The food quality is always excellent! The staff will go out of their way to give you premium service. I order live lobster two days in advance. They serve it cooked to order in black bean sauce over noodles two days later. Fabulous!!
Mi-Yung R.
GC gets docked a star for two reasons: 1) limited access because the line is so long (reservations are only taken for parties of 6+) and 2) the kung pao chicken is disappointing. As an institution, GC has been the best Chinese food in the area for decades. It was once so small you could shoot an arrow from the front door to the back wall. Its corner spot now on Oxford & Bancroft is massive in comparison, so now more people can wait to get in. The space is modern and bright, but the food is thankfully not fusion or fanciful. The food is exactly what it says on the door: Great China. From the plump (but crisped-skin) potstickers to the mu shu pork to the spicy green beans to the Peking duck, it is deliciously predictable. When I order ma po tofu, I know I'm going to get silken cubes of tofu in a thickened shiny spicy red sauce with ground pork in perfect proportion. Service is as friendly as Chinese gets and effortlessly efficient and fast. Parking sucks; it's downtown Berkeley, people. But if my San Fran friends long to come here, you know it's worth the hassle.
Doris G.
Worth the wait. No reservations, we waited for 15 minutes for the restaurant to open at lunch time and got a table. We enjoyed the double skin so much that I would come back and eat just this for lunch. They mix up all the ingredients at your table. A fun show. Tables filled up quickly for lunch in a Saturday. The Peking duck was very juicy and crispy and they also cut all the meat off the bone so no hassle with handling of bones.
konstantinos dedeoglou
yummy
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Uzma F.
Amazing food quality.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
H L.
Their food is always amazing. The only things is they only take reservations for parties over 6 so you could be waiting for a table for a while. Going at lunch seems easier and definitely worth it.
Yvonne W.
Overpriced and room lacks Asian charm.Irs not priced fir z working family. Too bad cuz ber misses the old haunt
Sophie Best
Great China has excellent food and service.We supported them through the pandemic and the long closure and they supported our family with consistent high quality food and service.
This is now my new favorite Chinese restaurant! Came here with some friends during the week and ordered duck, double skin, hot and sour soup, garlic fried rice, sticky ribs, clams and crab on top of lo mein noodles. Everything was delicious but my favorite was the duck. The skin is so crispy and I love the pancakes that come with it. It's a nice alternative to bao. I sound basic when I say this but the hot and sour soup is a must try. I really enjoyed it and try to order it at every Chinese restaurant I go to. The crab with noodles was great. The double skin, their signature dish was just okay for me, it might have been too acidic for me. As for the clams, they were really large and the flavor and texture were great. The secret menu item was to ask for garlic fried rice on top of it. It was heavenly. Overall 5/5! I would recommend coming here early if you're coming with 5 or less people. Make reservations online for 6 or more. They don't have a full bar but they do have beer, wine and spirits to weather the wait. Servers were fast and knowledgeable on the menu and the space was large and on the fancier decor side.
Lisa O.
Great China has the best duck I've ever had. It was moist and fatty. It was better than the duck I had when I visited China. I liked that they had gluten-free hoisin sauce upon request! Their garlic rice is to die for. The snow pea leaves were well seasoned and pricey. This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in the Bay. I wished their honey walnut prawns were gluten free.
I don't know what the hype is about their Peking duck. I ordered it today for $73 and the meat was dry and bland. The only thing good was the crispy skin which you don't get a lot of. It comes with wraps that remind me of egg roll skins you use to wrap homemade egg rolls. The vegetable dish was good but everything else was mediocre. I've definitely had better Peking duck.
Marcia R.
Food was delicious and service was good! I hadn't been in a long while and went right at opening to avoid the lunchtime rush. Had the double skin appetizer which is amazing and I haven't found it anywhere else.Lunch specials are a great deal and yummy too!
Justin W.
- Whenever my parents visited me as a student at Berkeley, we always went to great china. My favorite place for Peking duck in the Bay Area - they're unique for perfectly removing all the fat and getting the skin so crispy and tasty - the double skin dish is another must have, I haven't found a better one in the Bay Area - Interior vibes are great with a Modern and fresh decor - Service is quick and attentive Overall, one of my favorite restaurants in the Bay Area
James B.
Great experience overall, sort of traditionally Chinese setup and dishes but seems substantially American influenced too. We went because they have good gluten free options, which I'm told isn't super easy to come by. I quite enjoyed the peking duck--very flavorful and a nice balance of fattiness. The rest of the dishes were nice, though nothing special. Perhaps we should have ordered a bit differently? Will likely come back anyhow, when in the mood for a nice shared meal.
Alicia R.
I would prefer to give no stars at all! This was the worst Chinese food I have ever eaten. Food was plain and broccoli beef is soggy with no flavor. Had a lot of fat pieces. Never going to come there again! Especially if they charge $26 for broccoli beef and $20 for combination fried rice
The food quality is always excellent! The staff will go out of their way to give you premium service. I order live lobster two days in advance. They serve it cooked to order in black bean sauce over noodles two days later. Fabulous!!
GC gets docked a star for two reasons: 1) limited access because the line is so long (reservations are only taken for parties of 6+) and 2) the kung pao chicken is disappointing. As an institution, GC has been the best Chinese food in the area for decades. It was once so small you could shoot an arrow from the front door to the back wall. Its corner spot now on Oxford & Bancroft is massive in comparison, so now more people can wait to get in. The space is modern and bright, but the food is thankfully not fusion or fanciful. The food is exactly what it says on the door: Great China. From the plump (but crisped-skin) potstickers to the mu shu pork to the spicy green beans to the Peking duck, it is deliciously predictable. When I order ma po tofu, I know I'm going to get silken cubes of tofu in a thickened shiny spicy red sauce with ground pork in perfect proportion. Service is as friendly as Chinese gets and effortlessly efficient and fast. Parking sucks; it's downtown Berkeley, people. But if my San Fran friends long to come here, you know it's worth the hassle.
Worth the wait. No reservations, we waited for 15 minutes for the restaurant to open at lunch time and got a table. We enjoyed the double skin so much that I would come back and eat just this for lunch. They mix up all the ingredients at your table. A fun show. Tables filled up quickly for lunch in a Saturday. The Peking duck was very juicy and crispy and they also cut all the meat off the bone so no hassle with handling of bones.
yummy
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing food quality.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Their food is always amazing. The only things is they only take reservations for parties over 6 so you could be waiting for a table for a while. Going at lunch seems easier and definitely worth it.
Overpriced and room lacks Asian charm.Irs not priced fir z working family. Too bad cuz ber misses the old haunt
Great China has excellent food and service.We supported them through the pandemic and the long closure and they supported our family with consistent high quality food and service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Honey Walnut Prawns, Zhen Jiang Spareribs, Fried Rice
This is now my new favorite Chinese restaurant! Came here with some friends during the week and ordered duck, double skin, hot and sour soup, garlic fried rice, sticky ribs, clams and crab on top of lo mein noodles. Everything was delicious but my favorite was the duck. The skin is so crispy and I love the pancakes that come with it. It's a nice alternative to bao. I sound basic when I say this but the hot and sour soup is a must try. I really enjoyed it and try to order it at every Chinese restaurant I go to. The crab with noodles was great. The double skin, their signature dish was just okay for me, it might have been too acidic for me. As for the clams, they were really large and the flavor and texture were great. The secret menu item was to ask for garlic fried rice on top of it. It was heavenly. Overall 5/5! I would recommend coming here early if you're coming with 5 or less people. Make reservations online for 6 or more. They don't have a full bar but they do have beer, wine and spirits to weather the wait. Servers were fast and knowledgeable on the menu and the space was large and on the fancier decor side.
Great China has the best duck I've ever had. It was moist and fatty. It was better than the duck I had when I visited China. I liked that they had gluten-free hoisin sauce upon request! Their garlic rice is to die for. The snow pea leaves were well seasoned and pricey. This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in the Bay. I wished their honey walnut prawns were gluten free.
Restaurantji Recommends
I don't know what the hype is about their Peking duck. I ordered it today for $73 and the meat was dry and bland. The only thing good was the crispy skin which you don't get a lot of. It comes with wraps that remind me of egg roll skins you use to wrap homemade egg rolls. The vegetable dish was good but everything else was mediocre. I've definitely had better Peking duck.
Food was delicious and service was good! I hadn't been in a long while and went right at opening to avoid the lunchtime rush. Had the double skin appetizer which is amazing and I haven't found it anywhere else.Lunch specials are a great deal and yummy too!
- Whenever my parents visited me as a student at Berkeley, we always went to great china. My favorite place for Peking duck in the Bay Area - they're unique for perfectly removing all the fat and getting the skin so crispy and tasty - the double skin dish is another must have, I haven't found a better one in the Bay Area - Interior vibes are great with a Modern and fresh decor - Service is quick and attentive Overall, one of my favorite restaurants in the Bay Area
Great experience overall, sort of traditionally Chinese setup and dishes but seems substantially American influenced too. We went because they have good gluten free options, which I'm told isn't super easy to come by. I quite enjoyed the peking duck--very flavorful and a nice balance of fattiness. The rest of the dishes were nice, though nothing special. Perhaps we should have ordered a bit differently? Will likely come back anyhow, when in the mood for a nice shared meal.
I would prefer to give no stars at all! This was the worst Chinese food I have ever eaten. Food was plain and broccoli beef is soggy with no flavor. Had a lot of fat pieces. Never going to come there again! Especially if they charge $26 for broccoli beef and $20 for combination fried rice