Great Castle Chinese Restaurant

It had been awhile since we last ate at Great Castle. It was the first time since the ownership changed. When I asked, they said much of the kitchen staff was the same.We ordered our usual Chinese (seems redundant) Chicken Salad with extra ginger and Kung Pao Chicken (no white onion). The server was happy to take my special orders. Great Castle is a fun place to eat. I love the Chinese decorations. It was close to their New Year and I love their decorations.The food was just as tasty as I remembered, maybe a little better. A higher quality chicken seems the most logical answer. The sauce on the Kung Pao is not very spicy, but it adds just enough flavor that, when mixed with the steamed rice, one gets that happy feeling inside.It's still a little pricey. If you haven't been to the Great Castle on Union Ave. yet, definitely check it out.

Summary:Best Chinese food in Bakersfield! This the only place I've found anywhere in the city that has handmade dumplings and they are absolutely amazing! If you like Chinese food, this place will not disappoint.Parking:Plenty of parking with multiple entrances and exits. The one downside to this place is the crackheads in the parking lot. When I went in there was just one and when I walked out there were 5. Don't let that scare you away though. This place is great!Ambiance:Open area inside. Plenty of space between tables. Very ADA friendly layout! Lights aren't too bright or too dim - just right. Booths are privately separated. Large round tables for big parties with a rotating top in the middle just like in China!Service:On a busy New Year's day (2025), I was seated within 2-3 minutes. Drinks were on the table a few minutes afterwards and the order was taken as soon as I made up my mind on what I wanted. I ordered hot tea and a beer and both were the perfect temperature. Food:I ordered the egg and seaweed soup, fried dumplings, and the beef and scallop special. There's no other way to say it: everything was perfect! This is no doubt my new favorite Chinese restaurant in Bakersfield!

First time at Great Castle in about 25+ years. I know they've switched owners but I believe the original owner is still in the biz. Cleanliness I'd say isn't 100% but this place seems to never not be busy. It's definitely got the Christmas Story old school feel to the place and the different sections of the restaurant makes it feel like you're in n different sectors of a house. Food for 8 was reasonably priced but also remember everything is family style serving, so it will feed 2-3 easy for each plate. Definitely get their fried pork specialty on the specials side of the menu. I cannot remember the name for the life of me but definitely hands down one of the better pork dishes. We also had a couple shrimp dishes, the chowmein and a couple of the dinner special options. I would only recommend the diver special options of it's just a couple of you but if its a family ordeal order the family style plates. Again, this place is an institution for Bakersfield and has a great selection for lunch or dinner. Price wise it is definitely reasonable and they of course do carry out. Great option for Christmas dinner or any other family occasion.

I am not going to lie the food was great, until I found a hair in it.I will think about a future visit.

So the previous owner we all learn to love over the years retried and new owners took over. The restaurant looks the same. The service is still good. Food still comes fast. Big change is happening. Start with Mapo Tofu. They added in tingly spice and the authentic bean sauce from Pixian. Wow, what a pleasant surprise! The seasoning of the vegetables are much more aggressive, in a good way. The pork is the same, which is already great. The dry style beef chow fun was amazing! I'm definitely going back!

So this is my second time going to this restaurant and I'll have to say that the food was tastier and better this time around. I also feel like their portions got bigger, which is good, this makes a great restaurant for larger groups and when two people who do not eat a lot are on a budget.I went on a Saturday and the place was pretty busy, however since it was just me I was able to be seated right away. The staff is friendly and professional and right away. They brought me water and hot jasmine tea.I ordered a cup of egg, drop soup, pork, fried rice, and moo-shu pork. After I ordered the server brought me a small bowl of crispy noodles with a side of ketchup and hot and spicy mustard.The egg drop soup came out first. It is a very good sized cup not like other places where it's a tiny little thing. The soup had plenty of egg and the broth was tasty. It was also loaded with a few vegetables, including mushrooms. II wish it was piping hot, it was warm at best.The next thing that came out was the moo-shu pork. This is one of my all-time favorite dishes, especially when the pork and vegetables are seared in a hot wok and you get that seared wok taste. For those of you not familiar with this dish, it is a pork vegetable stirfry that is then wrapped in steamed crêpes, a.k.a. Chinese crêpes, with hoisin sauce, and rolled to look like a burrito. The portion was large, it came with four servings, and the last one was kind of fat. The server mentioned that if requested, you could ask them to make them smaller and you get more crêpes out of the dish. Similarly like the soup, I wish it was piping hot. The dish was warm and got cold very quickly.The last thing that came out was the pork fried rice. I love a good pork fried rice when you get that nice seared taste and the rice is brown from all the sauces that they put in it. The rice was a huge serving probably enough for six people, needless to say I have a ton of leftovers that I brought home. There was plenty of vegetables, egg, and stir fried pork that was tender and seasoned well. Just like the two dishes before I wish it was piping hot.I really want to give this place five stars, especially since new owners have taken over it recently, and they are still transitioning the staff between the old owners and new. Maybe that's why the temperature of the food was not what I was expecting. If it wasn't for that, these guys would get five stars from me. Hopefully in the next couple of months, they can figure out the temperature thing and when you order your food it's piping hot, because that is when it taste best. By the end of my meal, I sat with dishes that were beyond room temperature cold because of the AC. At that point, I was no longer enjoying my lunch.The added bonus, is the portions are so large, I have plenty of leftovers for the peeps at home. Enjoy!

Great Castle is our go-to Chinese spot . The food is great. The menu is so big it's hard to choose a dish. The service has always been top notch.I know they are closing down soon, and that makes me very sad. This place is the best in town.

It was solid chinese food. not the best in the world but not terrible. Considering the area i would give it a 4/5. I think it is a tad on the expensive side

Always a great choice, fresh and hot food served quickly. Seen some new faces however, same great food. I think they are the best Chinese food in Bakersfield. Lunch special is the best. Served a generous amount of food, you will not leave hungry. Definitely recommend

ordered tonight for the second time. we love the food but we recommend better containers. most of the food with sauce leaks and it's messy and sticky !