JANESVILLE, Wis. (WIFR) – A 104-year-old restaurant in downtown Janesville now claims the title of being the oldest existing Chinese restaurant in the United States.
Cozy Inn in Janesville, Wis., along with one of the restaurant’s famous hand rolled egg rolls.(Aaron Wilson)
Earlier this month, the 115-year-old Pekin Noodle Parlor in Butte, Montana, closed its doors citing changing economic conditions.
Now, the crown of longest-running Chinese food restaurant transfers to Cozy Inn, 214 W. Milwaukee Street.
Cozy Inn opened its doors in November 1922, at the same location it is today. The restaurant was first managed by the Wong family before it was eventually sold in 1975 to Marie Shum and her husband. Marie’s son, Tom Fong, along with his wife, Amanda, and sister-in-law Michelle, currently run the business.
“It’s a very heartfelt feeling knowing that the community always supported us throughout the years,” Tom told WIFR’s sister station WMTV in 2022 ahead of the restaurant’s 100th anniversary celebration. “It touches our heart to know that they care so much about us, I still see it today on Facebook and so forth what they write…and we feel the same way about our community, how important they are to us.”
The restaurant is known for its classic Chinese-American cuisine, including chop suey and hand-rolled egg rolls..
Copyright 2026 WIFR. All rights reserved.
Dining and Cooking