Across from the Adelaide Market Place parking on the sour side of Chinatown in the heart of the CBD, this Star House Chinese Restaurant is a great location for a quick Dim Sum snack or a full onset of cuisine or meal with small friends to large family and outing. There are 7 outside patio tables seating up to 4 chairs and about roughly the same tables and seating inside where you are cooled from the summer heat or foot traffic. Friendly server will guide you on your meal selection unless you're an advent DimSum goer, you already know the drill. Typical SiuMai to more courageous Chicken Feet with Black Bean sauce, they have a whole sleuth of selection to choose from. I didn't stay long enough to experience the more crafty Chinese authentic cuisines, but from the dim sum themselves, I'm pretty sure they will be as excellent. We ordered a few items to try out this DimSum place: -- Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce (very tender and savory) -- SuiMai Pork (very flavorful and fresh) -- Steamed Ox Tripe (tender, no too hard or soft and juicy) -- Beef Tripe with Ginger sauce (steamed to perfection) Recommending this place if you're ever in town here in Chinatown!! read more

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In a Nutshell: -We ate at Star House Chinese Restaurant bc we were invited by our South Australia fam. -They definitely picked a very good spot. -The service was very fast & super-friendly. -I really enjoyed the roasted duck, the meat just seemed to flake off & the skin was perfectly crispy. -I also really enjoyed the lobster, the sauce was finger lickin' good. Overall, I had a memorable meal & this restaurant can get packed on a Friday night so make a reservation. read more

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There are three Chinese restaurants in a row on a street with 30 or so Asian restaurant adjacent to the central market. We were looking for a place for dinner and this one was busiest of the first group so we dropped in. While the service led much to be desired (sat quite a while before we even got menus) we were very pleased with the taste, quality and price of the food. Most of the standard entrees are under $15. We would not hesitate to go back. I especially enjoyed the sweet and sour chicken in its bright red/orange sauce as well as the lemon chicken. The steamed rice was cooked to perfection. Recommended. read more

Star House Chinese Restaurant - Get ready for some Chinese - Chinese Near Me - Adelaide, SA

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There are always a few restaurants around town that you mean to check out, but for some reason or another there is not a massive calling. So, they get forgotten. Star House was one of those restaurants for me. Star House has been around forever. So, they must be doing something right. There are always massive lines of people waiting to get in, which usually means that the food is pretty good. But, my thought is that it is just a Yum Cha thing. People love Yum Cha, even if it is just a-ok. My only problem is that the food is just average. The dumpling skins are too thick and the filling is not that flavoursome. The BBQ Pork had too much honey on it, overpowering the taste of the pork. I was really disappointed with that. I love the taste of pork!! But, I must say that the green beans and garlic stirfry was really good. Great flavour and cooked right so it was a little crisp. However, if that is all that I really enjoyed here, well... yeah... everywhere does green beans. The price was good, service was good. Everything was just good. I don't think I will be back in a hurry. Maybe I ordered the wrong dishes, but I can think of three places that surround this place that do better Yum Cha. read more

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Went in for family Yum Cha Lunch on a Sunday and the place was PACKED. Dumplings were delish but service was pretty average - very difficult to get a drink or any additional condiments etc but it's probably worth suffering through as this is generally the trend for service most yum cha sessions. The pork and prawn parcels of goodness were a highlight for me. read more

Star House Chinese Restaurant - All the dumplings - Chinese Near Me - Adelaide, SA

Whenever any of my friends mentions going for YumCha, this is the first place that we all suggest going to. There are a total of 3 restaurants in Chinatown I'd recommend for this Chinese eating custom, and this place is certainly top of the list. The staff are friendly, the food authentic and the price and portions are generous for YumCha. No wonder there is always a queue for this place on a Saturday and Sunday. Book at least a couple of days in advance if you have a big group waiting, or you will be sitting outside, which actually isn't too bad on a nice day. On one occasion, one of my friends ordered a 'Jack and Coke'. You know what they brought out? A Jug of Coke. Of course, we were able to share that amongst us on the house when they realised the mistake. Dare you to try the blackbean chicken feet. We ordered 9 of those tasty dishes between 7 of us one afternoon! read more

I had high hopes as we arrived. We walked in, a waiter who was serving another table saw us immediately and gestured us to a free table. The Floor Manager completed the transaction. It was a smooth and unique seating ritual. Who needs to use words? And then things went down hill. The service was scruffy--there was lots of reconfirming orders, plonking things without a word and the meal (2 dishes and rice) came out in three stages. The food--bland, bland, bland. The shallot cake was horrible--what it had in shallotfulness was dashed by the raw dough. My partner had the spring rolles which tasted of nothing. The live fish and lobsters in the tanks didn't sit well with this vegan either. We thought we'd try something other than East Taste for once and seeing they had BBC on the menu, I was keen to review it. We came out quite disappointed. I have two positive things to say: (1) The BBC was generous--it was full of bean curd, chili and the roasted peanuts on the top were a nice touch but it was completely bland; (2) The Floor Manager was very friendly and threw a bit of quick-wittedness into the mix, which was refreshing. +++VEGAN-FRIENDLINESS--There are quite a few vegetable dishes on the menu, both under entrees (starters) and "vegetable dishes". The shallot cakes are vegan, but don't come recommended. The BBC--ergh, 3/5. Also, the live seafood that, once netted, is walked up to your table in a plastic bucket for your approval, probably isn't something that will appeal to most vegos or vegans. Close your eyes. read more

As Adeleine and Chloe have hinted: there's a yum cha showdown in Adelaide, and Star House is a contender for the title. On the left, we have Ding Hao: old school, it radiates tradition and old world Chinese charm, and up till now has been safe on the scene as home of the best yum cha in the city. On the right: newcomer Star House packs all the right punches: fresh menu, fast service, cheap and cheerful decor and price. For my own money, I think there's more than enough yum cha love to go around. Adelaideans are a dumpling-loving people, and I think there's enough room for some competition: personally I've been alternating quite happily between the two depending on who I'm going with. If you're keen to try the Star House experience on a Saturday or Sunday, I would recommend: a) being hungover. It is the best cure ever invented. b) the sui mai. These pork and prawn dim sum are maximum deliciousness in dumpling form. c) the sesame seed green beans. Yes, beans can be awesome. d) the mango jelly. A cold fresh dose of amazing just right for finishing your meal. and e) going with a bunch of friends. It's a huge part of the whole yum cha experience. read more

I've heard it said a few times already on Yelp that Ding Hao is the best Yum Cha place in Adelaide. No way. Ding Hao is the old king. Star House is where it's at. I went here on Sunday after a big Saturday night. Yum Cha is absolutely the perfect salve for all your drinking wounds - offering a delicious range of fatty, glutinous treats at your exact time of need (Saturday + Sunday morning and afternoons for those who can't make it out of bed early). My preference at Yum Cha is for the rice flour based dishes. Star House excels at these. Excellent range of dumplings - coriander, mushroom, scallop, prawn. Star House seems to offer a tiny bit more than the other (admittedly good) yum cha places on Gouger St. The dim sims have a delicious piles of mushrooms and prawns on top. The mango jelly is just that little bit colder. Plus they have a few more of the rare dishes coming out regularly- the pork wrapped in bean curd for example. I always like to get some greens too - the beans with garlic were particularly excellent - not too soggy, not too raw, the skins just puckered. The lighting is also more pleasant than Ding Hao - which I find a little dark and gloomy. read more

Star House is amazing. Although Ding Hao (right across from it), often cited as the best Yum Cha in Adelaide, is pretty good too, Star House has emerged with a fresher menu, contemporary interior and slightly better service. Yum Cha, in all its oily and fatty glory, is delicious if you do it right. Star House does it right. I love the pork buns, king prawn dumplings, and the fried pork buns are a must-try! In addition, if you're ballsy enough, get onto the chicken feet! Star House is conveniently located on Gouger St, and has lots of available parking around which always helps on a Sunday morning when you're hungover and too busy trying to make the world stop spinning, and all you want is some Yum Cha goodness. read more

Being from Melbourne I believe I know a thing or two about Yum Cha. The Star House on Gouger puts out a pretty mean Yum Cha. Whenever I come here I always look forward to their salt-and-pepper squid, and also their prawn dumplings. I'd go as far to say that their prawn dumplings would be up there to the best in Australia. They are divine. The staff are pretty average here that you can't expect that when you go to a Yum Cha place. Their main concern is feeding you as quick as possible and getting you out so that they can get the next lot of people in. To be honest this is fine by me. Definitely check this place out. read more

Good not close to being great food lacked flavouring the best thing to try is the lobster AAA++ as a standout apart from that every other dish was average my personal favourite thing when eating Asian is trying out the hot and sour soup as an indication it was ok but not good try Mings Palace for your soup needs. read more

Star House Chinese Restaurant - Ribs - Chinese Near Me - Adelaide, SA

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Bye bye Ding Hao, Star House has taken your crown. The decor is nicer, the staff are more attentive and the food, oh the food! Don't go to Star House after eating a big lunch. Do try to make sure you have your adventurous pants on. Don't go with a closed food mind, do take a lot of friends! I'm reasonably sure that the squid is the best in Adelaide. I am also pretty sure that I could eat here every day if I had a fast metabolism. I have taken clients here, staff, friends and had a birthday here. Make sure you book or you will not get a table and even on a weekday lunch time there is often a queue out the door. Remember the afore mentioned adventure pants, try something new, you might like it! read more

Feeling like Chinese? Thinking about heading to Gouger? A bit overwhelmed by your choices? Well, my first suggestion is probably Star House and I believe as though a couple more recommendations would not be out of place here. When dining at Star with a group I suggest you share a few dishes, which must include the sweet and sour pork and also the salt and pepper egg plant. So damn good. I cannot wait until I get to come back here. Star House is far from the trendiest restaurant in town however it is the type of environment that you picture yourself eating in when you think about Chinese down Gougar. In fact I liked the atmosphere and carpet décor with the lobsters looking at you innocently from behind their fish tanks. Little do they know... The staff here are also friendly so if you like Chinese, just do it. read more

Always fun to have yum cha here. Service is fast and food tasty.

Eaten here on many occasions for yum Cha, never been disappointed! Can't wait to go again!

We went there for a work lunch and in order to save time, I sent the orders in before hand and gave them our exact arrival time, but the food came out 40 minutes after the specified time. The food was good but the service was definitely below par. read more

the food was good , but i found a roach under a slice of chicken meat in the lotus rice! it was really disgusting. on top of that the service was really bad. gave the waiter the dish and told him there is a roach in it but he end up throwing it away without letting the manager know! after the manager know about it he keep on insisting that it is a fruit insect. and i have simply lost my mood of having lunch. To future diners : always see before you eat! to manager : be it a roach or a insect food should be kept clean. it may cause cross contamination to other food. read more

I thought going to Ding Hao but since I haven't been to the Star House I may try after seeing good reviews from Yelp but it was the most terrible Chinese restaurant ever in my experience! I went there today with a colleague. I found the service was worst ever. Felt literally we got dumped on a table without being offered any service. Every time we had to hail toward to the bar to order drinks, food and the bill. The food itself didn't have any options for gluten free, no vegan which I felt very unethical. The congee we ordered looked like 50% diluted with water and thickened with thickening agent. Again very poor food and poor service. I wouldn't recommend you to go. read more

A bit of a let down from other reviews on line. The food was average, price was fair. I have eaten better.

Food is yummy but too many people on weekends. I find it very noisy. Price is reasonable, try visiting on weekdays.

Oh dear. Has this place changed hands recently? Yum cha has gone to the dogs. Very little food coming out of the kitchen despite a full restaurant and plenty of staff to take and fill alcohol orders. What did arrive was all fried and barely a bamboo steamer in sight! read more

Terrible, dry and oily dishes and un-attentive staff. Don't count on their 10% early bird discount on your bill, but expect a $3.00 additional Sunday charge. Busy restaurant, but a bad service. Dishes were not even washed properly! You can still see the dried soap sediments and a cut-up spring onion that sticks to it. Who knows the last person who uses it. Unsanitary! Yuck!!! Never going back again...next time i'll go next door. read more