Long-Awaited Night Rooster Ready To Crow as Chef Shirley Chung Returns to the Kitchen

It may be the year of the horse, but for chef Shirley Chung, it’s the year of the rooster. The Night Rooster.

Night Rooster is a new fine dining restaurant from Hooper Hospitality Concepts, scheduled to open on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 1000 N. Riverfront Blvd. in the Design District.

The building also houses another Hooper Hospitality concept, the Saint, which just relocated from East Dallas. The modern Italian steakhouse will occupy the first floor, while Night Rooster will take over the second.

Night Rooster is a collaboration between the hospitality group’s owner, Andy Hooper, and chef Shirley Chung. The two worked together over 20 years ago at an Italian steakhouse in Las Vegas, and this is the culmination of their shared vision. 

The name “Night Rooster” originates from a Chinese folktale in which an archer shoots down eight of the nine suns that are burning the earth. The ninth sun retreats in fear, and despite efforts, only the persistent crow of a rooster call brings the light back into the sky. 

“Night Rooster tells a story — of friendship, perseverance, and starting fresh — and we’re incredibly proud to bring that story to life,” said Andy Hooper, founder of Hooper Hospitality Concepts.

LA’s Dumpling King

The story of the night rooster parallels that of the celebrated chef leading the kitchen, Chung, also known as “The Dumpling Queen of Los Angeles.” 

Night Rooster’s opening marks her return to the kitchen. In 2024, Chung was diagnosed with stage IV squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue and went through 20 weeks of chemo and 50 rounds of radiation to achieve full remission in November 2024. 

Chung has been an influential voice in modern Chinese-American cuisine and has worked with renowned chefs such as Thomas Keller, Guy Savoy and José Andrés. She also rose to national prominence as a finalist on Top Chef: New Orleans and runner-up on Top Chef: Charleston.

She went on to open Twenty Eight Modern Chinese and Ms Chi Cafe in Los Angeles, and is the author of Chinese Heritage Cooking from My American Kitchen. You may also recognize her from her frequent drop-ins and victories on Food Network. 

“Night Rooster is a reflection of my life. It’s rooted in Chinese heritage, shaped by my journey in America as well as my recent health and personal challenges, and inspired by the incredible ingredients and spirit of Texas,” Chung said in a release. “After everything I’ve been through, I can’t begin to say enough about how happy I am to be cooking again, and I hope this restaurant will be filled with passion and joy, from our team and our guests alike.”

The Menu: Chinese X Texas

Night Rooster will offer her deep, personal expression of Chinese cuisine shaped by Texas-grown ingredients. 

Featured on the menu is Chung’s signature tea-smoked duck, brined for 24 hours and smoked with jasmine tea and hickory wood. Other offerings include beef sourced from Outpost 76 in Sulphur Springs and mushrooms from Texas Fungus in Arlington, prepared using traditional Chinese methods. 

Dine in, and your spread of shareables can include lobster and shrimp air eggrolls; the Night Rooster caviar bite, which is fried chicken feet collagen, chicken confit, crème fraîche and golden osetra caviar; and jumbo wagyu cheeseburger potstickers finished with bacon tomato jam. 

Larger-format plates aim to offer a sense of occasion and abundance. A release highlighted sweet-and-sour branzino with pomegranate sauce; orange Texas quail stuffed with house-made chicken sausage; and honey-walnut prawns with plum sauce aioli. There will also be noodle and rice plates like lobster noodles, cacio e Sichuan pepe and tea-smoked duck fried rice.

End the night with Chung’s curated loose-leaf tea service, paired with a hot mochi doughnut with a whipped tofu coffee chocolate mousse, a matcha layer cake, or a mango grapefruit coconut sago (a cold, pudding dessert with chewy tapioca-like sago pearls).

The beverage program will have Chinese flavors with a modern twist, such as the East Meets West, which has Nikka Coffey Malt Whisky, High West bourbon, black sugar, bitters and is smoked with cherry wood.

The Vibe

Designers from Dallas-based Philosophy Design wanted this restaurant to be one of the most striking dining rooms in the city while remaining warm, comfortable and inviting. Based on photos, it appears they achieved that. It looks dark, moody and exciting.

Night Rooster will open for dinner service only on Saturday, Jan. 31. Regular hours will run Sunday through Thursday from 5-10 p.m. and from 5-11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. 

While it shares an address with The Saint on the first floor, the two will operate as separate concepts, each with its own distinct identity and dining experience.