Classic Fort Lauderdale Chinese Spot Shutters As Owners Retire

A longtime Fort Lauderdale staple for Chinese food that has fed generations of families in South Florida has closed its doors.

On Sunday, November 10, legendary spot Christina Wan's Mandarin House closed in the Victoria Park neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale after its owners, one being Christina Wan, announced their retirement.

On the restaurant's website, a note to its longtime customers reads, "With heartfelt gratitude, we announce that Christina Wan’s Mandarin House will close its doors after dinner service on Sunday, November 10. Thank you for 28 wonderful years of memories and support."

A Facebook group called Let's Eat, South Florida was quick to comment about the rise in rent across downtown Fort Lauderdale and in the mostly affluent neighborhood of Victoria Park, which many believe has led to the city being deemed a "graveyard for restaurants." A group member writes, "Drive down Las Olas. It's like a graveyard for restaurants — many that had been there for 20, 30+ years."

Although no other comment has been made about Christina Wan's closing other than for retirement, longtime customers can't help but wonder if rent drove their favorite Chinese spot out of business — just like it has for so many iconic Fort Lauderdale restaurants, including Carlos & Pepe's.

Leaving Behind a South Florida Legacy

Voted Best Chinese food in Fort Lauderdale by Best of Fort Lauderdale 2021, Christina Wan's represented the return of the Wan family to Fort Lauderdale.

The Wan family previously offered its fare to guests in Fort Lauderdale at 1201 N. Federal Hwy. from 1986 to 1993. In 1996, the restaurant moved down the highway to 664 N. Federal Hwy.

However, Wan's legacy goes beyond that — spanning 40 years, and its numerous locations have been a South Florida tradition and favorite since 1966. Originally located on SW Eighth St. in Miami in the late 1960s, the family has continuously served guests at its various locations across Miami, North Miami Beach, Hollywood, and Fort Lauderdale since its inception.

Nevertheless, its Fort Lauderdale home — where it had stood for nearly 20 years — is what its regulars will miss most.

A Staple for Classic Chinese Specialties Along North Federal Highway

Winner of New Times Broward-Palm Beach's Best Chinese Restaurant 2008, Wan's felt like a throwback to the old New York Chinatown of the '50s, when lo mein and foo yung seemed impossibly exotic. That may no longer be the case with Chinese food, but even with the proliferation of regional cuisines, this restaurant was still just as exciting.

The restaurant specialized in Mandarin, Szechuan, and Cantonese specialties like lemongrass beef, shrimp foo yung, and a selection of housemade potstickers and dumplings. Customer favorites ranged from traditional egg rolls and wonton soup to sweet and sour chicken and Cantonese fried rice.

Beyond the food, what made the spot a mainstay in the community was Christina Wan, who, as New Times wrote in 2008, was "elegant and attentive, a cell phone hooked to her silk sash, Christina Wan patrols her dining room, adjusting the positioning of a plate or glass, stopping to joke with a customer who's been ordering her eggplant with oyster sauce and pork for a decade, and writing down a stream of takeout orders from locals craving her Hawaiian shrimp with candied walnuts, rack of lamb with lemongrass and sautéed greens, or whole Cantonese duck."

Her magic touch in Fort Lauderdale will be missed.