Variety Adds Spice At Han’s Golden Dragon

With over 100 options on the menu and an attention to detail with ingredients and preparation, Han’s Golden Dragon, 923 Galvin Road South, Suite 107, has been serving Bellevue, Nebraska since 1989.

The husband and wife team of James and Nanhee Han are the principal owners of the restaurant. “They’ve been working side by side at every restaurant along their path,” said Andrew Han, the couple’s son. “They work extremely well together and are both fantastic cooks with over 30 years of experience.”

The Hans started the business back in 1989 before selling it to family friends in 1997. The Han’s reopened the restaurant after that couple retired in 2018.

The aforementioned variety and attention to detail is what makes the Golden Dragon standout. The restaurant does not use MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) in any of its dishes, instead using natural flavors to enhance taste.

“People are surprised how we can have so much flavor without doing this,” Andrew said, translating for his parents and offering his own insight as well. “EVERYTHING on menu is made to order. There are no heat lamps and we refuse to leave food sitting out. We make every order as it comes in and that’s why the food is still very hot even after a drive home.”

Even the condiments at Golden Dragon are made in-house including the sweet & sour sauce, hot chili sauce, and hot mustard.

Andrew recommended a number of his favorite dishes including the Mongolian Beef.

“Mongolian beef has always been my favorite meal growing up. And I love to eat it super spicy!,” he said,  “When I’m feeling something breaded, I love the General Tso’s chicken and when I’m feeling something sweet, I enjoy the sweet and sour chicken along with the sesame chicken.”

For those looking to sample a variety in one sitting, Andrew recommended the combination special which features a half portion of sweet and sour chicken and a half portion of cashew chicken. Those feeling a little adventurous might give the hot shrimp and chicken a try.

“This one was shared on our social media and was a huge hit,” he said. “After posting the meal on social media, we sold over 50 orders of the meal in less than one week!”

Andrew had one more recommendation of the Korean menu – the spicy pork bulgogi.

“I think the pork compliments well with the spicy Korean sauce and it’s currently one of our best sellers,” he said. “We have three bulgogi’s on our Korean menu including: beef, chicken, and pork.”

Like all restaurants and business, the Golden Dragon has had to adapt to the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic and is only offering carry-out at this point.

“We do miss having people dine-in at our restaurant -- walking into the dining area and see people fill the seats along with admiring all the renovations we have done since we’ve re-taken over the restaurant,” Andrew said. “That first week when all the dining rooms closed down, our sales were, in a lack of better terms, terrible. We would get maybe 10 phone calls a day, but we stuck with the process. My parents never gave up on their dream and they were not about to let COVID-19 stop this one.”

Using social media, the Hans were able to inform their customers about the restaurants new processes to ensure the safety of their employees along with their customers.

“We let people know we were wearing masks while we handle and take-out the food,” Andrew said. “We first started off by taking orders over the phone with a no touch transaction with the customer’s credit card. When they arrived, we had their food outside on one of the carts and would wave them down when they got here. From start to end, it was a no-touch transaction along with no-touch curbside pick-up.”

Business started to pick up as customers gained confidence in the process, Andrew said.
“It was good to see my parents busy and happy again. We know give a little more freedom for the curbside process,” he said. “We still take the cards over the phone but now when customers arrive, we let them choose if we can hand them their food, place it in the passenger seat of the car, or we can still set it outside on a cart for them. Whatever makes them feel most comfortable and people have been extremely happy with our courtesy along with our customer service.

“It’s really nice to see people appreciate how much effort my parents have put in to start here, come back, and still stay open during the pandemic. Other places haven’t been as fortunate.”

Being part of the Bellevue community has been a blessing for the Hans and the Golden Dragon.

“Being part of Bellevue means everything to us. This is where we first established our roots,” Andrew said. “This is the place where my parents took the biggest leap of faith of their lives by starting this restaurant together in 1989. And it’s not just Bellevue. We have customers from Council Bluffs, Omaha, Papillion, Nebraska City, even people that have followed us from Plattsmouth. We always tell people: we will keep cooking as long as you all keep coming and we don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.”

To order take-out from the Golden Dragon call 402-315-9909.

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The Hans