Great China

Great service, fast and reliable. The dumplings are tasty good dumplings. We especially enjoyed the steamed fish, they took off the bones, made it fresh and tender, juicy and delicious, really worth it! The lamb is so so, but other things are very good.

Great food and staff!! We did a large complicated pick up order. They were patient, and handled everything beautifully. The food was delicious. Well packaged, and ready as promised. Parking is a bit tough, but you will likely get lucky. Interior is great, and looks like an amazing dining experience.

The pecking duck is a must! It was simply delicious, so good I actually forgot to took a picture for this review.

The potstickers and the pork dumplings were also really good (and big). Honestly, no issues with my visit.

Recently, the Beijing duck doesn't seem as fresh as it used to be. Despite the price hike, its quality seems to have declined. I've given it two tries with consistent results. Nonetheless, I still enjoy their other dishes.

This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in East Bay for a long time. Decent food quality and great taste. They are famous for pecking duck but I do think they also have other great dishes as well. I love 2 skin appetizer, rice sizzling soup, crab meat with buns. Sour Pork Ribs. I am so glad to see them survive during COVID 😊

This is a popular restaurant. It’s clean with lots of tables. We went on a busy night. They have several round tables with a lazy Susan in the middle for large parties. The food was outstanding! I highly recommend the Peking Duck. Best I’ve ever had. Soo good I couldn’t get a picture. We ordered Ginger Calamari and they gave us some sort of peppers and chili mix that was terrible and we couldn’t get the waiter’s attention to fix it. The staff did bring the dishes out at a nice pace so we could enjoy our dinner together.

Being a Chinese immigrant who moved from Taiwan to Houston, Texas at the age of 9 and living with a Caucasian family, my expectations of Chinese food is atypical of most Chinese Americans. So the first time I went to Great China, I went by myself, and I ordered their Kung Pao Chicken lunch special served with a soup, spring roll and salad for $16. I soon realized that by opting for this comfort zone choice, I completely missed what makes Great China one of the best Chinese restaurants in the Bay Area.

Motivated to amend my previous experience, I returned with a party of ten, and we were poised to immerse ourselves in a truly authentic Chinese culinary journey. Our order reflected this, as we curated a bonafide feast reminiscent of the vibrant foods found throughout China, from the street vendors of Xi'an to the upscale restaurants in Beijing.

The meal kicked off with a serving of Spicy Cold Skin Noodles (Lian Pi), a popular Northwestern Chinese street food. These noodles, simultaneously springy and chewy, were quite a departure from traditional Italian pasta. Served cold atop an array of vibrant veggies, succulent shrimp, and perfectly cooked egg, it was a refreshing salad-like appetizer that set the tone for the meal.

Their Hot and Sour Soup was next, a ubiquitous offering in most Chinese restaurants, but here, it felt like tasting the original blueprint. The balance of sour to savory was perfect, as was the ratio of vegetables and egg to broth, resulting in an ideal consistency. This was clearly hot and sour soup as it was intended to be.

The Peking Duck, the house specialty and what a lot of people associate with Great China, did not fail to deliver.

The oft underrated component of Peking Duck is the wraps. If it's too doughy, it can ruin the dish. At Great China, the wraps are executed to perfection. They are so thin as to be almost translucent, yet they retained their firmness throughout the meal, allowing us to savor the dish at our leisure without worrying about the wraps hardening.

The Honey Walnut Prawns were a revelation, crispy despite being drenched in a sticky honey sauce. This dish eclipsed any fast-food equivalent I've ever had - Panda Express has got nothing on this :)

Accompanying our main dishes was the Ong-Choy (Water Spinach) with Fermented Tofu Paste. The freshness of the water spinach was evident, offering a crisp contrast to the robust flavor of the fermented bean curd.

Our seafood indulgence included two crab dishes. The Ginger Scallion Crab with Noodles, a Cantonese classic, was followed by the equally delicious Cantonese Pepper Salt Fried Crab. Comparing the two would be an exercise in futility - each had its unique appeal, and both were winners that complimented each other.

Finally, we had the Steamed Surf Clams. The clams, paired with fluffy sticky rice soaking up all the flavorful juice, made for an exquisite finale. The delicate flavor of the clams was complemented by the crunchy scallions, adding a layer of unexpected texture.

Even though I was raised on a diet of Americanized Chinese food (beef and broccoli still holds a special place in my heart), my palate, unsophisticated as it might be, was still able to appreciate and savor the authentic Chinese flavors that Great China brings. This establishment truly provides a culinary experience that bridges cultures, making the richness of traditional Chinese cuisine accessible and enjoyable to West and East alike. It has mastered the art of authentic Chinese cuisine. I now know where to take my Taiwanese mom for a feast when she visits, and it's a place where both of us can honestly enjoy.

I love Great China. The flavor of each dish is only matched by the speed it takes to pump out the best Chinese dishes in the Bay Area. I may be biased, having spent so many dinners at Great China since it’s old location closer to campus. We often order 10+ dishes when we come with a group of 8. Can’t stress how great the food and service is.

Come for the double skin, Peking duck, walnut prawns, Yuxiang eggplant.