New China Star — Restaurant in West Frankfort

"My family and I decided to try New China Star Buffet for dinner on Sunday. Upon approaching the buffet, it was immediately apparent that the food was far from fresh. The dishes looked old and unedible, with items appearing dried out, burnt, and generally unappetizing. I asked the server directly if she would personally eat the food that was being served, and she hesitated, unable to give a clear answer. I then inquired about whether fresh food would be brought out, and again, received a hesitant response. Given the state of the buffet, we decided to leave without eating. When we went to pay for our drinks, the cashier attempted to charge us for two buffets, despite us not having consumed any food. We explained that we refused to pay for food that looked so unappetizing and inedible, and only paid for our drinks. As we were leaving, a customer commented that the food was 'good,' to which I responded that I value both my money and my health. The entire experience was incredibly disappointing. The food quality was unacceptable, the server's hesitation spoke volumes, and the attempt to charge us for uneaten food was insulting. I would strongly advise anyone looking for a decent meal to avoid new China Star Buffet. They clearly have no respect for their customers or the quality of the food...

On Christmas Day at lunch time, the place was bustling, three-quarters packed.

The service was excellent. The food, cooked just right, was delicious and tender. I especially enjoyed the breaded shrimp, the deep-fried chicken and more.

The prices were reasonable as well

The atmosphere warm, temperature wise, and also in sound. Low level background Christmas music, slightly louder than the generally low level clients conversations. (The only reason I didn't give it a 5-star atmosphere rating, it's because the back seat of the booth I'm in is not very sturdy. I'm a man of 221 lbs. And the guy is sitting behind me, looked like he was about 240. And he wiggled a lot in his booth. Every time he wiggled around, the back of my seat went forward and backward, which made it very uncomfortable to sit in my booth. But perhaps the rest of them are not like that. They also have tables with chairs. And you can order from the menu, or use the buffet

Regardless, you can't go wrong with the New China Star Chinese restaurant in West...

This is a small, family-run place and features a no-frills buffet and another area with scrumptious desserts (love the mousse!). First, the hot and sour soup is the best I've ever tasted, much heartier than many places that make it too watery. They have simple Chinese-American offerings in the main buffet table such as General Tso's chicken and mushroom chicken and pepper chicken. During lunch, the peppers and onions snap and crunch the way they're supposed to and I love making a sampler plate out of three or four ingredients. There are also spring rolls and crab rangoon. If someone in your family doesn't like the saucy dishes, they also have traditional fried chicken, too to go along with a very nice potatoes, peppers, and onion side dish. It's a great value and much tastier and healthier than you'd get for a typical burgers-and-fries drive thru meal for...