Magic Gourd Restaurant, Washington DC

While the reviews here appear to be mixed, I had a wonderful experience. First, they were extremely accommodating. I called 15 minutes in advance of arrival asking if they had searing for a large party (12). We were all able to sit together at a long table.

The food came out quickly. I enjoyed my food thoroughly and so did the people near me. I had the crispy chicken, and it was a little sweeter than I imagined it would be, but still very good. Several of us got bubble tea as well. The lunch specials are of a good proportion and are $10.

Lastly, they were able to separate the checks for all of us. Great service and pretty good food. Would definitely recommend.

The glasses of water given to our table were all dirty on the outside, like smudged or not even washed. I got Chinese fried rice with pork and it was great but would've been better with some sauce. But they do have big portions for their affordable prices.

Very reasonably-priced good food in a cozy, family-run environment. I especially dig their fantastic lunch specials (and for prices that you simply don't see in DC anymore). They play great music too, usually soulful jazz. Highly recommend.

Forget Chinatown, we want Magic Gourd!
Though there is no way to tell what this little gem is from the outside, it is definitely a diamond. Not in the rough!
We stumbled in out of the cold, because it was the only place with an open sign. We found ourselves in a cool Chinese restaurant that smelled like amazing food. We sat down, were immediately taken care of, and our food was served extremely fast. We were extremely pleased at how good the food was, how much of it there was, and how reasonable the price was.
We will definitely be returning to our new found Go-To in DC. Forget Chinatown, we want Magic Gourd!

This hidden gem of the DC Chinese food scene is amazing! We can't believe we didn’t find it sooner. Everything was delicious and reasonably priced. Definitely will be coming back soon!

While the white table clothes are nice, the food is down right bad. This is food is bad even for late-night take-out Chinese food, nevermind a sit down restaurant. There aren't a ton of restaurant options in the areas, but I would definitely skip this.

If you like sugary food you have found Heaven!

Watch out for the waiter who will try and charge more for your drinks. Check your bill CAREFULLY!

There is no happy hour even though they say they do!

We had one meal that was excellent (fish). They have brown rice too which is great.

The second meal was God-awful sugary (chicken and beef).

Service SUCKS. The appetizers will come after your main dish so order your appetizer then wait after you eat it BEFORE ordering the main dish.

The greeter / waitress (Malaysian or Singaporean lady) is actually a WONDERFUL PERSON. She is just a bit blunt but AWFULLY GOOD HEARTED.

THIS IS AT BEST A TAKE OUT CHINESE JOINT FOR LOCAL TENANTS LIVING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD!

This is the neighborhood option for Chinese food and it is a solid option. It doesn't have a large selection but for a sit down place of this caliber, the quality of the food is above average. There is a good bar as well with a great selection. It is a great place to grab some food with the family or friends and I haven't been disappointed yet. It is a solid option to try in the area.

Came here for just a few drinks and appetizers after work. It was super quiet with plenty of seating. The staff was kind and the food came out quickly. I've heard mixed reviews about this place, but I'd be willing to come again to try more items on the menu to get a better perspective.

Very good scallion pancakes and General Tso's chicken.
Presentation was very nice. Overall a very good experience!

I got egg drop soup, steamed pork dumplings, and the orange chicken. The soup and the chicken were great (know that you have to pay $2 extra for white meat). The dumplings did not fit my fancy. The breading almost tasted raw. For reference, my total was $33.48. Not unfairly priced

I have been to this restaurant many times and the food is pretty good. I went back for the first time since COVID and the food was not good at all. Maybe it was the cook this particular time. They also have a lunch time self service bar, which is normally good. I don't think the lunch time bar is open at this time.

Mapo Tofu is authentic. Ginger, garlic, scallions and doubanjiang. Angry red chillies swimming in red broth. Delicious.

Poulet sechuan, épicé comme il le devrait. Servis avec riz blanc, poivron, céleri, carottes et oignon rouge