China Star

Reviews

• Jesse J.

  star star star star star 23 July 2026

  This place is DEFINITELY better than 3&1/2 stars, guys.  
  
  First, I'm NOT a 'regular', but I used to live near the Broadway location and now I live near the Middlesex location.  We're there... once every 6 weeks or so.  Not once a month, but probably more often than 6 times a year.  Occasionally we eat in; mostly, we take out.  We enjoy our meals every time.  
  
  Second, service is always on point-- from the cashier/ front counter to the bar, to the wait staff.  Friendly, inviting, and they answer my dumb questions warmly.  Occasionally there's a slight language barrier, but that's to be expected and frankly it's appropriate.  I live in Lowell because, among other reasons, I appreciate diversity.  
  
  Third, I have a pretty significant MSG sensitivity, and I have NEVER had a problem from EITHER location.  Just a personal barometer: you can tell the quality of a Chinese restaurant by whether or not they feel the need to load their food with MSG: if so, they aren't very big on quality; if NOT, then you taste the freshness of the ingredients. That's a quality establishment.  (This is true for other  Asian cuisine too, unfortunately.)  
  
  Finally-- are you kidding me?? Everything from fried rice to frog legs are on this menu, and I have tried many things (and compelled my kids to try them too) that I can't find anywhere else in the city.   I understand that "jellyfish and duck feet salad" might not be your cup of tea, but when my kids say, "Dad, the jellyfish is pretty good, but I'm not in love with the duck feet," I know that dinner has been not just dinner,  but an actual experience.   Isn't that worth better than 3&1/2 stars right there?? It certainly is to me and my family.  
  
  Ya can't just order "L 19" or whatever all the time, guys.  Branch out and partake in the variety at this joint.  
  
  4&1/2 stars for food, flavor, service, authenticity, and a huge variety of available offerings here.  I'm rounding up. Not perfect maybe, but I can't recall a bad meal, either.  Enthusiastically recommended.

• George A.

  star star star star_border star_border 15 July 2026

  This place is consistently good for dim sum.
  The chesubao were perfect. The steamed ribs were excellent. The guyloc shrimp were a little dry tasting.
  The others were only ok.
  Will definitely go again.

• Kien Seng L.

  star star star star star_border 14 July 2026

  Service 5 stars
  Flavor 4 stars
  Serving size to price ratio 4 stars
  
  Good Dim sum on the weekends! Clean, large space with traditional push carts full of delicious food to choose from.
  
  Excellent chicken feet (require a little work to separate skin from bones) and pork ribs. BBQ pork bun is a little disappointing, it didn't have much flavor and was too sweet.
  
  Contrary to other reviews, service staff were very friendly and were not hawking over me and/or asking for more tips.
  
  Staff were knowledgeable about ingredients, was great at helping us navigate the menu to avoid food containing allergen.

• David C.

  star star star star star_border 9 July 2026

  I could drive to Boston, fight and pay for parking to dine in Chinatown...or eat here less than a mile with free parking! Whenever my family is feeling dining out for chinese without going to the buffet, we come to China Star. They have the usual dishes for lunch and dinner. I always go for General's Chicken, but it's a bit thick and hard to chew here. If you come early in the morning enough, they do serve dim sum. Much more enjoyable than my usual orders. I love chicken's feet, sticky rice, shrimp, and dumplings.

• Syanna L.

  star star star star star_border 7 July 2026

  Dim sum there is yummy. Lots of choices. I like how when you pack stuff to go, the waiters actually comes and do it for you and bag it up and all. That's great service!