If you’ve lived in the Twin Cities for a while, you probably have at least one good memory—or lack of a memory—of the Red Dragon. Known for its generous pours (you only needed one Wondrous Punch to get sauced), booming jukebox, and classic Chinese eats, the Wedge neighborhood institution confirmed this morning that it’s closing.
“I can't even tell you all the phenomenal people that have come through here, and the friendships that we've made,” Tony Wong, nephew of owner Phil Wong, tells Racket. “If you walk through that door and we know you? We get a big smile on our face and you’re getting a big hug. Hopefully we've treated people right through the years.”
Red Dragon’s closing is another thing we can blame on coronavirus. “I'm actually shocked that we made it through the pandemic,” he says, noting that, like many places, it was hard to fully recover after reopening. Add in cuts from third-party delivery services and the economy in general and business just wasn’t sustainable.
Red Dragon opened in 1976 at 2116 Lyndale Avenue South, where it has stayed for over four decades. The Wong family took over in 1987 after Phil Wong’s successful run as executive chef at the Nankin Cafe in downtown Minneapolis. By the ’90s, it was well established as one of the most fun bars to get messy at in town, frequently winning City Pages Best Ofs in “Best Cocktails,” “Best Dive Bar,” and “Best Happy Hour” categories.
While many locals have fond non-memories of Red Dragon (no really, a single $13 drink there will get you blasted), Tony says he has a lot of good things to remember. That includes visits from Vikings players (“Back in the day when Ben Lieber was one of the starting linebackers and Chad Greenway and Steve Hutchinson”), Josh Hartnett, and Slug of Atmosphere, who would regularly stop by with friends.
As for what’s next, Tony says he’s figuring it out. His uncle Phil, meanwhile, owns and runs Neisen’s Sports Bar & Grill in Savage. Last call for a Wondrous Punch, Singapore Sling, or giant plate of chowmein will be December 29.
