Kwan's Cuisine

Write a Review503-362-7711

Kwan"s is a conveniently located establishment which offers excellent customer service and high quality menu with selections that cater to healthy eating as well as Gluten Free Meals. Kwan's is well known for accommodating customer's special needs such as food allergies and other health restrictions. We also offer a wide variety of Vegetarian and Vegan dishes as well. The roots of Kwan's awards for being voted as the "Best Asian" restaurant in Salem six years in a row go back to the dedicated work ethic of Master Chef and Owner Kam Sang Kwan. At age 11, he got his first restaurant experience in a cafe. By 12 or 13, he decided to learn English to be able to communicate with foreign customers. He quickly became the number one waiter and at age 16 he was booking banquets. At age 17 he was transferred to Hong Kong and learned to speak Japanese, which helped him rise further in the restaurant business. After a possible job offer to work in San Francisco fell through, he was offered another opportunity to move to the U.S. and work as a chef in an affluent household. "The requirement was a little bit of cooking, but also knowing how to make drinks", Kwan recalls. Both he and his wife Bo carefully thought about the opportunity and he decided to accept the two year position working for Oregon businessman and author Gerry Frank. Kwan performed his job so well that he was asked to stay for another two years. Kwan started his first restaurant in 1976, known as "Kwan's Kitchen" in Salem's City Hall. The current restaurant building was opened in 1982, has the architecture of a pagoda, and is a landmark just south of downtown Salem. Besides Kwan's excellent menu and healthy choices, his strong reputation in Salem is also due to his diligent attention to customer care and his community service. He will get the attention of children in a classroom visit by de-boning a chicken blindfolded with a meat cleaver, then deliver a message of ethics and work values to every student. "At Kwan's we provide food for the soul as well as the body". After savoring a curry chicken rice casserole, my soul was delighted. Ask Mr Kwan any question about cuisine or life, then enjoy his wisdom. Mr Kwan is indeed a living legacy of hard work, wisdom, and dedication to helping people enjoy food and life