This place holds such a strong place in my heart. Before my dad passed, he used to come here all the time for the lollipop wings and share it with my mom. I'm here nearly 26 years later trying it, and I absolutely loved it here. The lollipop wings were huge, juicy, and packed with that spicy flavor. We also tried their version of "cha chiang mein", and it did not disappoint! I love how soft the noodles were with the black bean sauce. I'm definitely getting those items again! The service was absolutely amazing!!! The ladies working there were so nice, and they made sure to check in on us throughout our meal. They were so sweet, and I would love to dine here again. The ambiance was very simple but large; there's a lot of tables if you want to bring a bunch of friends to enjoy a comforting meal here read more

Great Sea Restaurant - Lollipop Chicken Wings - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Well, you try to support small businesses but then you come across places like Great Sea Rest where they dont believe in being polite/courteous and respectful. I understand some of it comes down to cultural norms. However, treating the customer with respect after they patronize your business should be a no-brainer. I had an issue here recently and brought it to their attention..they acted very offended, started speaking in their language and not once apologized or told me, let me fix it (it was a minor issue regarding a drink) they are straight up rude and will talk to you with disdain if you dare complain... there certainly is not a language barrier bc they understand/Speak English just fine but will talk about you right in front of you (pointing) in their language when you complain. read more

Wings are very dry use more sauce the portion of the shrimp fried rice is very small now , disappointed

I came here with my partner and mom because I have heard great things about this place. Everyone raves about their lollipop chicken here and I have to say, it is actually really good. It really lives up to its hype because of how sweet/spicy the wings are at this place. The chicken was a bit dry (I think they over fried it) but the taste was still very spot on. We just got the broccoli in the oyster sauce because they didn't really have a ton of veggie option but surprisingly it was actually really good. The cha chiang mein was probably the show stopper for me because I loved every bits and pieces of it. I legit will come back for the mein first before ordering more of the lollipop chicken. The flavors were SPOT ON AMAZING and I cannot wait to be back for more. It's definitely a decent size inside given it looks a bit outdated on the outside. The service was amazing! All the servers kept checking on us to make sure we were ready to order or if we needed anything else. I literally walked in here with 0 expectations and walked out being excited to come back another time with friends/family! read more

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11/16/23 - Dinner w/ the family @ Great Sea Restaurant for my nieces birthday. I have been wanting to try Great Sea Restaurant as I have been hearing about their lollipop chicken wings. They didn't disappoint. Overall we ordered the following dishes * Lollipop Chicken Wings the star of the meal a solid 4.5 Stars out of 5 Nice crunch on the outside tender inside good the last bite. I don't want be a sheep but good is good * Salt & Pepper Spicy Smelt - Very good, very crunchy but a bit over cooked Stars 4.5 out of 5 * Shrimp Dish w/Veges - cooked well but lacked flavor still it was good 4 out of 5 Stars * Mixed Veges ok but lacked any flavor (a little bland) - 3.5 out of 5 Stars This was a pretty good Chinese restaurant the Lollipop Chicken Wings did not disappoint as the smelt was also very good. & best of all it's very close to where I live. I will probably be back again someday for the wings & smelt. read more

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A long time ago I spent three of my birthdays at Great Sea. I loved the lollipop wings in particular. I just came back from dinner there. The food was garbage. The lollipop wings were dry and barely edible. I had to pay $3 extra to get the "famous " sauce. The orange chicken consisted of thin deep fried strips of barely any meat. I wouldn't feed this food to my dogs. And for a dish of lollipop wings and orange chicken the bill came to $50. The wait staff person was very rude, forcing us to order because the restaurant was closing. Toward the end of our meal, the entire staff were sitting there just willing us to finish. We paid the bill, reluctantly, and we weren't even out the door yet when they turned off the lights. We had no idea they were closing soon. I wishhed they had said that they couldn't serve us because they would be closing soon. It would have saved us a lot of money and eating horrible food. My dreamers shattered. Do NOT go here for dinner, even if you had a good memory of the place before it moved across the street. I am usually generous with restauramts, giving the benefitbofbthe doubt. But this was inexcusable. read more

I was there with my mom, cousin and aunt last week. When I tell you we were rushed .. my goodness . I felt the tapping of the foot and dead stares as we were trying to hurry and eat. My aunt just went through a difficult situation and we were comforting her. After we asked for the "to go" boxes and were packed up , we were trying to get ourselves together and still chatting when all of a sudden the waitress came to the table pushed our bag and shooed us away hastily. Mind you , yes I know we all wanna get home and it's probably been a long day but you have no idea the kind of day we were having either . There were two other families still dining but we are the ones being rushed out. I will never go back even tho it's only a few minutes from my house . And the lollipop wings were not all that. They seemed dry and sticky ... but a gross sticky. read more

I've been here before and I don't know why it's taken me so long to get back here because everyone keeps talking about how excellent their wings are. And it's all true, their wings are prepared a special way and are crispy and full of flavor. Aside from that, we enjoyed the crab Rangoon, quite pretty in its floral design. I personally liked the beef with pea pods. The wonton soup was what you'd expect and they were generous with the ingredients. I put too much chili oil in my soup and I almost needed a ventilator. Service was excellent and we had the place to ourselves on a Saturday late morning which was nice. Street pahking on Lawrence and you have to pay on Saturdays, there was no neighborhood parking to be had. But that's ok, I'd like to come back for more wings and other items on the menu. read more

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It's been a while since I been to Great Seas. Have to say the taste really brings me back to life before stresses were in life. So, always nostalgic and good memories. So let me get into it! Food: Over the years and owner change I have to say the quality is good. Not like when I had it back in the 90's and early 2000's. I have to say the taste and the portion sizing has changed. I would still get the wings or the sweet and sour pork or the black bean noodles since they are very tasty. Service: Have to say the last time I was at the restaurant the service was good. Atmosphere: Or ambiance like I call it, overall matched the experience. People and seeing how happy everyone was really made it feel like it was a great spot! Overall, I have to say that you won't be disappointed. Definitely try the lollipop wings, sweet and sour pork, Mongolians beef, and black bean noodles. read more

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This place has been my to-go place since I was little. My family and I would go out of our way to pick up the lollipop chicken here.This is the first time I've been here since the owners changed years ago because I was craving their food. I was underwhelmed as it was simply was not as I expected. Customer service: It wasn't the best experience ordering for pick up. The lady on the phone didn't sound friendly on the phone when I asked her to repeat the cost (as I couldn't clearly hear it the first time)..she literally sounded annoyed and repeated very loudly/raising her voice. Sorry I couldn't hear you clearly the first time but that doesn't mean she needs to have an attitude/sound like that. Note: The location is right across the previous place so it is more spacious but it wasn't busy at all on a Saturday. I recall it always being soo packed when I used to go. Lollipop chicken wings ($18.99): The chicken tastes good but the recipe has changed (in my opinion) so something about it was not the same. It was not as tasty as it used to be. It seems like less ingredients were used in the sauce and the costs went up while the size of the wings & quality decreased. Sweet & sour beef "ttangsuyuk"($18.99): It was good and more on the sweet tasting side as far as flavor. I was shocked at how small the beef pieces were. Not much beef and more batter. I thought this was a bit overpriced for the amount of food that was provided. Combination chow mein ($16.99): The noodles had vegetables, shrimp, chicken and beef. It was okay but I've had better..and this was overpriced for the amount of food that is provided as well. No more free fortune cookies. If you want one, you have to buy it for $2. I've never experienced this at a Chinese restaurant..esp surprised as the costs of their menu items increased a lot while quality decreased.. Overall: I would come again if I was in the area but I sadly definitely wouldn't go out of my way to come here like I used to in the past. Quality & quantity has decreased while the costs has increased. I'd recommend Chef Pings over this place any day! read more

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I'm bumping my review up to 5 stars. I previously gave them 4 stars because of the orange chicken being a bit on the bland side. Of course I had to get the wings again. They seemed better than last time. This time I ordered the ginger beef and OMFG that had to be the best thing besides the wings I've ever had at a Chinese restaurant. The beef and ginger sauce also had shaved pieces of ginger with it. I love ginger and this was like the most amazing thing ever. My mom order the beef with snow peas. She loved it. My order was fulfilled very quickly in fact earlier than they said. Food was still hot even after taking it on the bus to go. Definitely going to be my regular Chinese restaurant. Going no where else. read more

Don't eat here !! I got diarrhea from the lollipop wings !!! I used to LOVE coming here for the lollipop wings but last few times, the wings taste uncooked. I paid for EXTRA sauce on my wings and didn't get any. I spent days in agonizing pain because of their food ! Please consider spending your money somewhere else !! read more

Seeking good tangsuyook and samsun jjiajangmein in Chicago. jjiajangmein was fine, but didn't have the depth in taste. For $16.99, it was a bit "meh -3/5." Tangsuyook was more like Chinese style sweet and sour pork. Breading was too thick and the sauce was a bit watery. 2/5. read more

it was ok!! I think I just have other places that I'd rather go to for jiajiangmian and tangsuyuk which is mainly what I came for. the signature lollipop wings were also ok, they weren't bad but I wasn't compelled to have more than one and no one wanted to take the leftovers home either. of the 2 jiajiangmian options, the gan ja was universally everyone's favorite (it had a deeper, smokier flavor?). the restaurant itself is very big, very classic old school Chinese restaurant vibes read more

Great Sea Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I recently got introduced to the world of lollipop wings, and was excited to check out Great Seas. Their sign out front even says "Great Sea Lollipop Wings" so you know they have to be good here. The phone ordering process was quick and smooth. We ordered their Cha Chiang Mein aka Black Sauce Noodle for $9.99 and their Lollipop Wings for $16.99. They give you a lot of wings and definitely worth that price. The wings were very meaty, juicy and tender and coated in a sweet sauce with just the right amount of kick. The Black Sauce noddle was also very good. It's a Korean Chinese dish that is very popular in Korea. Its Koreas #1 takeout as pizza is in America. They served the noodles in a separate container and the black sauce in another so you can pour it and mix it yourself. This is my first time trying this and ordered it because it was a popular dish on Yelp. I'm sure glad I ordered it. Definitely something different, but still very tasty. I wouldn't mind ordering this again. Overall this place is a must visit. I've definitely been living in another world, and didn't know what took me so long to find this. I'll definitely be back. read more

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The service was amazing! The wings were the greatest thing I've ever had! And the atmosphere was fantastic!

Entered the restaurant and was greeting and seated right away! The waitress was consistently checking up on us so I felt the service excellent. The first dish we got was wonton soup. It is not the usual wonton soup I expect, but it was not bad or anything. The broth still had flavor and a good amount of veggies. I enjoy my wontons a little bigger - still tasted like a wonton however so won't complain about the taste. 6.8/10 - nothing too crazy but not terrible The lollipop chicken was the reason we came here! I heard mixed things about it since covid, but I still enjoyed it very much. Even if I don't remember how it was precovid, I can see myself coming back here once in a while for them. We got them spicy and it has a nice kick to it! The skin makes it crispy and the chicken was nice and moist. Even heating them up after at home the next day I enjoyed. 8.3/10 We wanted some carbs that wasn't just rice so we opt for the combination chow mien. The combination came with everything! Shrimp, pork, beef, and chicken - in a good amount imo. I had no expectations for this dish so it was a nice side dish for the lollipop chicken. The noodles were nice and tender. 7.5/10 read more

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Things have really changed since before Covid so around 2020. The restaurant did move across the street and I have been at the newly remodeled restaurant several times before Covid and it was still pretty decent but the last two visits, once in 2021 and then about 1 week ago, it was pretty sad. It wasn't busy for a Sunday evening and that was never the case in the past, but I realized what had happened. A new menu with jacked up prices for mediocre food. In fact, the lollipop chicken wings were super dry and overly cooked like 3 times over. Maybe that is why they were very salty. The Jah jang mein was cooked "al dente" when it should be softer. The only decent dish was the broccoli which was crispy and crunchy but it wasn't done with oyster sauce as described on the menu. Instead they added mushrooms but a huge amount of onions, probably to make the dish look bigger and added a gravy. Bathrooms are clean. Spacious interiors. Not coming back, EVER! read more

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Great place and very good service. Good atmosphere and good neighborhood vibe. The chicken wings are the draw but also good is Mongolian Beef and sizzling rice soup. read more

I've heard of many great things about their lollipop wings and needed to come try it for myself... My bf had been there many times back in his college days (over 10+ years ago). We usually get Great Beijing which has similar Chinese Korean food but is much closer to where we live and cheaper. Ordered for 3 people (~$75 with tax and tip and plenty of leftovers.) - Spicy lollipop wings - Mongolian beef - Spicy salt and pepper shrimp I liked the crispiness of the wings but I've had better flavored sauce. The shrimp was my 2nd favorite. The mongolian beef was average. My bf thinks it's owned by different people than back when he used to come. The owners/staff were chinese and friendly and chatty when I decided to ask for the bill in Chinese lol read more

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Really great food and service, best lollipop chicken and sauce ever! They have other great menu items as well and it's not too pricey!

The food was so good we went with the lollipop chicken, crab rangoon, and fried rice. Everything was perfect. The service was on point. They were so friendly. The place is very big and very clean even the bathrooms. read more

Great Milk Tea and chicken. It's nice to see this place didn't permanently close and ended up moving across the street. I've always enjoyed the chicken. read more

Great Sea Restaurant - Boba Milk Tea - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It was about 3 yrs ago when I posted an review giving them 1 star because of the guy who was the cashier but now that he is no longer there I'm giving them 5 stars for there lolly pop chicken which I must say is the best in town and the ladies who are at the register are very friendly read more

This was some really bad Chinese food!! I ordered the eggrolls, orange beef, and vegetable fried rice. The eggrolls were the length of my pointer finger (and I have small hands!) and not even as big around as a quarter (seriously!). The beef strips were so small I couldn't even really see the beef inside all of the breading. And the vegetables in the fried rice were not fresh, but previously frozen. And if that all wasn't enough - the beef and rice had NO FLAVOR, none. The blandest, worst Chinese I've had in a really long time. By the time I paid all the fees for delivery, it was over $60 and I legit want to throw it all away. In today's economy, definitely don't waste your money at this restaurant!! read more

This place is more of a 3.5, but I rounded down to 3 since it's just not quite a 4. Let me start out with the bad - the lollipop wings are 100% overrated. I love wings. All different kinds, flavors, you name it. But the one thing they need to be is tender. These aren't. And they're expensive - $20 (on weekends - weekdays have different pricing) for some of the driest, stickiest wings I've had kinda hurt. But now let's move onto the good. The egg rolls are yummy. Americanized for sure, but great texture and flavor. The salt and pepper fries are awesome. Perfect texture, flavor, everything. And the cha chiang mein (black sauce noodles) are yummy. They take care to ask for most things if you want it spicy or not, and can offer whichever you prefer. Service is good, though there is a slight language barrier. Luckily their menu has an allergy key, so while our server was not able to understand that I'm allergic to shellfish, we were easily able to see what has shellfish and to avoid it. They have high chairs, kids cups, and melamine dishes, so kids can dine here comfortably. Aside from the lollipop wings (which they're very proud of, and have hosted eating competitions revolving around these infamous wings), prices are very reasonable. While we enjoyed 3 out of our 4 dishes, this wasn't a standout Korean or Chinese restaurant for us, so we won't be back. read more

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Came by for lunch. The service was great, ambiance relaxed and food was satisfying. My personal high was the black bean noodles with beef. Most of what we ordered was great from a flavor profile and serving perspective. Good fix for Chinese cravings. Repeat type of establishment if you are a local. read more

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If zero rating was an option, I would! I asked to have an dish removed from my bill because it wasn't good in my opinion they told me they can't remove it because that's how it's made everywhere! I offered to pay for everything else & they still decline my offer. If you wanna go here for over priced fake steak then this is the place for you. Otherwise skip right past this place. The steak they're serving here can't be real. & they costumer service NEEDS EXTREME IMPROVEMENTS! this is not how you run a restaurant! just a heads up they only have one translator. read more

The food is amazing, been enjoying this place since I was young and the flavor has not disappeared. They're fast and always give great service. The ambiance is great and they always refill your water right away. The quality is great and their best dish In my opinion is lollipop chicken wings extra spicy. Leaves your lips burning and your body warm and full. read more

Great Sea Restaurant - Lollipop Chicken Wings lunch special, spring roll was good and extra spicy is the best - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I heard the "Lollipop Chicken Wings" were outstanding at the Great Sea Chinese Restaurant". I just had to go there and try them out for myself. They only sell full orders which consist of about a dozen or so wings, no half orders. It's way too much for just one person, I took about half of them home. I ordered spicy wings and they were good with a nice crunch but not four stars. The ladies that work there are top notch they work as a team except for a lady that takes your order. I might go back for their lunch specials. read more

Located across the street from their original location, Great Sea serves all the authentic Chinese & Korean dishes. I came with a couple of close friends who wanted their famous lollipop Korean chicken wings. The tasted the same as the first time I had them many years ago. Their menu hasn't changed much, however, I noticed the prices have increased. My seafood chow ma mein was absolutely delicious and satisfying. The Hot and Spicy Shrimp had a kick to it which was not expected but well pleased. This new location is more spacious and brighter than the original. Service was fast an friendly. It is obvious their wings are quite popular since every table had an order or two. Come for the wings and support local business! read more

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I was in the mood for something cheap, simple & good & while not necessarily cheap you could do a lot worse for $30. I thought $30 was steep however the food portions are humongous. My family of 3 was quite full with plenty of leftovers after ordering the lollipop wings & shrimp fried rice. I also wasn't aware the wings came with a side of white rice. Tbh the shrimp fried rice was pretty bland but as a tip you could add the sauce that accumulates on the bottom of your chicken dish & it'll taste much much better. The shrimp are also huge but I felt it could've used more. The spice to the chicken was amazing, spicy but bare-able. In closing I'm not convinced this is worth the trek from my condo however if I'm in the area I'd definitely indulge. read more

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The lollipop wings are so tasty here. The best Chinese wings around. The service is good and the place look nice.

Their chicken wings are so good and are pretty famous~ I would recommend getting it spicy because I feel like the non spicy wings are way too sweet read more

I arrived at 8pm on a Monday and the place was not busy. We were greeted by a sweet older lady as we entered. We already knew to get the lollipop chicken wings and we decided to get crab Rangoon and Wonton Soup as well. Crab Rangoon came with a side of sweet and sour. They were crisp and crunchy but too much wonton or perhaps not enough filling for me. Wonton Soup was enough for two for the smaller size. The wontons were about thumb size and soup was dense with various vegetables. It was definitely filling but thought it could use more flavor. Lollipop chicken wings - we ordered the spicy version but I'm not convinced they were the slightest bit spicy. The chicken was crispy, meaty, and easy to eat. It was in a small pool of sauce. The sauce itself was really delicious, it was well balanced in sweet and tangy. I didn't exactly count but I would say there was about 12-14ish chicken pieces. I think I'd prefer to get takeout only in the future. read more

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Ordered 2 orders of Lollipop wings and they all were NOT FRESH! The meat was tough and dry. Quality is not like it used to be, which is upsetting because I remember them being juicy and delicious years ago before they moved to the new location across the street. read more

Last night we picked up an order from Great Sea Restaurant and it was really good! Lollipop Chicken: 5/5 - these were AMAZING. We got a half tray since we had a good amount of people to feed. They were still warm after the 20 minute drive! Mongolian Beef: 3/5 - this wasn't horrible, but it was very salty. The noodles on the inside were also soggy, however, that is probably due to pickup. Sweet and spicy shrimp: 4/5 - honestly, this probably would be a 5/5 if it was fresh and the shrimps coat wasn't soggy by the time we got home. However, was still really good. All of this food costed around $95, which wasn't horrible. The pickup service was alright, will definitely come again! read more

Great Sea Restaurant - Mongolian Beef - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I just realized that I reviewed this place 13 years ago. This time, I don't have anything nice to say on this review. Came in recently and holy cow, things have really dropped off on quality. The lollipop chicken meat is very puny as compared to in the past, and somehow....the other food got worse as well. The new owners really need to step up their game if they want to last. If they are going for people who have no idea what good Chinese food is, then the food they serve is probably hitting the mark. Even the fruit smoothies are underwhelming and pricey. TL:DR - Low quality ingredients and bland uninspired food is what you will get here. Don't say no one warned you. read more

Great Sea is great for one thing and one thing only. ..wings. Ordering anything else runs the risk of dampering your experience. Despite my picture the Shrimp Fried Rice was loaded with shrimp, but still very average. Same with the egg rolls. Stick to their legendary wings and you'll be happy you tried. read more

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The food is amazing & fresh. Came out super hot. (LOVE THAT.) Service is fantastic & super fast. Definitely will be returning!! :) thank you!! read more