Lotus – Federal Hwy

Lotus Chinese Restaurant:

The South Florida Eats team decided to check out Lotus Chinese Restaurant’s new location in Ft. Lauderdale. My friend Jeff was in town, and we figured it would be the perfect time to see if anything had changed since they relocated from Wilton Manors. Jeff had never been so that it would be a completely new experience from his perspective and one of change for me.

The Restaurant:

Lotus moved into a spot that once housed a diner called Toast in a small strip mall just off Federal Highway near Oakland Park Blvd. This new location is much smaller than the place in Wilton Manors, just off 26th St, so there can be a wait at times. Delivery and takeout are still very popular options, and you will see a slew of delivery drivers from the various apps coming in to pick up their orders all night.

Lotus is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Friday. It is closed on Mondays. Inside, there is a mix of booths, tables, and chairs. If you have a larger party, this might not be where you want to go since the seating is limited.

The Food:

For starters we tried Lotus Chinese’s version of Bang Bang Shrimp. I have to say that we both thought the flavor was amazing. The sauce had only a mily kick to it, but the crunch of the batter made this dish one of our favorites. You receive about 8-9 shrimp glazed in their house sauce on a bed of cabbage. One thing to note – if you get this as takeout, the sauce will be on the side instead of the shrimp being tossed in it.

Jeff went with the Shrimp with mixed vegetables as his main course. Lotus used the same kind of shrimp from our appetizer without the breading. There were a good number of shrimp mixed in with a heaping of vegetables. Onions, broccoli, peppers, sugar snap peas, cashews, and more were mixed together in a sauce that he said was delicious. He chose to get white rice as his side and added that to his main plate. Bite after bite, Jeff mentioned how good the food was.

I opted to go with Lotus’ General Tso’s chicken. First, the pieces of chicken were much bigger than they used to serve in their old location. They used white meat chicken, which you would have had to ask for in the past. The sauce was mild and added good flavor to the chicken without being overpowering with heat. I went with the pork fried rice, which was still cooked the same way but seemed to have bigger pieces of pork and more of it mixed in with the rice. The General Tso’s chicken from Lotus Chinese is definitely something that I would recommend you try when you visit.

I’ve also had their Sweet and Sour chicken for takeout before and have to say that it’s better than their old location. The amount of chicken they give you is enough for two people, and adding in a side of pork fried rice will give you two meals.

Pricing $$$: Overall, I would say that the new Lotus location is much better than the old one. The food quality has definitely increased, but so have the prices. I would not expect to leave there for less than $25 per person, but the meal is worth it.