Longtime Chinese-American Relic Kow Kow Shuts Down in Lincolnwood

If you listened really closely this past weekend, you may have heard many northsiders and northwest suburbanites crying out for one last egg roll. That's because Kow Kow, the 65-year-old Chinese-American house of nostalgia, closed for good last night at 9 p.m.

First opening on Devon Avenue in 1949, two generations of the Moy family cooked and served Chinese-American staples first in West Rogers Park and then in Lincolnwood, where it's stood since 1989. While much of the massive throwback menu could be seen as cliched old-school Chinese-American food today, the house-made hand-rolled egg rolls have been lauded by customers and critics for more than 60 years. Countless teary diners visited the restaurant over the weekend for one last look inside and one last egg roll, although Kow Kow couldn't keep up with demand and ran out of them days ago.

Owner Don Moy, son of original owner Nathan Moy, is officially retired, accounting for the closing and leaving an egg roll-sized hole in many northsiders' hearts. Check out Facebook and Yelp for customer accounts of the departed restaurant.