Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Dinestination

    3.4 (51 reviews)
    ModerateChinese
    Closed 11:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)

    Dinestination Photos

    Business Info

    DINESTINATION ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Dinestination

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Spicy cold noodles
    Angela L.

    Braised beef on rice had a nice portion of vegetables and beef. The beef was tender, mildly seasoned and very oily. So oily that the grease from the sauce seeped down and coated the bed of rice. The spicy cold noodles (served lukewarm) were just liangpi (cold skin noodles) and shredded cucumber in chilli oil. No soy sauce, salt, vinegar, garlic, sugar, tahini or anything - only chilli oil! That seems just plain lazy to me. Service was nice and food came out quickly but unfortunately both dishes missed the mark.

    Beef fried rice
    Elisa L.

    I don't know why I haven't been coming here very much - this place is top notch going by Waterloo plaza standards. They have always been changing owners, but as of writing this, they are under great management. They let you grab unlimited free beverages 11-3pm daily, have pretty speedy and decent service, and really reasonable pricing. Not only this, but they are probably the only HK owned Chinese restaurant left in the plaza - meaning legitimate HK dishes. If you are sick of the spicy or oily Chinese options in the plaza, definitely give this place a try. Their yang zhou fried rice is amazingly priced and not oily af like Chen's. They also have various casserole dishes that are well sized and great for sharing. The interior renovations have made it very cozy and clean, and there is a ton of seating - both for large and small groups. Oh, and they are always playing Naruto or Fairy Tail on the TVs which is also pretty awesome.

    Tail end of some green beans with shredded pork and garlic.
    James M.

    Waterloo Star provided fast and friendly service and dishes came out of the kitchen hot and fresh. Yu Xiang eggplant was very tasty and the chili spice level was slightly reduced as we requested. Beans were also the right mix of crunch and tenderness. The food is great at a good price. We will be back! (To improve: make the restrooms as nice as the rest of the place).

    Chilli pork & mapo tofu - with a bowl of rice FOR $1.25 EACH?!
    Victoria K.

    Man, where do I even begin? Location? Fine. Close to campus. Easily accessible for students and has a big parking lot. But the restaurant itself is just absolutely no Bueno. I just don't understand the need to put giant fish tanks filled with dirty water right in the view of where their customers are dining. Instantly made me lose my appetite. Not to mention, the tables are always dirty whenever I sit down as if they did a poor job at wiping the tables from the previous customers. What made me change my mind from a 4 star down to a 2 star restaurant is because of their policy. We sat down at around 2:30pm (lunch special is from 11am until 3pm - free & unlimited pop along with cheaper dishes) asking for the lunch special, specifically mapo tofu, in which the waitress then said they "ran out." So we decided to just browse the menu that's usually given, and called her out by asking if we could get mapo tofu from the menu for the normal price, where she said yes. ... what? Didn't you say you guys "ran out"??? Not to mention when you order the dishes they have on the menu it does NOT come with rice. Each bowl is an additional $1.25. This place is actually below average for authentic Chinese food, unless you're hungry. Anyways, food portioning and everything is fine but c'mon. Don't cheap out to THAT extent.

    Home style spicy pork (~$8.99) Green beans with pork ($7.99) Cucumber Salad ($3.99)
    Lin H.

    I've been here a numerous amount of times since it is close to campus. One of the better Chinese restaurants around the area for students. Their generous portions are ideal for group dining/sharing the food. I would strongly recommend the green beans with pork ($7.99) as well as their spicy eggplant in garlic sauce ($7.99). Their home style spicy pork ($8.99) is great too. Also, if you get the large rice ($3) you can get free rice refills on it! A great value is their 6.99 lunch combo which includes a dish as well as soup and all you can drink pop. Great value, but taste wise, you're better off ordering from the regular menu. Overall, excellent for groups looking to share food and definitely worth the value!

    Lunch specials monday to friday! With all you can drink pop and free soup!
    Andy A.

    I think this place is one of the better Chinese restaurants around UW campus especially the fact UW has a high population of Chinese students and many would always crave Chinese food (myself included!). When I first walked in, I immediately noticed how big the place is. They have a lot of tables as well as diner style booths by the walls (the booths have iPads!). The place is very spacious which is very good especially for students that want space for their bags and other things. Food wise I am generally happy with their food. I usually get their casseroles which comes with rice as well. Their casseroles are huge with lots of meat delicious soup. So far I have tried their beef tendon as well as their pig tripe casseroles and was happy with both! If you can't think of what to get, they have lunch specials on weekdays which come with free soup and all you can drink pop for just ~7 dollars!

    Shuang W.

    Their unlimited soda for free during lunch time is great! Food is great! Just those fish in the fish tank, for people like me who hates fish it's just a nightmare. Everything else is awesome!!

    Lunch special: beef with onion on rice
    Linda L.

    Their lunch deal is pretty good, nice portion and great amount of meat and only 6.99. Tried the fried chicken on rice and beef with onion on rice for lunch, both are pretty good. The service needs some improvement however, especially when they never remember to bring the utensils when they bring our food!

    Complementary soup (egg + seaweed)

    This is my go-to place for lunch during the school term and for one reason only, their "hai nan ji fan" (lunch special #1) which is just steamed chicken and rice. What I liked: * "hai nan ji fan" dish is simple, tasty, filling and relatively healthy compared to any other food options in the plaza. Also the chicken is boneless, so I can wolf it down when I'm in a hurry. * You get complementary soup when you dine in. It's always this egg-drop + seaweed watery soup, but it's complementary, so you can't really complain. * Fast service if you order any of the lunch specials since I assume they have all the ingredients ready in the back and simply need to plate it. What I disliked: * The lunch special is only available on the weekdays. None lunch special items are alright and above average for campus plaza standards, but lunch special #1 is the only reason I keep coming back.

    Mapo tofu
    Samuel Y.

    Easily one of the better chinese food resturants in and around the waterloo campus. Its relatively cheap (~8-12 after tips and tax) and the quality is actuallly pretty good. This place is perfect for fixing up the chinese food cravings or a quick lunch in between classes. Their casseroles (meat/vegetable in soup served in a hot stone bowl with rice on the side) are espcially tasty! They also have lunch specials which include an dish with rice, pop and a small side soup for under 10 dollars. All in all, decent chinese food + cheap + fast service = would recommend

    Hot and sour soup

    See all

    18 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of James M.
    17
    68
    100

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lin H.
    20
    18
    26

    10 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Michael M.
    31
    71
    101

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Samuel Y.
    188
    15
    11

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Alice H.
    123
    129
    126

    11 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Hanyu Q.
    122
    22
    3

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Erin T.
    0
    158
    3

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Hao L.
    31
    60
    2

    8 years ago

    Great food selection, you don't need to wait a long time, debit card only, and it sometimes pop drink is free

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Rach Y.
    268
    18
    0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Had a fly in food, was yelled by the owner to shut up, and was forced to pay full amount. Will not return here.

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 6
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 2

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Chinese 623 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    The China Bowl

    The China Bowl

    (15 reviews)

    $$

    So I haven't been back here since I was in U Waterloo…read more This place had selection but now with take out its limited to a menu. Ordered the braised fish with tofu and chicken leg with cumin. I don't think I would order the chicken again it's like 75%dry chili and 25% chicken. And it under fills the container (I only bought it because the lady showed me the container -but frankly I'm still hungry with a heartburn from the oil+chili. I feel like I paid 15$ for dried chilies). The braised fish with tofu and chilies. Um there were burnt chillies on top. It's not fungus. Like it was charred black. Greasy overall (probably the way it's supposed to be made??) The taste is okay but I just found it cheap on the chicken protein, sells more chilli than protein. Pricewise it was 30$ after tax it could be cheaper. This is one of the more authentic places but no vegetable dish options. But it's time to help small businesses. This place takes cash and debit. So lend them a hand. I've had takeout that left me hungry and very uncomfortable. Help! (I just want to also note I experienced some food poisoning symptoms 48hours after eating take out here)

    Overpriced bad chinese food with terrible service…read more I came here with a group of friends and we were discussing what to order. We were asked three times if we were ready to order. The third time the server said "talk talk talk don't order". We haven't even had a chance to go through the entire menu. The menu is extremely disorganized. I've never seen a menu organized with the type of meat and vegetables at the end. We ordered a soup, a beef pancake, some eggplant, and a beef. The soup was okay, not the best ingredients. The pancake was very weird. The beef had some carrot mixed into it. The eggplants were extremely oily and overcooked. The beef was dry and inconsistently marinated. The total was around $54 for those 4 dishes. Extremely overpriced for their quality of food.

    Dinestination - chinese - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...