Formerly Waterloo Star. Great value. Clean. With purchase of an entree, you get free self serve fountain drinks, rice, pickled daikon, bean spouts and cabbage salad. Scan the QR code on the table to see the menu and order. Food brought out promptly. For what you pay, it is a good deal. read more

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Clean interior, convenient QR menu and items are well priced. The rice and side dishes are self serve and fresh. The food overall was a bit on the oily side but tasted good. (Even the none fried foods were quite oily). read more

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Decent food, good deal for students with unlimited rice and side dishes. Pork hock was made with a little too much vinegar and portion sizes could be bigger for the price. read more

Ordered through Uber eats: spicy garlic chicken wings, Yangzhou fried rice, beef fried rice noodles. A sudden craving for Chinese food led to my Uber order from Waterloo Star. My expectations for Chinese food in Waterloo isn't very high (I lived in Markham). The spicy garlic chicken wings are decently spiced. The oil they used to deep fry the chicken wings were definitely old since the chicken wings turned out super dark, but just cooked. The Yangzhou fried rice could use a little more taste, maybe a bit of salt! I don't normally eat very salty dishes, but the fried rice was missing salt! The beef fried rice noodles is not your typical Chinese beef fried rice noodles - It was a bit spicy and came with red/green peppers, also, very oily (the base on the container had a layer of oil to drain)! Overall? It satisfied my cravings. Again, don't have high expectations! read more

Dinestination - three containers of food on a counter - Chinese Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

Braised beef on rice had a nice portion of vegetables and beef. The beef was tender, mildly seasoned and very oily. So oily that the grease from the sauce seeped down and coated the bed of rice. The spicy cold noodles (served lukewarm) were just liangpi (cold skin noodles) and shredded cucumber in chilli oil. No soy sauce, salt, vinegar, garlic, sugar, tahini or anything - only chilli oil! That seems just plain lazy to me. Service was nice and food came out quickly but unfortunately both dishes missed the mark. read more

Dinestination - Spicy cold noodles - Chinese Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

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I don't know why I haven't been coming here very much - this place is top notch going by Waterloo plaza standards. They have always been changing owners, but as of writing this, they are under great management. They let you grab unlimited free beverages 11-3pm daily, have pretty speedy and decent service, and really reasonable pricing. Not only this, but they are probably the only HK owned Chinese restaurant left in the plaza - meaning legitimate HK dishes. If you are sick of the spicy or oily Chinese options in the plaza, definitely give this place a try. Their yang zhou fried rice is amazingly priced and not oily af like Chen's. They also have various casserole dishes that are well sized and great for sharing. The interior renovations have made it very cozy and clean, and there is a ton of seating - both for large and small groups. Oh, and they are always playing Naruto or Fairy Tail on the TVs which is also pretty awesome. read more

Dinestination - Beef fried rice - Chinese Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

Waterloo Star provided fast and friendly service and dishes came out of the kitchen hot and fresh. Yu Xiang eggplant was very tasty and the chili spice level was slightly reduced as we requested. Beans were also the right mix of crunch and tenderness. The food is great at a good price. We will be back! (To improve: make the restrooms as nice as the rest of the place). read more

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Came here on a Friday night. Service was very prompt, which is good for hungry students looking for a quick, homemade meal. We were seated by the door so it was really chilly. Our server let us move to a table closer inside which was nice. I found that the dishes we ordered were very flavourful but the portions were kinda small. We ordered the Spicy Beef, Green Beans with Pork, Spicy Bacon, and Eggplant with a big bowl of rice. The meal was $14~ per person. Decent price for the quality and flavour of each dish. I wouldn't mind coming back in the future to try out the lunch specials! read more

Man, where do I even begin? Location? Fine. Close to campus. Easily accessible for students and has a big parking lot. But the restaurant itself is just absolutely no Bueno. I just don't understand the need to put giant fish tanks filled with dirty water right in the view of where their customers are dining. Instantly made me lose my appetite. Not to mention, the tables are always dirty whenever I sit down as if they did a poor job at wiping the tables from the previous customers. What made me change my mind from a 4 star down to a 2 star restaurant is because of their policy. We sat down at around 2:30pm (lunch special is from 11am until 3pm - free & unlimited pop along with cheaper dishes) asking for the lunch special, specifically mapo tofu, in which the waitress then said they "ran out." So we decided to just browse the menu that's usually given, and called her out by asking if we could get mapo tofu from the menu for the normal price, where she said yes. ... what? Didn't you say you guys "ran out"??? Not to mention when you order the dishes they have on the menu it does NOT come with rice. Each bowl is an additional $1.25. This place is actually below average for authentic Chinese food, unless you're hungry. Anyways, food portioning and everything is fine but c'mon. Don't cheap out to THAT extent. read more

Dinestination - Chilli pork & mapo tofu - with a bowl of rice FOR $1.25 EACH?! - Chinese Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

I've been here a numerous amount of times since it is close to campus. One of the better Chinese restaurants around the area for students. Their generous portions are ideal for group dining/sharing the food. I would strongly recommend the green beans with pork ($7.99) as well as their spicy eggplant in garlic sauce ($7.99). Their home style spicy pork ($8.99) is great too. Also, if you get the large rice ($3) you can get free rice refills on it! A great value is their 6.99 lunch combo which includes a dish as well as soup and all you can drink pop. Great value, but taste wise, you're better off ordering from the regular menu. Overall, excellent for groups looking to share food and definitely worth the value! read more

Dinestination - Home style spicy pork (~$8.99) Green beans with pork ($7.99) Cucumber Salad ($3.99) - Chinese Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

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I think this place is one of the better Chinese restaurants around UW campus especially the fact UW has a high population of Chinese students and many would always crave Chinese food (myself included!). When I first walked in, I immediately noticed how big the place is. They have a lot of tables as well as diner style booths by the walls (the booths have iPads!). The place is very spacious which is very good especially for students that want space for their bags and other things. Food wise I am generally happy with their food. I usually get their casseroles which comes with rice as well. Their casseroles are huge with lots of meat delicious soup. So far I have tried their beef tendon as well as their pig tripe casseroles and was happy with both! If you can't think of what to get, they have lunch specials on weekdays which come with free soup and all you can drink pop for just ~7 dollars! read more

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Their lunch deal is pretty good, nice portion and great amount of meat and only 6.99. Tried the fried chicken on rice and beef with onion on rice for lunch, both are pretty good. The service needs some improvement however, especially when they never remember to bring the utensils when they bring our food! read more

Dinestination - Lunch special: beef with onion on rice - Chinese Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

Their unlimited soda for free during lunch time is great! Food is great! Just those fish in the fish tank, for people like me who hates fish it's just a nightmare. Everything else is awesome!! read more

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This place exceeded my expectations, considering almost all the joints I've been to in the plaza have been overall mediocre. Their portions are absolutely huge, and for a low price too. Since the price itself was low it did allow me to lower my standards a bit I guess...but it was still of good value. The vegetable and tofu soup was delicious (though the tomato looked out of place...personally I prefer seaweed). The beef fried noodles is a huge dish (if you're even only 3/4 hungry, you probably will need to pack it home), tasty, and filling. My friend had a casserole, and she was satisfied with her results as well. I've passed by that place at night occasionally and I always see it full. Now I know why. read more

Easily one of the better chinese food resturants in and around the waterloo campus. Its relatively cheap (~8-12 after tips and tax) and the quality is actuallly pretty good. This place is perfect for fixing up the chinese food cravings or a quick lunch in between classes. Their casseroles (meat/vegetable in soup served in a hot stone bowl with rice on the side) are espcially tasty! They also have lunch specials which include an dish with rice, pop and a small side soup for under 10 dollars. All in all, decent chinese food + cheap + fast service = would recommend read more

Dinestination - Mapo tofu - Chinese Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

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This is my go-to place for lunch during the school term and for one reason only, their "hai nan ji fan" (lunch special #1) which is just steamed chicken and rice. What I liked: * "hai nan ji fan" dish is simple, tasty, filling and relatively healthy compared to any other food options in the plaza. Also the chicken is boneless, so I can wolf it down when I'm in a hurry. * You get complementary soup when you dine in. It's always this egg-drop + seaweed watery soup, but it's complementary, so you can't really complain. * Fast service if you order any of the lunch specials since I assume they have all the ingredients ready in the back and simply need to plate it. What I disliked: * The lunch special is only available on the weekdays. None lunch special items are alright and above average for campus plaza standards, but lunch special #1 is the only reason I keep coming back. read more

Dinestination - Complementary soup (egg + seaweed) - Chinese Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

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Good Chinese food that really hits the spot if you want something asian and cheap. I recommend the cold beef slices & intestines dish and the eggplant (so. freaking. good)! Large portions for a good price! The service is also fairly quick. I have no qualms about this place. If you're going with a group of friends, definitely order the entrees and a side of rice so you guys can share. read more

Authentic Chinese at a reasonable price. In terms of location, it's about as good as it gets in proximity of UW. The best dish there by far is the Xinjiang Chicken with Rice Noodles. The warm noodles are slathered with a generous helping of spicy chicken chunks and hot peppers and even the regular size is more than enough for dinner and leftovers for the next day. I've also had the fried rice and while it's nothing too special, it's very filling at a very low price (and works great when you're in a pinch, food and money-wise). Be warned however that it is cash only. read more

Was really tired and didn't notice the hours were from 11AM and onwards when it was 10:30am. But I walked in and saw the owner, and notified about the hours but still served me. What a nice guy. But tried their Xinjiang Chili Chicken hoping it'd be better than the crappy Chili Chicken at Chen's. Oh man this was Authentic and crazy delicious and the serving portion was unexpected.....I ordered the normal size and when I got it I thought they messed up my order but they didn't. It serves two people. read more

Can't believe I discovered this place in my last term at UW! One of the main reasons my boyfriend and I keep coming back is their hot and sour soup - for $5, you get a huge bowl enough to feed two hungry students! Not only is it cheap, this soup certainly does not hold back on any flavor! We usually get the soup and one other rice dish. We've tried the Kung Pao chicken, beef tendon casserole and beef brisket and vegetables. The service is so quick, the soup usually comes within 5 min and the next dish follows within another couple minutes! A great place for "fast" food that isn't junk! read more

Dinestination - Hot and sour soup - Chinese Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

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Get their house special fried rice, its really good. Very flavorful and filling full of different vegetables, shrimp and pork. Definitely recommend :) read more

I've actually always been pretty happy with what I get at Waterloo Star. Out of all of the Chinese restaurants in the plaza, I think this, or China Legend, is my favorite. The dishes are pretty authentic, filling, and not too expensive (relative to the overpriced prices of the campus plaza). Also, the food comes out pretty fast and I personally think the staff is pretty nice. My first experience with this restaurant was during first year when I came with a friend. It was during the peak of dinner. We ordered our food, and they just completely forgot about us. The food just never came out. Everyone around us, even those who came after us, got their food and FINISHED eating. And we didn't get our food. So my friend and I just straight up left. So I didn't come back to this restaurant for a while. But then I did. And I'm glad I did, because the food is prettyy good. I recommend their lunch specials and everything on their menu. read more

Stopped in again. Ordered our favorites Sweet and sour crispy fish, green beans, Hot and sour soup. A new to us dish, #24 shreaded pork is now added to our list. Wow tasty, mildly spicy, very flavourful. read more

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Their big plate chicken is pretty good, but somewhat inconsistent with their spice levels. Recommend getting that and the hot spicy pot. Lunch specials are solid with free soup and soft drinks. read more

I've been here twice and the price change disappointed me the most. The first visit was around 3 years ago and it was around $30 for two but now it's $10 more than that. the wontons were not my favorite but the rest of the food is really good (and for a decent price too). read more

Tried the xinjiang chicken that Anni D recommended. She didn't mention how big it was. I think it was the largest plate of braised chicken I've ever been served. It costed about $14, so it wasn't cheap, but I would recommend sharing the plate with a friend or significant other. I wish there were more noodle than chicken. I think the ratio was like 3:2 chicken meat to rice noodle. I didn't find the flavor to be exceptional. It was tasty and good, but didn't blow my mind. If you braise chicken in soy sauce, chili peppers, peppercorns, garlic and onion for about an hour, you should get a similar taste. They have $7 lunch specials with free soup and pop. I'll probably try that next time. read more

The food is good, there are lot of options on the menu, and it is quite cheap. The only downside is that the service is pretty terrible - especially if you are not Chinese or with someone who is ordering in Chinese. I went in there once with a friend, they sat us down, and completely forgot about us. We waited 45 minutes before we left. During that time, they served food to people who came after us! read more

The girl at the front desk was so rude. I asked her for Wifi Passcode and she told me that Wifi was broken. I asked another guy immediately and got online without any problem. If I were her boss I would fire her for being rude to the customers. read more

One of my favorite places in the plaza. Food is very good. I would recommend their hot and sour soup ($4.99 for a big bowl), crispy chili chicken, and mountain chili chicken (spicy lover here). The crispy chili chicken is deep fried, but you get a lot and it has a lot of spices sprinkled on it. The mountain chili chicken has a bit less, but tastes better and has sauce on it. Other dishes I liked were the green beans with pork, and lamb casserole. read more

Great food selection, you don't need to wait a long time, debit card only, and it sometimes pop drink is free

I have been here a number of times and enjoyed the food. This last time I ordered a hot and sour soup, which was pretty good, huge, and cheap! I also ordered the stir fry beef with rice noodles and it was an incredible disappointment and the reason for my poor review. The oil used to cook the beef was clearly reused oil from a deep frier or otherwise, and it tasted burnt and gross as that kind of oil always does, which completely ruined my meal. My advice: steer clear of beef at this restaurant. read more

Really good!! The hotpot combo is a really good deal, they give you so much food. Also their regular dishes are also very good too! Everything's good. I recommend!! read more

Not bad for their price. However I went there to lunch at 2pm. The chicken rice I ordered was a bit dry. Their service is good. But overall their food is a bit salty. read more

Had a fly in food, was yelled by the owner to shut up, and was forced to pay full amount. Will not return here.

Delicious, heaps of authentic Chinese food. This is probably the only place near campus with chinese food like what you can get at a restaurant in China. Portions are generous and taste is amazing. I highly recommend their century egg and tofu appetizer, it's quite the acquired taste but their portion is huge and delicious. The only thing keeping me from giving them five stars is they don't have a great selection of vegetarian food. read more

(Waterloo Star) serves northern Chinese cuisine for the Puritan and the homesick. Sparse in its decor and prompt with its service, Star will satisfy your stomach if not your eyes. Hot and sour soup ranks mid-high in my continuing quest for the best SLT on the continent. The clay pot casseroles are specialties that will warm your heart on the coldest of days. Generous portions are usually enough for more than one serving. The lamb and radish casserole had a heap of tender meat on a bed of noodles, radish, tofu, mushrooms, and cabbage in tasty broth. They also serve hot pot. Debit or cash. read more

I ordered a chicken with mushroom casserole. The food tasted alright, a bit salty. However, when I was almost done the casserole I found that there was a piece of plastic dish washing scrubber in my food!! GROSS!! When I complained to the owner, he didn't apologize about it and just asked me if I wanted another casserole or make the current one free. DUHH, I was almost done the casserole dish... too full to have another one. and who knows if there's gonna be another piece of garbage in that food. never going there again. read more

Honestly not too much to say about this place. Food is quick, it's decent, menu has good selection. The only gripe I have of this place is that the service is bad. Notice I didn't say slow. You need to like grab their attention if you want anything from tea to more rice. read more

Came back recently and the food wasn't as good as I remembered. Either my taste buds changed or the chef was having an off day. Their $6.99 lunch combos are very tempting though and is probably one of the best lunch deals in the plaza. read more

Have never had such awful service. Had never been to this restaurant before and came because I had heard good things. My mother and I were told to sit wherever and then the host left, and returned about 10 minutes later with only 2 other single customers in the store to take our order. We were not offered drinks. We realized later as we saw other people who had obviously been there before, that you got up and got your own from the station by the counter. This would have been nice to know seeing as my dish was spicy and didn't have anyone come to the table and see how we were doing so that we could ask. Weren't sure if we were supposed to go to the counter to pay or were to be brought a bill, and didn't want to interrupt as every staff member sat down to eat their meals together. When I ordered a side of sweet and sour sauce, they said yes and never brought it. When I went to the counter to ask for it again, they said they didn't have any. Well fantastic had I known that I would not have ordered what I did. In fact I would have left because as a 36 week pregnant woman that's what I was craving. Not their problem but if you don't have something, don't tell me you do and then inform me you don't after my food has been put in front of me. When I got home to eat my leftovers I also noticed that there were multiple shrimp skins mixed in my rice, which again being pregnant made me throw up as I had ordered the Kung pao chicken - chicken rice and veggies. Not shrimp for a reason. Will not be going back. read more