Great Wall in Oklahoma City: Cantonese Dim Sum and Roasted Meats

Great Wall is a casual Cantonese restaurant in Oklahoma City that specializes in dim sum, roasted duck, and Cantonese-style noodles. Located on the city's east side, it serves both lunch dim sum service and full dinner orders in a utilitarian dining room with red booths and minimal decor.

What Great Wall actually is

Great Wall operates as a traditional dim sum house with a roasted-meat counter. The restaurant does not combine these services equally. Dim sum is available at lunch only, typically from late morning through early afternoon. Dinner service shifts focus to roasted meats (duck, pork, chicken), hand-pulled noodles, and cooked-to-order Cantonese dishes. This structure means a visitor seeking dim sum must arrive during lunch hours; evening diners will find a different menu entirely.

Dim sum service and lunch menu

During dim sum hours, servers push carts of steamed and fried items through the dining room. Dishes include har gow (shrimp dumplings), siu mai (open-faced pork dumplings), char siu bao (barbecue pork buns), and taro croquettes. Pricing follows Oklahoma City's standard dim sum model: most items cost between $3 and $5 per order of three to four pieces. Steamed items are cheaper than fried varieties. The pace of cart service is slower than at larger dim sum halls in Dallas or Tulsa, so appetites should adjust to grazing rather than rapid volume.

Roasted meats and dinner pricing

The roasted-meat counter displays whole ducks, pork belly, and barbecue chicken hanging behind glass. A half roasted duck runs roughly $20 to $24 and serves two people adequately as a protein with rice and vegetable side. Whole roasted chicken (roughly $16 to $18) and roasted pork belly are staples. Noodle soups with roasted meat cost $12 to $15. Rice plates with roasted meat and two sides run $11 to $14. These prices hold steady but should be confirmed, as meat costs fluctuate.

How Great Wall compares locally

Oklahoma City has limited Cantonese options. Lido Asian Cuisine (also on the east side) serves dim sum but focuses more broadly on Sichuan and Szechuan cooking; its dim sum cart service is smaller and less frequent than Great Wall's. Jade Island, another east-side competitor, offers dim sum and roasted meats but with a more modern, upscale presentation and higher pricing (dim sum items often $5 to $7). Great Wall's strength is straightforward preparation and lower cost. Its weakness is inconsistent cart service during lunch. Choose Great Wall for reliable roasted meats at lunch or dinner and budget-friendly dim sum; choose Jade Island if decor and attentiveness matter more than price.

Who suits and who does not

Great Wall works well for diners comfortable with no-frills service, those seeking specific roasted meats, and people familiar enough with Cantonese food to order confidently from the counter during dim sum. Families with young children can manage lunch dim sum easily. The restaurant does not cater well to first-time Cantonese diners who expect guidance, vegetarians (the roasted-meat focus dominates the menu), or anyone seeking full-service attentiveness or upscale ambiance.

What a first visit involves

Arrive during lunch (typically 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., but verify) for dim sum, or anytime after 5 p.m. for dinner. At lunch, a host will seat you immediately unless the restaurant is full, which is rare. Servers begin circulating with carts within minutes. Point to items you want, or ask the server to return with steamed options if you prefer. Expect to order 4 to 6 small plates for two people at lunch. At dinner, order at the counter or from a printed menu. Ask for recommendations on roasted-meat cuts if uncertain. Most orders arrive within 10 to 15 minutes.

Hours, parking, and location

Great Wall is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. (verify these hours, as restaurant schedules can shift). Sunday hours vary; call ahead. Parking is available in a shared lot; no reserved spaces. The restaurant does not take reservations and operates on a first-come basis. Cash is accepted, and most credit cards are too.

Great Wall fills a real need in Oklahoma City for authentic Cantonese roasted meats and unpretentious dim sum at fair prices. It is not a destination restaurant, but it is reliable for the specific dishes it does well.