Feb 7, 2024 - News
A hidden Chinese restaurant
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
👋 Asher here.
I recently stopped by El Borrego de Oro, the homey standby by South Congress and Ben White, to pick up an order of their very comforting lamb birria — boneless lamb stewed in tomato and onions — and puzzled over some odd signage.
What I saw: A pagodalike sign design out front, an old stone Buddha by a newspaper kiosk and, in barely visible letters on the brick facade, the words Lim Ting.
Flashback: El Borrego de Oro occupies the spot once home to Austin Chinese restaurant Lim Ting.
- The restaurant was operated by Harry Ng and his wife, Lee Sun You — and then their son, William Ng, until 1983, per the Austin History Center.
- Harry Ng had also owned the pioneering restaurant Sam Wah Cafe in downtown Austin.
Why it matters: Saturday marks the Lunar New Year, a good moment to think about Austin's Chinese American history.