This family-owned Chinese spot celebrates 60 years of feeding Fort Lauderdale

Chefs are fond of saying that the culinary business is in their blood, but for Alex Kuk, the adage rings true.

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Owner of Wan’s 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 — an affordable one — in Fort Lauderdale.

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

Kuk, who operates the restaurant with his cousin Courtney, sometimes finds it hard putting the emotion of it all into words.

“I’ve been in this industry for so long,” he says. “It’s been part of my entire life. But it’s not just about the restaurant or the brand. It’s what it means to the community and our family. We’ve celebrated so many milestones here, ours and other people’s. To have something that’s part of my life through so many generations is amazing.”

Passing the torch

For all its status as a celebrated Fort Lauderdale destination, Wan’s started life in Miami. Kuk’s great-grandparents, Lee Pong Wan and his wife Hide Wan, opened the first Wan’s 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.

Then, in 1996, their daughter Christina and her husband Jason Huynh took over, moving the restaurant to downtown Hollywood and renaming it Christina Wan’s. It moved to its current location in Fort Lauderdale in 2005.

The family progression came naturally, according to Christina Huynh, because everyone had grown up around the restaurant.

“It was drilled into us how things needed to be, how customers come first,” she said. “Every generation that has taken over the business cares deeply, and they don’t let it slide. We’re foodie people. We don’t like to go into restaurants where they tell you the large shrimp is jumbo shrimp. We know the size of the shrimp!”

Still, operating the family business had its hard times for Huynh, especially after the recession of 2008.

“I went through some bumpy roads there,” she says ruefully. “That crash really affected the whole economy.”

Yet the restaurant persevered — until Huynh decided she was ready to retire. Wan’s closed at the end of 2024, much to the consternation of customers who had come to rely on the kitchen for gatherings and takeout.

‘Our love language’

Happily, the restaurant didn’t stay closed for long.

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

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.

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“A lot of this generation doesn’t know what chow mein or egg foo young are, so we’re trying to introduce them to some of the classics,” he says.

But Kuk, who started at Wan’s 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.

“When I opened this place, I wanted to bring back tablecloths,” he says. “Back then, every Sunday, families would come and sit together and dine. I don’t think people understand the word dining now. They Instagram what they’re 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.”

‘Something you can’t manufacture’

The longevity of Wan’s 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.

She said the 60th anniversary celebration, which included a ribbon cutting, bubbly and heartfelt toasts with longtime guests and local politicians, was “a special milestone” for the city.

“I think it really speaks to what makes a community strong,” she said. “Restaurants come and go, and in today’s competitive environment, it’s not easy to make it six years, much less 60. Wan’s 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’t manufacture.”

Restaurants like Wan’s are vital to a community that wants to support local business, she added.

“That 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,” she said. “Wan’s is a wonderful example of how a local business can become part of the community’s story.”

Loyal customers, some of whom have ordered the Szechuan chicken or Hunan beef for decades, are the backbone of the Wan’s legacy, Huynh says.

“I had customers who come in who have been eating with my family since the 1970s,” she explains. “People have moved up to Boynton Beach or whatever, and when they’re in town they’re 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’ve seen them their whole entire lives. People who used to eat at my father’s restaurant, their grandchildren come to Wan’s now.”

For Kuk, facing the future means thinking about what has kept Wan’s going for so many years — 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.

“We’ve had shivas and funerals, birthdays and bar mitzvahs,” he muses. “We’re so grateful to our customers. Without them, we wouldn’t have lasted 60 years. And they just keep coming back.”

Wan’s Mandarin House

Where: Victoria Park Shops, 664 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale

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.

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More information: wansfl.com or (954) 527-0228