Dragon Inn

Dragon Inn is Overland Park’s oldest continuously operating restaurant — a family-run Chinese institution founded in 1975 by To-Ping Tsui that has outlasted decades of competition, two locations, and a full generational handoff to become a downtown OP landmark.¹²

Description

Dragon Inn occupies a well-worn spot in downtown Overland Park that has served the same family recipes for over fifty years. The dining room features traditional Chinese designs and art alongside red booths, and the menu anchors on Peking and Szechuan preparations. House specialties include Crispy Duck and Sizzling Hot Beef, with a broad selection of vegetarian options. The restaurant is open six days a week for lunch and dinner service.³

The restaurant’s longevity has made it a touchstone for multi-generational KC families. Regulars have been dining there since childhood, and the kitchen’s consistency is a recurring theme in customer accounts. The restaurant also holds an unlikely place in KC dining history: Richard and Theresa Ng apprenticed at Dragon Inn before going on to found Bo Lings, the Chinese restaurant group that itself became a Johnson County institution.²

Dragon Inn’s 50th anniversary in 2025 marked a half-century of the Tsui family’s presence in the KC dining scene — a tenure that has seen the restaurant consolidate from multiple locations down to the original Overland Park flagship, which remains the sole operating location.²

Ownership and history

Dragon Inn was founded in 1975 by To-Ping Tsui, who had previously worked as a chef at notable restaurants in Hong Kong, China, and at the Landmark Inn in Long Island, New York, before bringing his Peking and Szechuan expertise to Overland Park.¹ The Tsui family grew the brand to include a second location at Corinth Square in Prairie Village, which operated for 24 years before closing December 31, 2011, when the lease expired.²

The Prairie Village closure was a business decision driven by the expiring lease and economic conditions at the time, not a reflection of demand — Thomas Tsui and his sister Catherine Kot consolidated operations back to the original Overland Park address. As Kot noted at the time: “It’s the same food, the same family recipes, just a different location.”²

Thomas Tsui now operates the restaurant as part of a continued family effort. Ownership has remained within the Tsui family across the full 50-year run, with no ownership change or outside investment identified.¹²

Menu

Last verified: 2026-06-20 · Source: allmenus.com (full priced menu) + Dragon Inn official menu site · URL(s): https://www.allmenus.com/ks/overland-park/313728-dragon-inn/menu/, https://dragon-inn.res-menu.net/ · Confidence: Medium

Dragon Inn runs a broad Peking- and Szechuan-leaning Chinese-American menu organized by protein and preparation: Appetizers, Soups, House Specialties, Beef, Poultry, Pork, Shrimp, Fish, Scallops, Lamb, Vegetables, plus Fried Rice, Lo Mein, Chow Mein, Chop Suey, and Egg Foo Young.⁴

House specialties (signatures)

• Crispy Duck — twice-cooked duckling marinated in aromatic spices, steamed, then deep-fried until crisp; a longtime house signature ($11.50)⁴⁵
• Peking Duck — slow-roasted whole duck with crispy skin and tender meat, served with thin mandarin pancakes, scallions, and Peking sauce ($18.00)⁴
• Sizzling Hot Beef — tender beef tenderloin sautéed with green onions and presented table-side; one of the kitchen’s best-known dishes⁵
• Scallops in Garlic Sauce — fresh scallops sautéed with water chestnuts and mushrooms in a hot-and-spicy garlic sauce ($12.25)⁴

Szechuan (hot and spicy)

• Orange Peel Beef — sliced beef deep-fried, then sautéed with orange peel and hot peppers in a sweet-and-spicy brown sauce⁵
• General Tso’s Chicken — chunks of chicken deep-fried, then sautéed with red peppers, garlic, and ginger ($13.41)⁴
• Spicy Fish, Szechuan Style — prepared in the house red-pepper sauce with Chinese herbs ($12.25); also Lamb, Broccoli, and Spicy Shredded Beef in Szechuan style ($10.25 each)⁴

Appetizers and soups

• King Crab Rangoon — minced crab and cream cheese, deep-fried golden⁵
• Egg Rolls / Fried Wonton — classic Chinese-American starters⁵
• Hot and Sour Soup / Wonton Soup / Egg Drop Soup — standard soup selection⁴

Noodles and rice

• Lo Mein, Chow Mein, and Fried Rice — available across shrimp, pork, chicken, beef, and vegetable variations⁴

Note: individual appetizer/soup prices vary across third-party aggregators and were not all consistently sourced; prices above are limited to items confirmed on allmenus.com. Other dish prices “.

Links

• Dragon Inn — Visit Overland Park
• Dragon Inn on Tripadvisor

Sources

• Status verified active 2026-06-23 via Yelp — Dragon Inn (updated May 2026) and Visit Overland Park directory (accessed 2026-06-23). Open at 7500 W 80th St, OP KS 66204; hours Mon, Wed–Sun 11a–8:30p (Tue closed); phone (913) 381-7299.

Disputes

None at this time. Note: the 2011 JoCo Post article references the original address as “7500 W. Santa Fe” while all current listings use “7500 W 80th St.” These are distinct streets in downtown OP; the current address (W 80th St) is confirmed by Yelp, restaurant.com, and DoorDash as of 2026. The 2011 reference may reflect a historical address name or article error — no discrepancy in operating location.

Footnotes

1. https://dragon-inn.res-menu.net/ — Dragon Inn official menu site. Asserts: Founded 1975 by To-Ping Tsui; Thomas Tsui is current owner and chef; Peking and Szechuan cuisine; biography cites Hong Kong, China, and Landmark Inn NY experience. ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2011/11/11/dragon-inn-at-tail-end-of-24-year-run-in-prairie-village-will-close-dec-31-7584/ — Johnson County Post, Nov 2011. Asserts: Thomas Tsui and Catherine Kot own Dragon Inn; Prairie Village location closing after 24 years; original OP location at 7500 W. Santa Fe opened 1975; Bo Lings founders Richard and Theresa Ng previously worked at Dragon Inn. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

3. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2022/03/25/5-to-try-chinese-picks-%F0%9F%A5%A1-143510/ — Johnson County Post, Mar 2022. Asserts: Dragon Inn ranked among top 5 Chinese restaurants in Johnson County by reader vote; Thomas Tsui owner; traditional décor with red booths; loyal multi-generational customer base. ↩

4. https://www.allmenus.com/ks/overland-park/313728-dragon-inn/menu/ — AllMenus, Dragon Inn (Overland Park) full menu. Asserts: Menu categories and priced items including Crispy Duck ($11.50), Peking Duck ($18.00), Scallops in Garlic Sauce ($12.25), General Tso’s Chicken ($13.41), Spicy Fish Szechuan Style ($12.25), Lamb/Broccoli/Spicy Shredded Beef Szechuan Style ($10.25); soups, lo mein, chow mein, fried rice, egg foo young. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

5. https://dragon-inn.res-menu.net/ — Dragon Inn official menu site. Asserts: House-specialty descriptions for Crispy Duck (twice-cooked, steamed then deep-fried), Sizzling Hot Beef (tenderloin sautéed with green onions, table-side), Orange Peel Beef (sweet-and-spicy brown sauce), King Crab Rangoon, and Szechuan red-pepper preparations. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵