The Chi family behind Lulu’s Seafood Kitchen in Little Rock’s Heights neighborhood announced on Facebook this week that they are permanently closing the restaurant at 5911 R St. The Chi’s announcement said that the landlord of the property declined to renew their lease.
Lulu and Bill Chi — the restaurateurs behind a dynasty of Asian restaurants in Little Rock for decades including Chi’s Chinese Cuisine and Sushi Cafe — opened Lulu’s in 2015. Originally named Lulu’s Crab Boil, the eatery is known for its seafood boils, po’boy sandwiches and catfish offerings. Arkansas Times described the restaurant as “coastal crab and shrimp-boil-eating heaven” in 2016. Lulu and Bill Chi, natives of mainland China, moved to Little Rock from Taiwan in 1981 before opening Cuisine of China on Geyer Springs Road. Lulu Chi died in 2018, and over the past several years the family’s businesses have been managed by the Chi’s sons, Jacob Chi and Jasen Chi of Chi Restaurant Group.
Jacob Chi said in an email to Arkansas Times on Tuesday that the family’s other restaurants will continue to operate as normal and that Sushi Cafe’s Heights location is currently under renovation. He said there’s no timeline at the moment but that the end result will be a sushi concept new to Arkansas. Chi Restaurant Group also owns Chi’s Chinese Cuisine, Chi’s Asian Cafe and Prospect Bar & Grill.
Here’s the full announcement from the restaurant:
