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Mon-Fri. 11:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Mon-Fri. 4:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sat. 12:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
"by far the best Chinese restaurant I have been to in the area.... their Honey Walnut shrimp is amazing. ALl of their dishes are yummy in…" read more »
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A little hole in the wall place? Here is one for you with great tasting food.
I have been to the Great Wall several times but this is the first time I am remembering to review it. If you are here to have great food with friendly service.. with family like atmosphere, as with Elle S. said, this is the place to come. My favorite is walnut prawns with that special sweet white sauce. Of course the won ton soup and Mongolian Been goes perfectly well with it.
Yes I would definitely come back again when I am down in SJ.
I was craving Chinese food last week, so I went to Great Wall and had their lunch special. It's a very small restaurant, and while clean, is not terribly updated or nice looking. I sat in a booth and ordered the Mongolian Beef lunch special. The menu said it comes with Won Ton soup (yay, my fave!) and steamed rice. When the waitress came to take my order, she said it was Hot & Sour soup (dang, I hate the stuff). I declined the soup. The meal arrived and it was a large plate of steamed white rice, and a very brown Mongolian beef. I saw only 3 strands of green onion; the rest was yellow onion and bamboo shoots (I think). Also included were 2 fried wontons (no filling, just fried wrapper) sitting in a huge puddle of sweet & sour sauce. The Mongolian beef was not spicy in the least and flavor-wise, was not terribly great. Too many onions, too much gloppy brown sauce. Ick.
I'm not inspired to go back. Sad, as I haven't found many good Chinese restaurants in the South Bay.
People thought this was:
um...if you are chinese, i don't recommend you go there. it is the american chinese food. the taste is not that good. but i guess it is good enough for non-chinese.
but their service is very friendly and nice. 90% customers are American.....i was the only asian. =p
People thought this was:
3.5 stars!
Better then expected. Honestly I was REALLY nervous about coming here tonight. We had dinner and theater plans with my in-laws and my FIL is the PICKIEST food person on the planet. He will only eat Chinese food and is extremely critical. We took a chance on this place after reading some positive reviews on it.
I would have missed this place if someone hadn't written that it was in a strip mall where an old Albertsons was. (THANK YOU for that note!)
Now when you walk in...this place is straight up 70s old school!!! Complete with wood paneled walls! It looks like this place use to be a diner or bar back in the day! The decor is nothing to get excited about but it got me giggling through dinner because it was just soooo.....like someone said.....like being in that movie "A Christmas Story" when they went to a Chinese restaurant for Christmas dinner hehe
Service was really great....our waitress was attentive and friendly and it helped a lot I think since my FIL spoke Mandarin to her and got dinner cooked the way he wanted. (what can I say...this man is picky! He might as well just go back to the kitchen and cook it his way.)
We ordered soup which was very good. We also had mushu pork, hot and spicy chicken, tofu in brown sauce and kung pao beef.
Mushu pork was good....typical of most places.
Hot and Spicy chicken....now we ordered this because so many Yelpers raved about it. I didn't think it was anything great. Just breaded chicken and fried. Sort of like sweet and sour chicken without the sauce. Wasn't spicy and it was more bread then chicken. We could have passed on this dish.
Tofu in brown sauce....best dish of the night. They actually fry the tofu here so it wasn't soggy and tasted good.
Kung Pao Beef....okay....very very vinegar-y! (is that a word!?)
I liked this place because the service was good....never had to ask to refill our waters or tea. Food was only okay....I've had much better. If we are in the area or someone wants to come here, I will....but I probably won't be back on my own.
People thought this was:
This is the kind of place I'd never find without Yelp. So big thanks to Yelp and especially Flor and Jessie J for your reviews.
Moving on to the food: Great Wall has the kind of Chinese food you think you should be getting when you order takeout. It's fresh, high quality, and somewhat basic. If you dine in, don't expect chopsticks. It's a whitey-needs-a-fork kinda place. Which is totally fine, just don't expect something else.
The Broccoli Beef has perfectly cooked broccoli that isn't too soft or too crunchy. The beef is fried and then steamed like normal but it isn't spongy or rubbery like a lot of places.
The hot and sour soup that came with the lunch special was pretty good - not perfectly balanced but I liked that the salt level wasn't dialed all the way up.
Steamed rice was steamed rice and no it's not the sticky kind but it wasn't pilaf either.
The real star, IMO, was the Great Wall Chow Mein. It had yummy al dente noodles tossed with veggies, shrimp, chicken, and pork. The sauce was just enough to coat the noodles but wasn't gloppy all over the plate. Perfection.
Boyfriend got the Sweet and Sour Pork lunch special. He ordered the sauce on the side because he doesn't like when restaurants dump too much sauce on the food. The staff happily complied but I don't think it was necessary. I saw a plate of sweet and sour go out to another table and it was just lightly coated with the orangey sauce.
We planned to get to-go food but dined in and just took the leftovers home. There is plenty for another meal.
Service was spread pretty thin but it's a holiday so I forgive them. The server was very friendly and worked quickly to help everyone. The quality of food wasn't affected by the numerous diners.
People thought this was:
Who is up for some Chinese take out?
A+ for all star service.
A+for tasty food.
I could so see myself reliving "A Christmas Story" here, minus the ducks, and ethnic undertones.
The Chinese food is consistently good in my WG hood.
I ordered my standard staples. The food was served fast and piping hot. DON'T SKIP THE TEA. It's really quite good!
Recently, The Great Wall assisted one of my pals on a food catering predicament. We were very happy, and the fried rice was a hit.
Whether you take-out or dine-in, this restaurant is my go to for Chinese food.
It's not just about the food, it's about the family vibe you feel from wall to wall.
People thought this was:
SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS AND KEEP THE MOM AND POP SHOPS ALIVE! I say it again and with sincere joy, I… Read more »
Tried this place after seeing reviews for Chinese restaurants in Willow Glen and I must say that it wasn't bad at all! Here is what we ordered:
Pot Stickers (6): Best dish of the evening. Chock full of meat. Skin was slightly crispy but not too crispy.
Hunan Beef: Looked like it was supposed to be dry but it was actually not too bad. The smallish pieces had a fried feeling to them, bursting in juice after you bit into it.
Salt-Fried Pork: Thick slices of 2 inch slices of pork chop basted in an oil/salt mixture with bits of sliced jalapeno throughout. The pork was dry and the sauce was not that good.
Rice: Average Chinese rice. Very grainy with no stickiness at all.
Overall the food was pretty good and came out really quick. We got the food to go based on someone's comment about one of the workers having BO (ha) and it came out in under 10 minutes.
We will go back for sure. I liked it better than Edna Ray but not better than Taiwan.
People thought this was:
I wanted to like this place...I really did.
Ordered food to go.
Hot & sour soup: Tasted like straight up vinegar.
In the garbage it goes.
So-called Walnut Prawns: It was a very very thick layer of tasteless cheap batter with itty bitty mini-shrimp inside, slathered in plain mayo. No honey flavor or other flavors, just mayo out of the jar. I love fatty fried food, but this is just down right wrong...not worth clogging my arteries for.
In the garbage it goes.
I waited the best for the last.
Supposedly famed Hunan Beef: Crunchy, yes it was, but it was so NASTY. I couldn't taste the beef. Where's the beef? It was all sugar. I had to chew that disgusting piece of wooden bark a ton of times until I could manage to swallow and get it down. No No No NO NOOOO. I'm 'bout to cry. Dollars down the chute.
In the garbage it goes.
Dangit, I'm starving! Off to the drive-thru for a Big Mac and fries.
People thought this was:
Great Food....
Lunch Secials are affordable and sufficent!
I go there so much the ladies already know what i order...lol
they are super friendly!
Try the Lemon Chicken!
We really like the chicken salad they have. The chicken is crispy and not from a can. The dressing has just enough zing to it.
We live near by and stop here from time to time.
The wait staff is very nice and ready to answer any questions you have.
Service is fast. Food is above average. Like most restaurants they have good days and not so good days. We are very glad they are in our neighborhood.
Psh, I wasn't aware that they served Haterade at holeinthewall chinese food restaurants, but apparently I'm out of the loop. I better check out the menu....Sweet, that will give me an excuse to go back to Great Wall AS SOON AS I POSSIBLY CAN BECAUSE IT'S SO AMAZING.
Seriously, don't knock it if you don't understand it.
If you go to Great Wall expecting swanky asian fusion with track lighting and fancy decor, then you are going to be dissapointed. If you go expecting a weird-curtained momnpop hole in the wall with weird goldfish brain posters on the wall that also happens to have incredible food, then you're going to be more than satisfied. Jubilant, even. It's that good.
My favorite, hands down? Hunan Beef. On my top ten of all food of all time. It's so crunchy and sweet and spicy and delicious. I fantisize about eating it out of a cardboard tub at the movies. The BF and I fight over who gets the most. It's worth it.
Seriously, Great Wall can be amazing. But you have to let it happen. Enjoy the ambiance of the lazy susans and the fish brains. The food is fantastic, don't listen to the haters.
People thought this was:
Okay, the first time I went here thanks to yelp, I thought it was one of the best chinese places in San Jose. But then I kept trying to go back on seemingly normal days of operation and they were always closed. Very strange. The next time I went, I must have ordered the wrong item (walnut prawns) but they were not good, but overly breaded and deep fried too long. This is probably my fault as I entered the restaurant about 5 minutes before closing and sat down for a full dinner.
I would knock stars down to three, but I will give this place the benefit of the doubt, because I should have gone with the basics and not some fancy pants prawn dish.
Of course, I will update more accurately upon my next visit.
We went to Great Wall for my birthday and honestly, are kind of baffled because while it was good food, it wasn't the amazing food that everyone raves about. We got the much recommended Hunan Beef and, again, it was OK. Service was good, but, yet again, not amazing.
I wouldn't drive across town to get food here, but if I were in the area I'd grab a bite.
It was OK, but we won't be going back. The potstickers were very doughy and the lemon chicken was nothing exciting. The family working there was VERY nice and sweet, but that's not enough to keep me coming back.
People thought this was:
so tom would rave about this place but to be honest i was a little skeptical because hes (white) and just doesnt know REAL asian food if you know what i mean.
its a few doors down from mojo burger.
so ive tried it a few times now and its not bad. last time we got it though our fried rice was dry and that was a real turn off. at a good chinese resturant, FRIED RICE should be an automatic easy-no mistakes.
otherwise so seriouscomplaints, good service.
oh but if youre claustrophobic you might wanna take it to go because this place is hella small :P
Average American-style Chinese food with very friendly service. I really wanted to like this place, but it just wasn't at all the good authentic Cantonese place we were looking for. Where's my red bean soup!
I read some of the reviews here one day about a month ago when I was looking to try Chinese food in San Jose for lunch.
I have to say I've had better food in many many many other places.
The SERVICE, however, was terrific. Super-friendly attentive wait staff, clean building, decent prices.
The FOOD was not something I really enjoyed:
-The Hot & Sour soup that was served before my lunch special was not so good. I ate about two bites before pushing it aside.
-I ordered the Kung-Pao chicken lunch special. The chicken was all-white meat but I kind of wished that it was crispy instead of cut-up and cooked then served bare. The sauce was just OK...I would have liked more flavor. The chicken was mixed with a TON on celery. Overall I thought the dish was super freaking bland.
- The white rice was not very good sticky rice. Reminded me of Uncle Ben's boil in a bag style.
- Potstickers were just OK....a little soft if you ask me.
After heading back to work, I was burping up the food and I had a stomach ache until the next morning.
Maybe some of you have great childhood memories and a special place in your heart for this restaurant...and that's OK. For me, as a first time customer, it was not the pleasurable food experience that I was so hoping for.
I don't think I'll be back.
Great Wall is a popular spot for Lunch and Dinner, but there is a definite Lunch rush, and this is a very popular place to dine.
Here are a few items that are must to have:
Chinese Chicken Salad
Hunan Beef
Hot n Spicy Deep Fried Prawns
Mushu Chicken
Walnut Prawns
My family and friends frequent The Great Wall, and are definite lifetime customers now. Excellent food, and Excellent service.
People thought this was:
Got take out. Really good sweet/sour chicken. It was nice white meat, no mystery chicken parts :)
Ample parking. I'm excited to go back and dine-in.
A hole-in-the-wall family-owned restaurant in Willow Glen.
I took a girl on a sort-of-date here a while back. Either I wasn't that interesting or the food was REALLY GOOD, because our conversation was rather non-existent except for the sound of chewing food (I prefer the latter).
Nice family. The owner's young son was exceptionally charming! I asked for his recommendations once but forgot what they were so I just went with a A/B dinner choice, haha. Good eats and good value.
I'll be back again!
People thought this was:
So I've been here twice. Having gone to amazing Chinese places (fancy, hole-in-the-wall, and everything in between) everywhere without any bias I feel comfortable in saying that the food here is average or just below it.
I understand that people have grown up with "The Wall" and that they've been in Willow Glen for over 18 years. However, whether or not they're a tradition or their service is wonderful, it doesn't detract from their sub-par food. Either that, or I just ordered things that weren't good (Mushroom Pork and Kung Pao Chicken).
But, since their service was so wonderful and they do make you feel like family, I will go back. Who knows....maybe third time's the charm.
I promise, I'm not being a hater. In fact, I feel that my review is very objective since I have no history with the restaurant or no emotional attachment.
I'm going to try the Hunan Beef next. I will update if my experience changes.
I'd give it a 3.5 if i could but not a 4. Taking advice from the reviews I decided to give this place a try. Unless you're already in the neighborhood, its not really worth seeking out this place. I do encourage supporting local businesses though. The place is in some run down strip mall but not that hard to find. The place is super tiny but it gets the job done.
The food is pretty much americanized chinese food but it was decent and very affordable. My only small gripe was the mongolian beef which was tasty but the beef was super chewy!
The service was exceptional though. The owners are very nice thats why i'd bump up their ratings.
This is one of my favorite Chinese restaurants.
The food and service are fantastic
Try the hot and spicy chicken. One taste and you will want it everyday of your life.
Who are these people that give this place 5 stars??
We went there for dinner on a Monday eve. The food was much worse than the average Chinese hole in the wall. The sauce on the walnut prawns tasted more like mayo. The sweet & sour sauce tasted like the bottled stuff you get at Safeway & throw away. The pork was the fat I cut off a pork chop & toss out (I worry about my Akita's cholesterol).
Sorry, but even Mr Chau is better than this place. Actually Mr Chau's steam tables are alot better and at least they are real cheap.
I like to try new places, but I'm going back to Tsing Tao in Campbell.
I'll say... very good indeed.
I sampled two dishes here this evening.
1. The spicy chicken. Not too greasy, especially for something fried. The taste was nice and simple, not over the top.
2. The house chow mein. Also very good. With taste and without grease. There was bbq pork, chicken and a few shrimp mixed in amongst the noodles. Better tasting than Wing's....
The decor is not much to look at, it seems like the standard chinese place. A few mirrors, a picture of the Great Wall, etc.
Not for a fancy date, more a quick dinner or take out.
I will definitely be back here. A good chinese place near by is a very good thing.
People thought this was:
So what can I say about The Great Wall? It's fabulous! Yes, granted it's more americanized food, but hey it's still really good. My family and I have been going there for about 12 years. We know the people there and they know us as well. My extended family goes there as well, and the my nephews call Carmen "Tia Carmen." The food is always fresh and good, the service is excellent. Sometimes it does get busy, so there will be a wait.
This is a family owned restaurant, you see their kids working there sometimes and you get to hear stories about their families as well. As mentioned in some other reviews, SUPPORT LOCAL restaurants!
A small little hole-in-the-wall chinese restaurant in Willow Glen, located in a (former) Albertsons strip mall. People were coming in and out the whole time, picking up to-go orders and chatting with the lady behind the counter, so this must be good. The menu, like the restaurant, is small and stocked with your standard Americanized Chinese food fare, and is reasonably priced. We ordered the beef with black bean sauce, shrimp fried rice, and beef chow fun.
The wait was minimal, about 8 minutes, before the food came out. Wow! Surprisingly, the beef in both dishes were tender and juicy, cooked just right and not chewy or jerky-like. The fried rice, not greasy at all, and plenty of egg and shrimps around, though (my only disappointment the whole night) the shrimps were not the big sized shrimp found in other places, but more like tiny shrimp from a can or something. The chow fun noodles tasted fresh, and again cooked just right with the right amount of veggies.
These three dishes came out to just under $25, and I was plesently surprised at their quality. The waitstaff was very friendly. I'd definitely give this place a try again.
People thought this was:
I wish this place could be kept a secret, but places like this hardly stays a secret. Great food, low price, the staff are friendly and the place is clean. It reminds me of the Chinese restaurants I used to go to as a kid.
Great family owned restaurant. The food is so delicious especially the deep fried spicy prawns and mu shu pork.
Great restaurant with great service. The staff treats everyone who eats here like family. They certainly gave me wonderful service. OK, better than wonderful. A++. Then that is because I suddenly spoke to one of the waitresses in my native tongue. One of the two waitresses who works there commented that not many Chinese who grew up in the Silicon Valley much less in the U.S. can speak in their native language.
Definitely would return here, despite the fact that it is a little out of my way and is located in a strip mall.
No wonder this restaurant has a Yelp sticker on the door.
Thank you, yelpers!! My friends and I have been in search of a new delicious Chinese food place ever since Pagoda House on Alma changed owners (and got rid of the chow fun and chinese chicken salad... grr..). So, I searched Yelp for the highest rated Chinese food in San Jose, and Great Wall came up. We went last night, and I have to say, we're not disappointed. We were the only people in the place for most of our meal, so our food came out really fast. We split seven dishes (beef chow fun, mushu pork, potstickers, fried wontons, house special fried rice, prawns in lobster sauce, and lemon chicken)between the four of us, and had leftovers. Excellent food. A little greasy, but I've yet to have Chinese food that ISN'T.. I highly recommend Great Wall, and I think my friends and I have found a new go-to place for delicious Chinese food!!
People thought this was:
This restaurant is owned by my friend's family. The Hot and Spicy Chicken dish is amazing in my opinion, never a disappointment when coming here. Very friendly family, this is the only place I'll go when itching for Chinese food.
i am in love with the family that runs this place. seriously, like i have fantasies that i am a member of team "great wall" and i divide my time between taking orders out front and lovingly preparing wontons in the back with grandpa.
it's like a time warp has occured and nothing in the restaurant has changed since 1964, from the faux wood paneling on the walls to the lazy susans on the table, it's like you can just see kevin arnold and his "wonder years" family coming here for friday night dinners. it's fantastic!
the food is so good, the vegetables are fresh and always delicious and it's never too greasy. the menu is pretty limited, which is just fine by me as it seems we always get the same two things- the spicy chicken and the beef with broccoli. for like $3.00 more you get a small bowl of soup, an egg roll and rice. you will have to be seriously hungry to spend more then about $12.00 a piece for two people at dinner time.
don't let the dying strip mall scare you, its home to a couple of other awesome mom and pop's like "swift cleaners" and "mojo burger"!
People thought this was:
a hole in the wall favorite of mines. friendly staff and food is pretty good. forget panda express get some real chinese!
lunch special is nice as well.
Great Wall Chinese Restaurant should be called Great FOOD Chinese Restaurant! Ha! Seriously, though, that's what you should expect when you try this hidden gem. Stepping in, you might think you've mistakenly entered a small pizza parlor, but the photos of goldfish on the wall and the large lazy susan in the center of the single large table will clue you in that you've found the right place. I second Fred T.'s enthusiasm for the Walnut Prawns and the Hunan Beef. With Great Food... er Wall so close to my house, I look forward to trying many more of their tasty dishes!
People thought this was:
pleasantly surprised despite its cheesy name and obscure locale! lunched here today for what my boss described as "cheap grease" and while it was cheap, it wasn't all too greasy.
lunch specials are $6.00 and come with your choice of entree along with either fried rice, steamed rice or soup. i got the standard: beef broccoli. it was perfectly cooked..not overdone, nor was it oversauced. broccoli was fresh and just the right amount of crisp. beef was also tasty and far from rubbery which i find is often the case with the beef used in those dishes.
the plate also comes with two thick knots of deep fried won ton noodles that are drizzled with sweet & sour sauce..yum. the only so-so item was the potsticker appetizers. they're really big but it was a little too much dough for my taste. with a bit more meat they woulda been grand. the won ton soup is also lacking..broth has no flavor.
would i go again: sure, why not. (just 3 doors down from mojo #2..who knew!)
UPDATE: love their hot & sour soup. perfect on a cold day and the take-out order is huge!
People thought this was:
This place is awesome! Family oriented and friendly atmosphere. The food is as authenic as any take out place can get. If you're lucky enough to get there alittle early and get a seat, you must try to Hunan Beef (it's signature dish and I will drive miles to get it), Walnut Prawns, Salted Pepper Salmon, or anything else on the menu for that matter. Next time you're driving home from work, stuck in traffic and don't know what to have for dinner? Go to Great Wall for some good Chinese Take Out! Guys, please try the Hunan Beef!
People thought this was:
I've been looking for a good chinese joint near my work for a while, so i checked Yelp and decided to try Great Wall. I went here for lunch during the weekday. I ordered House fried rice, egg flower soup and pork chow mein. The egg flower soup was good, with big chunks of egg (yum). I found the overall flavor of the soup to be slightly bland, but I think that's how it's supposed to be? Either way, it was tasty. The House fried rice was very flavorful and cooked perfectly. It's hard to find good fried rice. The pork chow mein was cooked well, attractive, and pretty good. Although, I also thought this was slightly bland. Not bad, just a little bland. In the end, it's probably better for the food to be slightly bland versus oversalted (typical american chinese). I would definitely go here again. I will use more soy sauce next time. They had nice lunch specials for good prices. Friendly service. Pretty yummy.
Located in a shopping center, this restaurant is kind of easy to miss. We drove to Willow Glen special based on the previous yelp reviews and were not disappointed.
We ordered the A dinner choice for two, which came to $20.00 before taxes.
It came with soup, eggrolls, and three entrees (sweet and sour pork, fried rice, and cashew chicken). Plenty of food, with a little bit of leftovers.
For takeout we waited about 10 minutes, which is exactly what they told us. For us it felt fast. The food was piping hot and still hot 10 minutes later when we got home.
I enjoyed the fried rice a lot...wasn't greasy at all. The sweet and sour pork was exactly what I was looking for, and the cashew chicken was yummy. The vegetable pieces were cut up very chunky and tasted fresh. The cashew chicken was made with a decent amount of celery, so if you don't like celery, this might not be the dish for you. I didn't mind cause I know celery is pretty healthy and I prefer that over a ton of onions.
Also let me say that the service was super friendly. We felt very welcomed when we walked in. They also let us substitute our soup choice for another type that we liked better.
I would definitely go back to Great Wall. Perfect takeout place!
this place is excellent and i suggest the fried shrimp...the women that run it are very nice..the only negative is once they let some of their friends or family to eat w/ a dog in their lap, to me this is a health issue....but overall it is a small family owned place w/ excellent food
Yelp Specials!
San Jose, CA
Weekday lunch specials only…
San Jose, CA
San Jose, CA
Category: Chinese
San Jose, CA
Category: Chinese
San Jose, CA
Category: Chinese
San Jose, CA
Category: Chinese
San Jose, CA
Category: Chinese
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