China Star — Restaurant in Dusseldorf

My reviews reflect only MY experience AT the time. Places can improve OR decline. So be understanding & consider other reviews to form your opinion.

Cuisine: Chinese Buffet Date of Visit: December 17, 2024

Buffets can be a mixed bag, but this one leans heavily toward the “avoid at all costs” side of things. While variety is the selling point of most buffets, the quality here leaves much to be desired. A lack of actually fresh ingredients and questionable handling of seafood make for a regrettable dining experience.

ATMOSPHERE

The space is large and well-lit, the noise level is high, making it hard to enjoy your meal. The décor is dated and feels more like a cafeteria than a restaurant. There’s a few decorations that evokes Chinese culture and tries to give the place a little charm. Idk if there’s an elevator but I didn’t see any. Could be a deal breaker for ppl with special needs.

FOOD

• APPETIZERS & SIDES: There’s a few things to rate here but most of it is “meh” 3/5 at best

• MAIN COURSES: Salmon The salmon was the worst offender. It was evident this fish had been defrosted multiple times, resulting in a mushy, watery texture and an off-putting flavor. Calling it “the worst salmon of my entire life” might be true. This dish alone made me lose my appetite. And don’t even ask about sushi or rolls (Rating: 0.5/5)

Meat Honestly, I had worst or maybe same level so I wasn’t surprised. Chewy and old, not tasty at all. (0.5/5)

Sweet and Sour Chicken The sweet and sour chicken was edible, but that’s about the best thing I can say. Probably the best thing I kinda liked. (Rating: 3.5/5)

Stir-Fried Noodles These were passable but unremarkable. (Rating: 3.5/5)

SERVICE

Service was there, as is typical for a buffet. Staff refilled the trays sporadically. Plates were cleared promptly. Though there were smiles it felt really cold. They do their best I guess.

CONCLUSION

This buffet fails on the most basic fronts: freshness, quality, taste and pricing. It’s not worth the disappointment. The salmon alone was a dealbreaker, and many other dishes felt like they’d been reheated or left out for far too long. Definitely not worth travelling 30min there so I won’t be returning.

Again, it’s just my experience at that time. So don’t judge too harshly because some ppl like it. As for me,… I’ll look...

This place is not good at all. I ordered the Futomaki, and as you can see in the pictures, they came with rotten avocados. One of the older ladies told us that we had to finish them before ordering any more. How can you even suggest such a thing when the food was rotten?!? All of the rolls were bland! The seaweed wasn't seasoned, the rice wasn't seasoned. At least put some sesame oil in the rice. The Sweet and Spicy Duck soup (#2) was not spicy nor sweet. It was a congealed mess full of grease and fat, see picture. The Gyoza had no texture, it was greasy and mushy inside. The fried noodles were bland. The fried rice was over cooked and underseasoned. The complimentary rice poofy things were cold and had a fishy after taste. The Lachstartar was simply inedible. They tasted of a bottom feeding fish that was left out. They were definitely not fresh. All of the food came out very quickly, too quickly. It seems like everything was pre-made and just warmed up prior to serving. Nothing came out hot, it was all lukewarm. The only good thing was the Mezzo Mix. I will not be coming back and no one should come here. This place is definitely not...

Mixed feeling about China Star. The food (mostly) is alright and tasty in china star, which is the main reason you go to a restaurant, right? But there are other factors that makes the experience rather unpleasant: The fact that they have to get a drink. Yes it is written on a menu, but with a tiny font. It means when you say the lunch buffet is 10,90, that is not correct. You have to pay at least 2,50 euro for a drink (or more). The price is still ok, but the fact that they kinda hide it from customers is a bit dishonest. The way the waiters make you order the drink. From my experience, they ask a couple of time in a way that you feel ashamed not to order any drink. And if that doesn't force you, at the end they tell you directly to order it. General behavior of waiters. I had some weird experiences, which is probably because there are too many people during the lunch time. They get for instance angry when you wanna pay separately, or sometimes you have to wait for a quite long time to get your bill. If you stand up during that time, you probably encounter the angry waiter who asks you to sit down until they...