More family style dining than dim sum. Menu with pictures & authentic food. Some dishes were slightly under-seasoned, but the soup dumplings were quite good! (4/5)
I’m always on the look out for some Shanghainese food in Calgary. There aren’t a lot of them so this was exciting to try! The food was more expensive compared to Vancouver or Toronto. They have massive variety which is a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. The main dishes we ordered were good. The soupy dumplings were alright as the taste wasn’t as salty and sweet as it could be. The pan fried dumplings, steamed and pan fried buns, noodles, beans were all great. The ginger beef was mediocre. All my friends enjoyed the food because it was a bit different than Other Chinese joints.
Had a delicious dinner at Great Taste. Their menu caters more towards traditional chinese dishes and a schezwan style. I did however enjoyed their three dishes which were the sweet and sour fish fillet (crispy, flavorful and not overpowering sauce), beef and broccoli (broccoli was cut nicely with tender pieces of beef), and onion cake with beef roll (biting into that onion cake was crispy and you can taste that seasoned 5 spices beef). Overall prices per dish were a bit higher (approximately $15 - $18 per dish). I'd recommend giving this place a try.
I strongly recommend steamed whole fish with fresh red peppers to people who can handle bones :) it was very fresh and tender. Otherwise Sichuan fish was not a bad choice, either, if you like spicy food. Fried squid is also a great choice, the wrapping was so crispy and seasoning was so tasty. Xiao Long Bao was well made, thin skin and juicy.
Originally, my parents and I were not going to go out in celebration of 2018. However, upon further consideration, we decided to treat ourselves to some Chinese food. I was given the task of picking which restaurant we should dine at. At this point, I recalled seeing various dishes from Great Taste on Instagram, Zomato, Yelp and various other food blogs, therefore, it was my first choice. My parents and I left the house around 4:30pm and arrived at near Great Taste at 5:30. Parking at this time was not an issue, as we quickly found a parking point within minutes of entering Calgary Chinatown. When we walked into the restaurant, we were promptly seated by a friendly server and was given a menu. Upon opening the menu, I was mesmerized by the abundance of beautiful pictures displayed on each page of their recommended and most popular dishes. Making up our minds on what to order was difficult but after careful consideration, we ordered our dishes.
Great fast service and tasty food. We got the stir fried spicy lamb, kung pao chicken, chicken fried rice and beef and cucumber roll. Everything was a bit oily though. Everything inlcuding tip and a can of coke came to $69 for the two of us.
Enjoyed our lunch here with friends. We ordered Dan Dan (peanut noodle) soup, dumplings, Ma Po Tofu, and Yu Cai (Chinese greens) with garlic sauce. One of my favorite dishes is Ma Po Tofu, so it is nice to find a restaurant in Calgary that makes a good version, like in Beijing. I've never had Dan Dan soup before, but it was very tasty here.
The décor is nothing to write home about, but the restaurant was clean and the staff was helpful.
Descent food and only Chinese restaurant that I know of that has excellent service.
If you ask for something it will come; whereas other Chinese restaurants that I have been to, it's always a struggle to get something.
This has got to be the best service you can get in a Calgary Chinese restaurant! Love coming here, dishes can be pricey but they are generally pretty big portions. Probably the best xiao long baos in Calgary too!
Pretty good Chinese food for Calgary. Different style compared to its neighbouring restaurants in Chinatown. This is more of a mainland Chinese restaurant compared to the HK type restaurants around it. Overall their food is good. Beef appetizer roll is my favorite. Some of their dishes are unique and are consistent. Any rice or noodle dish will come out exactly as you think it will be like when looking at the menu. Prices average. Ive come here 5 or 6 times.
Me and my friend Went there for the first time.. very impressed with the menu & price. So much varieties to choose and the food tasted really good. I never had such a tasty Chinese food in Canada... The spicy lamb stir fry, my god just loved it. Must visit...
Great Taste. Great taste. We dropped by Sunday for a quick brunch/dim sum. Its a nice room, clean, bright and airy. We were met with a smile and offered a window seat. Got to watch the world walk by, although a surprising number of folks walked straight into the restaurant. Our food was brought to the table in short order. We'd enjoyed soup dumplings in Shanghai a couple of years ago and were very happy with those we ate here. The flavours of pork and ginger were delightfully balanced. We tried a beef and cucumber wrap and some spicy wontons and thought them well prepared too. Awesome. We'll be back. Thanks Great Taste.
First time having soup dumplings and I will definitely be back. Didn't plan on having it but they recommended ginger beef (I know) but I think it's hands down the best in China town.
The name of this restaurant describes it very accurately. I have been twice and had the hot and sour soup with noodle and the beef crispy fried noodle. Both dishes were excellent! The service here is also very good - way better than any other Asian restaurant in Calgary!
By far the best for Chinese in Calgary! Clean, fast, good service, well priced, and fresh! Definitely not the "dinner for two" type of Chinese food.
Be sure the get the Chinese broccoli with pork, green beans with minced pork, and wontons with spices sauce.
Be sure to avoid the chicken as it seems like it was butchered through a wood chipper (shards of bones).
Good northern Chinese dishes. The noodles are always well prepared and their fish is always tasty. Some of the dishes are quite authentic, although I feel that their soups are dumbed down for western taste. Good northern province soups have more of a pop: a bit more ginger, not necessarily more salt. I will go back, just to try their other ranges of dishes. They have a vast menu, which is impossible for just a single visit.
Good soup dumplings with chili oil and black vinegar. Good chow mein. Delicious skinny noodles. Good ho fan. Friendly service. Free dessert. I didn't really like the dessert but my friend did.
We came on Sunday morning and ordered a variety of dishes to share between 4 people. We really liked the soup dumplings and the beef and cucumber roll. The salt and pepper tofu was good, though the tofu wasn't as seasoned as I would have liked. We also got the sweet and sour fish fillets and Shanghai noodles, both were also good and generous portions. I would like to come back and try more of their dishes, especially the noodle soups. The restaurant is large and clean, service is typical of a Chinese restaurant, perhaps a little better but don't expect too much and you'll be fine.
Went here on a Tuesday night with a friend one hour before closing and the place was nice and clean. Quick service and large portions. We only ordered soup and found that both our soups were bland, but will be back one day to try their other Chinese dishes.
The food here is served in large portions at great prices! They also have a variety of desserts that other places usually lack. I love that they have a huge choice of dishes (especially actually spicy ones). It's also clean and does not feel as cluttered as most restaurants in Chinatown.
I've been here twice, and both times it was wonderful! Service is prompt even when the restaurant is busy, and the food is delicious.
Definitely recommend the xiao long bao- nothing beats them on a cold winter's day! Also recommend the earl grey tea smoked duck- I've had it both times and it was fantastic.
The first time I went we got the beef tendon soup, which was not so much my thing but was still delicious. The last time we were there we got the salt and pepper shrimp, which is really good if you don't mind a lot of salt. It was a bit too much for me, but I ended up taking the breading off and eating the shrimp so I did just fine.
All in all, a great spot, especially if you're in your element trying new things! I always tell people about it.
We were looking to try a new restaurant in china town and were pleasantly surprised at the food. The menu was pretty extensive but had photos of almost everything which made it easier to choose. They had a large selection of spicy food which was perfect . Lastly the customer service was great for Chinese and the server was friendly and very helpful. Will return !
Came here for some Shanghai food with my family for dinner. Ordered a few dishes including the Xiao Lon Bao which was really juicy and tasty. The fried bao and chicken broth with chicken & wonton was really good too. However, the vegetable dish and onion pancake was quite oily. Overall, I really enjoyed it as I like the small side dishes and will come back again.
Best XLB i have had in Calgary so far
Very juicy and succulent i a must check out. A new favourite place for me. Ibwill tell all my friends
Filled my craving for Xiao Long Bao, we shared a couple of orders as well as Dan Dan noodles. Everything was terrific. Friendly helpful service and great taste too. We'll be back again.
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We'd been looking for Dan dan noodles with peanut sauce in Calgary for a long time, and finally we came across a review that said Great Taste Chinese Restaurant served them. So we headed to Chinatown to check it out. Finally a place that serves them!
We ordered Dan Dan noodles, Beef tendon soup and pork belly with broccoli.
The Dan Dan noodles were fantastic. Chewy noodles and a rich, spicy peanut soup. A fantastic dish that we'd been looking for for months. It didn't disappoint and we'll definitely be ordering this again.
The Beef tendon soup was a spicy flavourful bowl of broth with chewy noodles and chunks of beef tendon that melted in your mouth. This dish might not be for everyone, because it's tendons, but it's a delicious ingredient that's worth giving a try. Both of us were suffering with a bit of a cold, so the warm soups were the perfect choice for us and really helped us feel a bit better.
The pork belly was enormous and delicious. This is one of our favourite dishes, but probably a little bit unhealthy to eat on a regular basis. Pork belly is obviously super fatty and not to everyone's taste. Again, the meat was super tender ( It literally falls apart when you touch it) and marinaded in a gravy that was very rich and full of flavour. The brocolli was great and went really well in our soups.
Apart from the pork belly, which was about $15, the other two dishes were around $7. Incredible value for money!
Love this restaurant's interesting and traditional menu, and we'll definitely be back again for more!
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Tried this place for the first time today and was impressed with the cleanliness of the restaurant and friendly staff for a Chinese restaurant.
We got there a little before 5 when the place was empty and then the entire place filled up within 10-15 minutes of being there. I would try to visit at off hours to avoid the crowds.
We tried to xiao long bao - soup dumplings, preserved egg congee, braised pork, and stir fried eggplant. It's difficult to find good XLB in Calgary and I think that this place does a decent job. I would have appreciated a spoon with the dish though.
The congee was nothing special but the small was big enough for the two of us. It tasted a bit... Bland. I've had better congee at many other places, I would not recommend it here.
The eggplant was my favourite dish from my visit. It was a bit on the salty side but perfect with congee (and probably a rice dish too). The sauce was good and the eggplant was served hot. Yum!
The braised pork was served with broccoli which I thought was really random but I thought maybe it's to set off the greasiness. The pork was more than 50% fat and too mushy for me, I picked at the meaty parts and left the rest. To be fair, I'm not sure what the authentic dish is supposed to be like because I'm not chinese, but it just wasn't for me.
Service was great, people regularly filling our teapot without us having to wave anyone down. When we were ready to leave, they were prompt on bringing us our bill. I would try again for some other dishes.
The food is okay. Service is what you'd expect from a Chinese restaurant, maybe slightly better. Don't order things based on the pictures of the menu, because they're not even close to be representative. Good for the occasional Northern Chinese cuisine like dumplings and noodle soup, but it's still very much a Hong Kong styled restaurant.
I really enjoy their spicy Szechuan dishes, in fact I personally think some of them could be spicier. The tea smoked duck and fried rock fish in sweet and sour sauce are good for non-spicy dishes. The service and atmosphere is similar to other chinese restaurants so don't expect much in that respect.
Great Taste is our favourite spot in Chinatown. I always bring the family here and we all have our favourite dishes. Here are a few:
-XLB (soup dumplings)
-salt and pepper squid
-crispy duck
-dandan noodles
-spare rib hotpot
-garlic gai lan
The service is friendly and the food is incredible. It's good to have a regular spot where you know you can have a great dining experience.
Excellent Shanghai/ Szechuan style food! It's often fairly busy each time I come. They have the best Shanghai dumplings in town! The radish cake is made from a pastry that's so soft and fresh! Service is good but on busy nights you would expect them to get another server. The tables are quite squishy when it's packed but the food compensates.
Quite tasty Chinese food, reasonable portions and good presentation. The service was not bad but you do need to remind the servers a few times for condiments. Would go back again. Seating is very dense and tight and a bit tough to hang jackets or bags.
Fabulous food! As good as the food in Shanghai. We had the fried green beans, the Shanghai noodles, the salted duck, and -- of course -- the Shanghai steamed dumplings. All were fantastic! My only quibble is that we waited 10-15 minutes before our order was taken (although it was busy and we were served tea immediately after being seated).
The dough of the xiao long bao was thin and the filling was juicy, definitely one of the best in Calgary. There are not many good Chinese restaurants in Calgary (compared to Vancouver and Toronto), but I must say this is one of the fewer one that I am willing to come back to.
There isn't many places to choose from in Calgary for Shanghai style food. But there are 2 places I do like and one is Great Taste. They have a variety of dishes on their menu and i always find the service here really quick and friendly. I love the steamed shanghai dumplings, wontons in spicy sauce, the congee, cucumber with chili oil and etc... soo many tasty dishes to choose from. I find that the food is very consistent, i haven't had a bad experience here yet.
I recommend this place for those who are craving shanghai food.
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Whenever I crave for Shanghai dumplings (xiao long bao) I will only come to this restaurant. This place serves the best xiao long bao in the city. The wrapper is kind of thin, the filling is tasty and there is a lot of soup in the dumplings. The green onion pancakes are nice and crispy but it's on the greasy side. The beef and cucumber roll is yummy. The cucumbers and hosin sauce help to cut the grease and the pancake still has an addictive crunch.
Their menu is really big and the food is pretty decent overall.
August 27th update
I went back with my coworkers for lunch but this time we decided we wanted to order food that's more of a dinner dish than lunch. The smoked duck with tea flavor was pretty good it had a nice smoky flavor and the duck was fried to perfection it wasn't dry at all. It was over seasoned though and we were pretty thirsty afterwards. We decided to get the sweet and sour fish fillets but after we tasted it we regretted not going all the way and getting the deep fried rock cod. The fillets were okay the batter was a little hard and the sauce was decent. The stir fried garlic snow peas are always a good choice.
This is the only restaurant in Calgary that has got xiao long bao (Shanghai Soup Dumplings) right. The wrapper is nice and chewy, there's actually soup in the dumpling, and the filling tastes great as well. The vast majority of their other dishes I've tried have also met or exceeded my expectations. Overall, a great little restaurant in Chinatown with decent portions and reasonably priced.
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First time in a few years since our family's been here. Changed ownership. Serves Shanghai, Sichuan & Cantonese dished. We arrived for lunch with a yearning for xiao lung bao's (Shanghai steamed juicy pork buns/dumplings) . Was pleasantly surprised! arrived hot and plump, freshly steamed & full of pork juices. The flavour was very good, texture was good. The dough was sufficiently thin.
The other dishes were OK too. The spicy jellyfish juliennes: flavour was good, but the jellyfish could be more plump (no pic) . Ginger Beef Bistro has better. The Shanghai stir fried thick noodles: pretty classic, i.e. good flavour, temp with a pinch of pork and cabbage (a la Shanghai coolie style). The starch sheet salad was a refreshing mix of cucumber, wood ear fungus, soya bean sheets juliennes. It came with a spicy sesame dressing on the side.
Service is friendly and efficient, but you do need to get their attention if you want something. Waitresses seemed to be conversant in Cantonese, Mandarin and English. Decor is very nice for a Chinatown resto. Prices are reasonable.
I would return to try the Cantonese chow mein ("2 face yellow" lol) and many others. They looked yummy (served to other patrons, no just the pics on the menu)!
Front entrance stairs render this restaurant less than fully accessible.
The food is really good!! The flavour of the food is towards the stronger side, but it's is always on point. I also feel like they have on of the best Shanghainese Pork Dumplings in town. The food is served really fast and the staff is really nice!! Definitely recommend this restaurant if you want good Chinese food at a reasonable price. Perfect for big groups and families.
Very good. Ordered cumin lamb skewers, and their cabbage pork soup with noodles. Perfect for this cold weather. Lamb skewer is bit pricy but really good. We only waited foe like 5 min for our dishes. Very fast. Will definitely return
Chinese comfort food... Craving a hot and sour soup this is the place to go! While you're there give the beef and cucumber roll a go. Also had the cumin ribs which were completely unexpected, the tea smoked duck was phenomenal. Going back!
OMG. May drive here from Edmonton every weekend. Dumplings and Taiwanese Chicken hot pot were amazing. Will be back.
Nice and cheap. There are a few dishes here I really like..onion cake, dan dan noodle, steamed pork dumplings. Also have tried other things that I did not care so much, and some surprisingly bad. I don't remember what those are, but the menu is big and styles vary a lot. I do not dare to be adventurous at this place after my first experience. Still there are enough good tasty dishes that keep bringing me back to this place. If you choose the right dishes...it's delicious at a good price!
Food is good but watch out for one vengeful waitress/host. Customer service is none existent
Service fast, dim sum appetizer good, so so spring rolls. Seafood fried noodle and beef with rice noodle good. Waitress never came by to ask how was food. Only white guy in there. Price ok.
Hannah Hammie Sushimi
+4.5
Loved it. One of the best chinese places I've ever had...(and that includes the places in china) xD I love it and the service surprisingly good.
Went for lunch yesterday. Seems like they have several lunch specials available for under $10. I had a chicken dish that came with rice and vegetables, plus the option of either a drink or soup (I had the egg drop soup). I was really impressed with the food...it was pretty amazing actually. The restaurant fills up quickly and I noticed that most patrons are Asian, so that's probably a good sign.
This restaurant is a hidden gem! Delicious and authentic dishes. Not your typical western-style adpated chinese food. This place is definitely one of my new favorites now.
Great food. Spicy food tastes great and keeps you warm for the winter season!
Service on the other hand is not as good.
Cheap good food!. The food here is cheap but delicious! It’s a good place to come for an informal dinner and I would recommend trying it out. During lunch, they have lunch specials which come with white rice and the meat/vegetable item you selected for 8.95! One of my favourite places in Chinatown.
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All I can say is YUM! Haven't had anything I didn't like here yet!
I have been here many times since I first discovered the restaurant in May. Boy is it addicting! The spicy unique flavors of the Szechuan province in China is so satisfying and I can't stop eating! The staff is always so busy, and it seems intimidating to ask and bother them but don't hesitate! They are very friendly and more than willing to help you out if you need assistance on what to order. Be warned though, when the menu says its spicy, its spicy! DON'T EAT THE RED PEPPERS! As alluring as it may look to some of you, you are not supposed to eat it. My tongue went numb for about 20 minutes because it was so hot! But it didn't stop me from finishing my meal. Make sure to get there early - the place usually gets packed at around 6:00 dinner time so plan ahead! The only downfall is the parking, but after all the delicious food you eat, and especially how much of it you will eat, its nice to try and burn a few calories walking back to your car.
Awesome mainlander food.... We've been coming since MBA days and decided to give it a try, and glad we did. My wife is from Hong Kong, but we've been to Beijing and Shanghai and like mainland Chinese food -- it's actually hard to find in Calgary where it's almost all Cantonese. Duck is practically a mainland staple, so we went with the tea-smoked duck. Divine. The fish maw soup with bamboo shoots was also first rate. For an appy we had the cumin lamb skewers, which is another mainland specialty. Very fine. For veggie we had fried pumpkin with salted egg yolk breading. Again, very tasty. It's a family run joint and the service is friendly, and they were nice to our 4yo kid. Mainlanders are still a small part of the Chinese community in Calgary, and the place was filled with them. We'll definitely be back.
Excellent!. Han's was closed (again) today so we decided to try this newer spot that's opened in what used to MBA Noodle House. It's next door to Calgary Court. The food was just spectacular. We had a cold noodle dish with shredded cabbage and cukes in a delicious vinegary, spicy dressing, an order the of rice cake with XO sauce, and this incredible fried diced (but bone-in- just give it a chance, think of it as a sort of order of wings) chicken that is covered with a ton of chilies but isn't overwhelmingly spicy- beautiful dish! Service was fast and very friendly and professional. I might have a new fave in Chinatown.
This place is awesome. Super chill china town joint. Food is pretty authentic from what my Beijing guests tell me.
You say pumpkin, I say kaboocha. This was my favorite dish. I was expecting kaboocha slices so when this dish was being brought out, I was like what the heck is that. Just think of these as kaboocha fries! Some pieces were more battered than others, and some pieces got more egg yolk sauce more than others. The outside is crispy while the inside is soft and sweet.
This was such a great place for simple Shanghai style snacks that I’m sure I’ll be back to eat here!
Food was slightly overpriced, especially in Chinatown despite being in downtown Calgary.
The food was actually pretty good. Flavourful and strong, exactly as I expect the dishes to be.
The parking outside is limited, having to pay for parking also.
The Salted Fish and Chicken has a strong fishy taste which is very good.
Came for the xiaolongbao, enjoyed everything we ordered — especially the soup dumplings and soy sauce fried noodle with bean sprouts.
Service was friendly and fast. Will return next time I’m in Calgary.
Location tip: if you’re visiting the area and want a nice after-dinner walk, this spot is about a 10-minute walk from the Peace Bridge.
Outstanding service and extremely tasty. We received our food so fast, so many great options to choose from. Will definitely go back.
Still a reliable Chinese restaurant in terms of quality and service after the pandemic. Provides mostly northern Chinese cuisine with abundant choices of dishes.
Been here several times and the ladies there are always amazing! The service is great and the food is delicious. Highly recommend their soup dumplings and soy sauce noodles. Everything there that I’ve tried is always good and authentic.
One of my fav go to places for Chinese food. The soup dumplings are one of the best in town. Excellent food over-all but what makes this place special is the extra friendly service.
Food is AWESOME. The server was really friendly and knowledgeable. Definitely come back!
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