Three Gorges is a quality takeout restaurant that uses the freshest ingredients and provides the best service in the area. Serving the local community with unceasing dedication and speed, Three Gorges is an icon of efficiency and taste. It has lately been awarded as “Best Chinese Restaurant” in this area.

Three Gorges Chinese Restaurant

• Name: Three Gorges Chinese Restaurant

Location: 45 Nicholas Rd. Framingham, MA 01701-3445

• Cuisine: Americanized Chinese cuisine


• Offers: take-out, delivery


• Signature Dish: General Gau’s Chicken, Beef with Broccoli, Crab Rangoon, Pepper & Salt Shrimp


• Year of establishment: 2000

Phone: 508-788-0753

Open Hours:  Monday: 4:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m

Tuesday- Thursday: 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.

Friday & Saturday: 11:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.

Sunday: 12:00 noon-10:00 p.m.

The Scene

The restaurant is located in a busy plaza amidst a blossoming residential area in Framingham. While Nicholas Road is not a main thoroughfare, the location generates plenty of foot traffic nonetheless. The dining space is a modest 1200 square feet, speaking to the restaurant's main focus of streamlined take-out orders. Like many Chinese restaurants, Three Gorges focuses less on its interior décor. The décor is simple, yet pleasing; the house is brightly lit and welcoming to customers. There are only a couple of tables in the dining area reserved for customers waiting for their orders. The owner describes his establishment as "an ordinary Chinese restaurant offering Americanized Chinese cuisine, and General Gau's Chicken is the best seller".  But that seem pedestrian, the owner is an expert in the business and knows how to serve classics with ease and skill. The owner once owned restaurants in Pennsylvania, and then moved to Massachusetts, and now works in the newly established Three Gorges. He took over the restaurant in 2000.

The Food

Three Gorges Restaurant is proud to serve Americanized-style Chinese cuisine. The chefs draw their main culinary influences from both Hunan and Sichuan traditions. The owner personally modified dishes from these Chinese cuisines to fit the more customer-driven American style Chinese cuisine.

Across the country, General Gau’s Chicken is a symbol of Americanized Chinese food. Not surprisingly, General Gau’s Chicken is the house favorite and the most popular item on the menu. The owner believes the dish is healthier and tastier than his competitions’. All of the excess fat of the chicken and beef are trimmed off to ensure a healthy dining experience. The homemade sauce is one of a kind and the major secret to the success of the palatable entrees at Three Gorges. The sauce is neither too thick nor thin, but carefully balanced. A dish’s taste depends on its seasonings and its timing, and the chefs at Three Gorges are masters at both.

Other popular house dishes include the crab Rangoon. The dish consists of generous portions of crab meat and is served in crunchy bites- it’s a surefire crowd pleaser. The broccoli with beef is also very popular, and the chefs only use the best beef in its production. Among numerous delectable dishes, Pepper & Salt Shrimp is one of the best sellers. The secret of the recipe lies in the special homemade sauce and a light and crispy coating. Don’t forget the Beef Teriyaki. It is grilled over an oven to maintain its juicy and tender texture, and later with the well-prepared teriyaki sauce which can make it extraordinary.  

Though as a take-out restaurant, the chefs pay more attention to speedy service than most restaurants, there is still room on the menu for healthy items. The chefs don’t use sugar in the preparation of the dishes and the menu includes diet-focused items such as brown rice. Sauce can be requested to be served alongside a dish and customers are welcome to ask for their entrée to be steamed. “I think healthy dishes are those that contain less oil, salt and sugar in cooking than regular dishes. Healthy doesn’t mean tasteless. We are now seeking a balance between healthfulness and taste,” explained Mr. Chen.

Of course, the restaurant also relies on speed. Everyday the chefs work hard to process over a hundred orders. The owner admits that it’s much busier on Fridays and Saturdays. It is also busy around dinnertime, but he is confident in his staff’s ability to handle the workload.

It is a simple menu that is categorized into different sections: rice, noodles, soups, appetizers, pork, seafood, etc.  In addition, a section of steamed dishes is designed for those health conscious customers.  For something outside the standard choices of a Chinese restaurant, the chefs are pleased to offer Pad Thai on the menu. The Combination Platters are also very popular and strongly recommended by the owner; the dishes are combined to guarantee both nutrition and healthfulness.

The Service

Mr. Chen’s philosophy on service is detailed and well-thought out: “First, we should chat with the customers… and know about their preferences. Then, we must introduce the right food to them, according to their requirements. Let’s take the healthy dishes for example: we should explain to them not only the nutrition, but also the benefits they can get.” He also explains that servers take special care to detail how long a given dish takes to cook. Since time is of the essence for the restaurant, it only makes sense that it would be an important factor in a customer’s selection process.

The owner runs a clean, tight ship. The restaurant is cleaned on a daily basis and then checked carefully to make sure that all the areas are spic and span. With only three staff members working at any given time, management is easy but the workload for each is crucial. Efficiency is key and the rules must be upheld at all times. The owner ensures that the staff members control the temperature according to the established standards of Health Department. The cooks should guarantee the food quality. Freshness of ingredients is one important way to maintain the food quality. The other important way to ensure quality food is have great recipes and cooks with top notch skills.  

Again, the restaurant also focused on speedy service. The staff provides delivery around the area, including three separate towns. Any order can be delivered to the customers within 20-30 minutes. If the order couldn’t be delivered at the scheduled time, they will inform in advance.

Despite this assurance of quality and speed, the owner realizes that with the flagging economy customers may need more incentive to return to Three Gorges. The owner currently is considering offering his customers a ten percent discount in order to keep their faith in business.

Message from the Owner:

“Although Opening a restaurant is really a tough job to do, when I step into the restaurant industry, I know the key to keep business is to satisfy the customers. Customer is the God.”