A Heritage of Flavor
PHOTOS BY JORDAN RANDALL
In Beijing, Peking duck is more than a dish. It is a timeless culinary art form born in imperial kitchens and refined through smoky alleys over the course of centuries. When Mr. Chen brought that rich heritage across the ocean, through the bustling food scene of New York City and finally to Central Florida, he brought a singular belief: everyone deserves to experience what authentic Chinese cuisine truly tastes like.
In May 2026, that vision officially landed in Lakeland with the grand opening of Chen’s Duck & Dumplings.
Growing up in China within a family steeped in hospitality, Mr. Chen was surrounded by cooking from an early age. Food was the language through which his family shared love, culture and tradition. Over the years, Mr. Chen founded several restaurant concepts designed to bring people together, but he recognized a special opportunity in Lakeland — a chance to share his heritage with a community hungry for authentic, handcrafted flavors. That warmth now defines the welcoming atmosphere customers find at 5125 Florida Ave. S., managed by Kimmy Liu, where guests are invited not just to eat, but to take part in a story generations in the making.
At the heart of the menu is the restaurant’s premiere offering: Chen’s Peking Duck. Available whole or half, each duck undergoes a meticulous 24-hour preparation process. “Our Peking duck is prepared through a careful 24-hour process that Mr. Chen learned under a Michelin-starred Peking duck master,” Liu says.
Prepared with immense patience, roasted to perfection and carved by hand, the duck offers a crispy, savory experience that stands as the crown jewel of the kitchen. Equally intriguing though are authentic foods at a wide variety of affordable price points, including the handmade soup dumplings, crafted using heritage pork and time-tested family recipes. Guests can watch the chefs at work through the open-kitchen setup, witnessing the care and dedication folded into every single dumpling.
Customer favorites include crispy potstickers and comforting braised beef noodle soup. Beyond these house stars, diners can explore wok-fried rice and noodle dishes, vibrant hot plates like chili wontons and scallion pancakes, cold plates featuring hot and spicy cucumbers, and classic soups such as hot and sour or shrimp wonton. To round out the experience, a lineup of colorful, handcrafted mocktails offers a fun, refreshing pairing for every meal.
With such a wide spanning menu, where should newcomers start?
“For the full Chen’s Duck and Dumplings experience, we recommend starting with the Peking duck and an order of handmade soup dumplings. Those two dishes best represent who we are, where we come from, and the traditions we want to share,” Liu says.
For Mr. Chen and his team, the Lakeland location is only the beginning of an expanding vision, with a second Central Florida location already in the works. Yet at its core, Chen’s Duck & Dumplings remains a love letter to heritage, family and community. It is a bridge built not of stone, but of flavor, connecting old-world craft to a new home right here in Lakeland.
