Wok Town

Specialties

Wok Town isn’t like most Chinese/​Asian fusion places. This stylish downtown spot serves Cantonese-​inspired, light and clean fare (no excess oil or MSG-​induced headaches).

The menu is organized into sections like «start to wok» (appetizers), «positive wok» (healthy choices), «boxes and bowls» (fried rice and noodles) and «the main wok» (stir-​fries). Spicy dishes are on the mild side, but dine-​in customers can add chile sauce or hot mustard from jars on the communal tables.“

HERALD

By Linda Bladholm

«Think of Wok Town as the Starbucks of Asian comfort food, where you can satisfy your stir-​fry, noodle and dumpling cravings with customized options that let you choose your protein – tofu, beef, chicken, pork or shrimp – and style of dish (Mongolian, Sweet & Sour, etc). The place is brought to you by the folks behind Miss Yip and Domo Japones, so the staff is well versed in noodle-​slinging and wok-​tossing (all clearly visible from behind the ordering counter).» (Urban Daddy)

History

Established in 2009.

By Linda Bladholm

Wok Town isn’t like most Chinese takeout places. This stylish downtown spot serves Cantonese-​inspired, light and clean fare (no excess oil or MSG-​induced headaches).

The menu is organized into sections like «start to wok» (appetizers), «positive wok» (healthy choices), «boxes and bowls» (fried rice and noodles) and «the main wok» (stir-​fries). Spicy dishes are on the mild side, but dine-​in customers can add chile sauce or hot mustard from jars on the communal tables.

Owner Shai Ben-​Ami was born in Tel Aviv and grew up in Jerusalem and South Florida, where his father ran delis. After a stint in the Israeli Army he traveled around Asia, where he discovered street food. He learned to cook in a commercial kitchen in New York, then moved to Miami Beach, where he met his Colombian-​born wife, Nazly Villamizar, a fashion designer.

Over the past decade Ben-​Ami has helped launch a number of successful restaurants, including Miss Yip. Wanting a place of his own, he opened Wo

Meet the Business Owner

Nazly V.

Business Owner

Ms. Villamizar is from Bogota, Colombia, where she received a university degree in Fashion Design before coming to the United States on an F-​1 student visa in 1995 to study Fashion Business at FIU. She later returned to Colombia, where she worked as a stylist and then manager for the renowned Colombian rock band, Los de Adentro. In 2000, she organized a U.S. tour for the band and entered the U.S. on a P-​1 Entertainment Group visa. The tour concluded in Miami, but before she returned to Colombia, she met Mr. Benami and they fell in love and eventually married. Ms. Villamizar obtained her green card through marriage to Mr. Benami, and just last year, Ms. Villamizar became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Born in Israel, Mr. Benami was a U.S. citizen at birth because his father was a U.S. citizen. Mr. Benami’s father fled Europe to the U.S. during the Holocaust when he was 15 years old. He eventually became a naturalized U.S. citizen before moving to Israel with his wife (Mr. Bena