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America's Oldest Family-Operated Chinese Restaurant 117 South Main Street • Butte, MT TEXT BY HOLLY MATKIN PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGELA VIDRICH NEIGHBORHOODS URBAN AFFAIRS PEKING NOODLE PARLOR: B U T T E M O N T A N A SiG MT 13 arely does one stumble across a restaurant so perfectly steeped in history, tradition, and culinary excellence that it has no need to evolve or change course for over a century, but that is exactually what you will find at the Peking Noodle Parlor in Bue. Over the course of the past 110 years, five generations of Jerry Tam's family have kept the Old Chinatown staple serving up Szechuan and Cantonese-style meals to its customers. Other than the color of the walls and the discontinuation of a couple menu items, not much has changed. ere has simply been no need to. "e interior has had only one paint color change from a light lime color to its bright carnival orange," Jerry explains. "My father read in Bon Appetit Magazine that that particular color whets the customer's appetite. It must still be true in business today." Equally as enchanting is the extent to which the Peking Noodle Parlor is woven into the fabric of Bue's history. In fact, today's patrons will find the restaurant in the exact same location where miners enjoyed their meals a century ago. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Customers can savor their meals inside the comfort of one of the parlor's original 17 enclosed booths. Jerry's mother sewed the drapes that hang over the entrance of each space, separating it from the hubbub of the rest of the establishment. Restaurant employees even use the same outdoor rope-and- pulley system to bring all of their supplies up to the second floor of the building. Jerry says he especially enjoys talking to customers who have come back aer visiting his family's restaurant as children. "I love keeping the family tradition going," he adds. e Peking Noodle Parlor is open Wednesday through Sunday om 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. You can also find them on Facebook. Phone: 782-2217 R The carnival orange color of the private booths was chosen by Jerry's father. Peking's chefs use massive woks to cook up the Cantonese and Szechuan-style meals customers have loved for over 110 years. The Peking Noodle Parlor is a historic treasure.