Big news from Chinatown: The legendary Sam Wo is slated to close after service on Friday. It’s over 100 years old.

Owner David Ho — who has owned the restaurant for the last 30 years — confirms the closure with Scoop. Sam Wo will be open today and tomorrow, and then close the doors forever.

“Too old. Everything’s too old,” says the 56-year-old Ho. “The building is too old. It’s very sad.”

He adds that the three-story restaurant has been having problems with the fire department and the kitchen is too old, too. He says that he won’t reopen, at 813 Washington or elsewhere.

Though it’s reputed to have opened in the early 20th century, Sam Wo came to new glory in the ’50s, when it was a popular Beat hangout. In the following decades, its fame was furthered tenfold by Edsel Ford Fong, better known as “the world’s rudest waiter.” Just recently, Jonathan Kauffman called it the most charming dive in Chinatown.

Sam Wo — and Edsel Ford Fong — was also a frequent subject of Herb Caen. For example:

Remember the late Edsel Ford Fong, the wild ‘n’ crazy waiter at Sam Wo on Washington St. His spirit lives on, reports Hans Roenau after finding the menu topped with this Edselism: “No Booze, No B.S., No Jive, No Coffee, Milk, Soft Drinks, Fortune Cookies.” Also this listing: “Fried Shrimp. Actually a Ripoff. Expensive But Not Filling.” Miss ya, Edsel

Expect more fallout in the next few days.

Sam Wo: 813 Washington Street, at Grant

