{"id":381609,"date":"2026-08-26T13:12:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T13:12:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/381609\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T13:12:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T13:12:19","slug":"wans-restaurant-in-fort-lauderdale-celebrates-60-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/381609\/","title":{"rendered":"Wan\u2019s restaurant in Fort Lauderdale celebrates 60 years"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Chef<\/p>\n

Chef and owner Alex Kuk shows off the sesame beef and roast duck at his restaurant, Wan’s Mandarin House, in Fort Lauderdale.<\/p>\n

Photo by Matias J. Ocner<\/p>\n

mocner@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n

Chefs are fond of saying that the culinary business is in their blood, but for Alex Kuk, the adage rings true.<\/p>\n

Owner of Wan\u2019s Mandarin House in Fort Lauderdale, which has just celebrated its 60th anniversary of serving classic Chinese fare, Kuk is the fourth generation of his family to operate the restaurant that has become an icon \u2014 an affordable one \u2014 in Fort Lauderdale.<\/p>\n

Sixty years in an ever-changing and often volatile market is a startling milestone, one worthy of celebration, especially as Broward\u2019s restaurant scene grows<\/a>. With the arrival of the Michelin Guide into Fort Lauderdale in 2025<\/a> and openings of more upscale dining experiences, a neighborhood favorite like Wan\u2019s is a relaxing respite from high prices.<\/p>\n

Kuk, who operates the restaurant with his cousin Courtney, sometimes finds it hard putting the emotion of it all into words.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in this industry for so long,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s been part of my entire life. But it\u2019s not just about the restaurant or the brand. It\u2019s what it means to the community and our family. We\u2019ve celebrated so many milestones here, ours and other people\u2019s. To have something that\u2019s part of my life through so many generations is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Passing the torch \"A A photograph of Chef Alex Kuk’s great-grandfather, Lee Pong Wan, who started the restaurant in 1966, and other family members hangs at the entrance of Wan’s Mandarin House in Fort Lauderdale. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

For all its status as a celebrated Fort Lauderdale destination, Wan\u2019s started life in Miami. Kuk\u2019s great-grandparents, Lee Pong Wan and his wife Hide Wan, opened the first Wan\u2019s in 1966 at Eighth Street and First Avenue. They passed the torch to son Davie and wife Oi Ling Wan in 1973, and in 1977 the restaurant relocated to Hollywood, eventually settling on Sheridan Street near T.Y. Park.<\/p>\n

Then, in 1996, their daughter Christina and her husband Jason Huynh took over, moving the restaurant to downtown Hollywood and renaming it Christina Wan\u2019s. It moved to its current location in Fort Lauderdale in 2005.<\/p>\n

The family progression came naturally, according to Christina Huynh, because everyone had grown up around the restaurant.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was drilled into us how things needed to be, how customers come first,\u201d she said. \u201cEvery generation that has taken over the business cares deeply, and they don\u2019t let it slide. We\u2019re foodie people. We don\u2019t like to go into restaurants where they tell you the large shrimp is jumbo shrimp. We know the size of the shrimp!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Chef Sesame beef at Wan’s Mandarin House. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Still, operating the family business had its hard times for Huynh, especially after the recession of 2008.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went through some bumpy roads there,\u201d she says ruefully. \u201cThat crash really affected the whole economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet the restaurant persevered \u2014 until Huynh decided she was ready to retire. Wan\u2019s closed at the end of 2024, much to the consternation of customers who had come to rely on the kitchen for gatherings and takeout.<\/p>\n

\u2018Our love language\u2019 \"Chef Chef Alex Kuk in the kitchen at Wan’s Mandarin House in Fort Lauderdale. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Happily, the restaurant didn\u2019t stay closed for long.<\/p>\n

Enter Huynh\u2019s nephew Kuk, who had co-founded the nearby Temple Street Eatery with Diego Ng in 2014. He reopened Wan\u2019s in March of 2025 and has been guiding it into the future ever since.<\/p>\n

Taking over has been a labor of love for Kuk, who is no longer affiliated with Temple Street. He has learned, for example, the value of social media as a tool by which a restaurant can reach new and younger customers.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of this generation doesn\u2019t know what chow mein or egg foo young are, so we\u2019re trying to introduce them to some of the classics,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

But Kuk, who started at Wan\u2019s as a busboy at 13, then moved to working at the counter and then in the kitchen, also wanted to make changes that highlighted what the family considers sacred traditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I opened this place, I wanted to bring back tablecloths,\u201d he says. \u201cBack then, every Sunday, families would come and sit together and dine. I don\u2019t think people understand the word dining now. They Instagram what they\u2019re drinking and eating. I love to see people putting their phones down and joking around and catching up with each other. For Asians, family-style eating is our love language.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Something you can\u2019t manufacture\u2019 \"Chef Chef Yurn prepares Szechuan beef at Wan’s Mandarin House in Fort Lauderdale. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

The longevity of Wan\u2019s is valuable to the city of Fort Lauderdale as well, according to Jenny DiBorja, senior business development and membership executive for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce.<\/p>\n

She said the 60th anniversary celebration, which included a ribbon cutting, bubbly and heartfelt toasts with longtime guests and local politicians, was \u201ca special milestone\u201d for the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it really speaks to what makes a community strong,\u201d she said. \u201cRestaurants come and go, and in today\u2019s competitive environment, it\u2019s not easy to make it six years, much less 60. Wan\u2019s has stayed relevant because generations of families and customers who have become family have made it part of their lives, and that kind of connection and loyalty is something you can\u2019t manufacture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Restaurants like Wan\u2019s are vital to a community that wants to support local business, she added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat support and the relationships businesses build with their customers, neighbors and organizations can make a real difference, especially as our culinary scene continues to grow,\u201d she said. \u201cWan\u2019s is a wonderful example of how a local business can become part of the community\u2019s story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bartender Bartender Jesse Gil prepares a cherry blossom martini at Wan’s Mandarin House in Fort Lauderdale. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Loyal customers, some of whom have ordered the Szechuan chicken or Hunan beef for decades, are the backbone of the Wan\u2019s legacy, Huynh says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had customers who come in who have been eating with my family since the 1970s,\u201d she explains. \u201cPeople have moved up to Boynton Beach or whatever, and when they\u2019re in town they\u2019re at our restaurant. I knew one woman when she was pregnant and now her kids are going off to college, and they come in. I\u2019ve seen them their whole entire lives. People who used to eat at my father\u2019s restaurant, their grandchildren come to Wan\u2019s now.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Kuk, facing the future means thinking about what has kept Wan\u2019s going for so many years \u2014 and continuing to deliver it. In his mind, the reasons for success are passion, consistency and sacrifice. That means wanting to wake up every day and feed Fort Lauderdale; consistently delivering dishes that diners crave; and understanding that you put your customers first, always.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had shivas and funerals, birthdays and bar mitzvahs,\u201d he muses. \u201cWe\u2019re so grateful to our customers. Without them, we wouldn\u2019t have lasted 60 years. And they just keep coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Chef Roast duck, a popular entree at Wan’s Mandarin House. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com Wan\u2019s Mandarin House<\/p>\n

Where: Victoria Park Shops, 664 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale<\/p>\n

Hours: 4-9 p.m. Sunday; 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 3:30-9 p.m. Monday, Wednesday-Thursday; 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 3:30-9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday; closed Tuesday. Note: the restaurant will be closed from Sept. 7-24 for family and staff vacations.<\/p>\n

More information: wansfl.com<\/a> or (954) 527-0228<\/a><\/p>\n

Connie Ogle loves wine, books and the Miami Heat. Please don\u2019t make her eat a mango.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chef and owner Alex Kuk shows off the sesame beef and roast duck at his restaurant, Wan’s Mandarin…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":381610,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[249,251,250],"class_list":["post-381609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","tag-fort-lauderdale-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=381609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381609\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/381610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=381609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=381609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=381609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}