Only six restaurants across the U.S. won the 2026 James Beard America’s Classic Award, and one of them comes from right here in the mid-Hudson Valley.
The New York state winner is Eng’s Chinese Restaurant, according to a Feb. 25 announcement. Eng’s claims to be Kingston’s first Chinese restaurant, established in 1927.
Approaching 100 years in business, Eng’s received the award celebrating America’s timeless, independently-owned restaurants, according to the James Beard Foundation.
Owner Tom Sit, now 83, has been working nearly seven days a week, 12 hours a day, since the 1970s.
Eng’s, alongside the five other winners, met the James Beard Foundation’s standards for reflecting local character and cultural traditions, serving delectable meals and being a community anchor.
Now that the dust has settled, Eng’s is just as busy as it’s always been, according to Sit.
Award was a total surprise
When the news came in, it was a total surprise to him.
The call came in on a bustling Friday night. It was so busy that he told the person on the phone to “call him back,” he said, because he was so focused on the dinner rush.
It wasn’t until the next day he learned just how big of an award Eng’s won.
“This is my dream come true,” Sit said.
Eng’s history and owner, Tom Sit, a ‘freedom swimmer’
The original owners of Eng’s were Jimmi Eng and his son Paul. Eng’s began at 304 Wall St. in Kingston before moving to 297 Wall Street in 1955.
Since 1966, Eng’s has been at 726 Broadway, and less than 10 years later, in 1974, Sit started, coming in with only home-cooking experience. Sit learned to cook from his mother back in China, but Eng’s was his first experience working in a restaurant.
Sit, according to the James Beard Foundation, was born in Guangzhou in 1943. He fled during “political upheavals of the Cultural Revolution,” becoming one of the “freedom swimmers,” swimming from mainland China to Hong Kong.
He eventually settled in the U.S., and Eng’s, as well as the life he’s built here, is something he feels “proud” of.
The nice people, his family, the love for his job and a good income have given him the energy to keep going all these decades, after taking over the restaurant from Paul Eng in 1977.
“I’m really thankful, you know,” Sit said. “I have a good life now.”
“Generations and generations” of families have dined at Eng’s, Sit said. He’s always tried and will continue to make it a family-oriented restaurant.
Even COVID-19 didn’t shut down Eng’s
For five years, from the start of the pandemic in 2020, Eng’s closed their dining room but still accepted takeout orders.
The spot was “still busy,” Sit said, and people were missing the opportunity to dine in. When they reopened the doors for people to eat in, Sit said more people from outside Kingston started coming in, in combination with more locals.
According to the James Beard Foundation, Eng’s the revival of their retro dining room, with a design that’s here to stay according to Sit, the buffet nights and live music, “shows the Sits’ commitment to ensuring that Eng’s remains a community anchor.”
From Eng’s Instagram page, you’ll see promotions for their monthly jazz music nights on Thursdays from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Check them out at @engsrestaurant.
What foods to try at Eng’s?
The James Beard Foundation referred to their egg rolls as “iconic,” made in-house with fresh vegetables, and noted some Chinese American food “standouts,” like their Singapore chow mei fun and the pu pu platter.
Sit said when he first came into the business, their “simple,” “old-school” items, such as their chicken chow mein, pepper steak and egg foo young, were the rage.
Now, the younger crowd, Sit said, likes a little more heat. Popular dishes with a bit of a kick are their General Tso’s chicken and sesame chicken. In the past 10 years, he added Cantonese chow mein too for some more spicy options.
If you plan to eat in the dining room at Eng’s, they’re open for dinner from 4-9 p.m. Wednesdays to Sundays. If you’re looking for a “smorgasbord,” as per their website, expect an all-you-can-eat buffet on Wednesdays and Fridays from 5-9 p.m. and Sundays from 4-8 p.m.
For takeout, try their special combination plates available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. or order anytime between 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Mondays, as well as Wednesdays to Saturdays, or on Sundays from 12-9:30 p.m. for their regular takeout menu.
Find their takeout menu at https://www.engsrestaurant.com/takeout, and note Tuesday is the only day they’re closed.
Who else won the 2026 James Beard America’s Classics Award?
The winners, based regionally across the U.S., are listed below:
Tom Sit and his “whole family,” he said, are heading to Chicago in June, where all six winners will be celebrated at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Nickie Hayes is the Breaking & Trending News Reporter for the Poughkeepsie Journal and focuses on how to make the most of what the mid-Hudson Valley has to offer. See her most recent articles here. Contact reporter Nickie Hayes: NHayes@poughkee.gannett.com, 845-863-3518 and @nickieehayess on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Kingston restaurant wins 2026 James Beard America’s Classic Award
Reporting by Nickie Hayes, Poughkeepsie Journal / Poughkeepsie Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
