Our History
After being raised in Fuzhou, China, Peng and Ping Zhang ventured across the world and settled in America in 1986. Bouncing from state to state they realized they couldn’t get the same delicious food they were so accustomed to back home. So they opened their first restaurant in New London, Connecticut, and began to travel to various surrounding states to spread Zhang’s up and down the East Coast. 11 years after moving around, Peng and Ping dreamed of starting a family on the shoreline. And so they wanted to return to the first state they fell in love with, eventually deciding to settle in Old Saybrook to raise their 2 young children.
Determined to share their nostalgia whilst growing up and eating authentic Asian food they started Zhang’s restaurant in Old Saybrook, Connecticut in 1997. Building upon the success of their first restaurant they managed to open 6 more across Connecticut. After building their restaurant empire for 15 years they decided to reduce their stores down to 1. The original Zhang’s in Old Saybrook.
23 years on Zhang’s is well integrated into the shoreline community, featuring in the Shoreline Book’s Top 100 places to eat in Connecticut over the last 4 years, as well as a token of awards for their sushi bar and also their homemade wontons and dumplings.
You simply cannot come to Old Saybrook and not enjoy the food that is offered here, alongside the amazing beach views this small communal town offers.
“We have been eating at Zhang’s for over 20 years and we love the reception we get when we enter. We really feel at home here with the owners and the food.”
David Colvin III