Exactly one year in, the goodbye letter is already up on the door.
La Chuoi, the Vietnamese chicken rice specialty restaurant at 2780 Kingsway in Vancouver, has shut down as of Saturday, May 9, 2026, after just one year of operation.
A handwritten note from owners Jerry and Harry had gone up on the front door, addressed to the “Valued Customers of La Chuoi Cuisine.”
The brothers say the business has been doing very well, but they are stepping away to return their focus to education.
“After exactly one year of exploring our business model and completing an exciting practical internship, although the business has been doing very well, we must return our focus to our education,” the letter reads.
A Noms Mag community member shared with us that the La Chuoi team also posted the announcement news in a local Vietnamese Facebook group.
La Chuoi opened in June 2025 in the former McKim Wonton Mein Saga unit, a Kingsway address that has been busy with food traffic for years.
The pitch was rare for Vancouver: a chicken rice specialty restaurant built around regional Vietnamese styles, including Hội An chicken rice (lighter and herbaceous in the regional tradition, served with a spicy sauce) and Nha Trang chicken rice (richer in style, finished with a creamy egg-lard topping).
Customers could choose their cut of chicken: shredded, leg and wing, quarter leg, or breast.
The menu also leaned into dry chicken pho, bánh xèo, beef luc lac, crispy chicken wings, and fresh smoothies.
The family backstory was a big part of the appeal.
The brothers’ father trained under a world-renowned chef, and the family had already opened 10 restaurants in Vietnam before La Chuoi.
Harry was 17 when the spot opened.
In their goodbye post in the Vietnamese Facebook group, Jerry and Harry confirmed the space will not sit empty for long.
A new Vietnamese owner is taking over the lease and plans to keep serving Vietnamese food.
La Chuoi joins the list of recently closed Vancouver food spots like Los Chavos, Joongwon, and Fortune Lamb Dining.
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Address: 2780 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC