Great China Restaurant — Restaurant in Kirkland

I have really wanted to like this place, but they are working against my desires. We first ordered take-out from Great China in 2008 and it was mediocre at that time. Since then we have always ordered Chinese take-out from another local restaurant. However, we wanted to give Great China another chance since it has been a long time and we went to the restaurant to sit down and eat. We arrived just before 5 PM on a Sunday so the lunch business was long gone and there was only one table occupied with a couple when we arrived. The first thing I noticed was rice scattered all around the floor (no where near the current diners) as well as a couple fortunes strewn on the floor. We sat down at our table and noticed greasy finger/hand prints on the benches. I then went to wash my hands in the men's room and the door was sticky with old grease, the inside of the restroom had cobwebs with dust caught in them all around the ceiling, the floor was filthy and the restroom was unkempt. I recall reading many years ago that a great way to understand the cleanliness of a restaurant is by the restrooms because by comparison to the kitchen they are relatively simple to clean and keep clean; whereas kitchens require a lot of work. We received our food and the quality was poor. The Mongolian beef had dry chunks of noodles and was overly sweetened, wild basil chicken was OK, sea food lover had far too much sauce, spring rolls were absurdly greasy, and the rice had the consistency of having been out of the pan for hours (if not days). We really wanted to give Great China a fair chance, but they did everything to prove that they are simply not interested in cleanliness or food quality. The staff was pleasant, but that's not enough to make up for these...

To start, I should say my rating would be 3.5 stars not 3, since the app doesn't let me give half-star rating. We visited Great China restaurant for dinner on a Monday night and we were 3 adults and 2 kids. The restaurant is relatively cozy with bench seating at the sides with a row of tables in the middle. Given the smaller size of the restaurant and the "homey" atmosphere, this place definitely qualifies as a mom and pop joint.

On this night, there was one lady (proprietor?) managing the dining room, phone and takeout orders. With a handfull of other diners, she took our order with little delay. We ordered pot stickers for starters and were a bit disappointed as we found them under cooked.

The remainder of our order came out without delay and we were satisfied with overall quality, quantity of the dishes. The chicken chowmain was a hit with the kids. However one thing we noticed with the all the dishes was the level of sweetness, with the Mongolian beef being the sweetest tasting dish.

So in short, I'd recommend Great China, service was great and food was good. If you go you may need a bit of patience if you happen to be there on a busy night and only one server. For me, next time I'll make sure to ask to hold off on any sweetining...

First time eating there and I sure hope it is not the last time. The most impressive part about dinner here was the quantity of food for the price. Lots of food left to take home and when the food taste this good, left overs are desired.

Two of my girlfriends were out for the day on a day trip. They surprised me by picking me up for dinner. They gave me a few choices of kinds of food. One of my girlfriends is a strict vegan and the other is like me and will eat anything that taste good as long as it is not super unhealthy.

When given the option for Chinese food, I decided dinner would be Chinese food and my vegan girlfriend picked Great China Restaurant because she has ate here before (she lives in the area).

My vegan girlfriend ordered vegan food options that she greatly enjoyed. My other girlfriend and I ordered one of the combination family meals. We could not believe how much food was brought to the table which really impressed me. And the taste of the food was wonderful.

I live in Burien and wished the Great China Restaurant was closer. The Chinese Restaurant I went to for 40 years in Burien sold and I have been looking for a great Chinese Restaurant for a few years.

I can't wait to be back and eat at the Great China...