Great Wall Chinese Restaurant, Birmingham, Alabama Restaurant Details

Food:

Zagat reviews are compiled from individual user reviews.

Food:

A hidden gem. They have some great American Chineese as well as a Szechuan chef and a great traditional menu.

Food:

Great Wall Chinese Restaurant is a very good American-style Chinese restaurant. The egg rolls are maybe the best in town, and be sure to order something "off the menu." The staff will go out of its way to make sure you are satisfied. The owner is always as friendly as she can possibly be, and is very proud of her restaurant. One word of caution: when she is out of town, like she was for the Chinese New Year, the service can get a little slow.

Food:

After literally years since eating there last, the wife and I - in an attempt to not just hit one of the same old places over again - decided to have dinner this past weekend at Great Wall. We'd recently discussed the fact that over all this time, the place was consistently voted one of the best chinese restaurants in the city; so we figured it was definitely good timing for a re-introduction. I don't remember much about my/our last dining experience there, but I very vividly remembered its building and location; and I have to say that the crazy-busy parking lot and neighboring gas station absolutely brought back memories - like things hadn't changed at all. The rest of this particular visit held no surprises either (which isn't to be taken as a negative thing, btw) - typical restaurant atmosphere, decor, etc.; and, for those that may have read other reviews and became nervous when seeing comments related to "real Chinese" vs. "American Chinese" cuisine, the offerings IMO leaned towards more non-traditional items being available to order rather than less/none of the "American Chinese" dishes to which one might be accustomed. (My wife was a bit worried she would find something unfamiliar and ultimately unappealing to her there, butbecame more at ease when she noticed many of the average "crowd favorites" - Sesame/Garlic Chicken, etc.)

The food at Great Wall was delicious and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We didn't venture too far from the "American Chinese" (me w/ G. Tso's and her w/ Mongolian Beef), so I can't say much on how tasty many of the atypical dishes might have been. Though we did - thanks to other reviews - give the pan fried buns a try, and they were just as great as everyone had mentioned. Nothing unusual or outrageous - pretty much a well-cooked pan-fried dumpling, and a generous serving of them as well. Absolutely a great appetizer to order if you're feeling a bit more peckish than for what their rather large entree sizes will accommodate.

The one thing I think really stood out for us w.r.t Great Wall was the *incredible* service we received. Every single person working - from kitchen to table to register - was absolutely pleasant and seemingly sincerely overjoyed that we decided to have dinner there. It was undeniably noticeable and alone was enough to solidify any notions in our minds about being return customers. We're talking this kind of amazing attitude on a Friday evening at 9pm, when for most smaller restaurants the customer count is getting low and management is preparing to shut down for the night. Not to mention the food was as piping hot and fresh as if it was primetime dinner rush. The staff made us feel as if the restaurant was open just for us, and they were happy staying all night long if need be just so we'd have a great experience. They unquestionably know how to make a great "first" impression and they definitely did with us; and apparently not just us, judging from the many take-out orders that went in and out while we were there.

As I mentioned, the wife and I will positively be revisiting Great Wall again. Great food, great serving sizes, and phenomenal customer service - it's pretty much a no-brainer. :)

Food:

I USE to love Great Wall for years! I am SO disappointed in what I experienced this evening. They ruined what should have been a lovely family dinner. Shame you can't rate a zero or 1/2 star - after the evening my family had did not even deserve 1 star. First off it has been a few months since I ate there so I read all the reviews on here & other sites - they all pretty much said the same - service was excellent. So when I was asked by my family where I would like to go eat for my Birthday dinner - I said Great Wall. What a mistake!! Service was terrible. The restaurant wasn't even packed my family was on one side, the other side only had a few tables. So I cannot figure out why we had to wait so long for everything even water!! Either myself or someone in my party had to continuously go up front, wait for someone to FINALLY come out from back or find a server and ask if we could have refills on our water!! We told the server that we wanted separate tickets, so she brought me "the Birthday girl" the entire bill - really?? How can you go from 4 separate checks to giving me the entire bill?!? The bill was also incorrect but by the time we finally got it separated my son & son in-law were SO FRUSTRATED they just paid it so we could leave. My father ordered an unsweet tea & waited close to 10 minutes to get it (after I went up front & asked if we could PLEASE get a tea, the 2 glasses of wine we were STILL waiting on - which were ordered before my father even got there, so my dad gets there the server takes his drink order, we reminded her we still haven't gotten our glasses of wine nor refills on our water & we still had to wait another 5 - 10) We were charged for 2 extra fried rice that we NEVER got, the only extra fried rice was a very small saucer I got with very little rice and we asked for 3 more fried rice - yet the bill sure showed extras and that is what I saw before my son took the bill - so there is no telling what else was wrong. I pulled up their menu and added up what all we had - we were overcharged by about $20 - I included tax & few "extra" dollars in case I missed a drink. Thank you Great Wall for upsetting all of my family for making what SHOULD have been a fun family dining experience on my Birthday into an evening of frustration.

Food:

I have been an infrequent patron of Great Wall for about 7 years. This is about to change. The food experience there has always been sub par. It just didn't have that zing and pop! The staff, however, has never disappointed me. They are so accommodating! They were what kept me coming back for the food. Now though, they have a new chef, and I can not get enough of this place. I will be an infrequent visitor no more, because their food is outstanding! The new Pad Thai is incredible. As good, if not better than Surin. The wonderful lady I placed my order with recommended the Peppered Beef, and it is magnificent!! Guys, if the Great Wall ever displeased you before, give it another chance!