Ballarat Central Chinese takeaway shop Louey Soong closed due to owner illness

For most punters, this Ballarat “institution” does the best spring rolls in town, but with the owner brought down by illness, many are wondering when they can get their next Chinese fix.

Ballarat Central Chinese takeaway shop Louey Soong has been closed for months due to the owner being sick.

A much-loved Ballarat “institution” in the middle of Ballarat remains closed after several months due to the owner being unwell.

Louey Soong on Sturt St has been shut reportedly since about the end of 2023, with an opening date pushed back from mid-January due to the owner’s sickness.

An answering machine message tells callers that because of illness, Louey Soong is expected to reopen at the end of February – a milestone now passed.

“Thank you for your ongoing support and we hope to see you again soon,” the message says.

A sign on the door, meanwhile, indicates the opening date could also be in March.

Ballarat Central Chinese takeaway shop Louey Soong has been closed for months due to the owner being sick.

A recent post to a local Facebook group ignited discussion about the temporarily shuttered shop, with many saying they missed their favourite spring rolls and dim sims.

Scores of people reminisced about decades’ worth of visits to the “Ballarat institution”, even through changes of ownership.

“I moved away from Ballarat as an early teen but come back from time to time to visit family and friends,” the post said.

“ … Shout out to Louey Soong. I hope he [the owner] gets better soon.

“I also want him to know how much I see him as a Ballarat icon.”

A commenter said she was “in a panic that I might have had my last meal from there unknowingly”.

“Definitely a family fave when I was a kid,” said another.

“The only spring rolls I would ever eat.

One person called the shop an “icon” of the city.

“Hope he is back at it again soon,” he said.