A sign went up Monday night at 700 Somerset St. W., announcing that 'Yangtze – Modern Chinese Dining' is 'coming soon.' The new restaurant will replace the original Yangtze, which closed in fall 2024 after 42 years of operation.
New Ownership and Menu
Yukang Li, executive director of the Somerset Street Chinatown BIA, has spoken with the new owner, who declined to speak to media. Li stated, 'Much of the menu will remain very similar to the original Yangtze, while adding some additional styles and offerings.' The new restaurant will continue to serve cart-service dim sum, a hallmark of the original. Li added, 'A lot of people have asked me this question.'
Dim Sum Scene in Ottawa
The reopening comes amid a series of dim sum closures in Ottawa. In recent years, the 36-year-old Mandarin Ogilvie in Ottawa's east end closed in June, Palais Imperial on Dalhousie Street shut down, and the à la carte dim sum eatery Hung Sum in Chinatown also closed. The original Yangtze was among Ottawa's largest Chinese restaurants, seating up to 250 people at its peak and 190 after COVID-19. Its downstairs banquet room was a popular venue for Chinese wedding receptions and parties.
Timeline and Background
Li expects the new Yangtze to open in September or October 2026, ending nearly two years of speculation. The original Yangtze served its last meals in mid-November 2024. It was owned and operated by the Ng family for 42 years. Owner Ricky Ng, then 73, decided to retire, and the building was put up for sale for $3.28 million in March 2024, selling two months later.
Regional Chinese Cuisine Trends
The original Yangtze specialized in Cantonese cuisine, which has been increasingly supplanted by other regional Chinese cuisines brought to Ottawa by Chinese students who stayed in Canada and opened eateries. Examples include Takumi BBQ on Merivale Road, specializing in Northeastern Chinese tabletop grilled meats; Bite & Bite Shanghai Fried Bun, also on Merivale Road; and Meat Noodle eateries featuring hand-pulled noodle dishes from Gansu province in Northwestern China.
An expansive modern Chinese restaurant called 99 VIP Seafood opened on Rideau Street last fall but closed in March, owing more than $80,000 in rent. The new Yangtze aims to fill the gap left by the original's closure and revive the dim sum tradition in Chinatown.
