The Restaurant:
Yee’s Oriental Inn, 5030 Sixth Ave., is a Kenosha institution for Chinese American food and historic atmosphere.
The Featured Dish:
Happy Family — Scallops, shrimp, chicken and beef with garlic, pea pods, mushrooms, onions, broccoli and peppers.
Fun Fact: Yee’s Oriental Inn opened in 1955. That’s 66 years of quality, made-to-order food and family-style service.
The Flavor and The Story:
The city of Kenosha, and the entire world has changed a lot since 1955, but you wouldn’t know it from inside the walls of Yee’s Oriental Inn.
This Kenosha classic restaurant still exemplifies the golden age of Chinese American restaurants with ornate fixtures as well as gold and brass decor.
My personal favorite feature is the bar. Something about sitting at this vintage bartop while sharing a meal made the same way it was 60 years ago with Elvis on the radio magically transports you to a simpler time.
The menu at Yee’s has evolved over time to include Szechuan, Mongolian and other popular styles of Chinese food, but the Cantonese delicacies have always been the heart of this historic meeting and eating place.
If you don’t want to decide what you want to eat, I highly recommend the “Happy Family” entree, which combines almost every protein option available in an approachable, balanced dish.
Despite containing so many different ingredients, the kitchen at Yee’s prepares this dish expertly, showcasing the individual flavors and textures of each individual ingredient as they combine and enhance each other.
Not only is this dish nostalgic and delicious, but the quantity and pricing seem to be from another time as well. The portion is huge. And, should you pick the full dinner size, it also includes a choice of homemade soups and an egg roll.
The Happy Family dinner is available every day and priced at $14.95.
Yee’s Oriental Inn is currently open for dine-in and also accepts carryout and delivery orders. You can view this dish and the entire menu at YeesOrientalInn.Business.Site.
