Ten years after opening Koy Chinese and Sushi in 2011, Frank Lai retired to Malaysia with family in 2021. Today, two of his sons, Jun and Wayne Lai, now co-own and run the restaurant.

A family affair

Jun Lai said Koy Chinese and Sushi prides itself on being a family-owned restaurant that serves fresh, made-to-order food. He said he and his brother grew up in the restaurant, working and helping out where they could.

“I had no idea how many moving parts were in the restaurant back then,” Jun Lai said. “Now, finally taking over, ... I give props to my father for doing all my heavy lifting.”
Brothers Wayne (left) and Jun Lai co-own and run Koy Chinese and Sushi. (Sarah Hernandez/Community Impact)
From left: Brothers Wayne and Jun Lai co-own and run Koy Chinese and Sushi. (Sarah Hernandez/Community Impact)
At the time of opening, the city of Kyle’s growth was slowly picking up. Jun Lai said their restaurant was one of the first Chinese and sushi restaurants in the area. Since then, the amount of community support and the number of familiar faces in the restaurant has grown.

“Almost every day there's a customer that asks how my parents are doing because they were here every day,” Jun Lai said.


Jun Lai said being a family restaurant makes operations a bit easier because there’s always a family member there to “put out fires.” He said his dad pops into the restaurant a couple of times a year as well.

On the menu

The restauant serves scratch-made, made-to-order sushi and Chinese food. Jun Lai said customer favorites include classics like lo mein or fried rice, with a choice of protein like orange chicken and sesame chicken.
The Kung Pao chicken ($12.25) is made with a brown sauce from a family recipe. (Courtesy Koy Chinese and Sushi)
The kung pao chicken ($12.25) is made with a brown sauce from a family recipe. (Courtesy Koy Chinese and Sushi)
The restaurant’s kung pao-style dishes are cooked with celery, carrots, mushrooms and bell peppers in a slightly spicy brown sauce made from a family recipe and topped with peanuts.

“I would say [the recipes] are modified a little bit with my brother and I, but still nearly identical to what my father and my grandmother did,” Jun Lai said.


The restaurant’s sushi bar serves a variety of rolls, from popular ones like a California roll to specials like the M-16, a bestseller that has tempura-style kani crab, shrimp ebi, cream cheese and avocado topped with sriracha sauce, spicy mayo, eel sauce and sliced jalapeños.
The M-16 roll ($15.50) is a sushi menu bestseller. (Courtesy Koy Chinese and Sushi)
The M-16 roll ($15.50) is a sushi menu bestseller. (Courtesy Koy Chinese and Sushi)
The restaurant also has a bar with beer, wine, cocktails and sake.