Bites Nearby: Great Wall Offers Family Style Dinners

Having lived in Western Springs nearly seven years, I had never tried the one and only Chinese joint in town. Great Wall at 5530 Wolf Road in Western Springs sits in a tiny strip mall next to my favorite dry cleaner.

Great Wall has seating, but you  would probably never dine in. It's primarily a carry-out or delivery restaurant.

The menu offers the usual fare. Deep fried appetizers, Chop Suey, Chow Mein and Fried Rice. After eating one of their eggrolls, I’m convinced that they re-fried it to warm it up—they were greasy and heavy.

Crab Rangoon is one of my beloved go-to Asian appetizers. Essentially it was a piece of fried dough. The filling was scarce and guess what… no crab!

Chicken Kow was my favorite Chinese dish growing up and much to my surprise Great Wall’s version was exactly as I remembered it. So, they’re spot-on with that one.

Mongolian Beef is a classic dish—slices of tender meat, swimming in a brown sauce with scallions. The meat was tender, but the sauce left little to be desired—in a word, bland.

The Great Wall Shrimp, which is under their Chef’s Recommendations category, is considered one of their spicier selections. It was a tad safe on the palate, so if you love spicy, I recommend asking for extra heat. Good news is they give you plenty of shrimp.

Great Wall is no different than most Chinese restaurants. The prices are very reasonable and most dishes are under $10. The food is substantial, so you could easily share and have left-overs.

Families, if you’re looking for a value meal, take advantage of their “Family Style Dining” and don’t forget to check their on-line coupons.