Lotus Chinese

I stopped by for a quick dinner tonight, I originally ordered a dumpling soup, but it came out a little under done and "doughey." The broth was excellent, but the texture was a little off. Wasn't mad at it. But I ordered the Sweet and Sour Sesame Chicken, and let me tell you... it was one of the best things I've ever put in my mouth. I will 100% be going back for that dish! Do yourself a favor and try it out. The chicken is super crispy, just the way I want anything fried!
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This place is marked by signs of names of Chinese dishes, but the Lotus name is more subtle on the door so I had to do a double take to make sure I was at the right place! The food here is modern and delicious! I like these new restaurants run by the younger generation that tries to serve more traditional Chinese dishes but also modernizes them to a broader palate. They use natural / organic seasonings so the sweet + sour chicken isn't overly syrupy, but has an amazing crisp and flavor to it. The food is well crafted (take it from someone who is Chinese). The flavors were very balanced for my tastes, and there is sauce on the side for people that want more flavor. As someone who grew up in Texas but has been away for a while, I forgot how seasoned Texans like their food!

They have a seasonal menu where they serve special dishes with local ingredients - i visited over the holidays and they had a great Asian salad with onions, lotus, etc. Also they had a family style chicken dish that was fun to share.

I like that it's a casual restaurant, much more upscale than old-school takeouts and not stuffy like a fancy place, just seems like a place to grab a beer or bubble tea and hang out w/friends. I'll be back next time I'm in Austin!

Take typical American/Chinese food, add quality ingredients and proper preparation and you have Lotus Chinese. The dumplings are their signature dish with the fried rice. The dumplings solo are the same price as the dumplings with a side. Their fried rice is a perfect accompaniment when you need a little grease and comfort to go with your alcohol. Their in-house watermelon margarita was wonderful and complimented an otherwise boring house tequila. It will not become a staple for late night food in the Domain for me...
Thank you for the experience.

This place is better than I expected. I had the chicken fried rice and it was really good. The chicken comes in small fried pieces which is different than most fried rice. The chicken is also cleaned up so it's just meat and not fat or cartlidge which is great. The place itself has a nice feel and decor and there's some community seating. The service was pretty good too. Overall a thumbs up.