When I was in town visiting my girlfriend, I actually had a fairly hard time hunting down a well-reviewed takeout in her area. Green Lake popped up in a few searches on various websites, so I thought I'd give it a try. It seemed that I found just the right place, as they seemed to offer exactly what I needed at a reasonable price. In addition to the price, the food looked and tasted fresh in a way that some Chinese takeout simply doesn't hit. The meat was cut to a fairly uniform size, so we didn't have to hope for the best in downing a few pieces of sesame chicken that looked like abstract art. Beyond that, the food seemed prepared to order, with crisp (and more importantly not soggy!) vegetables. I'll definitely be dropping by Green Lake again in the future. read more

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Was ALWAYS wonderful and outstanding for more than fifteen years of dining until last night. Glop. Brown glop. Gone were the bright beautiful fresh vegetables, artfully arranged shrimp, scallops, Pork and chicken of the Happy Family offering. Called and told new cook. Twenty years experience. After years of my happiness of valuing and praising this gem of a restaurant, I can't return for this dish of scum. Intense disappointment. read more

The staff always gives us extra food and we custom order so they have become more patient with us since we are regular custmers. The restaurant is always clean. A great place for great chinese food! read more

My boyfriend and I ate here many times over the past 5 years since moving to this area of Jacksonville. Was good but over the past year, it has gone downhill in service and in taste! They use to put free items in the order if it was over a certain amount. That stopped! The portions got smaller as the prices went up! Yesterday was the last time we will go there. We inquired about the portion size as well as the taste...their answer was "This is how it will be from now on!" We will go someplace else for Chinese food from now on as well! read more

Green Lake is my fave for Chinese take out. Their food is delicious and is always ready very quickly. No complaints here! They do have limited indoor seating but it's really more of a pick-up-and-go kind of deal. I have tried a couple of other spots nearby and have been disappointed. Green Lake is consistently good stuff! read more

Ordered pork fried rice and shrimp fried rice. There is a tablespoon of diced pork in a large order with rice. There are raw onions, maybe 10 shrimp in a large order. pPost won't let me finish or edit this review. I'd like my $5 tip back at this pa read more

We were hankering for some Chinese Food and we tried this place specifically because of the yelp reviews, and while it was much better than the drive thru place on 103rd (chinee takee outtee), it was somewhat disappointing. Before I get into the meat and bones of the review, I want to point out that the prices were excellent and the service was really good. They gave us two extra egg rolls with our order. Now for the break down: I ordered the extra spicy General Tso's combination substituting lo mein for the ubiquitous fried rice. The entree was only mildly spicy, and the sauce did not taste like others I'd had before. It wasn't unpleasant, just not as expected. The chicken breading was somewhat chewy and had an almost stale texture. (This will be a recurring theme and the main reason for the three star rating.) The lo mein was delicious, even though it was plain, there were strong, pleasant notes of soy and ginger. The egg rolls had really good internal flavor, but the wonton wrappers had a stale texture again. I ordered crab Rangoon, and you can probably guess by now what I'll be saying. The filling was very tasty, but the fried wonton texture was not right. I really liked their dipping sauce! MUCH better than the typical sweet and sour sauce of other establishments. My husband had the beef with broccoli, fried rice and chicken wings. He said it was all "pretty good, but nothing special." My analysis is that their fryer was not up to temperature which resulted in the lackluster crunch that many of these food items need to be truly satisfying. The flavor profiles were good enough, however, that we will be trying this establishment again. Stay tuned for an updated review! read more

It was ny first time here. Ordered online Shrimp LoMein and it was delicious. The only thing I think was not proper was that you are forced to tip, even though I always do, it should be voluntary. read more

This is the only Chinese restaurant I've gone to for about 3 years now. If I'm feeling Chinese food for dinner, we're passing 4 other restaurants just to get here. Me and my fiancé say we want green lake and when our family and friends ask we say it's the best Chinese food in Jacksonville. The staff is friendly and helpful, service is fast and still very good, and the building is nicely decorated and clean. read more

Oh Green Lake, what wonderful food-stuffs you bring! Please let your flowing of delights be everlasting! Praise be! This place is a legit Chinese take-out. All the standard fare and then some. Call in your order, wait ten minutes, and then get a piping-hot brown bag of glorious splendors, stapled shut with bountiful fortune cookies inside.The food comes in plastic containers that make great for storing in the fridge the next day. My go-to move is the Singapore Mei Fun and the House Lo Mein...and it never goes wrong... never. It's better than the best Tinder date I've ever had. Sometimes when I order Spring Rolls, they give me extras, and if you're driving on SR-17, you might see me nibbling on one at the stop lights (don't judge), sometimes I have to pull over into a parking lot - it's that good. Whatever you do, don't discount the steamed dumplings or fried wontons, while the former store in the fridge better (and don't get me started on the dipping saucalicious), the latter are indistinguishable from pure heaven. I'm beginning to think that this place is run by aliens sent from Elysium to deliver glorious food to humanity, thank god Green Lake exists on this existential plane. Whatever hunger pangs you are dealing with, this place has the remedy. I've been a customer of el lago verde for over 5 years, and I will keep coming back. Sure, Riverside/Avondale has some cool, hip restaurants, but sometimes, needs need to be met. And whenever I get that gurgle in my belly, I know what's up - time to say hello to the General Tso! read more

Green Lake - Singapore mei fun, Mongolian been, side white rice and two orders of house fried rice. - Chinese Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

I called in to place a to-go order and was rudely spoken to by a woman who hastily rushed me. The woman spoke in a very nasty, aggressive tone. When I hung up I felt like a nuisance not a customer. read more

Customer service was just not there. I called in for a pick up order and she had a hard time explaining in a nice tone what the combo special was. Food was ok and I think a little pricey! $17 for just shrimp fried rice and two egg rolls... hmmm. There's other places we'll order from. Flavor wasn't even all that great. I'm surprised by the great reviews read more

Decided to try a different Chinese food place from our norm (China Joy on Margaret) but unfortunately should've stuck with the usual. My boyfriend got the "extra spicy" General Tso and it was not spicy and extremely bland. My choice of house lo mein and dumplings were extremely lack luster. The dumplings were all dough and the lo mein completely lacked any type of flavor. To top it all off, I've been up since 4am with food poisoning. Not a fan. read more

Turns out there is such thing as good Chinese takeout. I know, I know. It's shocking. Solid Yelp reviews led me and my favorite friend-couple to Green Lake Chinese Restaurant last night. It was a long weekend, and we wanted to chill out with piles of food and rent a Christopher Guest movie OnDemand. After consulting Yelp, we decided it was worth the 5-10 minute drive from Riverside to scoop up something we'd never tried before. As soon as I set foot in the tiny, strip-mall spot I knew we'd made an inspired decision. No, the view was nothing spectacular; just your standard counter with pictures of the dishes on a light-up board overhead. But the smells, oh the smells! That place was doling out free olfactory orgasms, and all we could do was hope that the delicious garlicky aromas were originating from our order. After waiting in line 5 minutes for our food (we called ahead) we were back in the car and headed home. Once there, we laid out our feast and propped up our feet. Orange Chicken with fried rice, Moo Shu Pork, and Vegetable Lo Mein comprised the sizeable entree options, while (free!) egg rolls and Crab Rangoons rounded out the lighter fare. First up, Orange Chicken; crispy-delicious with a hint of citrus. Why does theirs beat other places? It wasn't over-sauced or over-breaded. This dish is never going to be healthy, but Green Lake does it right and let's the flavors and textures speak for themselves. The fried rice was of the yellow variety, and also very tasty. Next, Veggie Lo Mein; slippery, saucy, and scrumptious. The veggies were just the right softness vs. crispness, and they also nailed the ever elusive perfect noodle texture. We all know what this classic dish tastes like and, apparently, Green Lake does too. Solid and satisfying. The Mu Shoo Pork lived up to its name and ended up being pretty mushy. Flavors were still nice, but this dish was my least favorite of the three. Alright, now on to the apps. But, Katie, Shouldn't the apps have come first? Do you want to hear about them or not!?!? Sheesh. Anyways. The Egg Rolls... so good! Crisp and crunchy and not at all tasting like they had been under a heat lamp for two weeks. Nope, real good stuff. I don't know what they put in their sweet and sour sauce, but it looks like blood and tastes like heaven. I need to find me a bottle of that. Finally, the Rangoons (or as my friends were calling them, "Rainguns") I usually do not care for this appetizer AT ALL. I have a hate/love relationship with cream cheese, and most of the time, when I bite into a rangoon, I get a sickening sensation of a cream cheese bomb exploding all over my mouth. Awful and overwhelming. But no, Green Lake's were actually quite appetizing. The crab to cream cheese ratio was a solid 1:1 and they tasted freshly fried. Kudos to Green Lake for changing my mind on a deep-seated dislike! All in all, not a date night place (there's one table!) or anything close to a memorable atmosphere, but the food is solid. It's not over-salted, greasy, or more fattening than it needs to be, which is saying a whole hell of a lot for a Chinese takeout place in a strip mall. I'll be going back on another lazy Sunday, mark my words. read more

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I give this 2 stars because of the service. The cashier lady was not nice! Even with the customers on the phone that she spoke with. The prices are good. The vegetable low mein was pretty good. The mixed vegetables and fried rice not so much. I don't know what kind of sauce the veggies were cooked in but it was not good at all. Would I go back here? - No. read more

Green Lake - Chinese Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

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The staff is great. Sam is wonderful. The food is incredible. They've actually ruined me for other Chinese food restaurants. I can never find other restaurants that even come close to the food here. My favorites are the Honey Chicken and Cashew Chicken. Their fried cheese wontons are the best you'll ever have. Their fried rice is solid gold. I love love LOVE this place. read more

Shrimp Fried Rice; I prefer my Chinese rice served w/brown rice, over yellow version. Other than that, it was satisfying.

Great choice for Chinese take out. I went based on a few other reviews I read on yelp. I walked in on a Saturday evening without phoning in my order ahead, but my order was up fast and they threw in a few egg rolls for free. Reasonably priced, the place is clean and has just a few tables if you want to eat there. I got the Szechuan Beef and the Sesame Chicken. Both came with steamed rice. Everything was fresh; the vegetables were cooked, but still crisp. And the flavors were spot on. I mean, I'm no expert on Chinese cuisine, but I likey. I'll be returning here next time I'm in the mood for Chinese take out. read more

Decided to give this spot a shot since we were in the area and it got great reviews on Yelp. Unsure if we just hit on a bad day or if this is typical for this restaurant, but we were not impressed. Had an order of crab rangoons, orange chicken, General Tso chicken, and sweet and sour chicken. The crab rangoons had no taste of crab and very little filling at all. The chicken in the Orange and Tso was chewy and dry. There was no taste of orange at all, and the Tso was not at all spicy and was very bland. THe sweet and sour was typical for a Chinese take-out restaurant, breaded with a side of red sauce. Nothing super exciting here. All in all Yelp mislead us on this spot and we won't be back. read more

This is the best Chinese take out restaurant on the Westside of Jacksonville...probably the best, in its category, in Jacksonville! First & Most Important: THE PLACE IS CLEAN! It's Clean! It was clean at the old location, it's clean at the new location. The food is delicious & they're consistent with it. They also give you free Spring Rolls My go to order is Veggie LoMein, Broccoli & Mushrooms in Garlic sauce & a spring roll read more

How does this place have 4 stars? Everything I ordered was terrible. The fried rice had frozen vegetables in it and it was bright yellow. The ribs were dry and flavorless, the fried shrimp was covered with a thick batter and not cooked all the way through. Teriyaki beef sticks were mushy, fried wontons tasted like they had been fried and re-fried they were greasy and rubbery. I threw most of everything I ordered away. read more

Possibly the best chinese food in the area. Their steamed dumplings are soft and delicious and you get a lot. Chicken and broccoli are devine and tasty as well as the rice. Very friendly staff and they always give me extra food. Plus its walking distance from where i work. Highly recommended! read more

I don't know how I've lived in this area for nearly 3 years and just discovered this place. As others have stated it's a small space so its real niche (like most) is take out. Tonight's fare included the Beef and Broccoli combo (served with friend rice and an egg roll), Stir Fry Chicken and Veggies combo along with Crab Rangoon and Wonton Soup. The Wonton soup was the best I've had. It was flavorful without the heavy saltiness experienced elsewhere. The Rangoon had the right cheese to crab ratio and was the right amount of crispiness for my taste. The entrees were generous and enough for two adults to share when ordering the apps and soup. The meat in both entrees was very tender and flavorful while the veggies retained their crispiness. I will definitely take out again from Green Lake and look forward to trying more things. read more

Tried it coz we were jonesing for for some Chinese. We had Moo goo gai pan. It was ok. I really wanted some fried rice. I was soo disappointed. Tasteless and it was white! read more

This is our all time favorite Chinese food restaurant. Not only is the food amazing but these are truly the nicest people around. It's a take out joint but you can eat in and either way you cannot go wrong. Thank you!! read more

We ordered takeout from here not too long ago and it was worth every penny! I will go out of my way to order from them, there's a lot places closer to me but Green Lake won me over. I ordered delivery, everything was neatly packaged and labeled. Arrived very fast and very hot, can't go wrong here in my opinion. Thank you! read more

The best Chinese food in Jax, period. The people who run it are incredibly nice and everything we've ever ordered is delicious. PRO TIP- they have shrimp sauce. Don't be a dink. Get some. read more

This is my favorite Chinese restaurant to get take out from. They don't deliver, but you can order online and that makes it more convenient. If you order online and order a certain amount, they give you free cream cheese wontons which is GREAT. The employees are nice and cheerful. They have awesome egg rolls. My only negative(ish) comment would be that they could use to add more sauce to some of the dishes but its not really an issue because they will if you ask. read more

Hands down, the absolute worst Asian food I've ever had. And that's saying a lot, given that my list of worst Chinese food experiences also includes a different restaurant where I found a dead cockroach, in the food I was eating. This place is absolutely terrible. To say the food was bland and completely flavorless is an understatement. I cannot understand how they even managed to make it as tasteless as it was. It literally was covered in sauce and tasted like absolutely nothing - no salt, no spice, no sweetness - just a strange gooey mass of tastelessness... almost as if the "sauce" were literally removing all flavor, even from the vegetables themselves. The "fried rice" is completely tasteless, oily yellow rice, with a spec of veg here and there. And the lunch special comes with a cheese wonton they lovingly stick in the styrofoam box, nestled into said yellow rice, so it just becomes a wet, greasy lotus blossom in the center of your pile of flavorless goo. This place is a disaster- you'd get better Asian food from a frozen tv dinner. Never again. The reviews on this place baffle me. read more

For Chinese food, this place is it! They are affordable, fast, and delicious. They are by far better than your local Hot Wok, or Panda Express, and most other fast food Chinese food places. The location is slightly hidden if you don't know the area or where to look, and it definitely classifies as the "hole in the wall" location, but there's something about the appeal. I know that after I make my call and place an order, it takes me longer to drive there than it does to wait for my order to be ready. My wife and I have eaten there so frequently, they have recognized us and we get "perks"; an extra egg roll/spring roll, extra wontons, etc. the food is never disappointing and it's always hot even still after I get it back home. Our personal favs are the wonton egg drop soup, general Sao's chicken, and fried cheese wontons. The order never costs more than $18 and we're full with left overs. The only down side is that they do not deliver, but they are still worth it! read more

Great place for decent chinese food. They have amazing specialties and side dishes that does not break your wallet. This is not my usual chinese takeout place and I had stopped by on the way home. I ordered their chef special and was not disappointed as they give plenty of portions to fill you up. I ordered their wonton soup and it was very filling and on point. read more

I haven't been here in over 10 years, but it's as delicious as it always was. Today, I'm having Beef wit Broccoli, subbed veg Lo Mein. For fried rice . O.K., so I'll drive the distance and eat here. It's the best Chinese I Jax, not fancy, but delicious and steaming hot. read more

The food and service here is always awesome and on point! They make it a priority to remember who you are, and talk to you when you come to pick up. Setting the bar really high for other take out places in the area. read more

By far the best Chinese food we've ever had and they offer shrimp sauce we order at least once a week and have never once been disappointed!! Also they throw in extra egg rolls and crab Rangoon's for free sometimes which is always a plus read more

I found Green Lake through Yelp after our go-to Chinese place closed, and I'm so very happy I did. The food is always excellent, even after visiting at least 6 times, and the portions are great. I am most happy about the staff, they are always so polite and go out of their way to help us have the best experience. My favorite is between the curry chicken and the shrimp lo-mein, but everything I've tried has been delicious. read more

Oh wow ! Such a cute little out of the way spot....you would never think the food was THIS GOOD ! Hubby and I both had the pan fried noodles in different variations....absolutely delicious !! Highly recommend!! read more

I guess I agree with the other reviews. Let me first say, this is still take out Chinese. However, it was the first Chinese place in quite some time that I haven't felt totally awful about going into and didn't feel incredibly awful after eating. They seem to add in free stuff to orders all the time. It's close by and when I get that craving this is a good stop. read more

As a Chinese, I would like to say it's awesome! And people in there are very friendly.

Everyone knows Chinese takeout is a pretty standard fare. So I can say I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in Green Lake to pick up an order and the amazing smell of delicious fresh garlic and spices was overcoming me. Thought this was a step above the rest. Will definitely check it out again one Lazy Sunday :) read more

This place is perfect for cheap, easy take out. I've definitely had higher quality Chinese food before (maybe not in Jacksonville), but this isn't that kind of place. This is a "I can't handle cooking dinner tonight, lets get something that goes well with a 6-pack" kind of place, and its always exactly what you expect, quick and with polite service. The crab rangoon are a perfect example of this- nothing fancy, cheap cheese and some crab-like substance in an average shell with red corn syrup dipping sauce, but always perfectly fried and hot. The kind of thing that is delicious but makes you feel guilty for ingesting so much grease in one sitting. The beef sticks are the only thing we don't care for- chewy and blah. And I wish they had scallion pancakes. But otherwise, a solid go-to. read more