Magic Gourd Restaurant

Food is ok. I ordered from the steamed menu. It was standard Chinese, nothing spectacular, but also not bad. Tea was weak (I am sucker for good Chinese tea)... Service was decent. They seemed a bit understaffed.Nice atmosphere with lovely authentic Chinese artwork. Fine experience, but would not go out of my way to eat here.

The most impressionable aspect of this place is the prompt no nonsense service! If you are in a hurry or on a schedule. Come in here! This place is moderately busy on a Thursday evening. Glasses of water provided and came back to see if we are ready to order. Which we were. The food came out quick also. The food overall was average. But the price is also average when looking around that area finding a reasonable price location is hard this Chinese food is pretty standard Chinese food. The ambience of this place essentially is made up of locals and college students. Which I particularly liked because I gave it a neighborhood feel.One weird thing was that there was no salt and pepper or soy sauce on any of the tables. The food could use a little extra salt, but kept on forgetting to ask for soy sauce.

I went to this place because it was close to the Kennedy Center, and I got my fill of decent Chinese food. I ordered the beef chow fun, which was on par for most Chinese restaurants. They used red onion, which tasted pretty good. My wife ordered shrimp chow mein, and somehow, that turned into a rice dish with shrimp, cabbage, and onions. Flavor was good. As for the drinks, they were a bit overpriced and served without fanfare. The major setback is the decor and lack of air conditioning. I was sweating due to the humidity and heat. Also, the furniture looks like it hasn't been refreshed in a couple weeks of decades. If you're in the area and need a quick bite at a decent price, this will save you some cash. If you have time, look elsewhere.

Walking from the Lincoln Memorial towards my hotel, this place was the closest option available for some lunch not out of a food truck. A bit expensive for Chinese American fast food (12.10 after tax) for lumch specials, it was however prepared well. General Tso was legit spicy but sweet sauce tames it a bit. Rice perfectly cooked. Did not come with soup as advertised (summer afterall), but came with a spring roll (thin skin dim sum type).

the food is quite good, nothing specifically to write home about, but hits the spot and is pretty affordable. i really enjoyed the general tso's tofu; i've also had the tofu drunken noodles, which were great as well. i've never dined in here, but takeout is always quick, and the best part is that everyone who works here is so nice. the first time i came in, the lady who owns the place wished me luck on my exams and pointed to other cheap menu items she thought i might like, which was so sweet of her. this is definitely my go to chinese spot in my neighborhood - live love magic gourd!

Food was awesome, we had curry shrimp, Dimplings, fried rice, cole and TsingTao. Awesome all together. The lady was very kind , attentive and just hustled throughout the whole time we were there, something uncommon with other restaurants around from South Carolina to DC. From California, where hustle is REAL. Ambiance is what you make it to be. In DC we went to really nice places where food was was not as good as some reviews made it to be . This was all perfect especially the service!!!!

We've ususally gone to another convenient place before a show at the Kennedy Center on a Thursday evening. When that was too crowded, Yelp told us this place was close and that we could expect a good meal. This is a huge space with asian decor and chandelliers. The furnishings/carpet are a bit tiered, but it is clean and the service is prompt.We each had Hot and Sour soup. It was tasty. We shared an order of Singapore Rice Noodles. The portion was enough that we were both full. They are not kidding with the "hot" monitor. So, if you don't like spicy, pick something else. I had a Mai Tai, which was a "generous" drink in all senses of the word. The alcohol was noticable and a good size. It was delicious too!

What a great find!We wanted to grab dinner before a show at the Kennedy Center. Yelp told us this place was close and that we could expect a good meal. As we've come to expect, Yelp was dead on, on all counts.The Hot and Sour soup, my bellwether dish for Chinese restaurants, was delicious. We shared an order of Singapore Rice Noodles, which were very tasty and more than enough for the two of us. Their cocktails were ample, both in overall size and amount of alcohol. The beer was cold. If I had any complaint, it was that the service was a bit too quick. The main course was set on our table while we were still enjoying our soups. Prompt service aside, it's nice to have a reliable place only a few minutes walk from the KC for our upcoming visits.

Solid choice for ChineseAmbiance: Kind of an odd mix inside - not quite fine dining but definitely way better than any regular Chinese joint. Was fairly empty the night we wentService: Friendly, and happy to help with advice on a few off-menu specialties. Not so informed on their own wine list though.Food: Excellent. We had a couple of Szechuan fish dishes (see photos) not listed which we kept getting warned would be very spicy. They were, but just what we were looking for. Huge portions and unique flavors which were a cut above any regular Chinese dining around town.Price: Very good.I'll be going back, perhaps to try a few of their more better known dishes.

Absolutely love this place. Very nice management and very sweet people. Their fried rice is to die for. The location is tucked away but beautiful once you're inside.