Ginkgo

This is not an americanized Chinese takeout place. The hard working owners are from China. Their food is the best sichuan food in cville. It beats peter chang and taste of china by miles. Do not expect too much from it. Service can be slow at times, but it’s worth the wait. The degree of authenticity is just enough to cure homesickness but not enough to take you to china. We usually order 山椒木耳, 夫妻肺片, 水煮牛, 干煸茄子, 冷锅鱼。

I came here for lunch on a week day and ordered the Sichuan Spicy Beef Noodle and an order of egg rolls. The Sichuan Spicy Beef Noodle was a fairly large portion of noodles, broth, beef, and garnish. It was a clear broth with a distinct flavor of Sichuan peppercorn which for those who are not spice folks, I would advise avoiding as it has a very distinct flavor and after taste. However, I thought Ginkgo did a good job of capturing that flavor and harnessing it in a way that complimented the beef and noodles. The beef was tender and rather good and the better part of the meal.
The egg rolls were the general fanfare that you would expect, nothing remarkable but nothing terrible either. The inside was a mix of cabbage and other bits but nothing noteworthy. I would only ever order this again if it were part of the lunch special but not on their own.
The restaurant itself is behind the Corner and alongside the parking garage on 14^th. The interior is the typical fanfare for a quick stop and the server and host was nice.

Quite frankly, this might be the most foul Chinese-​style food I’ve ever eaten. Both dishes ordered were swimming in cooking oil and completely unappealing. I strongly recommend that you go anywhere else in town if you’re craving Chinese takeout. Nowhere could be worse than this place.

The best Sichuan restaurant I’ve ever had in the greater DMV area. As a Sichuan native, I hate to see too many restaurant bossing themselves as Authentic Sichuan but are never close. I’m so happy I tried his one today. And I am seriously jealous of those UVA guys. I ordered pig foot soup, 蹄花汤，and when I saw the milky soup I knew I got it right. Besides, sichuan sausage 四川香肠and 盐煎肉 are what you won’t wanna miss, either.

Pros: Good Chinese food (a nice break from take-​out food). Convenient location if you’re a student. They recently renovated and added some booths along one side, which are nice and comfortable! When we have largish groups (10-​ish people), we usually go here since the food doesn’t take too long to arrive and they can usually accommodate us all. The waiters are quiet and respectful. The spicy «fish cooked in water» on the Chinese menu they have is pretty good. I think I’ve liked most of the dishes I’ve tried here, especially the chicken dishes.
Cons: The interior still seems like it could use a little freshening up. But I guess it’s a casual place so it’s okay. The bubble tea here is not good — don’t get it XD

Food was late… said they were busy
My entrée was very cold, soup order was half full, nothing tasted good. I eat a lot of Chinese food and this town has some great places, this restaurant is not one of them

Most authentic Chinese restaurant in C’Vill. Various choices among traditional Sichuan spicy dishes and other non-​spicy Chinese dishes. Very friendly waiters.

This review is written strictly about the service. The waiter was well intentioned but it was just awful. I usually don’t mind if service is spotty but this was unbearable and they need to change. Not going to give a detailed account of my experience, but know it was bad. I feel like it’s a dead give away when they leave dirty plates on all their tables for the entire day.

I’m all about authentic Chinese food, and Ginko does not disappoint. I know my Chinese food, and having had the real deal in China and even all over United States, I’d say Ginko is solid. I’ve frequented Ginko many times, and each time their food has been well prepared, and spicy enough to meet my standards. I can’t say their service is perfect or even the fastest, but you get used to it. Somethings are worth waiting for, and when I’m not in the mood to drive far to Maryland for authentic food, I conveniently head over to Ginko. My favorite items include their eggplant fries, beef tendon, tea smoked duck, basil chicken, Sichuan pickles, and all of their noodles (Dan Dan, sour and spicy, etc.) All I can say is don’t knock it until you try it.

As a native from Sichuan, I have to say this is the best Sichuan food I have had in the US even including Boston!
The beef noodle is amazing. If you are lucky enough to have them happen to serve the Sichuan style bean jelly, you should for sure take it.

I have no idea how this place got 4 stars. The service is slow and food is junk! Kung pao chicken is supposed to be the basic dish in all Sichuan restaurant. But they failed. It is just the mixture of deep fired chicken and veggies, and they were pathetically burned and oily. I regret to be here.

I don’t know if I’m just ordering the wrong things or what. because the four stars this business has conflicts with my two stars.
Gingko’s isn’t too expensive but it can be especially if you’re on a budget and you’re trying to eat here often. I thought that some of the items were a little overpriced but I mean, restaurants gotta make that moo-​lah, am I right?
I got pan fried dumplings and their spicy szechuan cold noodles which were both appetizer dishes. Pan fried dumplings were good, but c’mon, how can you mess that up? (Well actually there are quite a bit of ways but let’s carry on).
But never have I ever had a more confusing dish than I did that night when I took a bite of the spicy szechuan cold noodles. It was a mixture of sweet, sour, and spicy. But that’s not the confusing part. It just tasted funky on top of that. It also had a lot of these little popcorn-​kernel-​like things in it which was annoying as hell. And every now and then I would bite into an unknown specimen of herb or whatever the hell and my taste buds would be raided by an unpleasant overwhelming flavor. My mouth and tongue even started to feel tingly afterwards. Either I’m allergic to something or that dish was out to get me. It was out to get me I tell you.

Ah, Gingko’s. I have many conflicted feelings regarding this place.
Their service ranges from okay to god awful. There have been times when I never got water (!!!), I got two forks instead of two spoons like I asked, and was told they ran out of the soup for their lunch special only to get the wrong soup after I’d finished my entrée.
However, their food is probably the best Chinese you will get close to Grounds, AND they’re going to start taking plus dollars. I would recommend getting take out or bringing a native Mandarin speaker with you — pretty sure they favor them over everyone else.

Review is for the hot pot only. Hot pot is a special little arrangement that originated in steamy southern China where you dunk chunks of raw sheep meat into this giant cauldron of bubbling chili and peppercorn oil. Probably the most primal form of weight loss before spinning and Bikram and jogging on a stationary platform, because all that spiciness and heat is supposed to make you ooze sweat out of every orifice and emerge a shiny, dew-​speckled bombshell. Then my doctor said I should quit eating so much spicy stuff because I was getting acid sores on my inner stomach lining at the ripe old age of 21. Giving up Tabasco was harder than doing a real push-​up.
Anyway, I have a weak spot for hot spot and any place that even offers it earns some stars in my book. You have to make the reservations ahead of time and you don’t get to choose the dipping materials, but the selection wasn’t too bad: beef, chicken, pork, fish filets, fish balls, forest fungus (those black willowy mushrooms), potato, tripe, bean sprouts, noodles, and ham. I would have liked some more veggies than the one platter of sad wilted cabbage but sometimes you don’t get to complain about a 99% meat meal. The dipping sauce was … not what I was used to, but it got better-​tasting the more I ate it. Kind of like plain Greek yogurt (no, that’s a lie, Greek yogurt is the worst).
Service was spotty. No water refills. No coming by and asking how everything tastes. No sauce refills until I finally flagged down the owner and had to resort to babbling in Chinese. The waiter outright smirked when I asked for another bowl of rice. I’m still growing and I need my carbs. If you can speak Chinese and you feel like becoming a regular here, you’ll be treated like gold — the owner gave the table next to us, clearly loyal customers, pretty generous portions. Maybe this just speaks to the authenticity of the place, in that Chinese table service requires more aggression and the service at Taste of China isn’t exactly loads better.
Maybe I’ll come back and try their other dishes which look pretty good from the pictures, but I’ve pretty much given up on trying to find a decent Chinese place in this town. Cue tiny violin.

4÷26÷13: Met a friend @Ginko for an early dinner. First visit for us both. We asked a lot of questions and the waiter was extremely courteous and helpful… answering questions and making suggestions.
For an appetizer we ordered the pork dumplings and Ginko fish rolls. The dumplings were savory and the rolls were light, airy and crispy. Very nice.
Entrées were the Beef/​Ox tendon and Double Fried Pork. The Beef dish was extremely aromatic and flavorful (diners should note this dish is served cold). Good texture, good portion. I loved this.
The pork was rich, slightly crispy with robust flavoring. Solid dinner choice.
I’ll certainly be back: At around 5:00PM we were the only customers. By 6:00 the restaurant was almost full. With tip, wine and beer we still came in under $ 50.00. Thanks to the folks there for a great meal!

In town for a wedding, wished this place was 300 miles closer.
Very busy for a Sunday night, students from UVA in and out all the while, overstretched staff but friendly warm service.
The food was great too, some fried pork dumplings to start, followed by a cold ox and beef tendon dish in a spicy chili sauce — delicious.

Having been to Peter Chang’s China Grill, Taste of China, and numerous Chinese takeout/​delivery places (Yuan Ho, Taiwan Garden, Red Lantern, and many more), I can say that Gingko is one of the best Chinese restaurants in Charlottesville. A caveat, however: I haven’t tried Café 88 or Song Song’s Zhou & Bing. But from what I know about those restaurants, neither of them is your typical full-​service restaurant, so I can at least say that Gingko is the best full-​service Chinese restaurant in Charlottesville.
So what does that mean? Well, Gingko is good. It isn’t overly greasy and is pretty authentic. A dish that is supposed to be spicy is fairly spicy. But as one who has been to China quite a few times for relatively lengthy periods of time, it’s still missing something (and, no, it’s not chemical contamination). The main thing that I was looking for but didn’t really find was the presence of Sichuan peppercorns. After eating a lot of Sichuan boiled fish (shui zhu yu), I felt a slight tingle on my tongue that may have been attributable to a stray Sichuan peppercorn or two or more likely was just from eating too much ordinary chili pepper. After trying some of the pork in brown sauce (hong shao rou), The flavor was more or less there if a bit weak, but the meat was slightly dry.
If Gingko were in a city with a large Chinese immigrant population, it would have to step up its game. But, for Charlottesville, it’ll do.

After all the hype from a bundle of ethnic friends and acquaintances, I held high expectations for the «new and improved» conversion of Ni Hao Café to the authentic family-​style feasting emphasized by Ginkgo. However, I was left quite disappointed given my past two pleasant experiences at Peter Chang’s and the Taste of China, both of which are a level above. Surely, I am no Michelin judge, but I do have a history with good Chinese food after being dragged around to a variety of these customary restaurants my entire life for family gatherings and holidays. So believe me when I say, ehhh it’s mediocre.
One of the most prominent decors that stood out to me was the retraction of the five dollar special menu that use to be written in bold white chalk. Where else I am suppose to indulge in General Tso’s chicken and other Americanized Chinese food where I paid more for batter than meat? Clearly, I can get that anywhere, but Ni Hao was always close to the libraries and offered this option when I was feeling a bit less spendy and more quick-​to-​go than usual. But then again, maybe it was time to eradicate some bad notations and pitch a more original showcase of classic Chinese/​Sichuan dishes in Charlottesville. However, I wouldn’t be complaining if the food actually performed well to its former glory.
We had a party of four and subsequently ordered four traditional dishes all recommended by the owner herself, the double-​cooked pork, Mongolian beef, sesame chicken, and the boiled fish in hot/​chili sauce. Therefore, yes, I encountered ALL the different available options of carnivorism deemed possible. Though, I felt animals died bearing injustice that day :(
The fish was under-​cooked, or shall I say under-​boiled, while the pork and the beef were overcooked to the point where it would be considered burnt in my mother’s standard if she was there to witness the evil debasement of meat and was able to chide along with me. The proportions were extremely minimal compared to their elevated prices, with the exception of the fish. It was almost as if they scraped off pieces of meat between leftover bone, threw it into the wok, and called it a day. This is as descriptive as the dishes that were placed in front of me, I promise you. I refrained from widening my eyes as best as I could, and so did the others from what I read in my peripheral vision.
Service, on the other hand, was fantastic even if it was solely the lady boss running the show the entire time. She was overly excited when we asked about her family, mentioning the proud fact that her son is an UVA alumni and currently works for. .. whatever, I don’t recall. However, from what I remember, past owners were similarly amiable when I took the chance to converse with them over a handful of times. Whether it be Ni Hao or Ginkgo, they seem to be dedicated with excellent customer service. I’d hate to make such a sassy review for what really is a cozy and warm place to dine, but it honestly did not rise up to my anticipation. Hopefully, there will be a game-​changer if I am coerced (ouch, that’s harsh) to go back one day.

This place would have gotten five stars, but the soup served to us was cold –but I still ate it all anyway, because it was delicious. I got the Hot & Sour soup with the Kung Pao Chicken lunch special which is a ridiculously good deal. Plus, it was (without exaggeration) the BEST Kung Pao Chicken I have ever had. I’m not a fan of normal takeout Chinese food, so I was really surprised and pleased that this was not.
Oh, and the lunch special dishes are huge. I didn’t even eat the rice which was half of the plate and I still couldn’t finish my entire meal… even though I hadn’t eaten breakfast that day.
Seriously, try this place out though. If I lived in C’ville, I would probably gain several pounds from eating here several nights a week.

Watch out Peter Chang’s Grill and Taste of China, there is a new contender in town. Once Nihao Café, Ginkgo maintains the down-​to-​earth, street-​side charm, but adds some always-​appreciatable authenticity and passion. The new owners are from the Sichuan province in China and have enhanced the establishment’s menu to include some classic Sichuan food. The main menu (not lunch menu) portions are large – plan on one entrée for every two people in your party then add/​subtract a dish or two as your appetites and temperaments desire. I strongly recommend eating family-​style if you’re ordering off the main menu.
Don’t be shy about asking the server which dishes are particularly authentic; bringing classic Sichuan to this venue is what the owners are excited about so they will be more than happy to point you in the right direction.
Dishes that I have personally had and loved: Ginkgo Fish Rolls appetizer, Spicy Cucumber Salad appetizer, Boiled Fish in Hot & Spicy Chili Sauce, Jumping Fish, Slippery Fish w/​Cilantro, Steam Chicken in Chili Sauce, Beer Duck in Chili Sauce, SIchuan Pork Platter w. Garlic Sauce, Double Cooked Pork, Spicy Sichuan Beef Pot, Spicy Beef Tripe, Eggplant w. Spicy Garlic Sauce.