The Great Wall Restaurant

4515 France Ave S
Minneapolis, MN
952-927-4439
http://www.greatwallrestaurant.us/

Category: Chinese

Rating (Scale 1-10, with 10 being the highest):
Food: 6 (Buffet Only)
Service: 8
Ambience: 9

Recommendation: Good. Great Wall serves a nice buffet during lunch and is a reasonable option if you want a reasonably priced lunch option.

Although it’s located in a strip mall, you get a different vibe when you walk into Great Wall. We wouldn’t call it upscale, but the décor is quite pleasing and in that way this place differentiates itself from the competition. The wallpaper and wood blind accents are in natural colors and we like the “zen” like approach.

A large group of us went there for lunch recently. The lunch buffet has limited options, some of which are staples on most Chinese menus. We skipped the Sweet and Sour Pork/Chicken dishes as the thought of drowning battered meat in a sweet sauce isn’t really appealing. The Chicken with Cashew Nuts was really nice – we like the crunch from the nuts especially. As was the Pork with Vegetables in Brown Sauce – a quick stir fry of fresh vegetables is really what makes this dish. The Eggs Rolls are delicious – the accompanying mustard was a little watery and not as hot as we are used to. We’d skip the Wontons though – too brittle and not enough filling. We did order one dish off the menu – Pork with Scallions and Chilies. It was a little on the salty side, but overall it had good flavor and was appreciated all around. Service was excellent – friendly and prompt. Our one serious gripe is the placement of the buffet table – it becomes a parking lot because one end is placed against a wall, and the entrance and exit is on one side only.

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