House of Three Gorges (三峡人家) — Restaurant in Austin

The hubs took me here on lunch date during the work week. As we walked up I was a little hesitant at what to expect. If you know this area well, its asian food central. There's a lot of options, some being highly known restaurants, and then, there was this one... Almost looked like "is this even a restaurant?" with the white shades in the windows closed and not really much on the outside indicating what to expect behind closed doors. As I walked in, I felt like I had just walked off the streets in some Asian country into a quick dine and go food spot where (just) the locals go. There were not many tables but luckily one was being cleaned. Found out quickly that you actually order at the register first and then claim your table. As I stared at the menu - so... many.... choices.... Shame on me for not researching what to order ahead of time. I was quickly trying to read yelp reviews and look at pictures while the guy at the counter was patiently watching and waiting.

So now that you've got that scene all set up in your mind - Guys! No lie, I timed it and the food came out in 6 minutes! And not only speedy but absolutely hot off the press delicious.

Mapo Tofu w Ground Pork - I have ordered this at a handful of local places and this one quickly trumped my previous favorite. Perfect amount of spice, perfectly melded flavors, perfect tofu consistency.

Mala Beef - this was my hastily ordered dish since I wasn't prepared when ordering. The beef was nice and flavorful. Their were so many diced jalapeños that made me feel like I was good for choosing a healthy dish with veggies lol. Cilantro added a nice contrast to the dish where I normally wouldn't think it would work together. For sure a good dish to try but would venture and try one of the many other dishes before ordering again.

On top of the quick order quick service vibe, they also have to go containers and bags available for when you're ready to leave. I mean, no need to wait for your waiter for the tab or a to go box. Genius! For a quick lunch break this was clutch.

What more can I say but that I'm craving this place again. Excited to see what other intriguing dishes they have in...

This is to be constructive criticism for the owner and staff. My family and I went to Three Gorges as a family dinner. This was our first time there. No waiter/waitress told us to get a table when we walked in. When we entered this “restaurant”, there was a line of people (apparently, you pay up front and make the order up front, which was a different system then I’m used to of a waiter/waitress telling us to sit at a table, taking our order and paying after we eat). There was a table next to us while we waited on line that had a menu on the table and so my wife and family hovered over that menu to see what we should order. Apparently, there was a black purse on the far corner on a seat at that table. We didn’t know but the couple who were waiting in line who had that spot looked at us and the owner also walked to us and berated my wife that that is not our table. We were so shocked and confused as this was our first time and we saw people standing in line, no one told us to sit at a table, and there was a menu on the table. We honestly were just so confused. Ultimately, the owner guided us to a table elsewhere, but this whole time we were so confused and it just made for an extremely awkward situation as this restaurant is small and so everyone can hear us. The owner did apologize to us later during the dinner but ultimately, restaurant is not just about good food, it’s about good experience. I would recommend that the business have a better system of communicating to people who walk in as to what to do because you never know who is eating there the first time and especially since this business model is so different from any other restaurants. I think this whole situation could have been avoided if the operation of sitting customers down and explaining the process were improved. The food was good, but no matter how good it was, it just made for an awkward situation with my family. The couple there thought we were going to steal the purse and the owner assumed we knew what we were doing but it was our first time...and...

When you enter House of 3 Gorges, you can scan a QR code to join the virtual queue (parties of 5+ have to go to the desk). We had about a 30 min wait for a table for 5 on Friday evening, not bad given how popular this restaurant is. Downside - there is not a lot of room to wait inside the restaurant.

Service: Fast and friendly, we were seated by a smiling individual, placed our order at the desk, and the food was brought out to our table pretty quick (dishes brought out in the order they were ready).

Food: Understandably, there are way more meat options than vegetarian. You’ll also not find a lot of ‘veg’ mentions in the reviews for this place - don’t fret. Their veg Mapo Tofu, Eggplant in Sauce, and Green Beans will have everyone reaching for seconds. The Mapo Tofu had that delicious, slightly numbing spice which was so wonderful with jasmine rice, while the eggplant was spicy-sweet. None of the dishes were overtly spicy to taste, but had that warming heat to them. The green beans were absolutely tasty, cooked in oil but still had their fresh sweet taste. All the food was very oily, but not oily to taste - fair warning, it did seem like they use a fair bit of baking soda/ajinomoto so you may need some antacids post your meal. Also, you will be reaching for water throughout your meal, not because of spice but because of the salt content of the food - not salty to taste but it is dehydrating. (We did not order rice separately - it was brought out for the table and there was plenty for all 5 of us). In meat dishes, our table got the Sichuan dry chicken (so wish there was a veg version of that!) and a braised lamb dry pot - both were good per those who ate.

Ambience: Simple, no-frills restaurant - the food and service matter the most! However for June - it was very warm inside the restaurant, so it felt like they don’t have the best cooling/AC. Plus the heat/spice in the food will make it feel much warmer as you start eating. Would be great for a...