2/22/2019

• 1 check-in

First parking can be a bit crazy but it well worth the effort as the service and the food is awesome!  
We had two tables of 10 per table and we got all the favorite dishes, correct this isn't our 1st visit so we had some idea of what to order.  Warning the beef tomato isn't on the menu but if you like beef tomato noodles you have got to ask for it.  Nice pieces of marinated beef in a sweet tomato sauce served over noodles - so so very good.  We started off with the thin skin salad - a thin mung bean noodle mixed with veggies and a chinese mustard sauce mixed at table side.  Large order please!
Peking Duck served with white fluffy steam rolls so good then came all the other dishes - snow peas, pot stickers, lettuce wrap - done very well and balance flavor served with lot of lettuce so very good. We also had the chicken in black bean sauce and tofu with green beans.  We not only had a very large selection but walked away with left overs.  Oh I forgot they serve a kim chee dish that is very yummy,
The staff is very helpful - refilling our tea pots with more hot water and making sure mid meal our plates were changed.  Well decorated restaurant with good food and good service.  Not much more you can as for !  Yes we will be back.

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  Chicken and black bean sauce

  Chicken and black bean sauce
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  Fried tofu w/ green beans

  Fried tofu w/ green beans
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  Pea shoots

  Pea shoots
• See all photos from debi k. for Great China

2/19/2019

• 1 check-in

Was here with a large group recently. Though we had a pre ordered menu, service was fast and professional. The restaurant is clean and modern - a far cry from your typical older style Chinese restaurant. It was packed on a Saturday night!

We had the Peking duck, dumplings, and vegetarian mapo tofu, among other dishes. We also had stir fried pea shoots. All were delicious - I'll be back here whenever I'm in the area. Quality food, and the clientele speaks to its authenticity.

2/18/2019

• Seated via Yelp Reservations

We have been to this restaurant many times. It is one of my 87-year-old mother's favorite restaurant. She is from Qingdao (Northern China). This is not a fusion restaurant, although the decor is very modern and chic, with a long bar and bottles of premium liquor on the shelves. The food is actually very traditional -- a combination of mostly Northern Chinese dishes with a touch of Hong Kong style freshness. We avoid popular takeout dishes one finds in regular Chinese restaurants -- they are not comparable. Our favorites are double skin with lots of mustard sauce, dumplings (3 different types), peking duck (they can sell a hundred of these in a day), steamed whole fish with ginger and scallions. For vegetables, try the sautéed spinach, ong-choy, or snow-pea leaves -- even though the prices are high for just vegetables.

The popularity of this restaurant makes waiting times for tables very long. No reservations for groups less than 6. We always arrive 15 minutes before opening time to line up to get a table for 4. Try coming an hour or so later to get in with the second wave of seatings. Reservations have a minimum of $30 per person, plus 18% service charge.

1/24/2019

• 1 check-in

I'm in love with this food and I can't stop thinking about it!

I wanted to get Chinese since I live on the east coast and the west coast just does Asian food sooo much better. My friend and I were driving back to Walnut Creek from the west side of the city, so I Yelped places between there and home. I found this place in Berkeley.

At first, we were confused with parking. There are street parking and we ended up finding a lot that is free on weekends and week nights. Score. And it was on the same block as the restaurant.

We went in on a Saturday night and it was packed! There was a ton of people waiting and a family of 4 in front of us was told an hour and half and left. We went up and there were only 2 of us so we got 30 min. After 5 min, I went to the bathroom and when I came back to the front to meet my friend, we were already seated! I love that we were pleasantly surprised and sat earlier.

The menu is packed of so many options. It's all family style so makes sense that there were so many big groups of people. Best way to try as much as you can. We decided to do a basic selection of a meat, a veggie, and a carb/starch. We got the green beans, the Mongolian beef, and chicken chow mein (which you can do with chicken, pork, or veggie).

The food was out in good time. We actually got the meat dishes before the green beans. We wanted a little longer for those. Between us two girls - we barely put a dent in our food. And we wanted to keep eating. Everything was delicious. Hands down the best Chinese food I've ever had (I've never been to China so maybe my tune will change when I do go). Everything was fresh. I love that they use little crispy rice noodles in the Mongolian beef - to add that texture and it was a good amount of space. The chow mein was delicious. I wasn't a huge fan of the chicken since it was dark meat but the flavor was good. And the green beans ... yum! Great flavors.

The service was quick. We were checked on a couple times. Our drinks stayed full, and we got good fortunes in our cookies.

Amazing place! I wish I could go back soon.

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  Mongolian beef

  Mongolian beef
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  Green beans

  Green beans
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  Chow Mein with chicken

  Chow Mein with chicken

1/3/2019

They serve authentic Chinese food in a clean, hip, environment.  Price is a bit higher due to the ambiance, it's fair.  Wide selections of beer and wine.  Popular place with long wait, so make reservations if you can commit.  

sizzling rice soup - clear broth with chicken breast, prawns, vegetables, fry-puffed rice  
This was great to have on a cold, rainy day.

crab meat with steamed buns - real crab meat (lots of labor) sauteed with egg white, then mixed with raw egg yoke at the table.
I felt the bread was unnecessary, would prefer to eat it with rice.  I loved the delicate taste of fresh crab without the mess of shells.  But it was $35, so trying once is good.

family style tofu - mixed veggies and tofu and glass noodles.
I love cooked vegetables.

• 

  sizzling rice soup

  sizzling rice soup
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  crab meat with egg

  crab meat with egg

12/15/2018 Updated review

• 1 check-in

I'm freezing my bum off in North China right now.  They don't have the Yelp here.  Sharing strong opinions about establishments is not a part of the accepted culture here so it wouldn't fly.  That's a bummer for me because I would love to tell you all about the crazy amazing experiences I have every time I go here.  Instead I'm working through my backlog of reviews to do from back home in #Murica.  When I'm in the Middle Kingdom, I live in the Beijing area, the city formerly known, among other things as Peking, like as in, you know, Peking Duck.  I went out for some last night at a place I've been to several times.  They usually nail it.  Last night, not so much.  It got me longing for Great China in Berkeley, where I always arrive famished and salivating and leave fat and satiated.

I started going to Great China years ago with the same group on a regular basis.  At minimum we would go whenever The Big Game between Cal and The Cardinal was happening in Berzerkeley.  Then the place burned down and was closed for awhile.  The reopening date kept getting pushed back.  I sort of gave up on it.  Then mid-Summer we were there and I remembered it, but we didn't have a reservation.  Then I recalled my old pro tip and checked my watch.  It was early enough.  As long as your party is not too large, if you show up maybe 30 minutes before they open you can hop in the line outside and get seated right away without the long wait.  Yeah, that's technically a 30 minute wait, I'm not getting anything by you, am I?

The new place is bigger with a nice modern feel.  There are a lot more servers and service was a lot more prompt than I remember.  I used to be pretty adventurous with their menu, even skipping the duck sometimes, but I hadn't been for ages so I ordered three go-tos and a wildcard.  

The wildcard was a big plate of fried Pacific baby oysters.  Woo-hoo!  This is a go-to now.  The flavor of these oysters fit so well with the other dishes, bringing a lightly fried, briney creamy component to the table.  I've gotta have these every time now, I'm afraid.  

The double skin noodles are an old favorite.  They bring a plate of mung bean noodles, veggies, wood ear mushrooms, pork, shrimp and sauce to you and toss it all together tableside.  These are super amazing.  A must have.

The Peking duck is their specialty for good reason.  Rich, moist duck meat topped with perfectly crispy fatty skin.  You know the drill:  grab a mandarin pancake, pick up a few sprigs of green onion and drag them through the plum sauce, painting the pancake as you lay them down, add some cucumber, duck meat and skin.  Fold one end to keep the goodies inside and roll it up like a burrito.  Chomp down.  Involuntarily make sounds of pleasure.  That's not how you do it?  It's just me then, I suppose.

The meal is never complete without duck bone soup.  In China this is a given.  You're usually going to get Peking duck first, then duck two or three other ways while they take your duck carcass to the kitchen and cook it in a soup pot.  At Great China you have to order it separately.  Be sure you do.  It's rich, soothing and pays proper respect to the duck that fed you by using all of it.

The wine list here is tops.  The owner knows his wine.  If you need a recommendation ask.

Great China is not cheap.  It is fantastic.  As a duck place there are better, but their fusion of dishes is truly great.

• 

  Duck bone soup.

  Duck bone soup.
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  Peking duck.

  Peking duck.
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  Mandarin pancakes.

  Mandarin pancakes.
• See all photos from Shaun H. for Great China

2/21/2019

Great China is very much a rip off in terms of it's price. Literally vegetables for $15+????????? These things should be less than $10 for the quality and taste. These are basic Chinese dishes and should not cost this much. Go somewhere else if you want big portions and food that is actually worth what you are paying.

2/5/2019

Since I'm supposed to be practicing positivity on the first day of the Lunar New Year, I thought I'd sing the praises of Great China.

I came here sans-reservation on a Saturday early evening (maybe around 6:30) with one other person and waited around an hour to be seated at a table for dinner.  We actually grabbed two seats at the bar about 45 minutes in (from which you can always order a drink while you wait) but were pretty quickly moved to a table - I'd recommend the table if you plan to eat Peking Duck.

The service is very quick here like at most Chinese restaurants, though it's much friendlier than your average spot.  The atmosphere is bustling and traditional in some ways, but the decor is very modern (and the entire restaurant - bathrooms included - was very clean when we were there, to refute another review...).

For dinner, we had Double Skin, Peking Roast Duck, Walnut Prawns, Steamed Surf Clams, and a choy dish with garlic (something other than Ong-Choy that wasn't listed on the menu).  This was a TON of food for two people but definitely worth overeating / leftovers to try it all.  

The Double Skin is ridiculously good.  Believe the hype.  This is nothing like anything I've ever eaten so it's hard to describe, but it's the perfect balance of all sorts of flavors, textures, and even temperatures.  I feel like there's some Chinese mustard in this dish that really pulls it all together.

The Peking Duck was the best I've ever had in the Bay Area - there was actually meat and not just fatty skin!  The Walnut Prawns were huge and not overly saturated in that fake mayo-type sauce that a lot of places serve.  The clams and the choy were both very flavorful.

To finish the meal, we had the Jasmine Tea + Oreo Cookie Ice Cream, which was a weird and unexpected combo and yet SO TASTY.

I cannot wait to come back here and hope to make more room in my stomach to try some of the dumpling appetizers (I might skip the clams next time for that!).

2/13/2019

I don't understand the reviews. You all must not get out much.

The chow mein tasted like bland nothing. Like no sauce, no soy sauce... just bland noodles. I'm convinced they must have ran out of sauce and didn't feel like telling me. This is not edible. I could have gone to Safeway and bought noodles to cook at home... and it would have tasted the same.

Vegetable fried rice: my guest liked it but I tried it and what the actual... it also tasted like nothing. I think they were being kind. Bland and salty. No taste. I'm so confused. How does this place exist.

Trust my review. Any review who said the vegetable Chow Mein was good, probably just got out of prison or has never eaten anything in their life before. If I was you I would go anywhere else but here.

Service: I got my food to go but service at the front was so good!!! Very nice

11/24/2018

• 1 check-in

Pretty solid Chinese food that is pretty authentic. I stuck to other dishes rather than the Peking duck since I get my duck from another shop that I like. The dishes we got were pretty solid and both had a nice kick from the spice. The twice cooked pork was amazing, I would recommend that to anyone who comes in. The sauce they use is on point!

Check the place out, try to come a bit early when they open so you can get seated immediately or else you will have to wait. We came in around 11:36 and got the last couple tables. (this was on a typical weekend)

1/13/2019

• 1 check-in

This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in the Berkeley area.  I used to eat at their old location when I was a Cal student and while it was ok, it didn't really stand out from other locations back in the day.

But I have been going back after I graduated and noticed that it was pretty good.  

When they closed the small location and opened the new one, I went back and was pleasantly surprised to see how good the food is!

It is a mix of Northern Chinese food as well as Korean style chinese food (double skin, sweet and sour pork (tang soo yook), etc.).

The wait is usually pretty long.

10/4/2018 Updated review

• 1 check-in

Technically, this should be a new review given the time span since my original one and the new location after suffering a fire.

My Yelp friend from San Diego happened to be in town during a summer weekend and was available for a Saturday lunch.  Staying in Walnut Creek and having a busy schedule, I thought of this East Bay restaurant, given that I hadn't visited this relatively new spot.  It is now a corner restaurant that is spacious with a bar area and counter seating.  Our party of nine was seated at a large table just off the back wall of the restaurant.  None of the other diners had tried Great China, either old or new location.  Being familiar, I ordered most of the dishes with scattered suggestions and additions to our meal.

Here's what we ate, all shared family style:

Appetizers
1. Double skin, large (yelp.com/user_local_phot…) - One of their two signature dishes, this was just as I remember.  The presentation is impressive and the waiter kindly asked whether we wanted him to toss the salad or help ourselves.  He obliged in mixing this, saving a portion not sauced because a couple diners do not enjoy brown mustard sauce (think wasabi).  Delicious also as I remember.

2. Pot stickers (yelp.com/user_local_phot…) - We did a double order due to our party number.  The bottom was crisp and it was also enjoyed by all.

Mains
3. Peking Duck (yelp.com/user_local_phot…) - The other signature dish, again, this did not disappoint.  I did not remember that they use the crepe wrapper instead of the larger tortilla size skins or the fluffy shell buns that normally accompany this.  The "open, spread sauce, load skin, and eat" process was repeated by all diners with smiles.  The duck skin is perfectly crisp and the crunch contrasted well with the chewiness of the thin crepe skin.  Like most diners stated, this is almost "to die for".

4. Mandarin Chicken wings (yelp.com/user_local_phot…) - The Chinese characters are the equivalent to that SF Irving Street chicken wings place but this is a more traditional version of the wings with a thinner batter and less aggressive seasoning.  It is still good as... hey, fried chicken wings?!

5.  Ant climbed the tree (yelp.com/user_local_phot…) - This was my curiosity pick as this was a dish made famous by a long gone SF Chinatown restaurant (Chung King).  I really enjoyed this as it is basically a mix of minced ingredients with cellophane noodles.  

6. Ginger scallion fish filet (yelp.com/user_local_phot…) - This was a fellow diner's choice as a healthy dish to offset what else was on the menu.

7. Chinese string beans (yelp.com/user_local_phot…) - Dry fried (see wrinkles), this was okay and didn't really stand out.

Noodles
8. Zha jiang mein (yelp.com/user_local_phot…) - Very solid presentation and ingredients as not many serve them (if any) with whole shrimp.  The sauce was spot on with that tangy sweetness that pairs well with the julienned cucumbers.  

9. Combination chow mein (yelp.com/user_local_phot…) - One diner loves Shanghai noodles but unfortunately this was the closest dish.  Nothing wrong about this, just didn't quite meet her expectations and hopes.

Service was prompt and efficient with plates served and described upon reaching the table.  Empties were quickly removed and drink glasses and the teapot was continuously refilled.  The dining room was about half full when we arrived around noon but it was 80 to 90% full by the time we prepared to leave; there was a large party of five or six tables that arrived as we left to occupy the large wall tables.  I tried to say 'hi' to the owner but he doubled as chef for this lunch as the waitress explained that the normal chef was still overseas.  

Everyone in our party enjoyed the meal and the experience as the atmosphere now lives up to the food quality.  You can bet that we'll be back, individually or as a group in the near future since several diners live in the East Bay.  Take a bow, James!  Hope to speak with you next time!

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  Ginger scallion fish filet

  Ginger scallion fish filet
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  Combination chow mein

  Combination chow mein
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  Ant climbed the tree

  Ant climbed the tree
• See all photos from Mike C. for Great China

12/30/2018

Came here for Peking Duck and Great China did not disappoint.

We got to Great China during UC Berkeley's winter break hoping that it's not too busy but the restaurant was full by Sat 12:30pm.  Wait was 20 minutes (not bad).  The restaurant internal feels modern and open.  

We order one soup plus 4 dishes and a free fried rice for 4 adults.   We had a lot of leftovers to take home.  All the dishes were good and service was attentive (and quick).  I would definitely come back if I am in the area and wanted Peking duck again.

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  crunchy rice soup

  crunchy rice soup
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  lettuce wrap appetizer

  lettuce wrap appetizer
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  Peking duck. very very good.

  Peking duck. very very good.
• See all photos from Mike Y. for Great China

9/23/2018

• 1 check-in

Pros:
The roasted duck and the Mung Bean Noodles were amazing.

Cons:
The service was super slow and forgot half of our order.
Dishes like the chicken fried rice or chicken are ok but not better than average.

2/9/2019

This is a Chinese-American fusion restaurant. Their portions are quite generous, and each dinner dish averages $15-18 (quite pricey). The servers are generally attentive, and the ambiance is nice and clean. This is a mid to upscale Chinese restaurant and a great place for CNY/Christmas/regular date night dinner.

Their bar is walk-in, so first come first serve. You will see a line forming at 5:30 PM (opening time), so get here early if you want a large table.

2/22/2019

• Seated via Yelp Reservations

I've never had a bad experience at this place. If you go with a party of 6 or more you can reserve other wise the wait is quite long. Parking can also be annoying as well but that's just Berkeley in general. The service is nothing outstanding, just fast and attentive. When I first heard of this place I was skeptical, usually anything with good or great in front of it tends to not be so true... My favorite dishes from here are: double skin salad, walnut shrimp, surf clam, peking duck, and garlic fried rice. Definitely one of my all time favorite Chinese restaurant.

12/23/2018

Great China has been around for a long time and it's for very good reason. This authentic northern China restaurant is one of the best Chinese restaurant in the country. It moved from its former little hole in the wall to a modern cavernous space. Some how it maintains its authentic touch and festive family atmosphere. Reservations are recommended for large parties and the place can get rather crowded.

We gathered there with a large group of 12. The waitstaff seared us in a round table outfitted with a lazy Susan. We ordered a family style dinner starting with seafood wonton soup and fish and veggie dumplings. The fish and veggie dumplings are the most delicate bundle of joy you will put in your mouth. This was followed by double skin which is a strange name but you HAVE to try it. This cold dish consists of clear flat noodles, topped with assorted veggies, meat (pork), shrimp, eggs and wait for it -- sea cucumber. It has a vinegary Chinese mustard taste. The salt from the soy is balanced by the tanginess of the Chinese vinegar followed by the heat of the mustard. It is divine!

The duck was our main course. The Peking duck here is the best in the Bay Area and possibly the best in California. The skin is roasted crispy thin with almost no fat. Take some of that unctuous crunchy goodness and put it in the handmade skin. Top it with some sliced green onions and a bit of the plum sauce then you are ready to go! We had a party of 12 and two orders of duck. Everyone had plenty to eat. Another one of our main dish is the amazing crab served with Chinese buns. This dish is a feast for your eyes and mouth (see my picture) First the plump and juicy crab is piping hot with steam coming from the top and sautéed with green onions. The wait staff will crack and egg yolk on top. The eggs yolk is mixed with the crab mixture. Pile some of that goodness on top of the freshly made bun and take a big bite! The chow mien has handmade noodle and the protein of choice. Finally, an interesting dish called Ant Climb the Tree is made with red bell pepper, mushrooms and thin threads of clear cellophane noodles. The dish is a bit spicy but you will fully enjoy it!

At this point your belly is full and you are ready to roll!

My food rating: 5+
My lone traveler rating: 4

• 

  Peking duck at Great China is the best in the Bay Area!

  Peking duck at Great China is the best in the Bay Area!
• 

  Do you see this amazing dish of crabmeat topped with a luscious yolk? Pile some on that on the steam buns in the background!

  Do you see this amazing dish of crabmeat topped with a luscious yolk? Pile some on that on the steam buns in the background!
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  Fish and vegetable dumplings. It's absolutely the most delicate bite of deliciousness.

  Fish and vegetable dumplings. It's absolutely the most delicate bite of deliciousness.
• See all photos from Mary H. for Great China

9/24/2018

TLDR: food quality =/ price and didn't live up to the hype

Food: I was very excited to try the Peking duck since I tend to eat the same dish often at a restaurant back home and the one at Great China was dry and lackluster. The duck meat they gave us was very small in size and relatively dry. The white wraps were also very dry and super difficult to chew. The sauce was ok and overall it was decent but not worth the price. Peking Duck 5/10

Service: it was ok. TBH I expected better service since this is kinda an upscale scale establishment but they just seemed to be really busy and running all over the place instead of tending to each customer's need

Ambience: nice ambience and a great place for a date or nice dinner with family and friends. They have lots of seating and tables and can fit large groups of people

2/1/2019

• 2 check-ins

Their lunch is delicious! It's very filling and the portion sizes are fair. They have a wide variety of available dishes and they all come with soup, salad, an egg roll, and rice. You have the choice of white, brown, or fried rice. The prices aren't as cheap as other places, but they are absolutely worth the delicious and authentic flavor. Each order is about $12, but it's definitely filling! The wait during lunch time can be up to 15 minutes, but for the times I went in, they always had available seats at the bar.  They get the dishes out really fast which is great because I only have one hour in between my classes to grab a quick lunch. I'd say it take them no more than 10 minutes to serve the food.
The twice cooked pork was very flavorful and delicious. The Mongolian beef was absolutely heavenly! The beef was so soft and when you bite down on it, it broke apart like butter. They were well seasoned but may be on the salty side for some individuals. I personally thought it was seasoned perfectly to be eaten together with the rice. If you have about an hour to spare for lunch and you're nearby, this is a great restaurant to consider for authentic Chinese cuisine.

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  Mongolian beef

  Mongolian beef
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  Yummy hot and sour soup!

  Yummy hot and sour soup!
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  Twice cooked pork

  Twice cooked pork

8/29/2018

• 1 check-in

Wow, this place is popular. Jamie W. and I came here about ten minutes before they opened at 5:30PM, and there was already a well settled line of people who appeared to accept the situation without question. I really had no idea about what I thought would be a pretty standard Chinese restaurant. Owned by the Yu family for well over three decades, the restaurant has been in its current location for only the past four years. It still looked quite new and contemporary when we entered and also quite spacious, but it filled fairly quickly and a line was soon waiting outside. We got lucky and got seated at a small table for two right next to the restroom.

Of course, that meant everybody stared at what we were eating. I was certainly tempted by their signature dish, but at $44.95, the Peking Roasted Duck was meant for the parties at the big round tables, though in a former life, I probably could have polished off 24 pancakes by myself. Instead, Jamie and I shared three dishes. First up was the $14.95 Almond Chicken which included mushrooms, celery, and chestnuts in a glistening sauce (photo: bit.ly/2on5vvc). Nothing all that creative but pretty tasty. The second plate was the $14.95 Twice-Cooked Pork which included pieces of shoulder and belly mixed with cabbage, mushrooms, leeks, red chiles. and dried tofu (photo: bit.ly/2LDBDEe).

It was easily the most indulgent plate of food we had, and again it was tasty, especially since pork has fallen out of our diets quite intentionally. The third dish was our half-hearted attempt at having something healthier, the $12.95 King Oyster Mushrooms, Golden Chives, and Cabbage (photo: bit.ly/2oj1MyW). It was the one dish that delighted us with a more creative blend of ingredients. Brown rise provided the glutinous glue that sipped up all the sauce (photo: bit.ly/2PlVXfD). There was no arguing the quality of the execution overall, and we certainly had plenty of leftovers. We were proud that we left the food there. Pushing our plates away is still a novel concept for us, but we're getting better at it.

FOOD - 4 stars...mostly traditional dishes but elegantly executed with fresh ingredients
AMBIANCE - 4.5 stars...spacious and modern, more Shanghai than Chinatown
SERVICE - 4 stars...fast and efficient, they have their routine down
TOTAL - 4 stars...now we get why people wait in line

RELATED - Looking for other Chinese restaurants? Here's a list of the places I've tried and reviewed: bit.ly/2PQ2bpa

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  King Oyster Mushrooms, Golden Chives, and Cabbage

  King Oyster Mushrooms, Golden Chives, and Cabbage
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  Our dinner has arrived

  Our dinner has arrived
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  Brown Rice

  Brown Rice
• See all photos from Ed U. for Great China