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For nearly 50 years, Kowloon Restaurant has served Cantonese favorites in Lake Village. Today, customers pull up to the drive-thru, pick up cartons of sweet-and-sour chicken, pepper steak and hand-rolled egg rolls, then head home to enjoy dinner with family.
For many South Arkansas residents, a stop at Kowloon is a tradition. For travelers heading toward the Gulf Coast or exploring the Arkansas Delta, it is a meal worth planning for and adding to your travel itinerary.
But the story behind Kowloon is about much more than food. It is the story of a family that crossed an ocean in search of opportunity and ultimately found a home in Arkansas.
From Canton to the Arkansas Delta
Arthur Lee Sr.’s journey to Lake Village was long, with a few unexpected turns along the way.
Like many Chinese immigrants of his generation, he came to America in search of opportunity. After spending time in California, where he worked hard to support family members still in China, he moved to southeast Arkansas in the 1950s.
A relative had suggested there might be work in Lake Village. Although that job didn’t materialize, Arthur found work at B & M Grocery, where he learned the grocery business, including meat cutting and store operations. His wife and child joined him in the United States in 1958, and together they began building a life and raising a family in the Arkansas Delta.
Over the next several years, the family operated Star Food Market and later Lee’s Food Market, becoming a part of the community’s daily life. But as larger grocery chains drew customers away from small independent stores, the family faced a difficult question: how could they continue to support their growing family?
Arthur believed the answer was in a different kind of business.
Having helped friends open Chinese restaurants elsewhere in Arkansas, he recognized an opportunity. Lake Village lacked a Chinese restaurant, and he believed the community might embrace something new.
In 1976, he purchased the site of a former gas station on Highway 65, demolished the existing structure, and built a restaurant from the ground up. Kowloon Restaurant opened on Feb. 24, 1977.
Nearly fifty years later, the restaurant still stands at the same location, a testament to Arthur Lee Sr.’s willingness to adapt, work hard and invest in the community he chose as his home.
Building a Life One Customer at a Time
For years, the grocery store was the heart of family life.
The business was open seven days a week. Meals were often eaten in the back of the store. The children did homework between customers, played among the stacks of canned goods, and occasionally fell asleep on feed sacks, waiting for the day to end.
On Saturdays, Main Street was crowded with families from across Chicot County. Many farm families had only one vehicle. A trip to town meant buying groceries, visiting friends, catching up on local news and preparing for another week.
Customers often bought groceries on credit and settled their accounts later. Conversations took place around shopping carts. Relationships formed over years and decades.
Arthur and King Ying Lee raised six children while running the store, eventually bringing additional family members from China to Arkansas. The life they had hoped to build was taking shape.
Cantonese Traditions in the Delta
Arthur and King Ying Lee were both from Canton (Guangzhou), and the restaurant reflected the Cantonese culinary traditions they had grown up with.
Like many immigrant families, they adapted their recipes to the ingredients available in Arkansas while preserving the flavors and techniques passed down through generations.
In the early years, obtaining ingredients wasn’t always easy. A supply truck ran from Chicago only every three months and later from Dallas before distributors became more readily available across the region. The Lees had to get creative with storage and adapt recipes to use what they could find.
The family worked hard to introduce Lake Village to flavors uncommon in rural Arkansas at the time. Nearly five decades later, many of the original recipes remain unchanged.
Popular dishes include:
- Sweet & Sour Chicken – A longtime customer favorite featuring crispy chicken tossed in a tangy sweet-and-sour sauce and served with rice.
- Pepper Steak – Tender slices of beef stir-fried with bell peppers and onions in a savory brown sauce bursting with flavor.
- Chicken & Broccoli or Beef and Broccoli – A Cantonese classic featuring fresh broccoli and tender chicken or strips of beef in a light, savory sauce.
- Mongolian Chicken – A flavorful, slightly spicy chicken dish with bold seasonings and a savory sauce that keeps customers coming back for more.
- Shrimp with Lobster Sauce – Succulent shrimp served in a silky, traditional Cantonese-style sauce, a longtime house specialty.
- The egg rolls are still hand-rolled, and meals are prepared fresh to order.
Today, Arthur Lee Jr. continues the tradition he learned from his parents by coming home from college to learn to cook elbow-to-elbow with his dad.
Finding Home
Perhaps the most remarkable part of the Kowloon story is not the restaurant itself but what happened after the family arrived.
The Lees built businesses, raised children, and became part of the Arkansas Delta’s fabric. Their children pursued careers in dentistry, photography, business, and health care. Some left to build lives elsewhere, while others returned home.
When asked why they stayed, the answer was quick and straightforward.
This is home.
Arthur Lee Sr. came to Arkansas with $25 in his pocket, seeking opportunity. Along the way, he created something far greater than a restaurant. He built relationships, invested in his community, and helped create a place where generations of families have gathered for a meal.
For nearly 50 years, Kowloon has served Cantonese-inspired food, yet its story is unmistakably Arkansas.
It is a story about hard work, family, perseverance and belonging.
Like many of the best stories from the Arkansas Delta, it began with someone who came from somewhere else and decided to stay.
Order on the Fly
During the COVID-19 pandemic, like many restaurants, Kowloon continued serving guests and stayed open with a few adaptations. Since Arthur Lee, Jr. and his wife, Terrie, were primarily running the restaurant, it was a lot of work for them to bring back full restaurant service.
Today, Kowloon’s is drive-thru only. You can call ahead to pick up your order or call once you’re on site and wait about 10 minutes before driving around back to pick it up, fresh from the kitchen!
For locals, grab dinner and take it home or back to your office. But for families traveling, this is a great stop to get out and stretch your legs, have a “car picnic,” and enjoy something more than fast food for your family meal.
Kowloons Restaurant
1331 U.S. 65 | Lake Village
870-265-3511
Facebook | Yelp | Menu
*Interview and family history information provided by Ruby Chu and Arthur Lee Jr.; additional family history preserved by the Arkansas Chinese Heritage Project.
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