We arrived about an hour before closing and were worried it might not be the best experience, but we were completely wrong. The service was friendly and attentive, and the food came out fresh, hot, and absolutely delicious. We ordered the dumplings, salt and pepper fish, green onion beef, and dan dan noodles, and every dish was excellent. Everything was flavorful, well-prepared, and exceeded our expectations. We would definitely come back and highly recommend this place! read more

This used to be called Harbor Garden. Food here is still delicious, although a bit oily but that's expected for Szechuan food. Mine and my bf's go to are the dry fried green beans, mapo tofu, Chong Qing Spicy Chicken, and Yang Chow fried rice. These are more than enough for two people and we always have leftovers to take home. The mapo tofu pairs soooo well with the fried rice and my bf loves the chicken. Green beans are flavorful and crispy as well! Hot and sour soup is HUGE. They aren't consistent in making this because some days it's the perfect balance of tangy and spicy flavor, but other times its tooooo sour. The restaurant is very spacious. I love that you can just order via QR (on your phone). read more

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Ordered takeout for lunch over the weekend and was very satisfied! We ordered: -spicy chili oil wontons -scallion pancakes and beef roll -pan fried buns -xiao long bao -green beans -cucumber salad -popcorn chicken Everything was delicious! The beef with the scallion pancakes was sooo tender. The cucumber salad was extra refreshing with the perfect balance of savory and tangy. You also can't ever go wrong with spicy wontons, pan fried buns, popcorn chickens, or braised green beans. Yum! Huge bonus: the restaurant is directly connected to Ben Gong's Tea. Loooove the osmanthus milk tea! I'd recommend subbing out the crystal boba and rice with regular boba and tea cubes. read more

Whenever I'm in Garden Grove, Korean and Vietnamese cuisine will always take precedence. However, my most recent trip pivoted from the norm, and Noodle Star became the destination. The end result? Reasonable prices, warm service, and very tasty food. Like so many Chinese restaurants, the name and theme is inherently confusing. Up until last year, the place was Harbor Garden and it's rebranded to Noodle Star ever since. The Chinese name ("川粵" aka "Chuan Yue") would imply there is a Sichuan + Cantonese component to the offerings, despite the words "teppanyaki" and handmade noodles (手工麵) noted on the exterior as well as on signs on the interior. Typically any restaurant that dabbles in multiple regional Chinese variations (Sichuan, Cantonese, Shanghainese, Lanzhou, etc.) is a huge flight risk. Surprisingly, it all worked out. All of my orders were from different regions of the country, starting with a Cantonese beef chow fun (乾炒牛河) that was delightfully smokey from the wok hei (#1) and the noodles and beef were silky and smooth. While the noodles aren't as wide as I would have liked, they were still 100% workable in the dish. The Taiwanese style popcorn chicken (鹽酥雞) was wonderfully fried and the chicken was still juicy on the inside. Their napa cabbage + shrimp + pork steamed dumplings (白菜豬肉蝦水餃) were pillowy soft and steamed perfectly. They were plump and not too doughy; which is very appropo for a northern Chinese dish. The biggest surprise may have come from the soup dumplings (小籠包), which had just the right amount of soup and a very delicate dumpling skin that was downright excellent. The service was kind, attentive, and very bilingual with Mandarin and English. Prices might feel high to non-Cali folks, but the spectrum is very much on the Socal average. (#2). Bathrooms were mostly clean and the seating options were plentiful; solid for large and small group action. Parking can be tough on the weekends since it's a strip mall. I already know that I'll be back. If I was able to order 4 regions and they all came out excellent (#3), I can only imagine how excellent the rest of the house special group of dishes will be. __________ (#1) "Essence of the wok" -- it's a thing. (#2) At $15-19 for most dishes. (#3) Did we get lucky? read more

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Hidden gem, with extremely tasty food. Everything in this menu is delicious, authentic and affordable! Would highly recommend going with a large group to try more dishes! The service is great quality along with a very calm environment to enjoy your meals! Also located right next door is a boba tea shop! read more

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This is by far the best Chinese food around the area. The beef falls apart with how well they cook it for both the noodles and the beef rolls. They hand make the thin noodles for their soups and honestly these are the best I've had. The portion sizes are huge especially for how fairly they're priced. The service is super quick and there's always plenty of seats somehow at this restaurant. Definitely come check it out. read more

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Was craving Chinese food for dinner so we took out family of 5 to Harbor Garden. We were seated right away. I decided to use the qr code to order. Our waiter did stop by and asked if he could take our order. I said we'll use the qr code because we were having a hard time deciding due to so many delicious looking dishes. We ordered (good size portions) Seafood Tofu Soup - great amount of Seafood! Yang Chow Fried Rice Beef & Broccoli Salt & Pepper Pork Chop Overall, it was a good meal for our busy family. We plan on returning soon! read more

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Dined in with family during lunch. Not a packed house during our stay from 12:30 pm. Ordered Shu Mai (4) piece Tasted - Just okay Rating 3/5 Recommend - Salt pepper fried pork chops Battered to perfection! Taste 5/5 Value 5/5 Portions 5/5 Enough to pack some to go. Black bean Fish Filet Plate Taste 4/5 Value 5/5 Portions 5/5 Enough to pack some to go. Spicy Fish filet Taste 5/5 Value 5/5 Portions 5/5 Enough to pack some to go. Pork buns 8 piece 4/5 Presentation skeptic Taste 5/5 Juicy and subtle taste of ginger Spare Ribs 4/5 Value 5/5 Enough to pack some to go. Not my preference as more on the sweet side. Ordering system is basic - Scan QR code and place orders from there. Service 3/5 - Nothing above and beyond. Order your food and they'll bring out the basic essentials needed. Would comeback again for sure. read more

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We wanted to try a new restaurant for family dinner and celebrate some announcements. We chose Harbor Garden due to the extensive menu. We love to order extensively and that is what we did. We tried the dumplings, the hand pulled noodle soups, the beef rolls, the soups, the fried noodles and many of the family style entrees. See pics. It was a good and varied selection that everyone was satisfied. Portions were a good size. Rice included at no extra cost. They are also attached to the Ben Gong. Service was fast. They did not automatically include tip for our large party which I think was nice. Good service. Parking manageable. Please come and create your own adventure. read more

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We ordered the orange chicken and loved it. The sauce tasted very fresh, you can really tell they use fresh orange juice, which makes the flavor sweet, tangy, and super delicious. The green beans were also aâmzing, fresh, bright green, and not oily at all. Simple but cooked perfectly. My favorite surprise was the potato salad. It was so special and actually my first time trying this style. The crispy shredded potatoes were crunchy and flavorful, really unique and tasty! Overall: good food, fresh ingredients, and great flavors. Definitely coming back to try more dishes! read more

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Quite amazing good...and the prices, soo affordable. We ordered 4 dishes and it cost around $65 (before tip) and one left over to go. The portion is quite big. Service is great and friendly. Parking is great, big parking lot and the place is clean, big and airy. Decor is minimal but feels Chinese for sure. You can see inside the kitchen while they're cooking. Menu has quite a lot options. The foods are well make, well seasoned and well presented plus very yummy. Definitely will come back to try other dishes since the prices are so affordable and the place is with big seating area, inside that is. read more

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1. I like the thickness of the noodles in the chow mein! The Mapo Tofu had some heat, and it really goes well with the white rice! The chicken was not spicy, and it had an interesting batter! 2. The spot has casual vibes! It also had high ceiling with a spacious interior! 3. There are only indoor seatings! This spot has a lot of tables! 4. The staff were friendly and timely with our order! It took about 15 mins! 5. Parking lot is huge! Easy to find parking in the morning! Note: There are restrooms available for customers! This spot also shares the space with a boba spot! Photo: Beef Chow Mein, Mapo Tofu, and Chong Qing Spicy Chicken read more

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arrived at Noodle Star with my partner at 7:30pm. The ambiance looks so clean and nice and the host was attentive to us upon arrival by giving us water & welcoming us with plates & utensils. I was so surprised to see the restaurant empty at this time considering the many options they have. This plaza has so many unique places I will have to check out -- and I live a mile away! Glad I checked it out. However one MAJOR concern, the water pitcher had slime similar to what you see in bathtubs or sinks when you don't clean them. I was able to remove it with a napkin. Gross :( I let the worker know about the dirty water lid and then he put it back into the fridge instead of removing it. The worker tried telling me to remove the lid to drink the water but I asked for a new one. Food safety concern that he just placed it back in the fridge! Plate did look a little dirty. The fried rice was DELICIOUS and soft. Creative use of spam with shrimp and eggs. The food came out in less the 10 minutes. The chow mein shrimp was so delicious and garlicky. The wonton seafood soup had an interesting chili oil floating. I like the free steamed rice for dine & togo option- but we didn't receive our free rice with our meal. The wanton soup was delicious but I wish the shells were peeled for the shrimp. Overall, aside from the icky water situation, the food and ambiance was delightful. I think there really isn't much service aside from your order being delivered after you place it on your phone. read more

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The resteraunt was kind of stuffy and the smell was not the best. The food was decent, but not memorable. read more

Wow, this place was amazing....my wifey and I ordered the Orange chicken with white rice, veggies chow mein, & popcorn chicken. We ordered thru the QR Code and our food came out within less than 10mins. Hot and fresh Cook to order. So freaking bomb!!!! This place has so much to choose from but my wifey only eats chicken, next time I come with family and friends I'll order other options they have. We ate so good!!! read more

Noodle Star 川粵 - Popcorn Chicken, veggie chow mein, & orange chicken with white rice. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Garden Grove, California

On our first visit a couple years ago, we ordered: Juicy dumplings $29.98 Cucumber salad $7.99 Deep fried pork slices with sweet and sour sauce $18.99 Hot & sour soup $9.99 Fried beef with cumin $18.99 Sesame balls free with Yelp check in read more

Dined here many times. The food and service continue to impress. Everything is so fresh and tasty. Server is always so nice to my family. Amazing find amazing food. Truly a gem. read more

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Braised beef noodle soup: not spicy at all Siu mai: so far my fav siu mai. Meaty and juicy and very flavorful ! The consistency here is always a mystery because every time we come, there's something different from last time. It doesnt bother me that much since we keep coming back for the flavors ! read more

Noodle Star 川粵 - Siu mai - Asian Fusion Near Me - Garden Grove, California

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The most authentic Chinese cuisine without the wait. We celebrated my mother's birthday here for dinner. They rebranded themselves as Noodle Star which is quite fitting as we saw the back of the house making fresh noodles from dough. So many dishes to choose from. Family style with shared entrees of course. read more

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Everything here is prepared fresh right on the spot, and you can really taste the quality! The juicy dumplings tasted amazing and were packed with flavor. The orange chicken had a wonderful, fresh taste with tiny, thin strips of real orange peel mixed in. ​The only reason I'm giving them 4 stars instead of 5 is that I didn't order the orange chicken to be spicy, but it still came with little pieces of chili in it. I had to pick them out and put them to the side, and it did leave the food a bit spicy. Other than that, the food was absolutely delicious! read more

Nothing more I despise than planning to eat at a restaurant, showing up, and having a staff run to us stating they are closed upon walking in. Sir, it's 8:30pm your site says you close at 10pm. We chose your restaurant specifically for the time. read more

Despite the consistently lackluster service, my wife and I continue to return here for one reason: the food is usually delicious. While good service is always appreciated, we've often felt that the flavor and quality of the dishes outweigh any front-of-house shortcomings. Today, however, was disappointing. We ordered the mapo tofu (medium spice), beef rolls, and salt and pepper pork chops. The mapo tofu had zero Sichuan peppercorn, which stripped the dish of its signature numbing spice. When we asked if the recipe had changed, the server/cashier told us everything was the same. But based on the blandness, it seemed more like the cooks were rushing to clock out rather than paying attention to detail. We ended up taking the dish home and adding our own peppercorn. The salt and pepper pork chops were decent--hard to get wrong, given how simple the dish is--but nothing particularly memorable. The beef rolls, unfortunately, were served cold. We couldn't tell whether they were under-prepped or meant to be cold, but they didn't taste fresh. They were also drenched in an overly sweet brown sauce that overwhelmed the flavors and made the dish unpleasant. Adding to the disappointment, it was clear the staff wanted to close up for the night, and we felt rushed to leave. Having been in similar situations before, it was obvious from their demeanor and pacing that we were being hurried out. Frustrated with the service and quality of the food, we asked for the check early and took everything to go. One final note: there seems to be a recurring issue with the listed hours of operation. Yelp shows the restaurant as open until 10 PM, but based on our experience--and similar reviews from other customers--that doesn't always appear to be the case. Despite all these disappointments, we still tipped 10%. Ps. We miss NICO! He was an amazing server and just good person overall. We might give this establishment another chance sometime in the future but for now, we will take our business elsewhere. read more

Noodle Star 川粵 - Beef rolls - Asian Fusion Near Me - Garden Grove, California

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I love that they added teppanyaki to the menu, but I'm even happier they kept their signature dishes. My go-to place for traditional Sichuan--absolutely delish and hits every time read more

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Still good but some of the same dishes we ordered last time were very different this time. Would prefer to see more consistency. read more

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Legit Cantonese Szechuan restaurant. All items ordered were a hit.and great for family style. The Szechuan spicy boiled fish, black bean fish, Shanghai juicy buns were light and not full of breading like other places, and salt pepper pork were perfectly light, airy, pounded lean, and most importantly not dry. Also recommend the sweet and sour spare ribs that are excellent. read more

They are really nice here. The first time I put a Uber order in They didn't look at the special instructions. But when I call they make sure to make my food correctly! So I think just call if you have any special requests. read more

Sam is the man food is super tasty and worth for the price always satisfy my Chinese food craving read more

Noodle Star 川粵 - Salt pepper pork chop - Asian Fusion Near Me - Garden Grove, California

It had been a long time since I had had Sichuan food, so I was ecstatic when my friends suggested this place! PARKING: Ample parking WHAT I ORDERED: * Mapo tofu * Spicy mixed meat in dry pot * Sichuan Zhong's dumplings * Rice THE FOOD: We started off the mapo tofu, and things were already off to a great start! It was exactly what we had been craving, and the seasoning was great and not too numbing. The dumplings were also delicious - the sauce they were sitting in was fantastic. The star of the show was the dry pot of course. I'd definitely recommend this one since you get a variety and won't get tired of the same meat for the entirety of the meal. Still thinking about the pieces of fish in there! SERVICE: Great service. Our server was helpful in answering our questions. VIBES: Lots of seating during dinner time. It was nice for us catching up as friends, but I cold totally see this being a family friendly spot. Maybe not date night - the seating is pretty open so you don't get any intimate corners. BOTTOM LINE: Definitely coming back!! I'm salivating just writing this. read more

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Great spot to come get traditional Chinese food as well as Sichuan food ordered: string beans 5/5 - crispy fried string beans with plenty of ground pork! Spicy Fish Fillet in dry pot 5/5 - crispy fish fillets and the portion on this was huge, this could feed 3-4 people in itself! salt n pepper pork - 4/5 - pieces were large, but the flavor of the salt and pepper was lacking chongqing spicy chicken - 5/5 - not super spicy but those chicken pieces were amazing! they were fairly large compared to other places where sometimes you only get flour pieces! read more

My in-laws family and I dined here recently for the first time. We were excited to try Harbor Garden and were glad it's close to their house and didn't have to drive far. We really wanted to love this place but unfortunately every dish was a letdown. We ordered 9 or 10 dishes to try and sadly, nothing stood out. The food tasted old and not fresh at all. Service was also disappointing. We had to repeatedly ask for condiments, napkins, and other basics, and each time it felt like we were bothering the staff. Not in a hurry to return. read more

I haven't seen an actual Chinese restaurant around Garden Grove area. Glad I gave it a try. The place is spacious with Bengong tea right next to it. The price might be high but trust me, it is a big portion. They really don't skim out. Highly recommend getting the pork dumplings in chili oil and hot & sour soup. The food comes out relatively quick but I'm not sure during dinner rush. Definitely coming back to try out other dishes read more

Noodle Star 川粵 - Asian Fusion Near Me - Garden Grove, California

I had a serious craving for mapo tofu so I stopped by harbor garden since I saw how authentic it looked. I was seated immediately and helped right away, the staff was very comprehensive with taking my order and informed me that they recommended a bowl of rice with the mapo tofu :). After ordering I saw the chef himself make it since they had low walls and a window so you can watch, I can tell it was very authentic to the Cantonese style mapo tofu from how it was made and the flavors and spices definitely did not disappoint Overall very easy experience, they share a wall with an adjacent business so don't be confused! read more

Noodle Star 川粵 - Mapo tofu - Asian Fusion Near Me - Garden Grove, California

The food here is excellent for such a great price. Especially good were the pepper fish filet and the pork and cabbage dumplings. Service was stellar. With the restaurant's dining area itself being spacious and spotless. read more

Noodle Star 川粵 - Pepper fish filet - Asian Fusion Near Me - Garden Grove, California

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We stopped to eat here on a whim - literally a "hey it's lunch time let's find a place to eat nearby while we're driving" and chose this place due to their 1. yelp photo (Chongqing Spicy Chicken) lol. It looks good! The place was kind of emptier than we expected for a lunch weekend. Decor is nice, very spacious. It shares a space with a boba shop called Ben Gong's Tea (which I ordered while waiting and TLDR enjoyed the mango pomelo sago). We didn't order the Chongqing Spicy Chicken (I can't handle spicy), but we did end up ordering the Fish filet w/spicy salt, egg drop soup and shrimp with egg yolk. They ended up giving us a really spicy looking soupy fish dish with red peppers?? We were very confused, that wasn't what we ordered. We told them what we had ordered and they took it back. Food arrived and everything was great. Food portions were much larger than we expected, it was like dinner portions. Shrimp sizes were larger than expected and more than the 12 count or so we're used to. It's like shrimp w/spicy salt but stir fried with an egg yolk batter coating. Very generous portions. Was super surprised there wasn't more people here, but we noticed they have a lot of to-go orders. Would definitely return when we're in the area! read more

I was craving hot and sour soup and this was the closest spot locally. I'm extremely picky but this place made it *perfectly*!! I used to have to drive far away to order one as delicious as this. I'm SO glad I found this spot and gave it a try! Definitely coming back!! read more

Plenty of seatings. Been here twice during the weekend, day time. They were not busy, petty empty. Food can be a hit or miss. Fired rice was flavorful. First time was great, second time I ordered the same fired rice was dry. Chow mein noddle was salty. But the pan fired noddle with shredded pock was really good. Highly recommend. Overall, decent place to get cook to order Chinese food, not Chinese food to go. Quick service. Good place to have quick lunch or dinner when I'm nearby. But not anything special to go out of my way to come here. read more

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Harbor Garden is an Asian restaurant with primarily Chinese influenced dishes. The food was decent. Service was good. They're in the same building as a boba store. Maybe that's why the water tasted like straight tap water from the sink... probably to encourage you to buy a boba drink? I hope it was filtered water at least. * Braised Beef Noodle Soup 4/5 - The beef was very tender and tasty. The broth and ramen were okay. Their flavor wasn't as deep or bold as I would like. * Shrimp Fried Rice 4/5 - The fried rice was quite plain but there are soy sauce and chili oil on the table that you can add to elevate the taste. I really liked how there was plenty of shrimp in the fried rice. * Kung Pao Chicken 4/5 - The dish was flavorful with a mixture of taste from saltines and sweetness to sourness and mild spiciness. Apparently, authentic kung pao kitchen is a bit sour? I haven't encountered that so this was a surprise to me. read more

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A delicious and new Szechuan restaurant in Garden Grove? Sign me up! Harbor Garden is a welcome addition since there aren't many Szechuan restaurants in the area. When we visited, I was surprised at how empty it was. However, the food was awesome and I hope they gradually attract more customers. We ordered the juicy dumplings, offal noodle soup, and stir fried beef with celery. Everything was sooo flavorful and yummy. My personal favorite was the offal noodle soup with pickled veggies. The meat tasted high quality and tender. The noodles and dumplings are made in house, and you can really taste the love and care they put into them! Service was very very friendly and the restaurant itself is very clean. I will definitely be back. read more

Noodle Star 川粵 - 49.Stir Fried Beef with celery - Asian Fusion Near Me - Garden Grove, California

Flavor (msg + mala yum lol) is solid! I do, however, wish the chicken to batter ratio was a little better! I think I prefer a lot crunchier batter than the softer kind. I also wish the salt + pepper flavor was the forward profile for the pork chop. A saltier meal for sure but still tasty. Medium spice wasn't spicy at all imo. Wouldn't go out of my way to return but not opposed! read more

Noodle Star 川粵 - 73. Chong Qing Spicy Chicken 73. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Garden Grove, California

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15% OFF!!!!! We walked in at around 2:15 PM on a Sunday. The place was pretty much empty, but it was clean and bright. Lots of tables available. We were greeted by a pretty friendly waitress/hostess, and she also took our order. Ordered three things from the menu. Pork spare rib l salt and pepper, beef green onions, and a tofu special The restaurant is offering a 15% off at the moment on their already reasonable prices considering their portion size. This whole meal cost $40 with tax included. That is pretty reasonable to be considering we took home half of our ordered for two including rice. I would come here any day over other fast food, restaurants. The waitress gave us a fresh bowl of rice to take home instead of usually what's left over. She also was pretty attentive and checked in on us. I would come back here if I was in the area and was craving Chinese read more

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