakey's. It was Hunan style and was owned by Frank Shen. Opened in 1981 and I think closed in 2008. The Taqueria #9 opened there in 2010. It's at 1420 N Valley Mills.

There was also one just called Hunan Restaurant that opened in 1987 at 842 Valley Mills. It closed about 1994 and was torn down and replaced with National Tire and Battery.

We hit both for lunch fairly regularly back in the day.

The House of Chen mentioned by another poster was in the old Diamond Point Center (now Ridgewood Village) at Valley Mills Dr. and Cobbs. Frank Ho owned it, then Nan Liu. It closed about 1996 and has been a bunch of different restaurants since.

forza orsi said:

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There were two Hunan Restaurants on Valley Mills

Peking Restaurant is the one that was in the Old Shakey's. It was Hunan style and was owned by Frank Shen. Opened in 1981 and I think closed in 2008. The Taqueria #9 opened there in 2010. It's at 1420 N Valley Mills.

There was also one just called Hunan Restaurant that opened in 1987 at 842 Valley Mills. It closed about 1994 and was torn down and replaced with National Tire and Battery.

We hit both for lunch fairly regularly back in the day.

The House of Chen mentioned by another poster was in the old Diamond Point Center (now Ridgewood Village) at Valley Mills Dr. and Cobbs. Frank Ho owned it, then Nan Liu. It closed about 1996 and has been a bunch of different restaurants since.

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Good recall. Was House of Chen in the old Mr Gatti's space that became Salty Dog? (I remember the sign but that's it; I never ate there)

Not sure. I thought House of Chen was in the shopping center directly across from Providence Hospital on the North access road for hwy 6. May have been a different place but i remember it was chinese. Also in that center was La Cabana. They had a great mexican buffett.

As far as I remember Mr Gattis was at the opposite end of the center and backed up to the Diamond Point theater. The space where salty dog is was originally a travel agency and photo lab, if I recall. It may have been House of Chen after that. I think, maybe, lol.

Cathay House?

As far as i can remember, Cathay House has always been toward the end of Wooded Acres across from the post office on Richland Dr. Giovanni's Italian restaurant was on the corner.

WacoKelly83 said:

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Not sure. I thought House of Chen was in the shopping center directly across from Providence Hospital on the North access road for hwy 6. May have been a different place but i remember it was chinese. Also in that center was La Cabana. They had a great mexican buffett.

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That was Ly-Le on Hwy 6 in the strip center next to La Cabana. Same family that now has Clay Pot.

WacoKelly83 said:

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As far as i can remember, Cathay House has always been toward the end of Wooded Acres across from the post office on Richland Dr. Giovanni's Italian restaurant was on the corner.

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Cathay House was originally (early/mid 70's) in the building on Wooded Acres behind the Burger King that is now either TABC offices or a parole office. Around 1978/79 or so we got the three architecturally and culturally disparate buildings side by side further down Wooded Acres: Cathay House's pagoda, Giovanni's Italianate villa, and Brewer's Furniture southern colonial.

forza orsi said:

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The House of Chen mentioned by another poster was in the old Diamond Point Center (now Ridgewood Village) at Valley Mills Dr. and Cobbs. Frank Ho owned it, then Nan Liu. It closed about 1996 and has been a bunch of different restaurants since.

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Wow, blast from the past.

I graduated high school in 2007 and we had a football chant that that was something like "El Chico....House of Chen!" which was just gibberish to us. We all knew El Chico but had no idea what House of Chen was so that had to mean that this particular chant was at least an 11 year old game of telephone that had never changed. Weird.

whitetrash said:

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WacoKelly83 said:

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As far as i can remember, Cathay House has always been toward the end of Wooded Acres across from the post office on Richland Dr. Giovanni's Italian restaurant was on the corner.

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Cathay House was originally (early/mid 70's) in the building on Wooded Acres behind the Burger King that is now either TABC offices or a parole office. Around 1978/79 or so we got the three architecturally and culturally disparate buildings side by side further down Wooded Acres: Cathay House's pagoda, Giovanni's Italianate villa, and Brewer's Furniture southern colonial.

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In the 60's , the Cathay House was on South Valley Mills Dr. ( close to the old Mardis Gras motel)..Some time after they left, a nite club went in.. I had more than a few mixed ones in there. (circa 1975)

whitetrash said:

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WacoKelly83 said:

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Not sure. I thought House of Chen was in the shopping center directly across from Providence Hospital on the North access road for hwy 6. May have been a different place but i remember it was chinese. Also in that center was La Cabana. They had a great mexican buffett.

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That was Ly-Le on Hwy 6 in the strip center next to La Cabana. Same family that now has Clay Pot.

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Ly-Le's was delicious. Great buffet. Clay Pot is not as good as the old Ly-Le's.

whitetrash said:

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forza orsi said:

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There were two Hunan Restaurants on Valley Mills

Peking Restaurant is the one that was in the Old Shakey's. It was Hunan style and was owned by Frank Shen. Opened in 1981 and I think closed in 2008. The Taqueria #9 opened there in 2010. It's at 1420 N Valley Mills.

There was also one just called Hunan Restaurant that opened in 1987 at 842 Valley Mills. It closed about 1994 and was torn down and replaced with National Tire and Battery.

We hit both for lunch fairly regularly back in the day.

The House of Chen mentioned by another poster was in the old Diamond Point Center (now Ridgewood Village) at Valley Mills Dr. and Cobbs. Frank Ho owned it, then Nan Liu. It closed about 1996 and has been a bunch of different restaurants since.

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Good recall. Was House of Chen in the old Mr Gatti's space that became Salty Dog? (I remember the sign but that's it; I never ate there)

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Yes, the House of Chen space has been Mr. Gatti's, Trevino's, Arizona Bar & Grill, Salty Dog, and probably something else that I don't remember.

WacoKelly83 said:

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As far as i can remember, Cathay House has always been toward the end of Wooded Acres across from the post office on Richland Dr. Giovanni's Italian restaurant was on the corner.

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It has been there since at least the mid-1970s. When I worked in HEB produce back then in what is now the Office Depot, Mr. Lam, who owned Cathay House, would run out of bok choy and snow peas at the restaurant and would show up in the produce department of the store and try to negotiate a discount with me for the stuff with we had out in the produce department. Like I had the authority to cut deals on produce prices...

I do not remember at all the place at 842 N Valley Mills Dr. I'm guessing it was a pretty obscure place. I might recognize it if I saw a photo. But I don't remember anything in particular there.

The parole office behind Burger King on Valley Mills has been moved out on Hyway 6 in speegleville area.

There was a bar and a gun shop in that strip center last I checked(been a while)

Did Peking immediately replace Shakey's, or was there something else there before it became Peking?

Scratchy Bear said:

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Did Peking immediately replace Shakey's, or was there something else there before it became Peking?

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Peking came in 1981. I don't recall when Shakey's died; I don't remember going there after about 1973 or 1974 but that's because I didn't really like it as a little kid.

Scratchy Bear said:

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Did Peking immediately replace Shakey's, or was there something else there before it became Peking?

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Shakey's closed in 1978. It sat empty until Peking opened in 1981.

I wish Shakee's would have lasted a little longer so I can remember it.

I still remember Sambo's.

forza orsi said:

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Scratchy Bear said:

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Did Peking immediately replace Shakey's, or was there something else there before it became Peking?

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Shakey's closed in 1978. It sat empty until Peking opened in 1981.

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Thanks. Too young to remember Shakey's, but I preferred Peking over Cathay House back in the day before Waco was littered with a 1000 Chinese Buffets during the mid and late '90s.

forza orsi said:

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Scratchy Bear said:

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Did Peking immediately replace Shakey's, or was there something else there before it became Peking?

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Shakey's closed in 1978. It sat empty until Peking opened in 1981.

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Loved Shakey's. They had a sign I often quoted when telling people to get info from my agency and not some other sources. Would have bought the sign had I known they were closing. It read "We made a deal with the bank. They don't make pizzas and we don't cash checks."

WacoKelly83 said:

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Are you thinking of the one across from Fuddrucker's? It was in the former Shakey's Pizza Shack building which is now Taqueria #9. Right next to Church's Fried Chicken. Loved that place. Home of the Suffering *******. The owner drove a gold late 70's or early 80's Trans Am or Z28.

There was another chinese restaurant in town named House of Chen (can't remember the location). Ironic that the above mentioned owner of Hunan was named Frank Chen. Lol.

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Taqueria #9 is good but 2, 3, 5, 7, 11 and M44 are prime.

Okay, switching to hamburgers, does anyone out there remember Shorty's Hamburgers? If so do you also remember his 5 regular burgers for $5?

In Bellmead? If so here's a good article about them. I don't remember them though

BUDOS said:

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Okay, switching to hamburgers, does anyone out there remember Shorty's Hamburgers? If so do you also remember his 5 regular burgers for $5?

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i also temember Wimpys who was kinda where Macalisters by Baylor is now and the one right before the train tracks in lacy lakeview on lake shore dr(little triangle lot is an empty grass field now)

Great burger deals

There was also a Ly-Le's on campus by the old La Quinta in the mid-90's. Not Michelen rated.

Quote:

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"We made a deal with the bank. They don't make pizzas and we don't cash checks."

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Yes, that's a good one.

I've also seen -- "No checks, please. We have several from last year."

This is a neat little thread. It appears now that the only domestic Shakey's locations are in California and Washington state.

I recall that Shakey's offered fried chicken on the menu that had a unique taste. In fact, when I was up in Idaho a number of years ago and stumbled upon a Shakey's, I had to stop to try that chicken again after not having had any in over 20 years. It still tasted unique, but it was clear that the restaurant itself hadn't been updated since the Carter administration.

The pizza business these days is certainly not for the faint of heart. I'll bet the unit profit margin on a pizza was much greater back in the 60s/70s/80s than it is today.

I take it that the Waco La Cabana is closed? If so, how many years? Is the La Cabana in Corsicana owned by the same family?

Tiny Elvis said:

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I take it that the Waco La Cabana is closed? If so, how many years? Is the La Cabana in Corsicana owned by the same family?

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the la cabana in waco closed years ago.. its a Hawaiian bros now

4th and Inches said:

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Tiny Elvis said:

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I take it that the Waco La Cabana is closed? If so, how many years? Is the La Cabana in Corsicana owned by the same family?

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the la cabana in waco closed years ago.. its a Hawaiian bros now

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You're thinking of Taco Cabana. La Cabana was on Hwy 6 and closed 12-15 years ago. Space was converted to offices. Probably no connection to the one in Corsicana.