Visiting Raleigh. C'mon, how could you not try Chinese? Came across this based on "closest" I base my Chinese experience on "Hot and sour soup". This is my curtain control taste guide. So of course, I ordered : Hot and sour soup : chicken chow mein Two fairly staple, but complex dishes I did order it take out. So my hotel is 6 minutes away. Got to my room, eager to chow down! Soup! Hmm, container was kinda cool (er, not that kind, the not so warm kind). Interesting I thought. Opened it. Hmmm, the usual welcoming aroma didn't waft. Color, darkish brown! Hmm, I thought, too much soy sauce? Well, wasn't hot, but thought, I'd taste as is. Ugh! Ever seen a bottle pickled Dill spears? Now, have you ever drank that mixture that's pickled in? Now add soy sauce to it, leave in some dill pickles, and then add some random mushroom. That is what that was. I've never ever, not been able to finish a hot and sour soup. I even reheated (full disclosure, in a microwave). Nah. Not happening! (Again, I think I saw baby dill pickles and mushrooms, but not sure what any off the other ingredients were) Next up: Chicken Chow Mein. Slightly better, but very one dimensional. In my opinion, I believe someone here equates Chinese cooking with Soy Sauce. The first few bites were okay, but as I had more, it had nothing more to give. Sadly I was disappointed, and still hungry. Reached for an apple! Good night 5 Star. Tonight, only 2 stars were shining! PS. I was going to add pics, but just imagine brown soy sauce on everything. read more

Love the Sesame Beef and Duck Fried Rice. You also have to get the green beans appetizer. Excellent food and service. Have been going there for years and always fresh and delicious. read more

Five Star - Crispy Sesame Beef - Chinese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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The food was fabulous!!! Service was great. We will definitely be returning!!! I had the honey walnut shrimp and my fiance had the general tso chicken. We got the Taiwanese pork belly buns as an appetizer and it was delicious. read more

Five Star - Food was incredible!!!! - Chinese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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I got Crab Rangoons and Shrimp Lo Mein. * Crab Rangoons - more meaty with a slight hint of spicy (super doable), barely any cream cheese, not much filling * Shrimp Lo Mein - Lo Mein noodles cooked well, but a little too bland and shrimp wasn't deveined well. (Kind of half-a*s work on the shrimps) Overall, the food quality is slightly below mediocre. The staff was super friendly and the environment in the restaurant was inviting. They do validate 2 hours free parking in the back, which is nice. read more

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The ambiance at the new place is super cool. Hip music on Thursday-Saturday. TV's, bar, comfortable seating indoor and out. The Scallion Pancakes are really good, very well seasoned. Love the crispy green beans. The lo mein is also good. Portions are really big. I ordered 3 sides that totaled $15. Couldn't finish 2 of them. Plenty of leftovers. Definitely a spot to hit often in downtown Raleigh. read more

Five Star - Scallion Pancakes, crispy green beans, lo mein. - Chinese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I wanted to give them at least two stars since my order was fast and correct, but the food was almost completely inedible! Delivery guy was super nice too. Here's a quick rundown: Wonton soup: $3.50 for a pint, and tasted of dirty dish water with a hint of spice. No thanks. Crab Rangoon: nasty. The skins were hard and tasted stale, and the filling was just unidentifiable mush. Pork/chive dumplings: tasteless, skins falling apart, no texture at all to the filling. The dumpling sauce was decent though. Ribs: ew. They tasted old and completely over-smoked. My dog enjoyed one (but he eats everything - even tries to eat poop). Lo mein: got this as a side and it was the only edible thing I ordered. Not great, but okay. Spring rolls (veggie): again, ew. I generally love spring rolls but these were fried in what tasted like very old oil. The filling was a bit bitter and otherwise mushy. Scallion pancakes: possibly the worst dish I ordered. Super dry with no flavor - sort of tasted like sawdust. I realize that I'm more accustomed to Northeast style American Chinese, but I have tried Chinese all over the country and never had any quite this bad. The search continues! read more

Average food, Average service.... $$$ Hosted a birthday party for my soon to be son in law , six people and couldn't have been more embarrassed! read more

Five Star was fantastic! The Szechuan garlic noodles were a special, but were incredible and hope they make it onto the menu full time. The pork belly bao buns and sesame crispy chicken were also delicious. Enjoyed everything! read more

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Food was alright, scallion pancakes were the most delicious out of everything I ordered. I tried the wonton soup, fried rice and pancakes.

The BLANDEST Chinese food in Raleigh, honestly I don't understand why folks give it above one star. Wonton Soup: basically warm plain water with raw veggies and a singular okay wonton Ribs: the only good thing we tried, they are good but not enough to salvage this whole terrible experience Sweet and sour chicken: Bland overcooked dry chicken, tasted of fanta and had zero crisp Five star chicken: hard overcooked chicken in a sauce that only tasted mildly of soy sauce and nothing else I asked for chili oil or hot sauce to be able to eat the food and low and behold the chili oil wasn't spicy and the sauce tasted like lemons Even the ginger ale I ordered somehow tasted sour! I honestly feel bad about the servers, it's not their fault and the place is pretty but seems like all the budget went to the ambiance and nothing went to the actual food. Avoid at all costs read more

Went on a Saturday night. It was full and remained full the entire time we were there. So if you go on a weekend night, make a reservation so you don't have to wait. This place is located in the Warehouse District so the vibe inside is an industrial feel with tall brick walls. The crowd was 30 something hipsters. There are a few parking spots along that street, but if you can't find one there are 2 small open pay parking lots just over the train tracks. One was $5 a car and the other was $7 that had the self pay machine (so only 1-3 min walk from restaurant). We shared the calamari appetizer. I had the sesame chicken and she had the sesame beef. Both arrived nice and hot (loved that!) so we could tell they were freshly prepared and the food quality was good. It comes with white rice so they just gave us 1 large bowl for two. She had a glass of red wine and I had the hot cocktail of rum and apple cider. All were tasty, the only slight issue was on the main dish- there was hardly any sauce so it was dry. I'm not saying to add tons of sauce so it becomes a glue-y mess, but 2 more tablespoons would have been ideal! ONE ISSUE AT 5 STAR: The menu. Is it not standard to put item descriptions on menu? See pic of menu below. We had to ask the server details about the dish, if rice was included, is it spicy, does it come gluten free, etc. In 2019, with so many known food allergies and intolerances, it is almost reckless to not put the main ingredients/description on the menu. It is also common at Chinese restaurants to indicate if something is spicy with a red star or red pepper, etc. on the menu. Hey management, do you think you can do a menu update and add this in? read more

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Very good service and food. Ambiance was great. Came on Friday night it is they had a DJ

Went out to a comedy show and a friend recommended this location. At first I was thinking this was going to be typical Asian food but I was more than wrong. This location gives you enough food to feed an army....literally. The atmosphere was nice it was a Saturday night and they had a guest dj in the building. It was a nice crowd in the building not too many people to ensure the proper social distancing. All orders are large orders so keep that in mind if just ordering for one or two people. Needless to say we had lots of leftovers to take back home. Our table of food included spicy cucumbers, crispy spring rolls, vegetable lo mein, pan fried dumplings, crispy sesame chicken, lettuce wraps, szechuan ribs, sweet and sour chicken and heat seeker shrimp. There were only 4 of us but we ate like it was 30 lol. Definitely give it a try if you are in the area. read more

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Had a fun evening at Five Star with my wife. We sat at the bar for drinks and dinner. All was delicious and we enjoyed the cool vibe of the place, including the DJ who provided nice background music. Always a fun and lively place. read more

Really disappointed. Called in order for pickup. They had it ready. Place looks nice inside. Crowded bar. Friendly staff. But the food was nearly inedible. It wasn't cooked and had no spices or flavoring added. They took whole, raw food to a new level. The vegetable fried rice was basically just a scoop of boiled brown rice with some nearly raw broccoli heads and shaved raw carrots plopped on top. A few semi-cooked peppers and onions were added. No spices. The Drunken Noodles were raw dough. The noodles were literally stretching and pulling apart. We could've shaped them into dough balls or pizza crusts, no lie. The scallion pancakes had no scallions, that's for sure. They were not fried. They were poorly baked (?), crumbly flour and water flat bread, like a very bad pita. They included a quarter-filled, tiny plastic cup of some kind of red sauce that was maybe like a chutney. The hard dough absorbed it like a dry desert. It was somehow like crumbly shoe leather. Thankfully my brother is a skilled cook. We threw everything in a skillet with some of his Asian oils and spices and he actually cooked this meal. It was 1000 times better but the noodles and pancakes were unsalvageable. Way overpriced for some bad, basic groceries that you have to cook and flavor yourself. We've ordered from there several times and it just keeps getting worse. We will not be back unless maybe they get new chefs or train the ones they've got. Seems like they've got a good foundation. Just needs some oversight in the kitchen. read more

I ordered the spicy beef with noodle and subbed shrimp. My beau ordered the sesame beef and we both ordered shrimp rolls. All of the food items were worth recommending to others. This was probably my best meal their so far. The waiter was pleasant and helpful with menu choices. The dinner is more intimate on nights were the serving room isn't full. I'd say this is a decent American Chinese date night spot or place to grab food with your girls. Prices range from $3.50 for apps to about $17 (currently). read more

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We came pretty late at night and they had only the after hours food menu. The yuzu sake bombs were delicious. Seriously. You should order a few rounds. After that, order a few more. Most delicious sake bombs I've had in a long time. The margarita was honestly a little disappointing. Stick to their sake. As far as food goes. Their short ribs were incredible. I feel like most places overcook short ribs, but these were just right. Good flavor, good texture, and just perfect for a messy late night dish. Their variety of dumplings were terrific too. The featured dumplings were curry chicken and bulgogi. I liked them both. The chicken came with an interesting white dipping sauce that I really liked. Their feature soup was hot and sour. I thought it wasn't quite the traditional hot and sour soup I was expecting but it was flavorful, delicious, and hearty. The scallion pancakes were a little disappointing in my opinion, but I know a few others kinda liked them. We had several vegetarians and vegans in our group. I loved that the waiter suggested several alterations to their dishes. The chicken lettuce wraps became tofu lettuce wraps. A few other dishes also had substitutions made to them. Overall we had a great experience! read more

Food was amazing and portions were plentiful. Our server was on top of everything and very attentive. The ambiance was relaxing and inviting. The dining area is open with a high ceiling. If you have hearing loss issues this can make it hard to hear conversations with your dinner companions. However, if you're in a corner or near the wall it should help. Overall, we had a wonderful experience. I definitely recommend and will be back. read more

The location and ambiance is the best part. The food was subpar. Everything was salty. Ordered Carmel Chkn Wings, Duck Fr Rice, & Pork n Cabbage Dumpling. The sauces were super salty, chicken wings undercooked, rice was meh. The Instagram post got me but these 3 star reviews don't lie. Go for the experience - don't set your hopes up too high. I will go back, one day but no time soon. read more

We've been going to Five Star for about 5 years and it is one of my favorites. The food is consistently delicious, the wait staff is very good and always friendly. The DJ always plays great music however it is too loud for dinner conversation. If you have a party of more than 4 you will have to talk very loud to hear each other. Dining out is a treat these days and I want to enjoy talking with my friends and family but with music volume too high that is hard to do! Just turn it down just a bit so we can hear the music but also to enjoy our dining experience by having great conversations! Thanks so much!! read more

I have never been a huge Asian Food Fan until I was introduced to Five Star. Fresh Ingredients and outstanding Flavor. I would eat here every week..wait I do! Run don't walk. You won't be disappointed. read more

Not sure if this is officially Asian fusion but everything I had was very good. The crispy green beans were amazing! The spring rolls were a bit overdone but still tasted good. Friendly place too read more

So disappointed in this place. Was excited to try this restaurant based on reviews but the food just did not deliver. Hot and sour soup was basically unrecognizable and inedible. Fried dumplings were delivered late and were over cooked. Spring rolls. the highlight of the meal, were crisp and tasty. Main courses of red curry chicken and sweet and sour pork were both extremely bland. read more

It's been an up and down relationship, Five Star! When I first met ya, I thought you were really good. A couple of more visits and I thought your food had suffered. So we broke up for a bit and took a breather. But you know what, that wasn't the end. My last two visits have shown off a refreshed interior along with better food. Better ingredients, more care with the prep and flavors along with the usual solid service. So I've got my fingers crossed, Five Star! And I'm hoping you'll be that frou-frou Asian place that I can support because I'm pretty picky when it comes to the food of my people. Honey-walnut shrimp and Asian short rib tostadas, aside. Fusion is good. Sultry ambiance is good. Keep up the good work and let's get our relationship, back on track! read more

Five Star - Chinese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Five Star is one of my favorite restaurants. I went with my friends last night and it delicious. We had the calamari which is cooked to perfection, green curry was the special and it was excellent. My two favorites are the best seeker shrimp and the string beans. Five Star is locally owned and staff is very friendly. The service is great! read more

Most of the times I have stopped by Five Star in the past has been for a drink with friends or some apps and had good visits at the bar. This week during Restaurant Week downtown I went to enjoy their $20 fixed menu selections and had a great experience. I like the atmosphere, a bit dark but nice. You can dress up or down, and can also be a good date spot. A great space that reflects both the warehouse feel and stylish accents. They have great upbeat music instead of the same old hum drum background stuff and I like that. Once settled in, I examined their 3 courses for $20 Restaurant Week menu and was pleased with the offerings. I started out with the Crab Rangoon, and it was some of the best I've had anywhere locally. For my entree, I chose the Crispy Sesame Beef. Wow, what a portion of beef! With the vegetables and sauce together in the beef, it was wonderful...even though it was a good sized portion I finished it off as I enjoyed the flavor of this dish. For dessert, some warm chocolate cake. Although it did not match the entree it still was a good finish to a great meal. Bottom line: A great Restaurant Week experience, I recommend the Crispy Sesame Beef if you come for dinner here at Five Star. Great sized portion with wonderful flavor. I intend on visiting Five Star more in the future. read more

This is my go to Asian restaurant! My typical dishes are scallion pancakes, crispy sesame beef, and a side of lo mein. The crispy sesame beef is delicious, I do like the lo mein but the last couple of times it has not been as flavorful as I would have hoped. Their new location is in such a cool spot and I highly recommend a visit, the have some nice outdoor seating to enjoy as the weather gets warmer! read more

I give it five stars simply for the ribs. Crispy and saucy on the outside and super tender on the inside. The wings are of similar caliber. Also enjoyed a crispy shrimp dish. Hip atmosphere and solid service. read more

I love going on Wednesdays for the half off appetizer night. The interior is a little bit dark but really hip and cool. I enjoy my meals by the window with light coming in versus the darker room in the back which feels like you're eating in the dark. I have to be honest and say that customer service is either a hit or a miss. Let's talk food. I love the food here and enjoy how Five Star gives their take on Chinese American food. It's nice to start off with the scallion pancakes as an appetizer. A must have is the "heat seeker shrimp". You can't go wrong with that with a side of white rice. The Korean BBQ ribs was really good as well, I was impress! The fried rice was delicious because it was not covered in grease like other places. It's more of a light fried rice. The Crispy Sesame Beef is unique and flavorful. read more

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

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Vibe is the restaurant is good, food was nothing spectacular and found it was generally lacking flavor.

Five Star has been our spot for years now. Their new location is really well done and I would expect they will become even more popular with the easier access. I've never had a bad meal from Five Star. Even during the pandemic when it could be hard to get a delivery on time and the food showed up a little colder than is ideal, it was still worth every penny. Our go to is ALWAYS the crispy green beans and the crispy beef. Aside from those, it varies between dumplings, delicious scallion pancakes, and really just the whole menu. Definitely don't miss those green beans, though. A better app/side would be hard to find. read more

Five star was my favorite birthday restaurant for several years. The food was always outstanding no matter the day or time. I loved the hole-in-the-wall feeling of the old location. It was like you were an elite member to know the place was there and to actually get a table for dinner. The new location is lacking. Not only is the parking a problem - I don't mind paying for a space, but there should be some sort of reciprocal agreement for a large tab to get free parking - but the vibe is just weird. We were a foursome of older Gen Xers. We felt quite comfortable amongst the other patrons as most on a Friday evening were older Millenials and quite a few Boomers with other Gen Xers. The DJ did not add to the vibe of the client base. The heavy beats with no real music was not adding to the atmosphere or was it convincing us to come back. Finally, an 80s Prince song gave us ease as we waited for the meal. Why has the quality of the food changed since they left the warehouse district? The crispy beef wasn't really crispy. The chicken lettuce wraps were too spicy to eat (they weren't spicy at all last visit at this location). The dumplings were a bit blah, and the General's chicken had no heat as requested. The wait staff was wonderful. Very attentive and replaced the spicy wraps immediately. Truly a professional group. Overall, I want to go back, but hope they find their niche soon. Being so close to Glenwood South, yet next door to 42nd St. Oyster Bar, this is the perfect place to be a Gen X mecca. Lose the beats, up the food quality, and embrace the fact that you are not the hip, eclectic hangout you once were. read more

I went in for restaurant week and thought it was quite tasty! Service was awesome to start, but then the place filled up and it took about twenty minutes to try and track down our waitress for a to go box and check. I really like the vibe of this place. If you are craving Chinese food, but don't want takeout, this is the spot to be. Elevates weekend Chinese food if you are looking for more of a date night vibe. To start we got the curry chicken empanadas which were quite tasty as well as the crab rangoons. I'm a sucker for crab rangoons and these did not disappoint. For dinner I got the walnut shrimp. The shrimp was great, but it came on a bed of broccoli that didn't have any sauce or seasoning on it at all. I think if they tossed the broccoli in the sauce it would have really elevated the dish. For dinner I got the rice pudding and it was awesome. I pretty much love all rice puddings so this one was a great way to end the meal. It's a little tricky to get to at the moment with all the construction. Follow the detour signs right as you approach downtown and it will speed up getting there! read more

We went to their new location and the food taste better than before! I had the heat seeker shrimp and my husband had the five star general chicken. Both were delicious and generous portions. Service was amazing as well. read more

Five Star - Heat Seeker Shrimp. Already ate some.. so delicious - Chinese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

This is a really cool place that you might drive by and not even notice. The exterior looks like an abandoned building, but the interior is really nice and quaint. I had the sesame beef, and it was outstanding. I also had the scallion pancake appetizer, which was also good, but I wish I would've only had entree because I couldn't finish it(but I wanted to). The staff was very friendly and service was quick. I will be back soon. read more

Food GREAT as usual, BUT no discussion about ensuring you pay for parking at arrival would be helpful (I believe they do have a sign about it, but did not read). Anyway, I have rated higher previously as I have been coming since original location, but Server added a 20% gratuity and did not even notify us for a 6 top? I did not see it in their menu printed anywhere that large parties gratuity is added, but I guess he was hoping for extra tips. He would have been better off to let it ride with 3 couples in their thirties and forties ordering multiple appetizers and alcoholic beverages. That is just plain unacceptable...his loss! SMH read more

We got here on a Friday night at 7pm and managed to get a table outside. The owner brought out our food and was super sweet & brought me out new chopsticks as I had dropped mine on the floor. The drunken noodles were drenched in yummy sauce, the sizzling steak had a sweet & sour sauce with a side of white rice. Only down parts were the wings had peanuts on it & we didn't noticed that on its table menu & got them. My boyfriend is allergic but he managed through. They were delicious though very crunchy & duck sauce kind of taste. The service was slow in the beginning getting our order & when trying to get our check but overall everyone was helpful in getting our food to us quickly. read more

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We go here at least once a month and always get the special dumplings. This months choice was amazing! I usually go for a regular menu option as well, but decided in the special, yellow Thai curry. It was really good. So much food to go around. I highly doubt you'll ever leave hungry read more

Five Star - Yellow Thai curry - Chinese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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I'm a big fan of Five Star's lunch special's they're a great deal! Additionally the food is always very fresh and delicious. I love the appetizers and the entrees, but I DO wish there was more to the menu (there are only a few entrees) since I love the options they do have. With the construction going on down town parking can be tough, and there isn't many options on the street outside the restaurant. I've had good luck parking in the lot near the Goodwill. read more

Love love love!!!! I wish I took pictures of the food. The bartender was amazing and very personable. I had the spicy cucumbers to start (don't miss out on these!!!!) lettuce wraps, spring rolls, heat seeker shrimp, and Szechuan chilli garlic noodles. Everything was outstanding, especially for the price! read more