Service and ambiance were great but the food felt like it was both lazy and trying to hard at the same time. Went here on a Sunday night for dinner. The decor feels kind of like an old club (but still comfortable enough for a meal) with industrial beams on the ceiling and leopard print fabric on the booth seating. Their website describes it as a "speak-easy like setting with a hipster vibe." The food is meant for sharing, so it's brought out family style as each dish is ready. We ordered 4 of the small plates and one large plate. The lettuce wraps: They could have come from PF Chang's new frozen food line. Nothing special and were very under seasoned. Sesame crusted tuna: About 6 sashimi pieces of seared tuna sesame seeds and a sauce sprinkled on. The tuna itself was good, and the sauce had taste of something like vanilla bean. I still can't make up my mind on it, and I may never be able to. Taiwanese Pork Belly Buns: Now few things make me happier than a soft fluffy bun filled with savory pork. A light sweetness of the bun, a bit of salt in the pork, a crunchy garnish to round out the texture. However, this didn't hit the nail on the head. The pork was sort of caramelized, which was good, but the sweet pork and the big sweet bun it was a little overwhelming. The dish could have used more crunch in the filling too to offset the amount of chewy as well. Scallion pancake: Should have been labeled as scallion naan; it lacked the flaky texture of a typical scallion pancake. It still tasted good, but the accompanying sauce was very salty. Mu Shu duck: The duck pancakes (flat, crepe-like pancake commonly served with peking or mu shu duck) were just store bought tortillas. This was rather disappointing. Overall it was ok. Nothing was awful or inedible, but nothing was really good either. So, I'd say this spot is just average. Seems like a cool spot to hang out with only ok food. read more

How is it that I have never written a review for this place? I have been coming here for my Sesame beef and crispy green beans for over 10 years, probably closer to 15. The location is not convenient to my home or I would be here at least once a week. Last time we got take out, they forgot to include the green beans (so sad!!). We will always come back. You can't get crispy green beans or sesame beef like this anywhere else. The building is cool. Lots of character. read more

Five Star - Chinese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Been eating at 5 Star for years. Just tried out their new location and was happy to see they kept the same feel from the Hargett location. Michelle was there to greet us as usual and talked to us about some of the new menu items. The Crab fat caramel wings were so amazing. Super crispy with a hint of fish sauce to add some funk was the highlight of the night. Oh and when did they start making phenomenal desserts? What a great experience and can't wait to return. Congratulation Michelle!!!! read more

I always Loved the Five star since their days on Hargett street! Back then they had a live DJ, an upstairs lounge, and a cool vibe! Only thing was, THE PARKING was Horrible!!! You might luck out and get a spot in front, but that was once in a blue. This NEW location on N west offers the same cool vibe, great food , nice decor, annnnd better Parking, matter fact, it's FREE (for 2 hours anyway) The decor has plenty of art, and a big mural in the back room, the Live DJ was there too!!! The food was STILL GREAT!!!! They added a few more drinks to the menu They even have dessert. It was soooo good to see one of my favorite restaurants still open (during pandemic times) and a New address read more

I gave this place 2 stars and would have only given it one if the food wasn't good. Hostess was having a bad night. She's the taller brunette. No smile when you walk in she was throwing our water glasses around. She got more angry at us when we asked why after sitting for 10 minutes why we hadn't been served drinks. Waitress tried to make up for it and did well. Unfortunately my dinner came out 15 minutes after everyone else's at the table. All my friends had already eaten. Someone forgot my order. No Manager came to apologize and the waitress did not offer anything. I had to ask at the end of the meal why my dinner was not comp'd. They did finally comp it at the end. We all agreed that we won't be back. Foods good though ROFL. read more

The General Tso just isn't good or tangy, the scallion pancakes were horrible, very tasteless and flourly and found a small rock in my tofu. read more

Five Star - A rock - Chinese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Rib appetizer was good all the rest of the food was bland. Calamari had no taste or seasoning. Hap to ask waitress multiples times for the same thing. This place use to be good not sure if cook changed or management. We won't be back. read more

I have been to Five Star more times than I can count, so this review is long overdue. I am totally a fan. I love this place. We generally sit at the bar and order dinner and drinks. The bartenders are amazing. I've gone to Five Star for years so people come and go but 98% of the time the service and food is perfect. The Heat Seeker Shrimp is wonderful. Order that as an appetizer. For entrees, the Five Star General's chicken, the shrimp fried rice or the crispy sesame beef are solid choices. The Crispy Sesame Beef is my favorite. A couple of times the beef has been chewy but for the past 6 months it has been perfection. I have taken countless numbers of people (family, work peeps, friends) to Five Star and they have never been disappointed. The atmosphere is cool and hip, in the warehouse district of downtown Raleigh. Kinda hard to find for first timers but once you locate it, you'll be back. read more

Food: Never had a bad experience. Favorites are the crispy green beans, heat seeker shrimp and crispy sesame beef. Not your standard chinese, and well worth the money - generous portions. Service: The guys behind the bar are great and the waitstaff is attentive. Atmosphere: Very laidback, a good spot to grab a good dinner and a drink. Has a party space upstairs that is great for hanging out with friends! Check them out on First Fridays for some great specials!! read more

General's tofu with steamed rice: Was really tasty. A simple meal for $8. The tofu was well cooked and was really delicious. A veggie roll on the side was nice too. read more

Five Star - Love the ambience and the setting. - Chinese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

First time at 5 star. Dined with 6 friends. We had the crispy greens beans, spicy cucumbers, and spring rolls which were all excellent. I had the drunken noodles which was fantastic. I would definitely recommend this place . The food is delicious and the service was exceptional. read more

This is an awesome establishment in the downtown area for asian cuisine. One of my go to's is always the Heat Sinker shrimp on the appetizer menu. They are accommodating to prepare it as an entree as well. Other entree choices recommended are General Tso's Chicken, Crispy Sesame Beef, Crispy Sesame Chicken, and Honey Walnut Shrimp. My other favorites on the appetizer menu are spicy cucumbers, pork belly buns, and pork dumplings. I always find the wait staff to be prompt and courteous. I will also add that the management is customer focused. They were quick to resolve an issue for the check on a recent visit which I did not alert them to until a couple days after my visit. I highly recommend giving Five Star a try! read more

The food was great- all of our food tasted great and the portions were very generous. No kids menu. The service was so so. A little slow and it did not all come out at the same time. I would definitely recommend and go back. read more

Came here for Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week -- they offered a $20 3-course dinner with a pretty extensive meal for restaurant week. Pre-RW meal appetizer: scallion pancake -- this was disgusting. It was the most doughy, thick pancake with scant scallion. There were legitimately 2 or 3 sliced scallion pieces in each slice of pancake; some didn't have ANY. When I commented on this to the waiter, he didn't really know how to respond/remedy the issue and simply said, "Oh, maybe you just got a batter that didn't have a lot of scallions." Oh ... ok, thanks. This isn't what I ordered. Drink: green tea mojito -- ehhhhhhhhhh, I probably won't order this again. It was refreshing, but there was hardly any green tea flavor and it was way too sweet. First course: eggplant with garlic sauce -- this was OK. I mean, you can't really go wrong with eggplants. The garlic sauce wasn't overwhelming and it was surprisingly not as greasy as I thought it would be. My companion did, however, comment that she's never eaten such mushy eggplants. I was fine with it though. I tried a bite of my friend's yellowfin appetizer. It was terrible in my opinion. It had the fishiest flavor - and not in a good way. The fish was chewy too - in a "this fish is old" way. Main course: crispy sesame beef -- this was OK too. Most restaurants give smaller portions for RW menu items, but this was a pretty sizable portion. I had to to-go nearly half of it. Crispy beef is usually served in thinner slices to make sure it's actually crispy, but these pieces were on the thicker side. The rice they served it with tasted old too; it was dry and just barely warm. Dessert: thai rice pudding -- this was pretty gross. It was served with four or five tiny mango squares, which, to be honest, were the only reason why I ate the two bites that I did. Service: see "pre-RW meal appetizer" comment. Our waiter in general was pretty awkward and unhelpful. Every time I asked him if something was good, both drinks and meals, he said "oh yeah, it's really good!" UNTRUSTWORTHY - give me your honest opinion! Honestly, this should've been a red flag for me from the start. He also brought us our check before even bringing out our dessert ... because he forgot that we hadn't gotten our dessert yet. Nice. TL;DR subpar food, terrible service, won't be coming back. Bye. read more

I had a craving for some good Chinese food while I was in DTR. I was right around the corner from Five Star and I realized I've had a lot of drinks here but I've never actually eaten here. I stopped in around 8pm on a Wed night, there were a few big tables around us but it wasn't close to being full. The hostess informed us that the kitchen was very far behind so she was going to have to put us on a 15min wait, weird. Given that amount of people in the joint there is no reason a kitchen should be that far behind it's not like this is a new restaurant figuring it all out. Anyways we decided to grab a drink at the bar, and after meeting the friendly bartender and some folks at the bar we decided to just stay at the bar to eat as well. I guess Wed. nights are very popular here because of the 1/2 price apps till 7pm. Well we already missed the deal but decided to go ahead and order the tuna app and the tofu lettuce wraps. I'm really glad I went for the apps and didn't order a full meal here the entrees were pretty pricey and after taking a couple of bites from our apps yikes - it wasn't horrible but man of man I've had way better versions of both of these dishes around town. I love the atmosphere here, and I dig the bar but as far as coming here to eat, no thanks there are too many other great options around town! read more

I don't even know where to start on this one. This place was an incredible letdown. Everything about it. The food. The service. The atmosphere. It was just a bad experience. Food: Ok, so I don't understand the appeal of going to a place that serves the same type of food that I can get at a chinese take out for way less money. I'm paying $15 for sesame chicken that I can get for $7? I gave them the benefit of the doubt and expected it to be like a "WHOA OMG this is the best chinese food, so worth it!" moment but it wasn't. This is NOT authentic chinese food, nor is it great flavor. Super salty, too fried, little variation. Literally get a plate of just deep fried chicken. and rice. That is it. So everyone got tired of eating the chicken. At least the portions are big.. Service: WOW I wish I can say this wasn't the WORST service but it was. I asked the server for a sangria (which is a pretty generic drink that most bars can make) and she just looked at me rudely and said they don't have any. She didn't try to suggest a similar type drink or anything. Just a flat out "No, sorry." Like...what?! And then when throughout the duration of our meal she always seemed like she was bothered. I've never had such rude service. EVER. And oh yeah. To top it all off, she completely screwed up our bills. She actually forgot to show up and give half of our party their bill in the first place until we had to find her and ask why they didn't get one. And then it's all wrong anyways.. So I think we actually stayed a whole extra half hour waiting for the bills to be sorted out. Atmosphere: AWKWARD. Basically we had our dinner in the middle of a....dance floor? They already had a DJ and people just drinking along the walls of the roo, and so it was so uncomfortable eating as we know that people are just watching us eat as they drink and socialize. Like, WHAT IS THIS. Either be a restaurant or be a club, but don't try to be both at the same exact time. Couldn't you have brought in the DJ a little later in the night? Ok, I'm done. To sum it up, this place did not leave the greatest impression. Won't be coming by here again. Do yourself a favor and just go to p.f. changs. or your nearest chinese takeout. read more

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and will be back for more delicious Heat Seeker Shrimp, Crispy Beef, and Spicy Beef Noodles!! The service and ambiance were okay, but the food was definitely the highlight of our evening. read more

FIVE STAR! I am getting mixed signals from you here! What are we to each other? Are we Chinese food buddies? Are we full bar night drinking until 2 AM buddies? Are we night club slightly better Pandora's Hip Hop station music buddies? Come on! Make up your mind! I have been to Five Star a handful of times, with different kinds of crowds, doing different kinds of nights, and I am just really confused. Combine all that I have described, plus a patio (reads: metal mesh tables and chairs putting on the sidewalk right outside the front door/window), and that's what Five Star is, all at one. Five Star is never my first choice of places to go, except maybe Wednesday nights when it's half-off on appetizer menu items after 9 PM. "Xiao" is small plate, basically appetizers, and "Da" is big plate; simple, and easy to remember right? The Heat Seeker Shrimp is the main choice (and basically Five Star's URL) and it is definitely pretty good with some Thai chili sauce. The dumplings (meat and veggie) are pretty good too whether you get them steamed or fried; I've had better scallion pancakes, but roasted duck rolls definitely made me drool for more (and I did just now); crispy green beans is very traditional Chinese and they make it decent. DESPITE ALL THAT, I will, however, continue to show up here on Wednesday nights, perhaps always after a good tasting night at Tasty Beverage. read more

We seem to always get seated in the back corner of the restaurant. I tell Brit it's because they're hiding the Asian dude with the white girl...she says it's because I'm bald...so that's where the story starts. Sitting in the back corner we were met by a plethora of "friends". Friends being a nice way of saying fruit flys. Had I not worked in the bar industry, nor thrive on farm fresh food I'd have easily bailed at the sight. However, knowing how easy they proliferate I was annoyed but not overly so. We were seated right when we walked in, as the place was relatively empty for Thursday night. We ordered our drinks, I had a pint of Kirin and Brit had a glass of Malbec. Service was on point and we started the night off with crab rangoon. 6 crispy and creamy rangoons with a blend of cheese and shredded crab. I ordered the crispy sesame beef and a small order of fried rice. The crispy beef was infinitely better than the last time I had it. Very crispy, the sauce not overpowering and the meat cooked to perfection. The fried rice was very loose but flavored well. Lots of eggs, and carrots and quite a bit of pepper which added some kick to the rice dish. Brit opted for something much smaller and had the chicken lettuce wraps. 5 big leaves of iceberg and a chicken mushroom sprout mixture in what appeared to be an oyster sauce. According to her it was real tasty. read more

New favorite Chinese food in Raleigh! I first tasted Five Star at the TRW Yelping in Wonderland Kick-Off Party and Kelly M. and I knew we had to set up a date there. They have this incredible General Tso's Chicken, which is pretty unique-- I think it may be a hoisin based sauce-- and super addictive (but not that spicy). The night we went, it wasn't too crowded, but it had a great atmosphere. I was definitely impressed when I walked in-- to the left they have a full bar and some private dining (clubbing?) space that I hear you can rent out. Andrew and I shared the General Tso's (surprise surprise) and Veggie Tofu Lo Mein. Portions were huge and prices were reasonable (Our meal for two + 3 beers was a mere $30). They get extra points for bringing me sriracha when I asked for hot sauce. The thing that was most impressive, however, was how they handled our friend who had a soy allergy. The waitress went to check with the kitchen to see how they could accomodate her and came back with at least 5 choices for her to pick from. Seeing how pretty much everything in a Chinese restaurant is soy-sauce based, I was totally impressed by how willing they were to accomodate her. It also shows that their food is definitely cooked fresh to order! The only thing that keeps me from giving it five stars was the service--the waitress was super rushed and I didn't get a water and silverware until a table runner noticed. We also had people at the table that would have preferred real silverware, but we only got the chopsticks option since the waitress was pretty elusive during our entire meal. Highly recommend as a dining option in Downtown Raleigh and I can't wait to go back! read more

This place is touted as one of Raleigh's hidden gems so I went in with high expectations but left extremely disappointed. The atmosphere of this place is really cool albeit not remotely what you'd expect from a Chinese place. It's in the warehouse district and it has kind of a 90s Seattle grunge type vibe. The 90s alt rock they were playing fit the decor perfectly. Sadly though, the 90s nostalgia was the only thing I enjoyed about this place and the only reason I'm giving this place two stars instead of one. My evening turned sour before I even got my food. The hipper than thou, very much not Chinese waitress was extremely rude to me. I was dining alone because I had a night class that night and couldn't even get dinner until 9:30 pm and most people don't eat that late. She seemed utterly baffled at the concept of someone dining alone and gave me attitude about it. The food was god awful. Even my dumplings were bad and it's pretty hard to make dumplings not delicious. They were very oily and one even sprayed a stream of grease at me when I bit into it! My entree was even worse. I got Thai peanut noodles and the noodles were mushy. The sauce was overly sweet and didn't have the nice sesame taste that I expect with this dish. I asked for some hot sauce in an attempt to make it taste better but their hot sauce was gross too. It tasted like ketchup (which is definitely the worst condiment ever). Supposedly Five Star is a nightlife spot as well as a restaurant. I would possibly go back for a beer if I was in the mood to relive the 90s. However, I hope the bartenders are nicer than that nasty waitress..... read more

Five Star has the best Americanized Chinese food I've had in a long time. I've gone twice so far for dinner and I haven't been disappointed. I recommend the following: General Five Star chicken Bok choy and tofu (simple vegetarian dish, tastes like authentic Chinese food) Any noodle dish Fried calamari The portions are large and hearty. I was able to split the General chicken dish with a friend and an order of string beans with the table, and I was pretty full afterward. Five Star is dark and cool in terms of ambience. It's fairly upscale without being stuffy. The service is excellent. Verdict: A solid option for Chinese food downtown. A step above your usual greasy, MSG-laced Ameri-Sino takeout place. The club part of Five Star isn't too bad either. read more

EDIT: No longer open for lunch :( Since Five Star is directly next to my office, it's basically turned into my 2nd cafeteria. The lunch menu features $8.00 "power lunches", including my favorite, the curry shrimp. The general's chicken and crispy sesame beef are also very good options. The power lunches come with a shrimp roll or soup, and your choice of white or fried rice. At dinner, I prefer to share with a group. The heat seeker shrimp are always a must. I'm also a big fan of the crispy green beans and scallion pancakes. The entrees are huge portions of some of the lunch items. You can feed a family with basically two entrees and a few small plates. At night, Five Star turns into a dance club. I've heard stories that it used to be a hole-in-the-wall before it was a restaurant. Five Star was a venue for Hopscotch Music Festival pre-2014, but the downstairs is pretty small and it's relatively far from the other venues. Service can be hit-or-miss, especially at lunch when they are running with a small crew. At dinner, I haven't had any issues. Five Star is one of my favorite restaurants downtown and a great option for a casual dinner. read more

The food is quite heavily spiced with ginger. Each food should taste like what is being ordered and not everything taste alike because all you taste is ginger. Would not be happy eating here again but willing to give it another try just to see if they improve. read more

After reading 60 plus reviews I just knew Five Star was an excellent choice for Triangle Restaurant Week. Boy was a wrong!!! The food was not halfway decent. Both Reg and I had the heat seeker shrimp. We both agreed the shrimp tasted and smelled fishy. Yuck. Then I had the Crispy Beef. It was flavorless and tough. I'm aware it was supposed to be crunchy but tough? Not so sure I was expecting that. Also, I'm wondering if the shrimp was fresh becuase had a stomachache that night until the next morning. All in all, I would definitely NOT return. read more

Five Star - Heat Seeker Shrimp - Chinese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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I am still on the hunt for a good Chinese food in the Raleigh/Cary area. So I was told to try this place. Started by going to their website (yes they have one), couple of things to mention, everything was spelled correctly that should have been a giveaway. And then there was the menu, but I will get back to this one. We arrived down town, to eat here you have to find parking which a pay per parking lot near by. No problem, moving on. The only asian thing in the restaurant is the host who seated us, who happened to have the worst Haircut in my opinion. Just wanted to chop off his hair. We are sitting down, and infront of me is a prolongated menu. One sided very few selections, there is more appetizers than there is food. Missing many of the essential food that would make up a chinese cuisine. Ordered fried rice and only by process of exclusion I ended up with beef and broccoli, as I said not many options. And for the life of me I can not figure out why there is a grenade next to the restaurants name on the menu, what is that about ? At this time I look around to find that there is nothing Asian about the atmosphere, not a single drawing, dragon or anything. So why does it matter? Well it doesn't. Did I mention the music? It was techno/lounge which I love, but it's not Asian. To wrap this up let me talk about the food, it is a restaurant after all. It was not disgusting, the fried rice was not fried at all, it had brown sauce on it. Look it was alright, but as everything else there is nothing asian about it. The server (not Asian) was nice, the food was ok. But if you want Chinese food or an Asian experience this is not the place to go. The only explanation as to why a previous reviewer stated it is the best Chinese food in town, is because he is ignorant as to what Chinese food should taste like. read more

Five Star - Nothing Asian about this Chinese restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

The experience gets better every time I go. I am a sesame chicken aficionado. The first time I went I was not in love, but they are perfecting the recipe over time. I have been several times as a regular customer and twice for restaurant week. This restaurant is the the warehouse district of Downtown Raleigh. It is on the Boylan side of the city. In keeping with the gritty feeling of this area the inside is a huge open industrial space. There are two rooms. There is a huge bar with plenty of seating around the bar, a group table, a few four tops and a random little seating are beside a DJ stand. There is also a dinning room with quite a few tables. There is also a few picnic tables outside. The decor is a nice blend of Asian and industrial. I will say there needs to be a little updating on the dinning room decor and the bathroom needs a little love. For restaurant week they offer one of the best deals in town. An appetizer, entree and dessert for $20. Can't beat it. I had the heat seeker shrimp. Crunchy, sweet and savory. Lindy had the Asian Bar B Que Tostadas. This was a unique appetizer, but it was a little bland on the spices and super awkward to eat. I had the sesame dish. Instead of beef I had sesame chicken and it was a 4 star up from the one star from the first time I had it. The sauce is thin so if they could thicken it up a little it will be a five star no pun intended. Is that even a pun? For dessert we had the chocolate cake. It was a warm morsel of deliciousness with vanilla ice cream. As far as the drinks go it is a little thin on the beer list. This is a pretty hipster little joint and to not have a lot of local drafts to choose from is a fault worth mentioning. Also, I am not sure what happens after dinner hours, but I feel like it is worth checking out. I saw a dj setting up as we were finishing our dessert.his is definately a place I will take guest to when they come in for a visit. read more

First of all the food took FOREVER to come out. Second, the flavor in my veggie lo mien was so lacking I had to add Sriracha to it. I had to add it to Chinese food. Third, they charge you for a fork. Seriously, yall. Not everyone on the surface of the earth uses chopsticks. The saving grace was that the portion was good for the price and the staff was nice to us. read more

I really want to love Five Star because the ambiance is awesome and it's a great place to bring your friends. It has nice artwork with an urban chic appearance. The food however is merely so-so. The menu hasn't changed in over 5 years. The server didn't mention any specials so I'm not sure if they were offering any. We had the Heat Seeker Shrimp which were, despite the name, not that spicy. I had the Spicy Beef with Noodles which was good but not that special (and, once again, not that spicy). I think this place is clearly doing something right since it has been around for a while but I wish it would get a little more creative with the menu. While we were there for dinner there was live music but it was a bit overbearing which made conversation difficult. However, if you're not there to eat then you probably will find the music pleasant. If I come back to Five Star it will be for the drinks and night life. read more

I have been a long-time Five Star devotee. Their food never disappoints, it is the best chinese food in the triangle, hands down. I have turned so many people on to this place, & they feel the same. The owner is incredible, the staff is always friendly. I love this place so much, I spend my birthday with them every year. If you have never been, here are a few of my top suggestions: heatseeker shrimp, crispy green beans, scallion pancakes, pan-fried pork dumplings, general's chicken, & crispy sesame beef. You can't get better dumplings anywhere. Trust me... me & my family have tried many others, & always end up disappointed. read more

A friend of mine and I dropped in last night for a late dinner and drinks. We were primarily looking for some place open late (as we couldn't go until 10 p.m.) and this place popped up on our radar. A couple of things: The place looks a lot nicer on the inside than it does from the street, so don't let that fool you. The apps are great. I ordered soup and my friend ordered spring rolls. Both were out of this world amazing. For our main course we actually split a plate chicken fried rice. The waiter (who was really helpful) suggested that we split it because the portion was "sizable". He even provided forks for us as he noticed we were struggling with chopsticks :-). All in all I really enjoyed this place. The ambiance is amazing and I certainly plan on going back. read more

I feel tempted to give this place 5 stars because relatively speaking, it deserves 5 stars for the Raleigh area. You won't find better Chinese food in Raleigh! (Please message me if there's a better place than Five Star so I can go ASAP). However, compared to my favorite Chinese place in California, this place gets 4 stars. I've eaten here twice now. I love the ambiance. It's very classy yet also relaxed and comfortable. I love their hot and sour soup! Probably the best entree on the menu is the crispy sesame beef. It should be called beef candy, because that's exactly what it tasted like. SO good! I ordered some other beef entree last time and it was also very good. Five Star is a very good option for dinner if you're craving Chinese! read more

As a 30-something yuppie, I can't ask for anything more from a restaurant. Great food, great prices, great (lounge) atmosphere. I've been once and ordered the calamari and 5 Star General's Chicken. Normally I'm not one to order the least expensive item on the menu ($12 for the chicken), but at my buddy's insistence I relented. I was amazed at how good an American-operated Chinese restaurant could do chicken with broccoli. Absolutely phenomenal. A lot of their items are available gluten free, including anything fried, i.e. the calamari. Bonus points there. We were able to be seated at 8:00 on a Friday night with no problem. I'm told the place really picks up around 11:00 when a DJ performs, and the full menu is served until midnight. Can't wait to return! read more

I came to Five Star while in town visiting a friend. We decided to partake in restaurant week before a show that night. We made reservations early as our show was at 7pm. When we arrived it was pretty empty but by time we left it was packed. Restaurant week is my favorite thing and I can't believe how inexpensive it is. The Five Star menu was $20 for three courses consisting of an appetizer, entree, and dessert. For the appetizer we all got something different and decided to share sort of tapas style. We had the heatseeker shrimp, Crab Rangoons, and Chinese BBQ Pork Tostadas. I am not a shrimp person but with some peer pressure I decided to try it. It was actually very good and did not taste "fishy". The serving size for the shrimp was also very large. I would have never guessed that we would get a whole bowl of shrimp. The crab rangoon was my appetizer of choice. It was very good (I'm not sure why I have always loved crab rangoon even though it is seafood). For my entree I had the Grilled Beef Tenderloin and it had a Sweet Pepper Relish and Black Bean Sauce. They also give you rice as well. The tenderloin was perfect! The relish and sauce mixed with the rice made a perfect side! Everything was cooked to perfection. By the time dessert came out I was stuffed. But lets be honest...there is always room for dessert. I went with the warm chocolate cake. It wasn't too bad but I was hoping it would have been a bit richer. It was a little light on the chocolate taste. Overall this was an excellent dining experience and the service was great as well. read more

Ah Five Star, you are one of my favorite late night spots in Raleigh. After an evening on the town I love to stop at Five Star for a bite to eat on my way home (open until 11:30p or midnight every day!). They serve huge portions and my boyfriend and I usually end up getting a couple apps to split. The heat seeker shrimp are one of the best known, a little sweet and spicy mix and an appetizer big enough for 3-4 at least. I also love the scallion pancakes, crab rangoon and the green beans as always a 'healthier' but tasty option. I've tried the spicy beef noodle as an entree, ended up splitting it and still having a large portion to take home (again, the servings are large). You can also get a side of lo mein or fried rice if you want to jazz up your appetizers (although note that they don't put proteins in the sides). I love hot and sour soup, but that's probably the only thing I've had so far here that I wouldn't recommend, there are so many other better options of the menu. Definitely try to hit them up on a Wednesday night or on First Friday as they usually have great specials. read more

I think the food here is awesome. I was very happy with everything I tried there. I ordered a spicy margarita, and it was just OK.

If your looking for a dining experience in a warehouse, come to 5 Star. If your looking for exceptional Asian cuisine, this place is ok. Not the worst place but not the best either. What it lacks in a tremendous food experience, it makes up for in atmosphere. The interior is a little industrial with great warm colors. The layout is a little awkward and there is lounge seating in an area near the bar that is brightly lit that doesn't make much sense but maybe on a weekend night it does. The food was decent. I had the steamed pork dumplings which were good. I would order those again. I also tried the Five Star General's Chicken as my entree. It came highly recommend by the waitress that night. Large chunks of chicken that were tender. It tasted a little plain but still good nonetheless. I didn't try any of the fancy drinks but hunkered down with a tried and true Tsing Tao. Can't go wrong with that. I would not be opposed to trying them again to see if my experience improves. read more

Despite the following review, I would eat there again... I had heard a great deal about this restaurant; however, it was not exactly as upscale or "nice" as I had expected. While the food was delicious, the decor was hum-drum and the waitress wasn't super cheery...she was slightly personable, didn't seem perturbed by our presence, but not especially happy to see us, either... A large group of post-pubescent, male teenagers in prom dresses greeted us (they were doing a scavenger hunt) in a large horde and we had to stand-by a few moments to await a staff member to show us to our table... A "family" of four sat to the right of us (three adults...one infant) and, for the duration of the dinner (about an hour and a half) the toddler ran rampant around the restaurant with no adult attempting to stop it. I mean this kid was walking to occupied tables and invited more than just a stare and whisper...twice, the "father" got up and picked the infant up and carried it back, but the child never ceased for a moment from running around all over again. Aside from the men in dresses, obnoxious child and the casual appearance, the food was delicious (I would have expected a slightly-larger portion for the amount I paid). Parking...was a bit hard to find (we had to park a couple of blocks away)...which was kind of odd for a Sunday night, but we managed. Did I mention that I would eat there again? read more

Great Place!! Maybe I should do 5 Stars. I think I will raise my 4 to a 5, for these reasons: Staff: Friendly, eager to please, the bartender taught me more about Sake than I ever knew! It wasn't like the Host, Hostess, Waiters, Waitresses, and Barstaff were just fishing for tips... they all seemed genuinely interested that we were comfy and liking what we ordered. Nice. Food: No complaints! We went during Restaurant Week and I made the same faux pas that Christina G made by letting my date choose the Apps. I love my veggies, but about all I had were meat dishes! But that's okay, it isn't Five Star's fault. I 'shoulda got the Chicken Wraps though, they looked great going by my table. And they have plenty of vegetarian fare on the menu, as well as being very open to substitutions. Service: They were on top of their game. It was 9:00 on a Friday Night during Restaurant Week so we had to wait for a table, but the bar crowd was a hoot. Nice and friendly peeps. Atmosphere: Very Cool! Looks like a fun Night Club kind of place too, but I think you have to like the DJ Beat type of music. I can dig it for a night. My date said it was kindof loud in there, but we could still talk fine at our table. Its an active place, not really quiet and mellow. There were several large groups in there. Portions - I had plenty of Crispy Sesame Beef to take home, in addition to our desserts! I like that in a restaurant. :-) I'll definitely go back as part of a fun night out in Raleigh. read more

Service was really amazing - I've had our waitress as a bartender here before. It's nice to always be welcomed back to an establishment by someone who's so genuinely happy. Now the food was a little lacking. Stay AWAY from the "_____ with noodle" dishes. You'll be better off just getting the $4.50 low mien with one of the proteins they offer. You'll be scratching your head at the end of your meal wondering why you spent $20. DO order any of the proteins with rice. They give you a much larger portion, and it's overall tastier. All in all, I'll come back here alone for the service, and just order something else. read more