China Villa

One of Middleborough's most fondly recalled restaurants was the China Villa, owned and operated throughout the 1950s by Mr. and Mrs. Frederick S. N. Wong, Chinese restaurateurs with over forty years experience in the business.

The China Villa opened in April, 1949, in what had formerly been Dunn's Dinner Cottage at the junction of Anderson Avenue and West Grove Street, then Routes 44 and 28, respectively, the site now occupied by a Mobil gasoline station. While most of the traffic along these routes was destined for Cape Cod and most establishments along them catered to a largely out-of-town clientele, the China Villa opened with the intention of attracting local customers. "Wong's goal was to give Middleboro a real Chinese restaurant which would cater to local people. Although located along Route 28, the China Villa, unlike many roadside eateries ... developed a steady trade of local patrons."

The immediate attraction was the Cantonese-style Chinese cooking of Wong, a style considered a delicacy in China. The authenticity of the China Villa's Cantonese specialties was a point of pride for Wong and one frequently mentioned in the restaurant's publicity. "Real Chinese Food" proclaimed the restaurant's advertisements, as well as the prominent neon sign on the ridge of the restaurant's roof.

The quality of the China Villa's Chinese specialties was well-noted, as indicated by customer testimonials from the mid-1950s: "There are some persons who have wide experience in eating at Chinese restaurants. They've stopped at them all, but they have the highest praise for Fred Wong's China Villa. 'It was our first visit to the China Villa,' one such couple remarked recently, 'and we found the dishes better prepared and more delicious than those famed Boston restaurants in Chinatown. And the China Villa prices were amazingly low.' "

One feature for which the restaurant was particularly noted was "its family style meal which appeals to all." Wong emphasized in 1956 that "the family dinner is the best way to enjoy Chinese food, because then you receive a well-rounded meal."

The China Villa, which boasted of fountain service with ice cream (a rather unusual amenity for a Chinese restaurant), was also noted for another non-Chinese specialty: its $1.95 boneless sirloin steak dinner of soup or juice, french fries, toasted rolls, beverage and dessert, "not to forget a juicy boneless sirloin steak." "The steak is something to talk about," noted Wong in one of his advertisements.

The restaurant also served businessman's luncheons on weekdays from 11.30 through 4, in an effort to promote patronage during the day. The menu was varied daily and no luncheon cost more than ninety-five cents. Such typically American fare as minute rib eye steak, roast pork, southern fried chicken, breaded veal cutlet, fillet of haddock, fried sea scallops, broiled swordfish, shrimp and french fries, and other luncheon entrees were featured.

Inside, the China Villa's "Oriental Dining Room" seated up to sixty people, and was decorated in a Far Eastern motif which was described as being "conducive to relaxation ... there is no compulsion to hurry your meal." The "intimate" Reserve Room, meanwhile, was available for small private groups. Service was described a "quiet, though efficient."

For customers who did not wish to dine at the China Villa, the restaurant provided "Chop Suey & Chow Mein Orders Put Up to Take Out." "Take out" food was, in fact, a relative novelty and the China Villa advertised this convenient aspect of its business frequently.

"Fred Wong ... prepares dinners to be taken out. Simply telephone 1393, place your order, and start for the restaurant. When you get there, it will be waiting for you. And you can be sure that it will be piping hot and tempting when you get back to your home."

The China Villa's extensive advertising ultimately succeeded in developing the large local clientele that Wong had hoped to secure in 1949 when he opened the China Villa. "Inexpensive and tasty Chinese meals hit the spot when the family is out for a summer drive, when Dad has his eye on his pocketbook and when Mom is thinking of the hot kitchen at home," was one of the restaurant's typically wholesome and successful appeals to Eisenhower-era Middleborough.
The China Villa operated for several years until it closed before being sold in 1962 when it was replaced by Hughes' Ford showroom and garage which had relocated from Wareham Street in 1963.

Illustrations:
Fred Wong's China Villa, postcard, mid-20th century

Photograph by Scott Waldron, January 8, 2007, republished through a Creative Commons license. Some rights reserved.