It all started with a young man in the Shandong Province of China.

Fat Hing Lou at just sixteen years old left his hometown village of Shandong in search of a better living. This lead to an apprenticeship in the original Hou Te Fu Restaurant in Beijing. At Hou Te Fu, Fat Hing Lou began washing dishes and preparing vegetables, but his passion for turning ingredients into delicious creations led him to master his skills as a chef in authentic Pekinese cuisine.

In the late 1940’s, Fat Hing Lou, together with his wife, Kwai Lan Yu Lou, and their children joined the many others leaving China due to political turmoil. They eventually settled in a refugee village and started a new life in Hong Kong.

In 1967, Fat Hing Lou immigrated to the United States in hopes of sharing the flavor of Chinese cuisine with the western world. King Tsin Restaurant was opened in Berkeley. It was the first Mandarin restaurant to open on Solano Avenue, and soon became a favorite place to dine for many locals.

After earning enough to bring his family over, Fat Hing Lou’s wife and their six children, without knowing a word of English, left their small village in Hong Kong to begin a new life in California. That new life began right when the Lou’s arrived they were taken to King Tsin, brought into the kitchen, told to roll up their sleeves and started working!

What began as Fat Hing Lou’s vision to share his passion for cooking Lou children carry on what their farther started.

King Tsin has always been about opening our doors to meeting new friends and sharing good times over great food. It is a pleasure to have you.

Welcome to our Family!