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After nearly 30 years serving dim sum and other Cantonese favorites in Daly City, Koi Palace is planning to relocate its flagship location.
Expected to reopen in Serramonte Center in December, the new Koi Palace flagship will be located next to the highly anticipated Korean food emporium Jagalchi. While Koi Palace’s food will remain the same, the space will be about double the size of the original location, at 20,000 square feet with a seating capacity of 760-800, said co-owner Willy Ng.
The move will not result in a temporary closure of Koi Palace, Willy Ng said, with the original Daly City flagship expected to close the same day as the opening of the new location. The decision to move was due to the additional space, which will allow Koi Palace to host more private parties and banquets.
In terms of interior design, Willy Ng assured there will still be a koi pond, but guests can expect it to look “more high end, modern…(and) classy” with Chinese art on the walls and LED projections, he said. There may even be interactive LED screens on the floor, where projections of koi fish swim away from guests’ footsteps.
Koi Palace is also partnering with Local Kitchens until “at least the end of February,” according to Marggi De Lusignan, the community development director at Local Kitchens. Find Koi Palace’s pork and vegetable potstickers, steamed barbecue pork buns, vegetarian spring rolls, crispy shrimp dumplings and lava buns (sweet steamed buns filled with salted egg custard) at all 13 Local Kitchens locations in Northern California.
The partnership signals a shift for Koi Palace, which now is aiming to move in a “more casual dining direction,” Willy Ng said. Willy Ng and his brother Ronny Ng created Koi Palace in 1996 with the goal of opening a traditional Cantonese seafood restaurant catered toward Chinese Americans. Since then, it has expanded to sit-down restaurants in Milpitas, Dublin and Cupertino, Doordash Kitchens in Redwood City and San Jose and Koi Palace Express locations in Dublin and San Francisco International Airport.
Last year, Koi Palace was a semifinalist for the 2024 James Beard Outstanding Restaurant award, signifying consistent excellence in food, atmosphere, hospitality and operations while positively contributing to the community. Willy Ng said he’s found that consistency and approachable prices are the two key facets for long-term success in the restaurant industry.
The Ngs are also starting a wholesale dim sum business with Koi Palace’s recipes “to provide dim sum to other states,” Willy Ng said. With the Lunar New Year approaching, Willy Ng said he’ll be taking it easy this year: “This is more than enough for me.”
Koi Palace, 365 Gellert Blvd., Daly City; 650-992-9000, Instagram: @koipalace. Open Monday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30-9 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30-9:30 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5-9:30 p.m., Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. New location at 3 Serramonte Center, Daly City is expected to open in December.
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