A new canteen-style restaurant near the Baymeadows Road intersection in Jacksonville is serving up Chinese and Asian dishes in 12-ounce mini bowls, with prices starting under $5 and a grand opening ceremony still to come. Wokhey Wok Fired Mini Bowls quietly began serving customers last month, and its owner says the full menu — including an expanded dim sum lineup — won't be unveiled until later this month.
A Soft Launch With Big Plans Ahead
Owner Andy Yang launched Wokhey Wok Fired Mini Bowls with a soft opening on Sept. 16 at 8221 Southside Blvd., Unit 11, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record. The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, though Yang said Oct. 2 that those hours could still be adjusted. A special grand opening ceremony with raffles is scheduled for Oct. 16, when Yang said the restaurant will also release its dim sum menu in full.
Wokhey is a Chinese restaurant serving homestyle Asian dishes alongside Chinese-American favorites, built around a canteen-style format. Customers can order wok-fired mini bowls or have food weighed out by the pound, then either eat in the dining area or take it to go, the Daily Record reports. The mini bowls contain 12 ounces of food and cost between $4.99 and $7.99 each, while customers who want to mix and match dishes pay $10.99 a pound. Bases like rice and chow mein run $1.99 to $2.99.
What's On the Menu
The menu leans on Chinese-American staples and homestyle dishes, including orange chicken, kung pao chicken, Thai red curry chicken, sweet and sour ribs, eggplant with garlic sauce, tomato eggs, Mongolian beef, red braised pork and garlic green beans. Wokhey also offers combos, drinks, desserts and appetizers such as spring rolls and crab rangoon, per the same report. Yang said tomato eggs — a sweet and slightly tangy dish of scrambled eggs and tomatoes — hold particular significance, noting that every Asian and Chinese child growing up knows or has a family version of the dish.
The restaurant's chef, Xiao Shulin, brings a background in Chinese fine dining to the kitchen. Inside, Wokhey features warm lighting and booths, with an ambiance inspired by a 1970s and 1980s Hong Kong aesthetic rendered in neon red and green lights. The space is about 1,800 square feet and holds seven booths and two tables, occupying a spot that previously housed a Tropical Smoothie Cafe.
From Apple Engineer to Restaurant Owner
Yang, 28, grew up working at a Chinese takeout restaurant run by his parents in Jacksonville before studying electrical engineering and computer science and working for Apple for a couple of years. He returned to Jacksonville after his father became sick and tech-industry layoffs factored into his decision, according to the Daily Record; his father is now reported to be doing okay. Yang said he decided to take a risk and try the restaurant business.
Yang also operates a Tous les Jours French Korean bakery franchise located near the same intersection as Wokhey, and he said the proximity is convenient since he runs between the two businesses. He chose the Wokhey location in part because it sits near a busy intersection and near college students, with Florida State College at Jacksonville's Deerwood campus nearby. Preparing the business to open, including remodeling, cost about $300,000, the report notes.
More New Faces in Jacksonville's Dining Scene
Wokhey's debut adds to a steady stream of new Asian-inspired concepts opening around Jacksonville recently. Fatboy Friedrice opened at 9735 Old St. Augustine Road offering Asian-fusion fried rice bowls, as detailed by jacksonville.com. Separately, Bibimbox Korean Kitchen Wings opened its first Jacksonville location at a former Bojangles site, per a jacksonville.com report. For now, Wokhey's full identity is still taking shape, with Yang pointing to the Oct. 16 grand opening as the moment the restaurant's complete vision, dim sum menu included, comes into view.
