Mister Jiu’s to Open Moon Gate Lounge, a Super Funtimes Party Lounge with Dim Sum

Mister Jiu’s is expanding its vision of beautifully executed dishes of modern Chinese cuisine, with an upstairs party space called the Moon Gate Lounge. It’s been a long time in the works as chef/owner Brandon Jew has focused on his downstairs endeavor, which garnered a Michelin star and critical acclaim in its first two years.

Now that the dust has settled downstairs, it’s party time upstairs, says Jew. The chef is planning a mid-Summer opening (July, if all goes according to plan) for the lounge, which will be a no-reservations affair with velvet, high-backed booths, a full bar, and lounge seating throughout.

For about 50 years before Mister Jiu’s opened in the space, it was the Four Seas restaurant; upstairs was the banquet hall. “It was always a banquet room, a place that people celebrated in,” Jew told Eater last year when the plans were announced. “My uncle got married up there, we had a lot of celebrations here as a kid. We want to reopen it as a place to have those kinds of celebrations.”

Fittingly, a portion of the Moongate Lounge space can be transformed into a private dining area for banquets, small weddings, and other celebrations. A large mural, preserved from its original time as a banquet hall, looks over the main dining area, while some of the original brass pendants will hang from the ceiling (similar to those hanging in Mister Jiu’s ding room downstairs).

High ceilings with the building’s original redwood beams on display will also showcase the restaurant’s biggest decorative component: a take on a traditional moon gate (an architectural component in Chinese gardens), also inspired by the work of artist James Turrell. (Stay tuned for photos closer to opening.)

Bar director Danny Louie is creating the Moon Gate Lounge cocktail menu based on the 24 solar seasons of China, with different drinks rotating in and out based on the time of year. Food will be primarily dim sum from chefs Eric Ehler and Kelly Teramoto, with a major focus of dumplings. Mister Jiu’s precedent of creating the most beautiful version of Chinese classics like hot and sour soup and tea-smoked duck will extend upstairs, where Dungeness crab shui mai, lobster har gow, and a pig trotter ham sui gok will accompany a selection of noodle dishes, and won ton soup.

Stay tuned for more details on the menu, space, and opening date.

• Mister Jiu’s Begins Renovation of Historic Four Seas Banquet Hall [ESF]
• Meet the All-Stars Behind Mister Jiu’s Mission to Modernize Chinese Food [ESF]