(Image: Cheers! Hong Kong)

(Image: Cheers! Hong Kong)

Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows Sen Mao’s name.

The up and coming Seattle restaurateur’s new creation Cheers! Hong Kong is set to make its debut on Broadway. For those of us who have never visited the densely packed peninsula and islands that make up the city, we might have known just how much we needed a Hong Kong-style fast food cafe on Capitol Hill’s main drag.

“I like Hong Kong food a lot. It’s a very international area that absorbs food from all over the world,” Mao says.

In addition to the soup noodles, fried rice, Cantonese style Chow Fun, and dim sum, Cheers! HK will also be about beer and cocktails like the lychee old fashioneds or Hong Kong One Night “Long Island ice tea,” Mao said.

CHS reported here this summer on the plans for Mao, the experienced owner behind the Seattle and Kirkland locations of Dumpling the Noodle, and Cheers! to take over the 2,000-square-foot former home of Lionhead.

Readying for its debut this weekend, Cheers! Hong Kong will neighbor Carrello from the Altura food and drink family in the 103-year-old building once home to Jerry Traunfeld’s acclaimed Poppy restaurant.

Owned by local real estate developer Redside Partners, the North Broadway building seems likely to remain mostly unchanged as some of its neighboring properties rise. The north end of the Broadway core already has one new six-story development in motion destined to demolish and rise above the block where Bait Shop stands today. CHS reported here this week on the new Mexican joint Paradise joining the 300 block of Broadway E where another local real estate investor continues to hold on despite the growing  presence of national investors on the street.

For Mao, Broadway has been a business destination for his global culinary travels. And, while its population density doesn’t quite yet rival Hong Kong’s, the hustle and bustle of North Broadway are just his style and, he hopes, a key ingredient for success for Cheers! Hong Kong’s fast-paced spirit.

“I always wanted to come to Broadway,” Mao says. “I like the culture here and it’s a very busy street.”

Cheers! Hong Kong opens this week at 618 Broadway E. Follow @cheers_hongkong for updates.

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