Last call for egg rolls: Uptown institution KinhDo will close on Sunday

For nearly four decades, the iconic family-run restaurant KinhDo has served Vietnamese and Chinese classics in Minneapolis' Uptown neighborhood. Now, it has announced it will close on Sunday, April 30.

In a statement shared on the restaurant's Go Fund Me page, the owners' son, Jonathan Rowe, said that staffing shortages and issues with the building's landlord have hastened their decision to close.

KinhDo first opened in 1986 by current owner Dathao Phan's parents, Vietnamese immigrants who retired and passed the business to Phan and her husband, Jay.

The fundraising page was created in February 2022, when the business was facing financial difficulties after the extended dining room closures during the pandemic, civil unrest in the neighborhood and a change in building ownership.

During the pandemic, KinhDo fell behind on its rent, an occurrence that Phan said had never happened before. According to reports, the original landlord was forgiving, but issues arose when the building changed hands.

After an outpouring of media attention and public support, the Go Fund Me account was able to raise almost $35,000 to cover the back rent owed and sustain the business for another year. At the time, Phan said she was grateful for the support for the restaurant she called "my second home." Now the same page is dedicated to raising funds for longtime employees who will soon be out of a job.

Online ordering remains open for now, but KinhDo's owners caution that once items (like the egg rolls) run out, they will be gone.

Requests for comment were not immediately returned. KinhDo is at 2755 Hennepin Av. Mpls.