China Star

Perfect little buffet tucked away in another strip mall in the middle of nowhere in dayton. Economic with decent small buffet. Large dining rooms with booths and tables. They also do alot of take out. They have crab legs for dinner, but in my opinion their peanut butter chicken and Mongolian beef are their shining stars. They also have the normal spare ribs, spring rolls, french fries chicken on a stick, soups, sushi which is not good but they also have little dessert cakes n cookies and of course ice cream. The servers leave u alone while u chow down which is nice but are their in a flash if u need something. They also do buttered seafood which is crab n shrimp. Lo mein, general tso’s chicken. Price is reasonable for lunch and dinner. Definitely a hidden little gem as far as buffets go.

I came once before. The prices are amazing good for $ 7 and $ 11 for dinner. I quite like and its fantastic. :) I appreciate the portions, which are always hot and fresh. will come again.

Here what i think — if you are in the area and working, it looked to me like everyone has got the drill down pat. You walk in the door, grab a to-​go container, fill it up — put on the scale and hit the pavement. Very quick self serve buffet. I walked in to place an order for a few quarts of white rice, because we had a pot luck at work and while i made a large portion of beef and broccoli, it was easier to buy rice than make it. In the less than 10 minutes that i waited for this order, no less than 15 people came in for this self serve offer.
I also ordered shrimp spring rolls and i really do think they might be the best i have ever had. Piping hot, fresh crunch to the light wrapper and overflowing with shrimp. My team at work was thrilled. Not a fancy joint by any means but for a lunch crowd, it is hopping.

However, I’ve been living less than a mile from China star … today is the first time to try the lunch buffet … it worth every dollar i spent ! everything was perfect !

This is a pretty nice buffet. Has everything I want I just love it here. I enjoy the food not expensive at all and the take out is awesome

Well I thought i. might try this place and sadly I must report. At 5 pm I was the only person here. Every food I tried was cold and crab legs looked old and soggy I asked for more crab legs after taking the old soggy ones so they had to replace with some. Well they did all 6 legs and then several others came in. I am now approaching 30 mins since I asked for more and still not replaced. Shame. Prices are right. Food cold and not a crab leg yet.

Pretty good food for a buffet, only thing limited is the drinks. Food is always fresh. Been going here for years. Never disappointed.

Ok people, get real here. You are at a Chinese buffet. Paying no more than $ 7 dollars for lunch and no more than $ 11 dollars for dinner for ALL YOU CAN EAT! And the dinner price of $ 11 dollars includes all you can eat crab legs! And this place serves Americanized Chinese food. So stop rating this place as if you were dining at a 5 Star Michelin rated restaurant! And stop comparing this place to a traditional Chinese restaurant! How much are you paying for the food to ask for all that?!
This is a family owned restaurant with super friendly staffs. And the freshness and the quality of their food is much better than other all you can eat Chinese buffets I’ve been to. They cook small portions so when you get your food, it’s always hot and fresh. The selection they have is limited but that’s OK because all the popular dishes like general tsao chicken, chicken and brocoli, vegetable Lo mein are all there. And it’s always tasty everytime I come here. Heck, they even have a ice cream station filled with green tea, vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream, all included in the $ 7 dollar lunch and $ 11 dollars dinner price that you pay. And on top, they always have coupons you can get from online or the local clipper magazines to save you a few bucks.
The ambiance again, don’t ask for too much. Again, you can dining all a all you can eat Chinese buffet and not a 5 star Michelin rated restaurant, this place is always clean.
This place is right by my parents home, I’ve been coming for years and will keep on coming for years.

I like their wonton soup and crab ragoon. I have tried the generals but it doesn’t blow my mind. Their rice and lomein is amazing!

If you are looking for typical Americanized Chinese takeout/​buffet, then this place is great. By no means authentic, but the buffet is a great deal and the food isn’t overly greasy or salty. Great for a quick lunch or if you’re feeding hungry kids. The staff is nice, albeit not particularly attentive, but again… it’s a buffet, not an upscale restaurant.

For the vegetarian, this place is a one-​star. They have a giant display of over 30 items and not one meal is tofu or just vegetable based? The lo-​mein had been under the heat lamp too long and was dry and the only decent fresh looking items was some garlic string beans.
I give it two stars, because they did have a lot of selection and if I ate seafood I would probably appreciate the large amount of crab legs and shrimp offered. They did have three different soups, of which one was meat-​free.
The desserts looked better than they actually tasted… how do you mess up chocolate pudding but then again why is there chocolate pudding at a Chinese buffet…
The staff is not friendly, and don’t really interact with customers.
Overall, this place is not worth the effort.

First time I’ve eaten here in a very long time. Since today is Christmas, chinese food establishments are usually the fare that’s open, so that’s what we went with.
The food itself is a decent selection and alright, some of it it just okay. Their General Tsaos chicken is pretty good, and so is their dumplings and other meats, but the lo mein is strong and some of their seafood is incredibly buttery. Oh, and their pudding was watery, don’t eat their dessert.
It’s not a bad chinese buffet, but I’ve had better.

Came in on Friday for the Lunch Buffet.
Not a huge selection, but overall the food was pretty good. Can’t really complain. Everything we ate was mostly fresh and tasty. I really enjoyed the peanut chicken. Again the selection wasn’t huge — maybe 20 items? plus the «sushi» (aka 2 rolls) and some desserts.
For the price I can’t complain — I’d come back.

Love this Chinese food takeout restaurant! they are the only one around here that so far that been able to get the chicken wings the way I love them nice and crispy and soooo good. Have not had anything from here i have not liked. Also they have a little buffet part restaurant on one side that seems pretty cool, but I cannot rate since i haven’t done like in 7 years but it always seems like they have people so something must be going good over there!

I have visited a few times this year and the quality of the food seems to have taken a step down. Also, I think the limited variety at the buffet, as well as all the selection remaining the same on each visit has taken it’s toll on me and I will not be returning for a long while. (When my 8 year old pesters me asking for China Star).

The place is very small (about 40 seats) and 2 small hot buffet tables plus a salad and dessert section. Hot and sour soup (meatless). Chicken wings not too dry, General Taos’ were more dough than chicken. Passable for a quick lunch @$ 6.99. Don’t forget to check the net or local flyers for coupons.

If you are looking for a late night trip to get some mediocre food, this is the place to come. I have always done the buffet option, simply because it is much easier to get-​up and get your own food rather than wait for the staff. As far as the food is concerned, it is your typical Chinese-​American restaurant that offers: family seating (both table and booth), a semi-​varied buffet as well as a menu to choose your specific dish. There are no surprises as to what you will be tasting. I personally feel from most of the Chinese-​American restaurants that I have eaten at; ‘If you eaten at one, you’ve eaten at them all.’ It holds true with this place. None the less, I would choose their pork and vegetables as the tastier of dishes. It’s simple and hard to mess up but I still must give them credit for doing a good job not messing it up.
As far as the atmosphere; «authentic» Chinese décor as well as traditional music fill the room for an ambiance that can be matched by others, many others. This place so like many others are stuck with what they are and for that we can not blame them, just enjoy what they have to offer and be happy that they can supply us with the quick cheap and mediocre food that they have.

The buffet is okay for the price. But most of the dishes have similar flavor.

Dear China Star,
You and my family go so far back that I felt that I had to write a letter to you personally. My family has been coming to you for twelve years for reliable Chinese buffet-​style food for either take-​out or eat-​in. Your owner even lived in the same development as my family at one point, before they moved a couple of miles away.
Do you remember my dad’s 60^th birthday around seven years ago? We had a great time then. Your owner gave us a semi-​closed area of the restaurant for us, our friends, and our family. Everyone loved the food as well as it was above average for a buffet of this caliber.
But something happened on the evening of Saturday, June 8, 2013. I’m not sure if you changed your chef or if you were just having an off night, but your food was absolutely terrible. Your dishes were either overly salty or completely devoid of flavor. You were missing several of my personal favorites including the salt and pepper squid, which apparently was replaced with this odd deep fried shrimp and squid that looked and tasted like it was three-​day old leftovers thrown in the deep fryer. You dared to serve sushi that had no raw fish; at that rate, you’d might as well not bother because, quite honestly, who really wants a Philadelphia roll with just cream cheese and rice? The wonton soup had no meat inside the wontons, and the soup was so thick that it was clearly obvious that too much corn starch was put in as filler.
You did have one dish that was bland but still satisfied. That was the seafood with vegetables. The veggies were indeed very fresh, albeit the seafood was tasteless.
Unfortunately, the above is not the reason I’m giving you a one-​star review. It would have been two stars, except my dad and I are currently suffering from serious indigestion. In fact, my dad found the need to use the restroom immediately after our meal. I’m sorry for having to mention that gory detail, but given how long we’ve known each other, I’m sure you are able to handle it.
Shame on you, China Star. My family and I are clearly disappointed in you. Please let your owner know that we forgive him for not even acknowledging us despite the fact that we were pretty much neighbors as well as regulars. (The lady at your counter did, however.) We would be willing to try you once again if your owner responds to this Unilocal review and explains when and how these issues will be addressed. I then might be able to convince my mom and dad to return. I understand your prices haven’t changed in years, but really, we would rather pay a few bucks more and get better quality food rather than eat food that is nearly inedible.
Otherwise, China Star, I think it’s best that we just part ways. I really want to give you another chance, though.
Your culinary friend,
Calvin A.

I stop here for lunch every now and again because of their take out buffet. It’s a relatively small selection compared to most buffet’s, but the food seems to be always fresh. For the money, I can’t complain. I can fill my to go box and still not spend more then $ 5 most times.
This is a good option for people who need a quick bite. You can dine in as well, but I’m yet to do that myself.