Second Corner 21 location to open next week

Corner 21 Chinese Cuisine's plans for a second Springfield restaurant are nearly complete.

The company announced on Facebook yesterday that its new south-side restaurant at 1730 E. Republic Road, Ste. A, is scheduled to open Aug. 21. The store is located in Southgate Shopping Center.

Owners Jiapeng Lu and Yuming Han were unavailable for comment this morning at the company's first restaurant, which has operated at 1369 E. Sunshine St. since April 2021.

Lee McLean III, senior adviser for SVN/Rankin Co., which has the listing for Southgate Shopping Center, said Corner 21’s space is 4,138 square feet. He said the owners signed a five-year lease with the option to expand for undisclosed terms.

"Everyone is very excited to see them at this location and a much larger space," McLean said in an email.

The Southgate Shopping Center space being occupied by Corner 21 previously housed Sugarfire Smokehouse, which shuttered last year, according to past reporting.

Corner 21's Lu previously told Springfield Business Journal that the ownership saw a need for authentic Chinese food in Springfield, with the menu including noodles, pork, beef, and seafood dishes.