Chuan Lu Garden in Orlando’s Mills 50 neighborhood has for years stood among the most celebrated Chinese restaurants in the city, winning accolades from this and other publications, getting social media shout-outs by local chefs for its massive menu of delicacies and credit for being among the Sichuan pioneers here in town.
Joyce Cai and her partners acquired the restaurant from its original owners in 2019, and while the food still got raves, the space, sometimes, did not. Cai took the feedback seriously.
“The space was worn and old,” she admitted, “and so when we found the perfect timing, we renovated.”
The project, which began in July 2024, was on a six-month schedule, but as it often happens with renos and the stringent inspections that go along with them, the undertaking dragged on for 13 months. Meanwhile, longtime customers gawked as they passed by their space at 1101 E. Colonial Drive and asked Cai, all the time, when they’d pop into Chuan Fu, her Michelin-recommended venue in Winter Park.
“When will you open?!” they asked me.
Fans, the wait is over. Today (Oct. 28), after a brief soft opening, the ribbon was officially cut on the new space, which also boasts a new name: A Gourmet Chinese Cuisine.
Orlando District 4 Commissioner Patty Sheehan was proud to wield the novelty scissors for the ceremony, which featured lion dancers, ushering in a new era of luck and prosperity for the restaurant in a wholly transformed space.
Orlando Young Lions get a red envelope from Commissioner Patty Sheehan during the opening ceremony for A Gourmet Chinese restaurant (formerly Chuan Lu Garden), in Mills 50, on Tuesday. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
“It’s just stunning,” Sheehan said, marveling at the metamorphosis, with its clean lines, open spaces and high, new, wood ceiling with its dramatic waves.
“The food here has always been amazing, but the renovation really brings it up a notch,” Sheehan said. “They were able to accomplish so much within this existing building and make it look so modern and brand-new and hip and cool.”
Opening ceremony for A Gourmet Chinese Cuisine (formerly Chuan Lu Garden), in Mills 50. The lunch spread featured dishes including signature roast duck and slow-braised veal with almonds. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
For Chuan Lu Garden regulars, the new space will be nearly unrecognizable — open and airy with space and natural light — and an all-new layout. Intimate booths await future date nights. Large round tables with sleek, glass lazy susans await fresh dim sum. Cai says they’ve added a few more to the large menu already.
“Pretty much everything from the old menu transferred over, but some are hidden,” she said coyly. “Our oldest, loyal customers know dishes; that we have a ‘secret’ menu. For the people who have come for years and years, they might have an old favorite and ask. If I have the ingredients, we will make it for you.”
Commissioner Patty Sheehan cuts the ribbon outside of A Gourmet Chinese Cuisine on Colonial Drive in Orlando’s Mills 50 neighborhood. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
You need not know a thing, however. Cai’s team will still be slinging favorites, Sichuan and non, along with a broader selection of seafood, as well. The slick space also has something this small stretch is light on: a full bar.
They’re still staffing up, but the space is inviting. It could make a nice spot for a pre-dinner drink here or even elsewhere; there are Michelin-recommended offerings within a stone’s throw of A Gourmet Chinese. Few have a liquor license.
Shally Wong, Joyce Cai, and Commissioner Patty Sheehan pose for a photo during the opening ceremony for A Gourmet Chinese restaurant (formerly Chuan Lu Garden), in Mills 50, on Tuesday. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
Cai, who has a long history of involvement in many business and community associations and events, says she and the team — some old, some new, some splitting their time between here and Chuan Fu — are most excited about serving the customers.
Sheehan, tucking into a hunk of golden salted egg lobster from a tempting, Instagram-friendly platter, is eager to rejoin the ranks of foodies who’ve waited a year-plus to come back.
Detail of golden salted egg twin lobster platter served during the opening ceremony for A Gourmet Chinese restaurant (formerly Chuan Lu Garden), in Mills 50, on Tuesday. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
“[The grand opening is] exciting, of course,” she says, noting with humor that she “loves all her Main Streets, all her children … but Mills 50 holds a special place. “It’s exciting because it helps put Mills 50 on the map, but also because I’m selfish. I live here. And I want to see the businesses in my neighborhood succeed.”
An emotional Cai thanked the guests — from city officials and Winter Park notables to foodies and influencers in attendance.
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“It’s such an honor to have you here to cheer with me, to celebrate with me, to have this grand opening event,” she said, noting the hard work, the unexpected delays and the pleasure in finally getting the doors open.
She showed a photo of customers from 2019, the year she took over the restaurant, noting the happiness she sees in longtime customers’ eyes when they see the renovation.
“We have a different name now,” she says. “But we are offering the same delicious food and customer service.”
Want to reach out? Find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.