Cho’s to close in Palo Alto

Jan. 29--A beloved dim sum destination for three decades, Cho's on California Avenue in Palo Alto is closing up shop in March.

Owners Cho and Daisy Yu said they received a 60-day eviction notice from property manager Susan Ross on Jan. 16. The Mountain View couple plans to keep serving customers through March 15.

"They're not giving me any choice," Cho Yu told The Daily News following the Tuesday lunch rush.

Ross could not be reached for comment.

Cho Yu opened the hole-in-the-wall eatery at 213 S. California Ave. in 1979. The key to its longevity, he said, was offering good food at reasonable prices. A "value meal" consisting of three pork pot stickers, two small BBQ pork buns and one eggroll costs just $4.50.

"Everyone knows how to make it but I make it better," he said with a grin.

In many ways, the eatery's decor reflects the simplicity of the fare. Customers order at a battered wooden counter and the food is prepared within view at a modest stove. Supplies are also stored out in the open as a result of the restaurant being no bigger than 800 square feet.

Relocating doesn't appear to be an option. The expense would be significant -- tens of thousands of dollars by Cho Yu's estimate -- and there are far more regulations than when the couple first went into the restaurant business.

"We are not young," added Daisy Yu. "We cannot work as long."

A Farmers Insurance outpost at 217 S. California Ave. also received an eviction notice from Ross. Broker Ron Vierra declined to comment for this story but one of his employees said he was hoping to work out an extension.

Cho Yu said he'd also like more time to wind down his affairs but he hasn't been able to reach Ross.

He speculated that the two businesses are being asked to leave to make more space for Baumé, a relatively new Michelin-starred restaurant at 201 S. California Ave. that offers an eight-course prix fixe tasting menu for $198 per person. The property is also managed by Ross.

Baumé was closed Tuesday and a press inquiry submitted through the restaurant's website was not immediately returned.

Nina Homnack stopped by Cho's to pick up a BBQ pork bun. A monthly customer since 1983, she said she was devastated by news of the closing, adding that California Avenue stood to lose some of its independent flavor.

"It's really sad," Homnack told The Daily News.

"The chicken pot stickers are the best ones on the Peninsula. And the couple is just very endearing. I wish them well in what's to come because it's very hard to open another restaurant."

Email Jason Green at [email protected]; follow him at twitter.com/jgreendailynews.

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