First Look: Jiang’s Kitchen with Chef Eric Jiang in Downtown Orlando

by Ricky Ly

Jiang’s Kitchen is now open in downtown Orlando at 27 E. Robinson St., Orlando, FL 32801, bringing hand made Chinese style dumplings, noodles and sushi to downtown Orlando.

The restaurant’s signature is xiao long bao, hand-folded soup dumplings mad, alongside dishes such as dan dan noodles, wonton soup, pan-fried dumplings and sushi rolls. The space is elevated, with an open display of dumpling-making, private dining rooms and an omakase counter.

Jiang’s Kitchen is part of a much bigger plan from restaurateur Eric Jiang and his wife, Miaozhen Zhang. Jiang got his start in his father’s Chinese takeout restaurant in Utica, New York, before opening his first Mitsuba sushi restaurant at age 23. He and Zhang went on to build multiple Mitsuba locations in Central New York, along with Papa Tea, Moochi and Orlando omakase restaurant Sushi Izuki.

In this interview with TastyChomps, Jiang talks about why they chose Orlando, how each Jiang’s Kitchen location will have its own personality, the upcoming Mills 50 location focused on handcrafted noodles and dumplings, and Fan Hwa, their planned Cantonese dessert and bao shop.

The Mills 50 Jiang’s Kitchen is being developed around regional Chinese noodle dishes including biang biang noodles, while Fan Hwa will introduce tong sui, traditional Cantonese sweet soups, along with handmade bao.

Jiang is also looking further ahead at ideas including a Japanese charcoal-grilled eel restaurant and another kappo/omakase concept. – instead of trying to serve every kind of Asian food under one roof, he wants each restaurant to focus on a particular style, technique or part of the cuisine.

Interview with Jiang’s Kitchen’s Chef Eric Jiang

1. For those who don’t know you, give us some background about yourself and your wife and your training and history. What restaurants do you currently own now?

My restaurant journey really started with my family. My father opened his first takeout Chinese restaurant in Utica, New York, in 2006. I helped him for several months as a delivery driver, and that experience made me realize that I wanted to build a restaurant of my own.

At the time, sushi was becoming increasingly popular, so I decided to learn the business from the ground up. I worked as a sushi helper at several restaurants, learning as much as I could. About six months later, at 23 years old, I opened my first restaurant, Mitsuba, in New Hartford, New York, in 2007.

Today, Mitsuba has grown to six locations across Central New York—four focused on sushi and two featuring ramen and poke bowls. My wife, Miaozhen Zhang, and I have built everything together, and between us we now have more than 20 years of restaurant experience.

Over the years, we’ve also developed Papa Tea, a bubble tea concept in Danbury, Connecticut; Moochi, a mochi donut and bubble tea concept in Syracuse; Sushi Izuki, our omakase concept in Orlando; and now Jiang’s Kitchen. We currently have five additional Jiang’s Kitchen locations in development, along with our upcoming Fan Hwa concept.

2. You’ve expanded quickly in Orlando. What made you choose Orlando?

What attracted us to Orlando was the growth and diversity of the city. There are people here from all over the country and all over the world, and they are increasingly interested in authentic Asian food and new dining experiences.

We saw an opportunity to bring concepts to Orlando that go beyond what people traditionally think of when they hear “Chinese restaurant” or “Japanese restaurant.” There is so much depth to both cuisines.

We believe Orlando’s food scene is still growing, and we want to grow with it. Rather than opening the same concept over and over, our goal is to introduce different experiences and give people more reasons to explore Asian cuisine.

3. What will make the upcoming Mills 50 location different from Jiang’s Kitchen Downtown and Millenia?

Mills 50 will have its own identity. The biggest focus will be handcrafted noodles and dumplings, with a stronger emphasis on regional Chinese noodle dishes.

One of the dishes I’m especially excited about is biang biang noodles, the wide, hand-pulled noodles associated with Xi’an and Shaanxi cuisine. We want guests to experience the texture and character of freshly made noodles rather than something produced in a factory.

The idea is to make Mills 50 a destination for people who really want to explore Chinese noodles and dumplings, while Downtown and Millenia each continue developing their own personalities.

4. What inspired Fan Hwa, what will be on the menu, and when will it open?

Fan Hwa is a concept I’m particularly excited about because there really aren’t many places in Orlando specializing in traditional Chinese desserts.

The menu will focus on Cantonese-style sweet soups, or tong sui, alongside traditional Chinese baozi and other handcrafted items. We want to introduce people to a side of Chinese food that many Orlando diners may not have experienced before.

A major part of the concept is the open kitchen. Guests will be able to watch our team prepare the food and work with the ingredients right in front of them. We want people to see the craftsmanship behind something as simple as a bao or a bowl of traditional sweet soup.

If our final inspections go according to plan, we’re targeting late September for the opening.

5. Looking beyond the projects already announced, what’s your bigger vision for Orlando?

My bigger vision is to continue bringing more specialized Asian concepts to Orlando rather than trying to put everything under one restaurant.

Chinese and Japanese cuisines are incredibly diverse, and there are still many experiences that aren’t widely represented here.

One concept on my list is a Japanese live-eel restaurant centered around charcoal grilling, where the preparation itself becomes part of the experience. I’m also interested in developing another kappo/omakase concept in Mills 50, potentially around 2028.

We’re taking it one project at a time. For me, growth isn’t just about opening more locations. I want each restaurant to have a reason to exist and to introduce Orlando to something different.