The food is really good but it is a bit pricey. The only real down fall is that the to go specials don't include the soup but it is still the same price as dine in special which does include the soup. Which the dining room is closed for COVID. So kind of illogical to not include the soup or else lower the price. read more

My father and I decided to go to this restaurant to give a try on it. It was an good choice. The tables were artist alone and the window I sat next to was beautiful. It looked like it was hand-crafted. The atmosphere was so peaceful with the music and the detailed window. I actually caught myself staring at the window instead of eating the food. I do believe the food was good. It had little to no grease, and it makes me proud of eating something without grease for once. The chicken was delicious. Although, I questioned why they had fries as a choice. It is a Chinese restaurant and I didn't expect fries to be there. For it being a buffet instead of choosing from a menu was a good choice. I loved the service they had. They were nice and didn't rush us at all. In short, my father and I enjoyed the meal and had fun reviving our fortune cookies. I'm coming back soon. It could become my regular restaurant as I get older. read more

Two years ago I moved here, and I wanted to try some Chinese food, so, I went to China star, it was the BEST THING, the food was good, and the service was 100, when we were leaving, they all bowed at us and said have a nice day with smile on their face, and today I went there again, and it was awesome, nothing changed, I prefer it only got better, so guys please go there, take a try. I think it is the best Chinese restaurant in all valley. read more

Very disappointed in the service We would have understood if they told us we can't serve you because it's already 8pm. But instead they took our order we had to wait for basic requests our kids received their food at different times. Once we were finally all were served the waitress comes and brings us boxes. We were in the middle of eating felt like we had to rush to eat. The waitress was unfriendly and had a horrible attitude. read more

Bad Service, Bad Food, Bad Price! Go to any other Chinese Restaurant in the valley! We wanted to try this place because of all the great reviews and since they have been in business for so long. We moved to Harlingen at the beginning of the year, and already ate at 1/2 the Chinese restaurants here in town. We usually try to save the best for last, because we tend to stick to the good places when we find them, and not risk trying new ones when we find the great places. So, we tend to work from the middle of the list up, in order to try more places ... but this place should be at the bottom of the list! We drove around on Mother's day and everywhere seemed packed, but China Star. So, we figured today would be their day. We walked in to some workers bickering amongst each other in the lobby, one of them took us to the entry of the wing and pointed and said take the corner booth. She didn't even walk us to our seats. The restaurant was very slow compared to everywhere we drove by. There was probably a dozen employees, and only a dozen customers at about five tables, so there was really no reason for the poor service (but few customers could explain the over abundance of cold food on the buffet). We went ignored for the first fifteen minutes. It took nearly ten minutes to flag somebody down to get silverware and order our drinks, and we finally didn't get our drinks or to meet our waiter until about fifteen minutes into our meal. We also got a waiter with an attitude, he refilled my water once, and we never saw him again at our table. Didn't even get a check at the end from him, just had to go up and tell the cashier what we had! We ate our greasy, cold buffet. (It was some of the worst Asian food I've ever had in my life. Some meat and such was cold in the center, like it had been sitting out far past its time. Over or under cooked vegetables was the norm. Most food was too oily and greasy. The sushi was "fishy" tasting, not a sign of freshness. Sushi wasn't cold, crisp, and appeared old. Much of the food was even bland. When it tried to have "flavor" it was often too much of one component (like too much fish sauce). Seriously, I have not had any Chinese food that bad, except out of a can, and even LaChoy might be better! I cannot fathom how they have been open for so long, nor how so many have given them good reviews on here. Was it an off day for them? We are not even that picky, particularly about Chinese food since Asian restaurants vary so much, we tend to welcome the differences in their takes on popular dishes, so long as it is good.) This was the worst!!! We also overheard other waiter's and waitresses (including our waiter) informing new people coming in that the buffet had a special "Mother's Day" price of $15.95. We were not informed of the special price gouging going on, since we didn't really have a waiter until half-way into our meal. The price gouging explains why they were far less busy then other places in town, and from a normal day when we've driven by. However, the price gouging was totally unfair for a childless couple just trying a new place. We would have ordered off the menu, instead. Two buffets, two hot teas for $40 ... $40 for the worst buffet, and worst Chinese food we've ever had in our life. But, if I don't die of food poisoning tonight from the undercooked food, and the old sushi, I should count my blessings!?!? Right? Seriously can't figure out why other reviewers give them such a high rating, I can only assume they haven't hit many Asian restaurants other than those in this town, which are all poor to mediocre. Of all the states I've lived in, of all the cities I've visited, this was the absolute worst ... and I've eaten at some pretty horrible Asian places. I am not going to give them a second chance, and I would suggest for you to not even give them a first! read more

I found this place on yelp and decided to swing by and give it a shot despite a few bad reviews. Although this place isn't the best "Asian" style buffet i definitely didn't think this place deserves a negative rating. The staff was super friendly and the waiter instantly recommended the buffet when I was seated. You don't have to eat from the buffet, there is a menu to select from, but I was rather hungry and wanted to get down to business quickly that day. The food was warm/hot and rather flavorful. I hoped this place had sushi rolls and but unfortunately they do not. If you're near the area and are in the mood for some Asian style buffet I wouldn't hesitate to drop by. You won't be amazed but won't be disappointed either. read more

I love their food and portion size for what I get - cashew chicken, eggdrop soup & rangoons are excellent!! Always have my to-go order ready and hot when I order & fast. When I dine in the waitstaff is very attentive and courteous. read more

This place is usually good but this time the food was terrible. My brother and his wife actually decided not to eat after seeing the buffet. They still charged them for buffets even though all they had were drinks. The waitress was hovering over us like a security guard. At one point we asked her to leave us alone so we could eat in piece. The bathrooms were so dirty with water and toilet paper everywhere, that my son refused to use it. This place has gone down a lot. Very disappointed. read more

Probably the best on Harlingen,but if you come from a big city you will soon realize how most restaurants in Harlingen (Yelp) are overrated. Food is ok, nothing special, but the other "Chinese" restaurants in town are not even close. I personally prefer a chain Chinese restaurant, their food is consistent across the nation specially in small towns like these. read more

I usually go during the lunch buffet. The food is always great, freshly made. There isn't much of a choice, but it has all you need. This Chinese is on the pricer side of buffets, but worth it. read more

Really enjoyed China Star Restaurant on 77 near Valley Baptist Hospital in Harlingen. Don't judge a book by it's cover. It looks quite plain outside, located in a strip mall, but it is nice inside and serves delicious food. We got friendly service and also quick service. They have a buffet at times, but we are not fond of buffets and would have ordered off the menu even if the buffet had been available. The hot and sour soup was outstanding. The egg rolls were freshly made and not frozen stuff. We had Happy Family (with shrimp, chicken, pork, and beef in a nice brown sauce) and Kung Pao chicken (spicy and tasty). Lots of oriental restaurants in Harlingen start their name with "China", so look for the STAR. Check it out. read more

Very friendly but sub par food food was cold and has been setting and no sushi though it says it does outside some of the food was ok nothing great doubt I will be back read more

Excellent Chinese food which pretty much supports the theory that you can find good Chinese food just about anywhere. I was shocked how fast the service was. My guess is they saved the food from the buffet and spiced it up a little when I ordered it. Really don't care because everything was great! Extra bonus points for asking me how spicy I wanted it and actually listening to me when i said I wanted it very spicy. Dinner special and a Tsingtao cost me under $20. read more

This place wasn't bad for a Chinese spot in the middle of no where. If you need a break from all the Tex-Mex try this spot and order the Kon-pao shrimp. It's yummy but they only give you 6 shrimps... And yes it's Kon-pao read more

I'm giving five stars for service alone. The lady at the front and who takes the to go orders is the absolute best! So sweet and so genuine! Good Chinese food is hard to find in Harlingen. I wouldn't say they have the best Chinese food but it's probably the best in town. I won't order Chinese food from anywhere else in town just due to the customer service these guys provide. read more

I considered whether i should write this review. After much thought, here it is. This was my Chinese go to in Harlingen. This changed recently and i have even decided to never give them my business again. I went on mother's day with family. Waitress told table they were only serving buffet (at higher price) because it included "special" items, including menu items. To be sure we heard correct we asked "the price includes menu itmes?" The answer was Yes. Two of us ordered a plate from menu. To be fair, we did get soup/egg rolls/6 pieces sushi from buffet. We then got our plates, ate, went to pay. This is where it went down hill. The recepit had writing all over it, i didnt pay attention. Bill was rung up, card given to older lady behind register (possibly owner). Before we could ? transaction, card was charged $90 (3 adults 1 child). When we ? why bill so high, were told because we had 3 buffets & 2 plates from the menu. We then explained what waitress told us and was telling the other tables. Instead of trying to resolve this, the supposed owner/ manager just called over the waitress and watched as we fought over the pricing. I told her this was ridiculous since our table was mislead. All she said was "Well you ate from buffet and ate food ordered so I'm not giving you back money." The waitress did give back $10 because she wanted no problems with her new job. Yes, we took the $10. I calculated the meal should have cost at most $50. My thoughts...yes the waitress flat out lied when we ? her in front of owner. However, the owner was extremely unprofessional how she handled it. Basically taking a step back expecting myself n waitress to argue it out in front of all the other mother's there that day. We left, having been jilted. We just wanted to get out of there.....NEVER TO RETURN. read more

The wife and I tried out 4 items from the dinner menu tonight. We had the General Tsoe's Chicken which was too salty and not very good. The sauce was more of a gravy and was missing garlic and something else. I always have to try it out at every Chinese restaurant I eat at since it is my favorite dish. Along with the Chicken we had fried rice instead of steamed rice. It was very bland but not bad tasting. For appetizers we had Egg Rolls and Paper Wrapped Chicken. The Egg Roll wasn't crispy but was rather soft so wasn't high on my list. Now, the Paper Wrapped Chicken was very good! I have had it better only once before, and luckily it was at a Chinese Buffet where I was able to fill myself on it. I did ask on the way out tonight if it was included on their Buffet since they offer a Buffet daily but I was told it was not on that menu. Too bad... We will give China Star another try in the future and will order dishes other that what we had tonight, except for the paper wrapped chicken. It will be our appetizer for sure. read more

Worst food I've ever eaten. It wasn't fresh like it had sat out for hours may have been better if fresh. Everything pretty much tasted the same. The service was ok. read more

Being that this is chinese food in the valley I'm being fair. Food has no flavor and if it did it very salty or dried up from restaurant staff not making a new batch. I really wanted to like this place but everything was bad. read more

Wonder fresh Chinese food. Fast service and wonderful waiters. Always enjoy when I go.

Being from Hawaii I didn't expect it to be the kind of Chinese Food that I am used to. But I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of some of the dishes. It was similar to the style of Chinese food I used to get in Kentucky, and I wasn't disappointed. I would definitely come back. The service was great, they kept checking on us and our drinks to make sure our cup was never empty which is surprising because I drink a lot of liquid and not once was my cup empty. The reason for it not being a 5-star is because some of their dishes were extremely salty (salmon) and my chicken nuggets tasted a little older. But the veggie dishes were awesome! read more

For a hole-in-the-wall chinese dig, it's not half bad. In fact, in terms of quality, it is way better than most of the "international" buffets around the area. It's nice to experience quality americanized chinese at a decent price and not have to hover over a buffet line. read more

This is probably the best chinese restaurant in Harlingen. The service is always very good. My personal favorite is their egg drop soup. They make a great lo mien and awesome fried rice. The eggrolls are also made in house instead of the frozen variety. Make sure and try one. read more

Only 2.5 miles away... And no delivery.... Here from out of town , working all day, tired, worn out and just wanted some Chinese food from the highest rated place down here.... You can go suck an egg roll !!! read more

We tried them during a weeknight and ordered two very different entrees. When they arrived, they looked EXACTLY the same. They also tasted pretty much the same...old and no where near fresh. The older female owner was so incredibly greedy that she actually charged me for the two wonton soup appetizers after we cancelled our entrees. On the way out she admitted that her "normal" chef was off that night and that it's usually much better. This of course told me that she knew it was terrible but just had to get a few lousy dollars out of us anyway. I told her so and will never go back. The place across the street is half the price and cooks fresh. read more

LOVE IT! The BEST Chinese food in the RGV, without a doubt. I haven't tasted egg foo yung so good for years. Tempura light and flavorful, sauces unique to their own dish (not the same or similar sauces for all dishes like some I've had at other places). The Lo Mein was light and tasty. All of it, worth every penny and then some. read more

Love it!! They have sushi and Chinese food. We order it to go and it never takes too long for them to complete the order.

Awful!! I was back in the Valley visiting family (from a city with more Chinese restaurants than can be counted) & was craving Chinese food. I looked to yelp for suggestions & totally regret this experience. I ordered take out OFF THE MENU & got soggy food that I'm pretty sure sat on the buffet for a few hours before I ordered it. All the food tasted like it saw it fish sauce for weeks. I'm pretty sure the vegetables hadn't been considered fresh for quite some time. The Hot & Soup soup was more like vinegar soup with some mushrooms. The egg rolls tasted like something frozen picked up from Sam's. We literally threw $40 worth of food away instead of eating it, brushed our teeth & ate ham sandwiches instead. That is how bad this was. read more

Sushi is excellent here as well. This place gets a perfect score from the city inspectors every year. Great lunch buffet.

We will never eat at this restaurant again. The food was terrible... We ordered take out, sesame chicken, orange chicken, and crab rangoons. The food is so bad that we couldn't even eat it. My mother in law could barely eat half of her sesame chicken, and later vomited when she had a wanton. It was salty, soggy, and the sauce was more like jello than sauce. Do yourself a favor and find another place to eat. read more

Do yourself a favour and avoid this place at all costs. The lunch buffet was stale and cold.. The waitresses are not interested in serving properly and the overall ambience is really depressing. Avoid at all costs!!!! read more

I have been going to this restaurant for years and I have never had a bad meal. It's hot, fresh, and delicious. The service is always good, and it's clean. The sushi is very fresh and tasty as well. I order for pick up often and the portions are huge. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Well, I will NEVER EAT AT THE CHINA STAR AGAIN!!!!!!! They charged me and a 94 year old lady TWO buffets since she had one or two pieces of fruit off a plate I had put on our table. THAT is VERY UNPROFESSIONAL when a business blames a 94 year old lady for 2 lil pieces of fruit. Make sure that no one touches anything on your plate or they will charge for a 2nd buffet read more

after reading reviews, decided to try it out the other day. it was not that great and did not like the dish i ordered. i've actually tried this place before. it used to be better read more

ordered general chicken take out what a mistake. worst I ever had fried rice was even worse save your disappointment and money first time I have done a review.not sure if you can give 0 stars read more

I was eating at China Star restaurant, I think the food is Awesome!!!!!!! I know it is kinda expensive, $8.95, but what is really matter is the food, I went to China Restaurant, and l know it is cheap but I can't eat it, it look gross, I'm not being mean but that is what I think. I saw somebody was complained about the fly in China star, and they were so mad, say I will never come back, but I think everybody's house has flies in there, because flies can fly, when you just open the door, maybe a fly will come in, so when you saw a fly, just say please kill the fly, and you know the people work in China Star Restaurant can't control the flies. I think China star is a good restaurant, please go try there, you guys might like it!!!!! read more