China Star

Serious Health & Safety Concerns Upon visiting this restaurant, the conditions were extremely unsanitary and concerning. I honestly could not eat.The food on the buffet was cold and not held at proper temperatures, which is a major food safety issue. I personally observed the main manager refilling the buffet by placing older food on top of newer food, instead of properly removing old items — a clear food handling violation. One dessert (possibly pudding) also appeared old and questionable.Crab salad, a high-risk, temperature-controlled seafood item, was placed on the dessert side of the buffet near Jell-O and pudding, raising serious concerns about proper cold-holding and food safety.The restrooms were freezing cold, to the point where a trash can was being used to hold the bathroom door open. Whether it was placed there by staff or a customer, it reflects poor facility conditions. The toilets were so cold they were uncomfortable to sit on.In the dining area, I witnessed napkins placed on the floor, ( these are the napkins they sit on your table to wipe your mouth with)which is still extremely unsanitary and unacceptable in a place serving food.Pricing was also unreasonable. $14.99 adult, senior $13.99;They charged $5.99 for a 3-year-old child, plus approximately $2 for a drink. When I questioned why toddlers are charged when they barely eat, the front counter staff compared it to McDonald’s pricing — which is inaccurate. At least fast-food restaurants provide appropriate portioning and child options. They also stated there is only one price for drinks, with no child-sized option. To make matters worse, the restaurant did not have proper lids for their cups, and when my daughter picked up her drink, it spilled all over her.I do want to note that our waitress was very kind, attentive, and clearly doing her job well. The issues lie with management, sanitation, and food safety practices.According to the city’s Department of Food Safety, this restaurant has been rated Food Risk Level 4 as of December 15, 2025, and based on my experience, it appears little to nothing has changed. Due to unsafe food temperatures, improper food handling, unsanitary conditions, and poor management oversight, I would not recommend this restaurant, especially for families or young children.

Food was alright, I did not enjoy the seafood so close to some non sea food dishes. The food was not very hot. I did not like the lo mein it was to thick and chewy and long. I love lo mein. Sadly not here. Would I recommend? YES. It has very kind staff. And is welcoming.

This is my favorite buffet!! They have lots of options. If you leave hungry, it’s your own fault!

Overall decent experience. Hostess was pretty blunt. Food selection was good. All was lukewarm which is scary for a buffet. Get that fixed. Young guy clearing tables and refilling drinks was great. Positive attitude and helpful. Price was a bit high for the quality of food.

I genuinely never leave reviews but I think this might be the worst meal I’ve ever had. Go to the new Taco Bell next door. I’m leaving with 50$ down the drain and an upset stomach. All the meat is really gross, and the non meat foods smell and taste like grandma house (mildew). Save your wallet and stomach and skip this.

Thursday 11/20/25 on or around 6 pm. Payed for all you can eat buffet for approximately $18 charge. I won't be going back. So disappointed. This used to be such a good place to eat. Not this time. Egg rolls were not good at all and food was cold. I tried several different foodd but was unable to find anything worth what I paid except for maybe the banana with artificial strawberry jelly.🙁

Decent place. Food seemed a little old and not fresh. My glass would be completely and would have to ask for a refill. Used to be my favorite buffet but has gone down

Food was good.. Buffet was well stocked. Had a hibachi grill...not bad..sushi selection was not so good. All and all not the best I've had but not the worst...I'd eat here again

Note: Take out on Christmas day It's awesome that they are open on Christmas. It's not great to wait awkward on the phone for 3 minutes listening to someone take orders. Also you get a lot of food but our order was just completely incorrect. We should have checked before we left. We originally ordered chicken chow mein and chinese pork star with white rice. I have no clue what we actually got but the order written on the outside and taped was correct and I saw the lady bring it out and say exactly what was supposed to be in it. We got an order of fried rice, white rice and then randomly entrees. The taste wasn't very good either, very salty and wet. Overall I was hoping to give this place a try and support local but tbh panda express is much better.

Come on man,China Star is el bomb the Chinese people which are really Mexicans treat you good,we call them Los Chinos de Mexico Viva la rasa.

All of the buffet minus noodles was cold, when asked to get a refund I was yelled at and told I had an attitude. But who wants to pay $50+ for cold food & A WATER, also on the website it states they close at 10 & they were putting everything away at 9, we walked out at 9:15 & they shut off all lights to close, RIDICULOUS!!!!!

Good food and lots of it. Nice waiter and good hostess. It's a great buffet. American and Chinese food .

After trying the dinner buffet, I can honestly say I understand why it's "pay before you eat"

First visit here and my last. Lord it was bad from the get-go. My sister wanted to try it, otherwise we wouldn't have stopped. Older lady at the front desk was rude and snippy. I was shocked that she wanted us to add a tip to our receipt before even sitting down. I can only assume she was the owner, otherwise I don't think her behavior would have been allowed. We paid way too much for this meal. Food was just mediocre, not much selection and no one seemed to be happy being there. The woman who brought our drinks was the only good there. She was very kind, polite and very attentive. I wish I'd gotten her name. We tipped her very well.

Food isn't what it use to be service is good though Ambiance is the same as every other restaurant

Very excellent service, quiet and unobtrusive. There are so many choices at lunch that photos would require video. I chose this restaurant based on the parking lot (jam-packed, 12:30PM on a Wednesday). This restaurant is the triumph of quantity over quality: at least 5 chicken dishes, 4 beef entrees, baked fish, a number of vegetables, salads, desserts, rolls of all sorts, 3 types of Jell-O, and more (videos would be required for a full menu description, as I mentioned). Everyone will find something acceptable, and the dishes change from lunch to dinner. Everything was good; nothing was extraordinary. A couple of notes: they offer a senior discount, one pays in advance, and the dishes are refreshed frequently. Good value for $$.

The food was delicious, I had shrimp, craw fish, and sushi. It was so good that I even had dessert

When I first read the reviews I was a bit iffy about going here, but thought I'd give it a try. I went around 1:30 on a Saturday. The food at the buffet was steaming, but by the time I got back to my table with my food it was warm, but not really hot, which for me was good since my 3 year old was ready to eat and would not have wanted to wait for it to cool too much. The rice was bland, but the juice from my entrees gave it the needed flavor. Everything was perfectly fine, but not the most amazing Chinese I have ever had, but not bad by any means. The service was really good. Our waiter was on top of refills and removing finished plates. The entree selection was good for me and had all the normal staples. My favorites were the beef and broccoli and sesame chicken. I did not try the sushi's or any seafood, so I can not speak towards those. All in all I would go back again.

Service was good but for the price it was horrible 42 dollars for two people hours before dinner still lunch. I'm from oklahoma and 2 people is 22 dollars this place is a rip off don't recommend and the food not much to choose from wourse Chinese buffet I have ever been in.

Went with a friend. They make you pay first, which was a good thing. They wanted to charge us $35 for two people, one drink and one water. That was before the "tip" I would need to add for the "waiter." We said, no thank you and walked out.

It was okay, nothing particularly amazing, it was 12 for 1 at lunch and I got a water and tipped her 3 bucks. Food was hot, but the variety wasn't really all there. You'd think if you are spending 12-13$ on a buffet there at least be some more variety. I probably wouldn't go back considering other buffets are much better in my personal opinion. But it's more of a last resort. Also the place wasn't dirty, and the food tasted just regular, nothing crazy good. Price- 2/10 Taste-4/10 Variety-3/10 Customer service- 9/10

Friend and I came for a late lunch and there were more than a few people eating which was a good sign. We paid and were seated and then headed to the buffet which was very well stocked..hot and sour soup was very good not overly spicy or sour but had a good temperature which was not the case for the food ..lukewarm at best but they were doing a great job of replenishing everything..they did have crawfish which I don't care for but I know plenty of people do and unlike most buffets, their ice cream was soft serve which is a plus..I'll certainly go back and hopefully they'll kick the warmers up a little more!

Do not go to this restaurant! The food wasn't very warm, everything tasted like it had been sitting out for a day, the place was dirty, expensive and as we're driving away we feel sick to our stomach.

The staff was friendly and facility was clean. We've all been to Asian buffets so we know the offerings by now. While some of the items were tasty (egg drop soup was very good) many items were dry, there were no salad offerings & some items that should have been stuffed weren't. Also, items offered were limited compared to other Asian buffets - especially at this price. Bottom line: OK but overpriced.

We like the new location. The buffet prices have gone up but we think the food is still good. The server clearing our table and bringing our drinks was pleasant but not too intrusive. The ice cream machine was a little iffy; the ice cream was coming out super soft and a little soupy- my kids didn't complain, so it wasn't a huge problem.

The food was decent enough, however overpriced for the experienc. Not planning on going back soon.

I can only assume that everytime I gave been I see nothing but gross obese people who have clearly just cashed their welfare checks and for the price this mediocre place charges, you'd think they would cater to better clientele..it's also very iffy because I know soneone had to work on plumbing in kitchen and said they had problem with Roaches, definitely never again, over priced, not clean...should be shut down and cleaned top to bottom.. seriously!!..I think a food inspector should be notified and show up when least expected... I don't care how good it may be..the food IS NOT worth the cost

This place was pretty good. They had a lot of safe guards in place for Covid (must wear a mask, six feet apart, they give you plastic gloves to wear when you are getting your food). The atmosphere was calm and it seemed really clean. The food was good. Overall it was a pretty good experience.

I always get the lo mein and they never disappoint. They have different meat options and give you a option of fried or steamed rice. Never tried the buffet

ive seen reviews on this place ive came here 16 to 20 times and it is still good people just dont know good eating or they have bad taste buds

I was very disappointed. I used to go to China Star several times a week when I lived in Lubbock. I moved away and haven't been there in a few years. I was back in town this weekend and decided to stop in. The buffet was smaller and food was not good. The chicken, all of it, was bad. The vegetables were over cooked and some of the dessert was warm. This place has really changed, for the worse. I do not recommend it.

First visit. Last visit. Buffet area not maintained, food splatter everywhere. Food was not very good and didn't taste fresh. Sushi choices were sparse and tasted bland. There was a weird odor in the building and it had nothing to do with the food. Service was good and friendly. Super disappointed to be honest, best part was the water tasted fresh.

This is a very poor Rendition of a buffet , basically it sucked ! Food was not cooked thoroughly egg rolls were very under cooked , Batter on fried shrimp was raw . Condensation dripping into food off of sneeze guard. All cookies on desert bar was were stale. Sponge cake was hard & dry. The filling in the strawberry & apple "pies" were like rubber. Run down building inside carpet. Black crap on ceiling from AC unit. The only thing that was decent was the mocha squares & ice cream.

Right there in the top of the worst food I have ever eaten. the lo mein tasted moldy. even the fried rice was gross. There was not one decent food anywhere on the buffet. should have gone across the street to micky D's. DO NOT GO HERE!!!!!!!

Not good. Just... no. The sushi at the back has crusty rice. Tells me it isn't rotated. Other Chinese food is better. Sushi is negative stars, Chinese is 3 stars. Settle on 2 stars overall.

This place should close down , A little Pricey for food that has sat there all day and still being served at night time I was there last night spent 30.00 Dollars I ate because I was Hungary and already had paid to get in I have to agree with a lot of other reviewers of this restaurant I should have not eaten there I should have asked for my money back and left I agree with a lot of negative reviews others have posted already I will never go there again lesson learned I am glad myself and my daughters didnt get sick I had the mongolian bbq it was awful I got food from the Buffet then it was awful This place needs a serious Health Inspection It has Covid 19 written all over it Someone wrote this place is one of the better buffets in Lubbock I would hate to visit the others Please someone call the City Health Inspection for Restaurants on this place , Stop them from poisoning The people that keep going there This place needs a lesson taught

I love the clean food and choices. The friendly and helpful staff makes the experience fantastic.

I have never eaten such a terrible food! Is it too bad? Food is as hard as stone! It was very uncomfortable all day after eating the next day! I suspect that I am poisoned! The cashier's attitude at the front desk is very bad! If God gave me another choice! I swear I will never walk into this restaurant! Please! friends! Check out their recent reviews! It's getting worse! The food is not fresh, the Health Bureau should check them carefully! Thank you! Never come back here again! Disgusting restaurant!

Don't eat here. We haven't been here for many years. The food was not good back then. So we decided to give it another try today. Bad idea. We got there about 11:20AM. Got our food and got back to the table. None of the food was hot. Not even warm. We advised the server. She got someone else. That lady told me that they have a microwave over that we could use. Hahaha! Really ?? Also the people next to us had the same problem. We pushed our plates away and proceeded to the cash register where I asked for a refund. The lady said she could refund one of the meals. I told her no, we really didn't eat anything and I wanted a full refund. She ended up giving us a full refund. If I could give them 0 stars, I would. People are going to get sick eating cold food.

This was a ok buffet. I was expecting more food options. The food was good and service was quick. The air conditioner was out of service when we went.

I wiSh I could give this place a negative star rating. I am here now and this place is a joke. 6:30pm and I don't know if any of the food is fresh. It.seems like it's all from lunch time. It's very disappointing and I really hope they either learn how to cook and serve good food or just close the doors for good. I've never wasted $30 this fast. DO NOT EAT HERE. Waiter is awesome though, he should go work at a place that has edible food.

Please STOP!! Don't come to this place Horrible stale old food, I literally tried a piece of everything because everything tasted horrible, just about everything had a bad texture and taste. The place is out of date and it smells weird. The sad part is that they make you pay 12 dollars first and after this experience, you couldn't pay me to eat there again. This place needs to be shut down immediately!!!!!!! This is by far the worst Chinese buffet I've ever ate at!! Oh and the cheese wontons didn't even have any cheese in it Very disappointing place I'm surprised they have been open for so long

For a buffet: the food was good, hot (mostly), and a decent variety. The service was top notch and speedy for a 70 yr old woman (not saying they were slow... She was literally old) For Lubbock: best Asian buffet I have found so far. However, that's in a Lubbock scale and I miss Austin Asian food! I did not try the sushi for pretty obvious reasons. Never eat buffet sushi. And they had a Mongolian grill but I didn't try that cause I ate a ton of string beans.

Probably one of the better buffets in Lubbock. Went for dinner and was satisfied. Will run you about $12.50 per person which is a little pricy for a Chinese buffet. Good variety of food and good service.

I order take out on 3 combo fried rices, 6 egg rolls & some fried dumplings all for $39. So tell me why I get fried wantons with sweet stuff in the middle & the meat in the rice was like rubber & it was cold. The lady was rude and didn't want to give me my money back and she ask for my license to get my money back. Lady please I have been in the restaurant business to long to know the deal. I will never order or eat there again they are rude & not clean. The first rule of customer service is to treat the customer with respect & don't question anyone when they pay $39 for a meal that was not worth $39!!

Keep your money in your wallet and save yourself the trouble of stopping by here. This establishment is filthy from head to toe. A very grimy outdated building. The carpets looked atrocious. The walls had stains and chips all over it. The food did not look edible and it all tasted bland. The owners of the restaurant are very stingy with the food and won't refresh an entree until the pan is bone dry. The food was very cold and looked like it has been sitting there for hours. I was very nervous taking each bite because each plate wasn't properly washed and had food residue still on it. When I asked one of the employees to refresh an entree, he had the audacity to start laughing in my face and just walked off. I had to hurry home and complain about this establishment because it is THAT BAD!!! Stay away from China Star!!!!! I have the runs and feel like vomiting after having dinner here.

First in walking in just looks dark in and around the eating areas I think they have it dark due to the carpet looking and smelling terrible it's just like a muggy smell idk it just weird smell but it cld be food too also as I was eating I saw they had shrimp that you peel I got a plate of it cause that's the only thing that was going to get cause the broccoli and meat were so greasy it made me sick well again back to shrimp I started getting my second plate of shrimp and one of the workers was talking to the cook in Chinese she was standing there watching how much shrimp I was getting but then I went to sit down and I was going to get me some more shrimp WELL DONT YOU KNOW SHE TOOK IT OFF THE BUFFET AND SHE PUT SOME CRUNCHY ROLL WHERE THE SHRIMP WAS I WAS LIKE OOOOKKKK well I can't believe they were keeping a eye on shrimp, I will never go and eat there again EVER they can keep all the shrimp it's not worth anything else on that buffet

Despite being here a years ago, and it being ok, not great; my friends who are in town want the buffet. Here we go, let's give'er a try... It was ok... Once maybe a year visit if that.

Trip to china star was average. Food wasn't the best. You could tell to had been siting there for a while. Our waitress took 10 minutes before she even came To give us our water and only a me to check on us twice even though the restaurant was empty. The peach cobble wa disgusting.

Why so much hate??? China star has been remodeled and is under a new management everyone should give it another try:)

I'm gonna pick this place since there is actually a street number. This place is ok for a while until the food starts tasting weird and smelling like stuff I'm not gonna mention. I don't know why chinese food smells like this sometimes I think it may be inferior cooking ingredients. I like Texas chinese buffets, nothing like seeing enchiladas and quesadillas on the line!

The food was ok, but not great. There is a made to order stir-fry bar but it didn't have a lot of flavor. For some reason they don't have steamed rice, only fried. You can get better food at other places for about the same price.

All these bad reviews made me nervous to try this place. All in all, wasn't a terrible experience. Food was alright, some was sitting out just way too long. I wondered about the freshness of the food.. Probably won't be back again, but it gets the job done. Left full!

Food is ok just be prepared to experience very rude customer service I joined my family for dinner but didn't eat cause I wasnt hungry and the cashier kept watching us like a hawk to make sure I didn't eat nothin she might as well have pulled up a chair and sat down with us until we were done

My favorite thing about China Star is you can get the buffet to go. I wish the container were larger but I feel I get my money's worth. Because I get it to go I don't feel the need to eat until I'm stuffed (to get my money's worth) I easily get 2 meals out of it. My only compaints are that you have to put your cold food in the same container as the hot. Yum warm sushi. And the last time I went my fried shrimp was cold.

Service was good, food was nasty! $50 for 4 (2 adults, 2kids) with waters! Don't waste your money!

Great food, everyone has a good personal space, food isn't made to fill you up right away like most chinese buffets, feels homey