Jews and Chinese food go together like white on rice. The Jewish-American tradition of eating Chinese food on Christmas Eve started at the end of the 19th century, on New York’s Lower East Side, where Jewish and Chinese immigrants lived in close proximity. As New York Jews increasingly migrated to South Florida, the tradition, popularity, and demand for Kosher Chinese cuisine food followed them.
Daniel Gordon, an Israeli native New Yorker and the owner and operator of Chai Wok in North Miami Beach, Chai Grill in Surfside, and his newest addition, Chai Berry, came to the Miami area in the mid-2000’s to bring kosher food to northeast South Florida transplants.
Answering a call for quality Kosher sushi and Chinese cuisine, Dan took over Chai Wok in 2010.
“I always loved eating Chinese food, and Jews and Chinese food have always gone together, especially at Christmas, and definitely among New Yorkers,” Dan explained.
“After being in the restaurant business for most of my life, for over 28 years, I am always paying close attention to trends. I saw that there was a high demand in the area for kosher-Chinese food and when the opportunity to take over Chai Wok, I knew it was meant to be.”
“Bingo, ” the Vietnamese Israel-born culinary genius behind Chai Wok’s tantalizing menu, has been with Dan since day one. Dedicated to bringing the highest quality kosher ingredients to customers all around the Miami area, the Chai team works like a well-oiled machine, getting take-out, delivery, and dining room orders to guests, following safety guidelines, packaged for quality, and always on time.
Mouthwatering specialties include everything from Chinese America classics like Moo Shoo, Hunan, and Sweet and Sour to Sushi Salads and Specialty Rolls like the Outta Control Roll made with soy paper, tempura *crab salad, cream cheese, masago, and avocado; Spicy Tuna Sandwich, made with spicy tuna, avocado & crunchy onions, Lego My Ego, made with tempura *shrimp & *crab salad, cream cheese, avocado, tempura flakes, eel sauce, and spicy mayo; South Beach, a riceless roll made with tuna, *crab salad, cream cheese, cucumber, jalepeño, cilantro, masago, Japanese mayo, and avocado.
General Tso’s Chicken: Coated, deep-fried & cooked in a sweet & spice sauce, tossed with peppers, onions & carrots
Crispy Beef: Marinated crispy beef with chili pepper and chef’s special sauce
Lo Mein: Vegetable, Tofu, Chicken, Beef, and Veal
Moshi Moshi Signature Roll: Spicy tuna, crunchy onions, avocado, salmon, avocado & jalepeño on top, seared with spicy mayo & eel sauce.
Tuna Lovers: Tuna California roll topped with 5 oz cubed tuna, avocado, scallions, masago, jalepeño, cilantro and special sauce.
With 75% of the business being delivery and take-out, Dan expanded the delivery radius to as far away as Orlando and Boynton Beach over the holidays during Covid, holiday “and these customers are loyal to this day.
When many other restaurants were closing their doors over the last two years, Dan was expanding. With two Chai Wok locations in North Miami Beach and Surfside, Dan added to the Chai restaurant family, with Chai Grill, an Israeil- Mediterranean eatery located in nearby Surfside, and Chai Berry, located next door to Chai Wok in North Miami Beach, featuring poke bowls, salads, wraps, smoothies and more.
Dan and Chai Wok recently teamed up with Sauce to get their customers ordering directly from their website. Reducing their dependency on third party delivery has allowed restaurants like Chai Wok to keep more of their hard-earned earnings in their pockets.
Kosher certified by Kosher Miami, Dan brings his Jewish roots to the sushi and ChInese-loving and health-conscious Miami community.
When asked what the secret is to running a successful restaurant, Dan was quick to reveal that “quality, consistency, and cleanliness are the three most important qualities of any good restaurant and my staff and I are dedicated to all three.”
Word of mouth and social media have been very effective in getting the Chai Wok name out to the public, as “great food and customer service is the best marketing tool you can have.”
Chai Wok:
North Miami Beach: 1688 NE 164th St, North Miami Beach
Surfside: 233 95th St, Surfside
Chai Berry:
1688 NE 164th St, North Miami Beach
Chai Grill:
225 95th Street, Surfside