Nine Dragons is the table service restaurant at Epcot's China Pavilion. The menu showcases authentic Chinese cuisine, but with a lighter, contemporary touch. Diners can still order traditional appetizers such as pot stickers and eggrolls, but a favorite is the Dioa Yu Tai cucumber salad, with a light spice and sweet-and-sour vinaigrette. Or the crisp shrimp and taro “lollipops,” deep-fried and served on a stick.
Entrées range from traditional such as fried rice, sweet-and-sour chicken, and kung pao chicken, but more contemporary Asian fare include peppery shrimp with spinach noodles, spit-roasted Beijing chicken with mashed taro and a mix-and-match noodle sampler.
The lobby features etched glass and gold artwork on one wall, depicting a pair of dragons playing with a golden ball. (The ball represents wisdom, and the dragons, representing people, are forever chasing it.) The dining room is brightened with colorful lanterns in pale greens, blues and reds and elegant glass sculptures from China backlit on one wall.