China Star Chinese Restaurant — Restaurant in Portland

3.75 Stars Car shopping just off Division/122nd and hunger struck. Portion size is Very Large so will surely fill the gap! Good flavors could definitely taste the Black Beans though not many in sight, and not overly sweet either, a good thing, or too spicy so be sure to ask for more to taste and they have Chile Crisp too! Server was unsure when we asked for it instead they had Chile Oil he said; alas, one and same here ;)

Kung Pao had a floured coating and fried lightly then cooked in sauce so still a tender bite but an unusual preparation that is not our preference and just a few peanuts where we like plenty. Hunan Chicken was soft and tender but several veggies seemed a little tired & wrinkly on edges and off-cuts like tops of celery served and little over, could of come off the heat a minute earlier, but overall satisfying. Both dishes just $11.95 ea (6-2023) ! Will try the House Chow Fun next time that way.

Very sparse interior with worn carpet, kinda off-putting, we almost did a uwie but glad to have tried them. You need a key to use either restroom, fairly clean and neat btw, and there's a Banquet Room on same side and a Video Poker? Rm to the right...faint Vegas like slot chirps and music in background.

Prices are $4-6 cheaper than 82nd spots and portions 1.5-2x larger. Saw a pile of noodles on another table and he'd been eating a minute too lol. Assume owner cruised by us a couple times, said hi, and finally asked how everything was which was nice.

Lots of take out orders so turnover in produce should be good-to-better. Get over the decor, veg cuts and bring an empty belly or take out and you should be pleased to put China Star...

Decided to visit because of the rating. The only thing that is a landmark is their pole sign. The outside has no visual appeal. Knowing where their front entry is was also a problem as it is not marked, and we came in the corner door like many others. But we found out that there were no entry chimes and were not greeted. After waiting a couple of minutes, a staff member came out of the kitchen, and we asked to be seated as we were dining in. The interior of this restaurant is narrow, with most booths against the store windows. The carpet is dirty, along with ventilation grills and wall plates. There is little character so far as decorations on the inside. The server was nice, and we ordered our drinks and lunches. Drinks and hot and sour, and egg flour, soups were soon delivered. The hot and sour cup of soup was tasty, but I did not see the usual dried mushrooms in it. The egg flour soup had potato in it, and no corn and was bland. The main dishes arrived within 5 minutes. The Mongolian chicken was tasty and chicken cooked perfectly. The fried rice did not taste fresh. The spring roll was overcooked, and the garnish crisp also tasted old. The broccoli beef was not good as the broccoli was overcooked and the sauce was bland. The rice and garnish were similar in taste. The quantities of meals were adequate and were priced at market. It is important to note that the restaurant was at 10% capacity, and the server was nowhere to be seen until our meal was finished, and we were waiting for our check. The bathrooms were out of service. There is an ADA parking stall but no ADA...

Check the date on this, not sure what happened with the food but today it was so inedible we HAD TO THROW IT ALL AWAY. Vegetable dish was loaded with celery and cabbage, all American vegetables, poor texture. We ordered the steamed veggies and the vegetable "deluxe" not sure if deluxe was the cabbage, I'm certain they don't even wash the vegetables, which definitely aren't organic.

We also ordered the BBQ pork fried rice, which was also lacking the umami flavor and had no egg, and dried up rubbery pork. The vegetable lo mein was also lacking vegetables or any umami flavor. The hot and sour soup which we had previously held in high regard was worse than we get at the all you can eat down the street. I haven't been this offended ordering Chinese in my lifetime.

I will say we have ordered here before, and for the money enjoyed the food, they had that classic hard to beat safe budget diner Chinese food that I grew up with in the 90s. You can't beat the price and they do throw in either fried popcorn chicken or these pretty cool fried cream cheese wontons.

Maybe it was the cook today? I noticed the old man who seems to have been the owner wasn't there today either.

We've ordered here half a dozen times and recommended to friends, but after today, would feel like a gamble to go back and I don't risk...