China Star

We had a group of ladies today. The service was great for a small restaurant at lunch rush. Was timely in bringing out our drink orders, served our soups with extra napkins, refilled drink glasses several times. Accommodated two late arrivals without a hitch while moving tables to seat them. We all had the lunch buffet. $12.30 for all you can eat with water to drink. Food was very good. I sampled almost everything on the hot food lines. The buffet lines were very clean. There was much to choose from on lines and lots of variety in fruit and desserts. What made this restaurant miss its mark was cleanliness. Being worn past it's prime can be overlooked as long as it doesn't feel dirty. But unfortunately, the tables were sticky, bathroom was not up to par, and the roof was leaking inside the dining room.

The food is always been top-notch quality the management. I have never had any problems in the past. Maybe today was a bad day but today management, very highly unprofessional telling me a lie that the food was being made when clearly on the buffet there was no area for the things that I had wanted mainly the wings. I then asked well could I place an order for wings and she told me it was gonna take a while and then I said that’s fine. I would still like to order it. She was a little hostile and getting aggravated yelling telling me I’m gonna have to wait and I said I understand and ask for the box back, but she wasn’t concerned with me. She was concerned about the other people that were coming into the store. They weren’t even in the restaurant yet. I am a customer at your front desk. You are supposed to be kind and courteous. I will never eat at China star again in my life.!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's not bad just a small selection of foods some dishes are hit-and-miss. But overall not bad buffet.

We visited this restaurant for lunch today, and unfortunately, it will be our first and last time. From the outside, the building appeared neglected and almost condemned, setting low expectations. The interior was equally disappointing, with a level of uncleanliness that left me stunned the health department permits them to operate. Despite hearing positive remarks about the food, I was thoroughly let down. Some dishes tasted old and spoiled, while others were completely bland and flavorless. We couldn’t bring ourselves to finish our meals, so we paid and left. Throughout our visit, the staff showed no interest in checking on our experience or ensuring our satisfaction. To make matters worse, within an hour of leaving, I began experiencing stomach discomfort, raising serious concerns about potential food poisoning. I strongly advise others to steer clear of this establishment.

Jack is amazing and friendly. Kind and caring. If the food is running out that you want he will kindly get it for you. A Godly man. May the Holy Spirit be with you and lead you jack. A pleasure to meet you!!!

Absolutely horrible. Rice was super salty, meat so old and hard you can't even chew it. Then when we complained about the old lady got extremely rude with my family She told us we are wrong and we don't have to eat there. Never going back to that disgusting place. They just lost loyal customers.

Overall I gave it a low rating because after eating lunch there today, I learned an important lesson. I didn't want the buffet because I was with others who were really hungry, and I wasn't. I ordered shrimp with lobster sauce, #7 on their menu. It was absolutely disgusting. I ate only the shrimp. It was literally canned peas and carrots in probably some leftover egg drop soup, and served with a few shrimp thrown in. It looked awful and tasted worse. I complained, but I don't even know if they charged me or not. I just know it was nasty. I just won't go back. If they would even serve such crap, I don't even care what else they have going on. It really was terrible.

Don't judge this place by the outside. When we arrived, we almost left. But decided to go in and try it anyway. We are glad we did. Amazing food. Clean. Fresh, hot food. We went during dinner time on the weekend. They do offer to go from the buffet.

We arrived at 3:50 . Kinda early for dinner but the buffet was fully stocked and hot and fresh. The dining room is quaint. Kinda small. And separate from the buffet area. We were seated right away and had our choice of soup within minutes. Helped ourselves to the buffet. Everything was delicious. So much so I went back for seconds. I think we both left stuffed. Funny thing is. In the decades I have lived in and visited Abilene, I'd never eaten here. And that's a shame cuz it's loads better than that place by the Mail.

The owner and food here is amazing. If you have a complaint, be a grown up and bring it up to the Jack, the owner.

When I want Asian food this is where I head. There is semi private seating available. The service is always good and the servers are great. The food is so good. They have a great selection on the buffet and you can order off the menu as well. I love the sweet and sour chicken on fried rice. So good. 10/10 would recommend.

Back in the day, this was always my #1 place to go for Chinese buffet in Abilene. I've been there twice over the past year and unfortunately, it has gone way downhill. Today, food was cold, silverware was dirty, some of the selections were either old or overcooked...it just wasn't a good meal.

I grew up in San Francisco so enjoyed Chinese food from a very young age. I had a meal today at China Star and I can't tell you how much i enjoyed the meal, the service and the atmosphere! All were excellent, each dish with excellent spicing, texture, prepared fantastically for one's mealtime enjoying. Don't pass this place by the next time you're down on S 1st, or take the time to drive there from where-ever you may be in Abilene, or in Tayor/Jones county for that matter. Well worth the trip. Or ever anywhere in West Texas. I don't know where Robert F. ate on June 8th, but it couldn't possibly have been China Star. Or where Abdul H. was but, then again, I guess there could be this much change in such a short time. Who knows? Meal and everyelse today was excellent, and I'm fussy.

What a bad experience with out even eating there, order from their website just to create a cart and went there to order it. There was very nice and polite young girl at the counter as i read from the cart i created one on the soup said on the web site has pork in it (Hot and Sour) this lady came to the counter from the back and with a very flat face "no pork in it" I said its say on you web site menu, she said "i am standing telling you no pork" i said i understand that but still on your website, I continued to order she stood there watch over that cashier's shoulder. I ordered house fried rice and said please make sure no pork in it also, that lady gave a dirty look stare and walked back around and started to talking to some one else which i could hear in the front She said "I don't know what the hell this guy problem, don't know how to order" I walked to that side and said " if you going to talk about me please do it to my face" she came out all upset and yelling, i told the cashier i am sorry I don't want the food from here and walked out towards my car, this lady cake after me to the front door keep yelling at did not understand a word she was yelling at me. I will never go there ever food might be good but this kind of customer service its not worth it.

I've been going there 20 years. I've never been disrespected by the front lady host like I was today. The last time I went there I got two to go plates. So the lady put all my sauces in a paper bag. I trusted her because I never had any problems. Unfortunately by the time I got home everything leaked out all over my car and me because I was holding it. I went up there today. To get my to go plate as usual every week. I asked her if she could please put the sauces in a plastic bag because of what happened on my last visit and she was completely rude and refused to but them in separate plastic bag. So I said she was rude and I started to walk out and told her she just lost a customer. She said oh well and start talking rudely to me so I went out of character, which I shouldn't have but I was very disappointed at this point. I did in fact call her the b word, but honestly didn't feel to bad about it because she cussed me out and called me a fat b word too. So honestly this is how they treat people Maybe it's time they do go out of business. Also tried to call and speak to the manager or owner and she refused that as well. She said she was the manager. I guess I won't be going there anymore. I don't recommend anyone too!

Food wasn't very hot .. server was not very polite .. chairs torn .. person from the kitchen and 2 customers in the buffet area for over 15 minutes and had to be asked to move on many occasions by customers .. some dishes were decent and so.e not so good .. the fried rice was way under done and crunchy

My husband and I used to come here 18 years ago when we were still dating. We still make sure to eat here when we come through Abilene. Always yummy with great variety and the people are so nice!

We use to come here all the time, not sure why we don't anymore. Wide selection and good taste. I like the hot and sour soup. Location is ok, sometimes getting out of the parking lot on the west side is a chore, so I go around the building and take the road. The interior is old and need updated. But overall we like this place, well my wife actually loves this place, her favorite Asian place in town.

Not as good as it used to be, and much more expensive! They don't even have their lunch combination played anymore (hence being more expensive). They haven't had a new menu since we started going there about five years ago, we didn't go for a couple of years because of covid and social distancing, and when we did go back when we asked for a new menu we were told it's online, but it hasn't changed. Same prices as five years ago, but when you get to the restaurant, you get a surprise

I am really impressed with the look of the restaurant, it has a nice look to it and incredibly nicely decorated. My waitress was overly friendly, but I do not blame ya girl! Get them tips! The food was okay, nothing spectacular. I would come back due to the service, not much for the food. I got the shrimp with vegetables and it was once again okay.

Closed down the office and all went to lunch at the China Star today. Arrived to a crowded parking lot, and seated at the back of the restaurant. Each of us had from the buffet going back for to refill our plates. Of cource I had the ice-cream! Real good place to eat in town maybe try it at an off hour of the day, or weekend to maximize your enjoyment.

The service was good, and the food was a kinda ok. Their a/c doesn't work in the buffet area. As I was leaving I used the restroom, one of the cooks was in there and did not wash his hands after urinating. So I will probably not return.

Do NOT recommend this restaurant. Wife and I ate buffet there today, 10-29-22. Good looking buffet with huge variety and nicely displayed, appeared fresh, but even after sampling about 20 items from the buffet, we were hugely disappointed in the FLAVOR of almost everything; it was just terribly bland. Even foods said to be "spicy" were bland to us. Our waiter was very unattractive; he needed fresh clothes and wore a black face mask for some reason; kept coming to our table about every 3 minutes wanting to know "is everything OK? Do you need anything?" When he seated us he asked us if we wanted tea or soup...he should have mentioned that hot tea and soup was NOT included in the price of the buffet. I was appalled when I noticed that the inside window frames were very dusty with cobwebs, and the windows were EXTREMELY dirty, inside and out. The lady who cashiered and said she was co-owner did not even once thank us for our business or ask us if everything was OK. I feel our waiter had poor communication and service skills. The FIRST words out of his mouth should have been, "thank you for dining with us today here at China Star! Will you be ordering from the grill or would you like to enjoy our buffet?" He should then say, "let me show you our best table for two where I will take your drink order, and if you want a bowl of our great hot soup or our hot Chinese tea, I'll get started on that while you help yourself to our buffet!" He should also find a way to tactfully let you know that if you want hot tea or soup with the buffet, that it is EXTRA. We were very disappointed...bland, lukewarm food, poor service from a waiter you wouldn't want handling your food, eating in a dirty environment, getting charged for things you didn't know you were going to have to pay for, and then having an owner take your money and acting if she could care less if you were there or ever came back. Let me tell her right here: WE WON'T and we will make sure everyone knows what you are like and how we were treated. I feel ripped off because you did not advise us the soup and hot tea would cost extra. You would feel the same as us had you been in our shoes.

Worst restaurant ever!! I do not recommend! We have ate there for years and recently it has been terrible. Please save yourself some time and money and avoid this place. The service is horrible, the food is dry, they mgmt/owners are nothing but rude to the paying clientele. To the point they will argue with you for their own mistake. Avoid is my advice.

This place is the best way to eat they have a wide selection from fish to desert the staff is so nice I enjoyed the cashew and chicken the spicy chicken is no joke but the sweet and sour sauce is the famous sauce we come every Friday every now and then if your looking to go in empty and come out with a full belly then this is your place

The food was par. The black mold on the ceilings freaked me out. It was too late to turn back. Praying we don't get sick. This place is something from a horror movie

The food was horrible , how is this place open? There was food all over the floor, the floor was so sticky when you walked your feet would stick to the floor. My son couldn't even eat the fries they were so hard, the nuggets were horrible! The food was cold and you could tell the noodles were not even cooked all the way! complete waste of money and time!

It's ok. Better than average for a buffet. Hot & Sour soup was really good. Not much kick on some of the more traditional hot dishes like Kung Pao or Gen Tso. Dumplings were good.

Exceptional Asian food with a wide variety of shrimp and combination vegetables and meats at very affordable prices. Eat off the buffet or menue and the staff is very friendly and accommodating,

This is based on my most recent visit to China Star, and this time I'm not grading on the curve. I guess it might have been because the weather was damp and rainy that day, but the last time I was in there, the place smelled like a locker room. On top of that, Anne Murray was playing through the speakers with a sound quality equivalent to that of an AM radio broadcast. Awfuuuuuuuuuuul. That's not the kind of thing I want to have to listen to while I'm eating Chinese food. ...Or ever, really. I guess it was probably because of these things, but the food seemed significantly less appetizing than usual. That said, I still don't know of any Chinese buffets around here that are actually better than this one.

If you are choosing between China Star and Buffet City choose this place (unless you prefer a Mongolian grill or a ton of salad options then choose Buffet City). First off... if buffets are not your thing or you don't like the idea of them in general, this buffet isn't going to change your mind. So don't eat here (and then give a crappy review). That said, if you love buffet, and chinese (of course) give it a try. Meat options is what this place does well. Many pork dishes that seems uncommon in lot of other restaurants. I've been all times of the week and all times of the day and they never seem to have an abundance of seafood (average amount for those that like it). To me this is great because I don't like seafood nor want to pay an exorbitant price for extras Im not going to touch. Favorites and recommend the chicken in black bean sauce, spicy chicken, Generals or the sesame chicken, or the Wife's favorite the double cooked pork. Most disappointing are the noodles and fried rice isn't great either. Service is usually excellent. The place is always packed during lunch and dinner hours no matter what the day, but they are better than most places at refilling the dishes so don't let that put you off.

We love China Star. It's by far the best Chinese food in Abilene. We've been having dinner here for many years. The food never fails, it's always delicious, there is a good size selection, & Jack the manager is very attentive and kind. Sometimes the service isn't up to par, however you have to add in that they are always slammed. Tonight we celebrated my cousin's birthday with dinner at CS, and once again it was wonderful. We even called ahead to reserve their bonus room, (very few places in Abilene let you reserve tables) and they held the cake in the kitchen to surprise my cousin who thought he was just going to dinner with the wife and kids. It's a great place the food is always amazing. My husband and I have traveled the country for seven years for his job and no matter how many different places we've tried, no place has compared to China Star!

Honest, I think all chinese buffets are the same. All good, none great, different locations. Been going here for years and I've never left hungary!

The service here was very good. The food here was sub par. I would never have to go back. I was very disappointed in the food. It just didn't seem very flavorful, fresh, or of very good quality.

Outdated. Cheaply made Chinese food. Won't be going there anymore. The staff is very friendly however it doesn't make up for the low quality food.

The food is incredibly dry, the batter they use for egg rolls and other items are very strong that they taste off. The saving grace would be their noodles, which pretty much taste same as other restaurants. The chicken tastes dry and tough and so did the other proteins. Would not recommend this place as the price is very high and there are other good Chinese buffet in Abilene.

I think I finally am giving up on this place. I have patiently waited and visited frequently for the past 10 years in hopes this place would reclaim it's old excellent taste. It's been hit or miss over the last 10 years but after today's visit, I think I'm finally done. The first thing I notice is how disgusting the floors are to walk on, everything from chair backs to condiments on the table are sticky. All the fried foods tasted like fish and the rice was undercooked. I don't even want to talk about the egg drop soup. I'll give 2 stars because the staff is friendly and the ice was cold. Bye old friend!

I'll make this easy. Old. Broken signs outside. Stinks bad inside. Hasn't been renovated since it opened about 20 years ago. No lighting. Watered down food. No variety. Food burned to pan. Dirty ice cream machine. 3 shrimp in a pan of vegetables. Dated. Dated. Dated. Dangerous area at night to be in. They have not reinvested one dollar in this place since they opened. And the best of all, you pay over $10 for lunch with tax and tip for this experience. There's a reason this place no longer wins the Abilene Reporter News Reader's Choice award for Chinese and/or Buffet. Back when it won it was basically the only thing here. Clearly, time has passed China Star by. And you should as well. Especially after sunset. They've made hundreds of thousands of dollars here in over 20 years and couldn't put up a fence to keep the homeless and drug dealers out of the parking lot? How about a new rug? Table? Buffet warmer? None of the above. This place will face a long, sad decline into "out of business." The building will be demolished once that happens as the stench must be so embedded that it can never be repaired. Another hallmark of Abilene about to meet its' end. And not soon enough.

Save your coin, the food taste like food poising. I never leave reviews but I was pretty upset with the food . Not worth the price at all - its trashy looking too. Seem like nice people though

Usually I don't give bad reviews. Look at my other reviews. Sometimes though, a place just don't make the grade. Maybe it was because we ate between lunch and dinner. Food was very old, overcooked, and just wasn't cooked right. Shrimp was tough, chicken was tough and ice cream was runny. I tried 6 differant dished and could finish any of them. The hot and sour aoup was watery and didnt taste right. Most of the food had a crust on it. It was very unhealthy. When i left i felt very sick to the stomach. When I brought it to their attention they were very off standish. They pointed to their A rating from Abilene city code. I let them know that I would be reporting them since I showed them several dishes on the buffet that were not stirred and sitting for several hours. Don't go to this place Unless it is at the beginning of the day or be ready for stale overcooked food. They were nice until I complained. I looked up their last inspection and it was a 69.

This place hasn't always been the best, but was -always decent. Today, me and my parents went and the food was so bad. Everything we had tasted like it had been out more than a day. The chicken tasted horrible, was super dry. I expected the noodles to be good but they had an off taste. There isn't really any good dessert options besides ice cream. The best thing they had was the rice, honestly. It just isn't worth the high price they charge. There is so much more competition in town now, this place has been around as long as I can remember and would hate to see it close down, cause it isn't as busy anymore. Don't recommend the food, go somewhere else that's worth the price.

This place is a guilty pleasure. Though you can find some pretty good food under those heat lamps I would be weary of the cheesy salmon! Service was slow when I was there... I mean it doesn't take much to just fill my drink up every once in a while!

This seems to be a very popular buffet with the locals. The standard American-Chinese buffet stuff. But I tried a take out order of chicken chow mein. Salty and bad tasting and soupy with poor vegetable ingredients. Ugh. On the plus side, the staff was friendly, and the buffet is very popular, and I was told they've been there since 1989, so go there for the buffet if you like that sort of thing, but don't order from the menu.

Haven't eaten here in awhile. Used to be very good. Has gone down hill over the years. Couldn't even eat the hot and sour soup. Majority of food on the buffet was not hot, sub par for flavor. The place is filthy! Won't be back.

Not sure why this place still exist. Food is not good at all. We were there around 1:30pm the rice was hard and tasteless. The food was ehh ok. The choices available were minimal and the waitress was not friendly and only came to get our drink order .. Delivered the drinks and that's the last we saw of her. We will not ever go back to China Star .

Great food, nice selection on buffet. Staff is very friendly and efficient. Price is very reasonable. And every time we've eaten there, the place is spotless.

It's just great Chinese Buffett food. Service is great considering there's food ready to eat when you walk in.

This is my FAVORITE place to visit when I'm in Abilene. The buffet is always freshly stocked with an awesome variety of individual ingredients to allow you to create your own perfect Chinese cuisine, and go back and mix and match it to your own liking. The service members of the staff are always AMAZING. Truly a great dining experience where you know YOU are the reason they are there, and YOU are the reason they remain in business. Great people. Love them even more than the food -and that's really HARD. So much more I could say, but mostly, I think it's about the people.... LOVE THIS PLACE. :)

This place has been good over years, but unless you order fresh not buffet, the lunch buffet is your best bet.

I love this place! It's buffet or you can order off the menu. I always get the buffet because I love variety. The hot and sour soup and the egg drop soup are awesome. They even have sushi.

I've been coming here with my grandparents ever since I was 2 and it's been without a doubt wonderful every time. I love it and highly recommend it.

Well I gave one star because there was no way to put 0. Food was burnt and either soggy it was like a microwaved dinner gone very badly. I was just amazed how poorly everything was seeing that they have some how been the best in Abilene for up teen years as I realized someone must have had there pockets filled to vote this way. The service was ok we got an extra napkin but no refills on drink or even a second napkin when asked. As we were leaving told cashier our thoughts of visit and she got almost hostile as to us complaining about not being able to stomach the food as many patrons near our table were suggesting that this place has gone down hill in the last few months. But very long story short I will never return to this establishment ever again.

The manager is fantastic. If you need anything, he will take care of you. China Star is 1 of 3 of my favorite places in town to eat. I love the beef and broccoli, teryaki chicken, and the egg rolls. It's because of China Star I started to love chinese food. There is however one tall guy who works as a server there and he sucks. Don't expect any refills from him. However the rest of the staff are great.

Terrible food, awful service, dreadful atmosphere. It may be cheap, but you still don't get your money's worth.

Something has changed! When I get a chance to go to Abilene, I've always stopped at CS. This past Monday I went in about 3pm for a quick bite. The steam tables appeared to be on but everything I got was cold. Hot and sour soup was still great, but I'm not sure that's enough to get me to go back.

Great place! I have been coming here for years and has never failed to be a good meal at a decent price. Definitely deserves its no.1 status in Abilene. They have a good selection to choose from and it tastes pretty good. If you have complaints they listen pretty well and they always keep the food fresh and hot. I always hit this place up when i visit home.

Our favorite Chinese buffet in Abilene. Consistently good, friendly staff, family friendly, clean, and welcoming. What more could you ask for?