Lotus Chinese Kitchen

Lotus is a Chinese American restaurant that has been in business since 1975. It originally opened in Wilton Manors and reopened in 2022 at its new location. This was my first visit; it was a mixed bag. My favorite dish was the Singapore Mei Fun, a classic Cantonese dish they executed very well. I thought the kitchen had a hefty hand with the MSG and/or salt (especially the wonton and the egg drop). Wontons were doughy. The hot and sour lacked heat but had vinegar; you'd be better off spiking it at the table or bringing it home for takeout and hitting it with chile crisp and white pepper. The other fried dishes, such as orange chicken (White meat) and bang bang shrimp, were coated with a particularly gloppy cornstarch-thickened sauce and were overly sweet. I liked the Mongolian beef (although I think a black bean sauce or oyster sauce would be better). The fried rice was okay; it was undoubtedly adequately seasoned and had wok hey but was very “basic.” The soy sauce was very light, and I would have liked the use of dark soy and more pork and more scallion and also bean sprouts. If you ordered the genuine Cantonese things as opposed to the American style, you would be much better off; the owner told me he could prepare them, so the next time I go here, I'm going that route instead.

First of all food is amazing!! Bang bang shrimp app is a must try!! I had the shrimp and mixed vegetables with brown sauce super good!! Lisa was my server she was very nice and attentive! John the owner table touched and checked on us at the end as well super nice guy! Made the experience very welcoming and hospitable. Great experience great food!

pros: good flavor in food cons: atmosphere too dark * unfriendly server * fruit flies 🪰 in restaurant * fruit fly 🪰 in egg flower soup * chicken tasted old * too many onions in Mongolian beef

This is hands down the best Chinese food in South Florida! The staff is so sweet, Lisa was our server and she was amazing. The owner even came by our table, which made the experience feel extra special. The place is also super clean and really cute. Highly recommend!

I ate at Lotus Chinese Kitchen when it was in Wilton Manor and I did not care for it. My friend ate their new location and said the food was amazing so I had to try it. The food is definitely better than their old location but it’s nothing to write home about. I had the orange beef that was tender but too clogging sweet. The fried rice is plan bad. I would not order that again. The egg roll was just okay.

The best Chinese food! I haven't given a rating of all 5 starts before today. The food was excellent. Far above what I expected. Had the special wonton soup, everything in it delicious. Crab Rangoon and pan fried gyoza were great. Mongolian beef and special fried rice some of the best ever. The restaurant atmosphere was buzzing packed on a rainy Tuesday but not too loud. The owner John came over and talked to us a few times getting to know us and telling us about himself, family, and the history of their store. Never felt more at home. Can't wait to go back.

Best Chinese in the area hands down. Authentic ingredients and genuine Chinese taste. They use quality food and fresh ingredients. They do not over over salt and sugar to compensate for poor quality ingredients like other Chinese restaurants do. No MSG added too. Highly recommend if you want good food.

Our server, Bruno, was amazing. He was very attentive. The manager/owner came around a couple of times to check on all the guests. The customer service was great. The food.... not so much. *Fried dumplings had a good filling but we're quite doughy * egg drop soup: very yellow and thick * general tso chicken was good. Only had 5-6 pieces but they were very large prices (like the size of a small fist) * sesame chicken was a bit bland. The flavor was okay, but just wasn't quite enough to tell it was sesame * the shrimp with lobster sauce: between 3 of us we ate exactly 3 bites. It lacjed flavor, had a weird texture and clumped in your throat. * sesame chicken I want to rate it high be cause the service was good. But... just don't order the shrimp in lobster sauce

1st things 1st! Food was absolutely amazing ! It was very flavorful without over powering you... Chinese food has a reputation of being salty and greasy NOT HERE. we had house lo mein, house rice, and sesame chicken, and bam bam shrimp as an appetizer im not sure one was better than the other, they didn't miss! the owner came over to the table and greeted us, very nice guy and i complimented him on his food as well! i definetly recommend ! the restraint was clean, cool and well lighted ! we will be back!

Deceiving from the outside, full house on the inside. A packed house is always a good sign after hearing mixed reviews. Decided to try somewhere new tonight and glad we stopped by! They were a steady busy for a Sunday evening and everyone looked very pleased. We decided to get some of our favorite appetizers; crab rangoon, spring rolls, and steamed dumplings to start. All were pretty good and hot off the kitchen. We finished it off with Singapore noodles, pork fried rice, and good old-fashioned, chicken and broccoli. All of our meals were pretty good and to answer my famous question... would you order it again and we all said yes Suggestion to mgmt- for dinner hours to have a table busser and/or a person who does water service and small odd jobs. There were only 2 servers. There was a solid 10-12 tables with 2 or more people the whole time and the kitchen was dinging away with food turnaround. I also rated 4 stars because we had some fruit flys around us and on the walls/pictures.

Lotus is a Chinese American restaurant that has been in business since 1975. It originally opened in Wilton Manors and reopened in 2022 at its new location. This was my first visit; it was a mixed bag. My favorite dish was the Singapore Mei Fun, a classic Cantonese dish they executed very well. I thought the kitchen had a hefty hand with the MSG and/or salt (especially the wonton and the egg drop). Wontons were doughy. The hot and sour lacked heat but had vinegar; you'd be better off spiking it at the table or bringing it home for takeout and hitting it with chile crisp and white pepper. The other fried dishes, such as orange chicken (White meat) and bang bang shrimp, were coated with a particularly gloppy cornstarch-thickened sauce and were overly sweet. I liked the Mongolian beef (although I think a black bean sauce or oyster sauce would be better). The fried rice was okay; it was undoubtedly adequately seasoned and had wok hey but was very "basic." The soy sauce was very light, and I would have liked the use of dark soy and more pork and more scallion and also bean sprouts. If you ordered the genuine Cantonese things as opposed to the American style, you would be much better off; the owner told me he could prepare them, so the next time I go here, I'm going that route instead.

Lotus Chinese Kitchen is such a cute and cozy spot! We stopped in after some shopping, and from the moment we walked in, the staff was so welcoming, and our waitress was absolutely hilarious--she made the experience even better. I'm not usually a big Sake fan, but I have to say, theirs was pretty good! I ordered the Crab Rangoon's, and even though I wasn't super hungry, I couldn't resist sneaking bites from my friends' plates. Every single dish was delicious--not a single bite disappointed my palate! A place I'd visit again for great food and a fun atmosphere!

We were hunting for some Chinese Food and we came across Lotus,talked to the owner John and the staff as well very accommodating well spoken nd very Friendly.They were about to close but was nice of them to still have us....FOOD WAS GREATTHANK YOU VERY MUCH!cheers from DC

I didn't know this place was a Chinese restaurant. My friend Eve has been here and suggested it. Their menu includes all the classic Chinese dishes as well as some Thai noodle dishes. They bring you a pot of Chinese tea. I had their egg drop soup which was really good. They also have wonton soup and sweet and sour. I had their Kung Pao beef on the mild side and it was really tasty and not deep fried with too much oil. The service was good and the restaurant is very casual.

Yet another wonderful lunch , great service too! What a great goto lunch spot! Been coming here for a long time. Food is good service is always good they just have a great vibe here. This is a beautiful new building they are in now on us1 , a nice upgrade from the old 26 street location.

Lotus has by far the best authentic Chinese food. Great food, prompt and helpful service with a relaxing and beautiful ambiance. Go for the excellent food and enjoy the lovely experience.

A good lunch stop at this new location with a bright welcoming interior. I chose the Hot and Sour Soup which was very flavorful and just the right amount of heat. I was in the mood for some nostalgic Chicken Chow Mein with plenty of chicken and lots of veggies. With the addition of some hot oil and duck sauce it was very good. Now that we know where to find them and that the prices for lunch are desirable we will return when in the area again.

It's been seven years since my last review of Lotus. I used to come to their old restaurant when I worked not far away. They've since moved locations to Federal Highway. This is like a brand-new restaurant. They are still good for all the basics. Their prices have gone up like every other restaurant, but they still offer lunch specials. We've been to this location before when it was several other restaurants. So we were familiar with the tight parking situation. We came just as they were opening for lunch, and already half the tables were full. This spot is not large, so plan accordingly as you may have to wait for a table. They have a lot of regular diners who must eat lunch here often as some were greeted by name. There were a number of possible choices on their menu, but I'd been craving pork egg foo yung so that's what I ordered. Lunches come with a choice of soup or an egg roll and I chose the eggroll. The roll was served hot and fresh. The inside filling had crunchy veggies. I liked the taste of the wrapper. It was not a very large eggroll, but still fine. And I also got white rice with my egg foo yung. There were two round pieces of the mini omelets with copious amounts of bean sprouts and onions all covered in gravy. My preference is for a brown gravy and this one was yellow, so I added some soy sauce to it. It was over all a good meal, although I'd probably order something different next time. My husband opted for the hot n sour soup. It was served piping hot. He said it was very good. For his entree, he got chicken chow mein. It looked very good with nice pieces of white meat chicken and fresh vegetables. He added some hot oil and some duck sauce to give it a bit of pizzaz as it's a fairly bland dish. Normally, we order a little more exciting (adventurous?) Asian food options, but we decided to try some Chinese American standards here as we were trying them for the first time. I'm glad we came. I'd return if in the neighborhood.

The food is out this world. Warm amazing flavor all you can ask for when ordering Chinese food. Service is super helpful and kind. Love these waiters. Don't let the reviewers fool you this place is awesome great vibes here.

Always great food at Lotius, never had a bad meal or service. John is the consummate host.

Great chinese restaurant thank you love the service and the owner was quite a gentleman coming over and having a conversation and hanging out with us was pretty cool

4 star food 4 star ambience 4 star service. What a difference the new location makes: better ambience in a classier venue makes the food and service seem better in this age old Chinese food institution. 4 star food: the food has always been good but the classier vibe makes the price value catch up with recent price hikes. 4 star service: There's still a slight over emphasis on takeout, with those waiting still crowding the door, with less attention than needed to quickly seating eat-in diners. 4 star ambience: they've moved from a Wilton Manors shopping plaza that had seen better days. The new Federal Highway digs used to be a classy breakfast place and the inside is still classy. There's little you can do about the speedy Highway out front.

I haven't been back since 2015, but now they're in a new location and some of my friends have spoken highly of them, so I decided to give them another try. My mistake. I also decided to try the same menu item, which is the mushu pork. It was even worse than the last time I ordered it. They still use some sort of tortilla to roll it (which is just wrong), but also, this time the meat was more like a roast that they cut into chunks. It was all wrong. This is my second time eating here and the second time I left very disappointed. I don't see any reason to give them a third chance.

Got takeout. Egg rolls were the best part. Chicken lo mein was tasteless. Kung pow chicken was also tasteless.

waited for 15mins and then was told the reservation wasn't open until yet (opens at 3pm got there at 2:30pm). listen, i get it if you're not open you're not open. But when the door is obv open/unlocked, 3-4 staff see you, and after 15mins you say "hey, can someone plz take my order". And a guy in the kitchen yells 'no' at you, makes an 3 sign with his hand, and basically 'shoo' away...like, seriously, if i was told they weren't open instead waiting around for 15min...i would have said "no worries" and gone to wait in my car & ordered when they opened. I've going to lotus for 30+ years, but since the location change, modified menu, and no more hot chili oil...idk if feels like the change in location came also with a change in menu, costomer service, and in general the essence of the establishment AND it was not for the better.

Seriously impressed with how good their sesame chicken is! For an easy, casual, somewhat cheap dinner I would highly recommend. All staff was super friendly and accommodating.

Great food, vibes, drinks, and service. We love coming here. Currently craving it now! A great value!

Me wife and I saw that this placed open on Federal Hwy and took a shot and stopped in for dinner. We were so hoping to finally have a traditional Chinese restaurant to sit down at for dinner. Unfortunately not so much. When we went in, the place was small and busy. We met the owner who said they have been open 5 days here and were in Wilton Manor for 34 years. My wife whisper in my ear don't expect much. She went to the place in Wilton Manors and said it was not good. As always my first complaint will go to the staff. Very nice and very attentive. Unfortunately the food was just so so to maybe OK. We ordered the combination general Taos chicken and combination Mongolian beef. I also got a hot and sour soup. The soup was flavorful, but way to think. It was almost like soft pudding it was so think. As for the Egg rolls that came with the meal. They didn't have much flavor and were almost as skinny as spring rolls. The fried rice that came with the meals was very bland. Not much flavor at all other then soy sauce which I'm guessing they used for the coloring. As for the dishes themselves. Definitely not a good representation of either. The general Taos chicken had a heavy breading and was not crispy, but rather very doughy. The sauce was just ok and because the chicken was so doughy it just made the breading very soggy. As for my Mongolian beef, it had a charred flavor like Mongolian beef is supposed to, but was coated and sitting in a lot of a brown sauce which tasted nothing like Mongolian beef, and more like pepper steak. I told my wife I would try and give them a second chance since they opened up here as a new restaurant and she told me that I can go alone. So not going back.

What a disappointment Never again, the soup is so o salty, inedible, and we didn't get to the main course. Takeout ,doesn't mean yesterday's leftovers. Thats how you lose your customers.

Always a great meal! Staff is friendly food quality constant and portions are more than one meals worth.

We went to this place and I have to admit they are not conservative with their portions. You get a lot for your money. The ambiance was not something that would jump at you but the food and service made up for that. The owner comes to each table to check on the customers and if you need anything he goes and gets it for you. He genuine concern was refreshing and welcoming. we we 5 and the bill came to 120 including tip. The waitress was very attentive BUT the food really impressed me with the large portions. This is a must to try out

Everything! John is a great host and the food is delicious. The only Chinese restaurant we have been frequenting forever.

Kind of disappointing... Ingredients were fresh, but the lack of flavor (kung pao chkn) canceled that out...

I went here on a Saturday and the place was packed, not only with takeout orders but dining in. We started with the crab rangoons which were creamy and tangy with the sweet sauce, perfection. I ordered the dinner combination, mine was the Kung Pao chicken, it came with a hefty portion of fried rice, chicken, and an egg roll. The egg roll had a deep oniony flavor and was savory. My entree tasted homemade and fresh, unlike other Chinese restaurants I've been to. It was $50 for two people with an appetizer, big portions, fast service, and it's one of the best Chinese spots in Broward. You can't beat that!

Excellent food and service. Very reasonably priced wine list also. Can't wait to return to Lotus!

Excellent food at reasonable prices. Worth the trip to Oakland Park as there are very few good Chinese restaurants around

Finally, an excellent restaurant in south FL. Owner chef serves fresh, excellent Cantonese dishes. No soggy, premade stuff here. There is a reason it's very busy!

A Yum, went early around 4:00ish and it was busy. Owner came over introduced himself. Check to see if we were happy. Very nice touch. Very large portions. I had the Mongolian beef combo . Soup or egg roll. I went w/soup, but did order the egg roll too. G had the general Tao chicken. Large tender pieces of chicken. All good

This is perhaps my favorite little spot in Fort Lauderdale for Chinese food. The owner is from NY, and it has that NY Chinese food feel. The food is always fresh, well priced, and made quickly and well. When I'm craving Chinese food like back home, this is my comfort go to spot. The atmosphere is classic, and the service is quick. The owner checks in on you and the servers are great.

I don't know why this restaurant doesn't have five star reviews. If you like Cantonese food this is the best I have found.

It was my first time coming to eat at this restaurant even though I live close by. Even though Manager/owner provided us with a free wonton soup and we greatly appreciated it. The service provided by the waitress was not good. The attentions to our table and other tables next to us were the same. The food presentation on our plates wasn't very nice. Never came back to check if everything was okay, pickup empty plates or check if we needed anything else. Finished eating and table was still full and waited for a while to get our bill and finally it was dropped on the side and walked away. Wanted to express my experience to owner/manager but was still busy talking to other tables and didn't want to interrupt.

I have considered Lotus my go to Chinese for years but the location was in a poorly maintained shopping center and just getting thru the parking lot was teeth rattling. I guess they got sick of it too because they moved to a charming little strip center near Oakland and US1 and we decided to have an eat in dinner at the new location. The first thing is we are greeted by the owner, who remembered us from the old location. Really nice, he made us feel valued and seated us immediately. We have a fav dish- General Tao's chicken, it's enough for two to split and it never fails to make us both happy but this time it was absolutely the best ever. I have no idea how they got the chicken cooked so perfectly and the outside so crispy with the perfect amount of sauce but honestly, it was the best meal I've had at Lotus in a couple decades of eating there. Honestly it was crazy good. If you are in the mood for crispy chicken in a spicy gingery, garlic brown sauce this is the spot! Five Stars!

Since moving to N. Federal Hwy, the food isn't the same. In particular, General Tso's Chicken. There is NOTHING hot & spicy about the sauce, very little sauce on the dish, the chicken is now in pieces so large, I'd expect the bones with it and 2 tiny pieces of broccoli florets. Very disappointed and will be looking for a new General Tso's chicken elsewhere.

First time at this recommended Chinese restaurant in a lovely Shopping Center located on Federal just south of Oakland Park Boulevard. Nicely decorated in a modern clean way. Bathrooms were very clean. Service was very good and welcoming. Food was authentic and delicious and we took some home as the portions were very large. Reasonably priced not expensive at all , we ordered from the lunch menu . I highly recommend.

Amazing food the sweet and sour chicken was good the pork fired rice and egg roll was amazing and egg drop soup with wontons were good and good duck sauce

The owner is one of the nicest host around. The food is significantly below average for a Chinese restaurant. Most of it doesn't even taste like Chinese food.

We enjoy the food for the most part. We're not fans of the rice, but everything else is amazing. Customer service is always top notch, and we always feel like part of the family there. The pork eggrolls are the best in the area. We've actually stopped by there a few times just to get them when we weren't very hungry, but craved the egg rolls! Lol

This is the best Chinese food I have ever had!!! The owner is amazing and I love that he talks to every table. We have found our new favorite Chinese restaurant. I can't wait to come back next week.

Great food, great flavor and nice clean place. I do agree with some other reviews that there is too much sauce with the entrées but they were still really good. Can't wait to try something different.

I order take out last night Sunday, what a disappointment , my cat eats bette, not exaggerating, chines see votable rice look old and no taste, mixed vegetable, mushy, I have been a client since old location, would not take a chance again.

Always consistent, friendly staff and good size portions. We've been customers for several years and even though prices have increased, the portion sizes are still good!

Love, love their food! It's amazing, we eat here probably once a week! John the owner is very friendly, greets everyone at their table. Highly recommend everyone try their food.

The food was bland. Our delivery order was missing egg rolls, fortune cookies, and mustard sauce. Waste of $80.

Wow! I am so impressed and happy that I finally found a real Chinese kitchen. Found this place after 13 years of living in S Florida. I ordered the Mongolian Beef (spicy), wonton soup, pork noodle soup. Every single thing was delicious and seasoned so well. The spice level was on point! The soups were to die for. I will be going back tomorrow for more soup.

Great food, super fresh, cooked perfectly. Service great and John the owner stops by tables to make sure all is good. Love the new location & will be back soon. Had pan fried dumplings, Moo Goo Gai Pan, Happy Family, all perfect. (Wine & Beer too)

Best Chinese in Fort Lauderdale. Granted they are over priced but the food is tasty. Staff is nice and they pay attention to allergens if requested.

Food is ok, needs flavor. I tried different times and different dishes, expensive and too much rice in its combos