Feature for Southport BID by Stand Up For Southport
One of the longest-established Chinese restaurants in the North West really knows how to give people a great night out.
Lings On Kings, on King Street in Southport town centre, is famous for its party nights, lively karaoke, stylish restaurant and bustling function room.
The venue has welcomed dozens of celebrities over the years from Everton and Liverpool players to some of the world’s top golfers and Coronation Street stars.
You can see the gallery of famous faces in frames alongside the stairway.
The real star of the show however is the food.
Owners Ling Lam and Steven Rimmer have forged a superb reputation for creating top quality Chinese dishes, with lots of popular favourites, and special banquets which cater for everyone from meat lovers to vegetarians to gluten free.
Their Head Chef and Second Chef have been with them for 24 years and 18 years, the secrets behind the consistency of great quality food.
They are delighted to be open again after surviving the tough years of the Covid pandemic.
Even then they didn’t stop. They quickly worked hard to provide a takeaway service to customers.
And during lockdown they launched their Superhero Sunday initiative, cooking and delivering free banquets to Covid heroes at locations including Southport Hospital, Southport Community Fire Station, care homes and other places to say thank you.
Now those days are over, Ling and Steven are delighted to see diners back inside their beautiful Lings On Kings restaurant and function room, which are adorned with authentic pictures and decorations carefully chosen and brought back from visits to China.
Ling said: “I think Lings on Kings may well be the oldest Chinese restaurant in the North West.
“My father-in-law opened his first restaurant in Southport, on the site where Auberge is now, back in 1966.
“We moved to this site, on King Street, in 1971, and I came to this country from Qingdao in China in 1978.
“After my father-in-law retired, I took over. I changed the name of the restaurant from Peking Garden to Lings on Kings in 2006.
“I was going to call it Lings, but then one of our customers suggested that as we are on King Street, we should call it Lings On Kings instead.
“I have been in this restaurant for 45 years now! I am very proud of what we have created here and the reputation we have earned among our customers.
“We have had lots of celebrities coming to visit us over the years. Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish has been in, while former Everton manager Howard Kendall used to come in here with his players. He was a lovely man, a great friend of mine.
“Gary Lineker has come in to dine with us. We have also welcomed some of the world’s top male and female golfers.
“People who come in are very complimentary about the food.
“We cook authentic dishes from mainland China, many of them from the Beijing area.
“I was born in Qingdao, which is where Tsingtao Beer is brewed! It is the third best-selling beer in the world, and we are delighted to serve it here.”
While the restaurant is busy, lots of people, businesses and organisations have been enjoying celebrations, birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas parties, work events and more in the first floor function room.
Ling said: “It is a beautiful room, with its own bar and seating for up to 50 people.
“We provide superb buffets for people and can cater for any needs – vegetarian, gluten free, whatever people need. We offer a variety of children’s meals.
“The team from RAF Woodvale come to us every year. We have catered for weddings, engagements, anniversaries, birthday parties and more. It’s a great space.
“Since lockdown, people’s habits have changed. We really want to shout out about what we do and to let people know that we are here!”
Steven Rimmer said: “We have received lots of great reviews on TripAdvisor.
“People on there say we provide great food, with good sized portions,
“Our diners often take some of their left over dishes home with them. People who come here never go hungry!
“People leaving reviews often say Lings On Kings is great value too.
“The restaurant has won lots of awards over the years. In 2010 we won the Best Restaurant at the Southport Food and Drink Awards.
“We have earned several Certificates of Excellence from TripAdvisor.
“In 2015, Ling won an award at the Southport Ambassador Awards.
“One award we are particularly proud of is out 5* Food Hygiene rating.
“We have held that for the past 16 years in a row, we are the record holders for doing that!
“Food hygiene and the very highest cleanliness of our premises, including our kitchens, and our toilets, are vitally important to us.”
Another thing that diners to Lings On Kings can rely on is having a great time.
Ling is famous in Southport for leading the karaoke singing, while there are disco lights and a great party atmosphere when guests ask for it.
Ling said: “I love singing! I took singing lessons years ago.
“I love to get the karaoke out and get the party started.
“Sometimes I say I’ll give a drink to the first person who gets up and sings! Then everyone wants to do it.
“We have disco lights here that we can put on if we need them to create a real party atmosphere.
“We don’t have a party on every night, but it is available if people ask for it.
“Years ago, people used to come and eat here and then go out somewhere else afterwards.
“Now people come and eat here, and can stay and enjoy some karaoke, and stay for a drink, with our bars on the ground floor and the first floor.
“People will always have a great time when they come to Lings On Kings.”
- Lings On Kings is at 52 King Street, Southport. To book, call 01704 530169 or visit: www.lingsonkings.co.uk
