The Great Wall Restaurant

This casual restaurant was a last minute idea for lunch. I was pleasantly surprised when they had a all-​you-​can-​eat buffet.
The Food — A vast amount of options to choose from. Spicy jalapenos stuffed with pork, pepper shrimp, egg flower soup and Vietnamese egg rolls are just a fraction of the 50+ dishes to choose from. There is also a salad bar, a station for stir-​fry, Sushi galore, dessert bar and refillable drinks. All of the food was fresh, hot & delicious!
Ambiance — On a Friday afternoon, there was a steady crowd and quite busy. The restaurant was clean and comfortable with booths along with a sprinkling of tables and chairs. The décor was classic Chinese with a campy/​kitchy feel. Gaudy chandeliers full of bling hung above our heads.
Service — Our waitress was incredibly prompt and pleasant despite it being quite busy.
Price — This was the shocker — $ 8.50 per person for everything including drinks. My companion received a Senior discount and only paid $ 7.65.
I would have liked to see a general ingredients list for each item on the buffet bar. I do not recommend the buffet to people that have allergies or gluten sensitivities. The plastic pockets where the signs were located were torn and looked liked they needed replaced and the condiment bottles were spilled and needed cleaning. I could overlook these things due to the tasty food coupled with the low price.
Hours — Sun-​Thurs: 11:00am — 10:00pm
Fri & Sat: 11:00am — 11:00pm

I’ve been here a lot of times and have never had a bad experience. They have a stir fry area and a sushi table along with good food and dessert.

We recently moved into a new neighborhood and this is the closest Chinese take-​out, so we decided to try it out. We called for delivery but they stop taking delivery orders at 9 pm. (We called at 9:06 — no exceptions!) My husband had to run an errand anyway so we decided to go with a take-​out order.
Food was ready quickly (20 minute wait) and the order was correct, even with a special request for no onions in one rice order.
We had sweet & sour chicken, chow mein, pork fried rice, an egg roll and fried shrimp.
Sweet & sour sauce was cold and just ok. Chicken was pretty greasy but hot and so-​so. The rice was fairly bland, shrimp was ok and the egg roll was meh.
Chow mein was my favorite, very garlicky and I liked it. Husband didn’t as much.
Overall…it was… ok. We will probably try a different place next time we get that Chinese food craving.

As an avid critic (not through Unilocal) I have reviewed many restaurants but Great Wall is one I will never go back to. I have enjoyed the food through delivery several times, I had no Idea what I witnessed would make me never want to eat there again. As most Unilocaler’s reviewed I couldn’t even focus on the food due to the multiple health code violations. Here is my break down of my visit.
1. The food on the buffet line was low quality and tasted all the same, it was not the same food I receive from delivery.
2. I watched for an hr and a half as hot food sat on the line without being changed (it was lukewarm at best and in the danger zone)
3. Stir fry station had a stack of plates in the window where the man cooks your food, next to those plates a big white dirty fan. (Another health code violation.
4. I ventured in to the bathroom to find the horrifying scene other reviews stated, the bathrooms dirty and exposed cleaners under the sink. (Use caution if you have kids)
My two last MAJOR critiques that had me ready to leave– ASAP
* If you visit here watch the wait staff/​bussers (they are the same)
During my meal I witnessed the waitress clearing old buffet plates from another customers table, I then asked as she came by for a refill on my drink. I was mortified when she picked up my glass with part of her free hand by the rim, she then preceded to refill it up at the front and bring it back to me.
* My last observance was another disturbing act of negligence as I watched tables being cleaned off with the same rags. This was more frightening when she did not clean off the condiments (salt, pepper, soy sauce bottles) but left them dirty. Anyone who has been in the industry knows it is a violation to not be sanitized after every sitting.
In closing I always like to go in to a restaurant «blind» I like to not know past reviews so I can be unbaised in my examinations. Before I left it was crucial to speak to management and show them my findings before I write and publish. I was shocked by the lady’s response as it seemed she did not care, she had no idea of the fan violation and assured me every 2 months they are inspected. Nevertheless they will be getting a visit as I contacted a friend from the health department, after all of this their was no effort to make me happy. They still insisted I pay for my meal which I did, but if you happen to ignore this review and go there I have given you things to watch for.

Ordered orange chicken and potstickers. Orange chicken was soggy and flavorless– not crispy and orangey as described on menu. Had two pieces and couldn’t eat anymore it was disgusting. The potstickers filling was overwhelming– both in amount and saltiness. Absolutely the worst Chinese food I’ve ever eaten. Don’t order from here.

I’m a truck driver and I eat everywhere, the food here was fresh and the selection was fantastic I ate lunch at 1pm the service was great too. My glass never was empty. For $ 8.50 it was a steal. I would gladly pay $ 12.00 for what I got.

Our family has been going there for years, it’s a favorite for birthday dinners. The service is good for a buffet, they keep the refills coming and clear away the empty plates fast. The buffet is fairly large and well stocked with fresh items. The girls love the stir fry where they select their own ingredients and the cook fries it up for them, kinda like a Mongolian BBQ. A solid four stars, I just don’t think buffets deserve five stars.

I’ve been to the Great Wall in the past and each time it was dirty and the staff isn’t even close to friendly. The bathroom is as bad as an outhouse… disgusting! We haven’t been here for quite awhile because there are much better restaurants to go to, however; today we had coupons and my kids said they wanted to go because they love the shrimp. We met some friends here for lunch and all ordered the buffet. After waiting for over 15 minutes for someone to take our drink order we got up and got them ourselves from the fountain machine next to the buffet. We were given many dirty looks from the waiters but still were never asked if we needed anything. My 8 year old son sat through the entire lunch waiting for them to bring out shrimp to the empty shrimp tray in the buffet; it took them over 30 minutes. Everything I ate tasted very salty and there was no difference in flavor between one item and the next. The California rolls were the only buffet items that were satisfactory. To top off the terrible food, dirty tables around us and awful service, when I went up to pay for my kids and my buffets the cashier called over one of the male waiters who had been outwardly rude during our entire visit. The waiter came over and looked at my coupon and asked if our friends at the table were using a coupon as well. He proceeded to tell me that it says right on the coupon that only one coupon can be used per party. I read the coupon and it said nothing of the sorts. It did say that you could only use one coupon per person, the cashier read it and agreed with me. Nowhere in the restaurant did it say only one coupon per party. The rude waiter (Mike) then read the coupon and said, «oh this must be a different coupon, but it’s still our policy to only accept one per party». If this is your policy then you need to make sure it’s stated on the coupon and somewhere in your restaurant. It seems this waiter (or whatever he was) was just wanting to be a jerk more than anything. He was very rude and unprofessional. He let me use my coupon but he refused to let our friends use their coupon for their order. Not a very good way to make happy customers.

I’ve eaten three times from this restaurant. One as take out and the other two as delivery. The first time I ate there I ordered take out. They were able to make my food without msg which was great and the food was fresh, hot and quite tasty. I was pleasantly surprised as I’ve had trouble finding quality Chinese food in Boise. The other two times I ordered delivery and as I said earlier, they were both wrong. The manager does a good job trying to make things right for the customer which is great customer service, but he wouldn’t have fix the mistakes of his staff if they had better knowledge of the restaurants dishes and strove to a higher standard as their manager. As for the food, well it’s sort of hit or miss. The take out was really good. The first delivery was not bad, but the second delivery, well let’s just say it was «grease city». I don’t like greasy Chinese food, so I doubt I’ll be back even though the manager made the effort to fix the error.

We were excited to see on their website that they now offer delivery… we called to place an order and were told that they are not accepting orders for delivery??? Wish they’d take that off their site… very misleading… from the sounds of other reviews, I guess it’s probably a good thing we didn’t eat food from here.

Been coming here since I was 4 or 5. The original location on Overland and I think Five Mile was the best, especially back in the nineties.
Never been to another Chinese restaurant like this in all of the Northwest or California… buffet or table service. I crave this style of Chinese and can only get it every time I’m in Boise. Best pork fried rice… the only fried rice I know of that you can get without frozen peas and carrots, authentic sweet and sour and best green vegetable chow mien.
I can only hope the food is still good when I come back.

Pass this restaurant up, if you can. Food is inexpensive, but not very good. The buffet had quite a bit of food, but much of it tasted the same. A lot of it was greasy ad soggy. Service was not very good either. The place even looks run down.

I’ve been to all the Chinese buffets in Boise/​Eagle/​Meridian area and The Great Wall Restaurant is by far the best. Always constant good food. Very reasonably priced. This is the place I recommend to anyone who asks. Never a bad experience in 5 years of patronage.

We decided to go to this buffet last night based on some of the more recent reviews. DH suggested China Grand, but I’m not a huge fan of that restaurant.
Overall, we agreed that the Great Wall was better quality. The Kung Pao chicken actually had spice. General Tsos was good. The Spicy Chicken was a bit salty for DH’s taste. We didn’t try the stir fry house or the sushi. Loved the green beans. The fried rolls (egg rolls, etc) and pot stickers weren’t to our liking, but that could just be preference.
My main beef with the place is that the replenishment of food was not very fast. We got there at 7pm on a Friday night and had just missed a serious rush of people. Turnover may have been faster at that hour. I was able to get green beans, but the pan was not refilled in the 45 min that we were there.
The place is clean and open. Very bright and doesn’t seem crowded by too many tables in the middle of the floor. Our server was very nice, though a bit flustered. She may have been new.
We’ll be back!

I’ve become a little jaded about Chinese buffets around here but the manager invited our family to give this place a try. It’s not as close as China Grand, but worth the extra mile. Our server Stephanie was very attentive, and the manager and other staff made us feel very welcome. The restaurant is clean, open and inviting, and while the look may not be as authentic, the food is on par with the competition if not superior.
While there’s fewer dishes than similar places, they seem to emphasize quality over quantity. The BBQ chicken skewer I had was tender and flavorful with a subtle hint of teriyaki. I didn’t get a chance to try the other chicken dishes but my step-​daughter enjoyed the orange chicken.
I noticed their sweet and sour sauce was different than most Chinese restaurants here and in Arizona, a lot gooier and less runny, not to mention a more appetizing shade of orange rather than that horrible bright red bordering on pink. I approve.
The buffet includes stir fry, made to order I think, but I didn’t get a chance to try it. There’s plenty of veggies and fruit and a few generic items like popcorn shrimp and tater tots for finicky eaters. Dessert includes the usual jello, donuts, ice cream and, by request, soft serve. There’s also a fridge with a variety of pies.
They deliver for a minimum order of $ 20 with a $ 3 delivery charge. I look forward to ordering food in the future as our sons have reached the terrible twos early. The delivery menu even includes items like cheeseburgers and fries.
Overall the food is above average and the service is exceptional. It wasn’t just us, either. They took great care of all their guests.

Great Wall has really turned over a new leaf! My wife and I would never have come back, chalking our first experience up to the place just being a below average, cheap asian buffet. A week or so ago, I was messaged by the manager regarding my initial review. He asked if my wife and I would give them a second chance and I have to say I couldn’t be happier! The food was great! I almost wish I had four stomachs to fill! If you want to eat at asian buffet that’s affordable and great tasting, where the management truly cares about the customer feedback and the wait staff is second to none go no further then Great Wall on Overland!

Excellent food and service. This buffet was awesome there was tons of different things and everything had its own unique flavor. I really liked there mongolian that came with the buffet. the crab ragoons had to be the best i ever had. I cant wait to go back to this place. This is my new favorite buffet and not just chinese buffet my all around favorite buffet. I would definitly suggest this place to all my friends and family.

Probably the worst place I have ever been for a Chinese buffet. The food seemed pretty tasty at first, yet was followed not long after with stomachaches, bloating, and other thoughts that are better served for one’s own imagination.
The interior just did not provide a welcoming presence — compared to its authentic-​looking competitor three miles north on Fairview, this place seemed like an abandoned pawn shop that was abruptly converted into a restaurant.
Upkeep was something else. I saw several tables with trash and dirty dishes up and down aisles, seats littered with crusty crumbs, stains where babies/​little kids sat, and pieces of food on the floor.
If it were not for a friend who loves this place as much as a single sports fan loves Hooters, I would have avoided this place on day one.

Ever heard of dirty water hot dogs? This is dirty water Chinese. You know it’s a bad idea, but it’s good enough to make bad look not as bad. Don’t go here if you’re a fan of sparkly clean eating establishment and super cheery efficient staff. This isn’t that sort of place. It’s bordering on dive, where the food is just about as good as the people watching… if you have the guts for it…
But seriously, the food is good, really. There’s lots of seating, and there’s a reason why the place is usually busy. it’s because they know how to cook pretty decent food.
(Oh, if you’re behind me in line you’ll notice that I load up on their fried shrimp, fried rice, and general’s chicken. They have a menu, but everything good on it is offered at the buffet)

Great buffet! Very busy so very fresh. Good selection, stir fry and desserts. Some booth seating and some out in the middle that would fit large groups well. Good service and great rates for kids, our 3 and 1 year old eat free.