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E Star

3.2 (227 reviews)
ModerateBuffets, Chinese, Seafood
Closed • 11:00 am - 9:30 pm
Updated over 3 months ago

Order E Star Takeout or Delivery

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Business Info

E STAR ATMOSPHERE

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

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Recommended Reviews - E Star

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Reviews With Photos

Koko S.

Took the girls to lunch and it was a great experience. The food was fresh, the environment was comfortable.

Ambiance
Rita N.

Always a great time! It's super crowded right now though. Despite all of the cars in the parking lot there are plenty of tables. Crawfish is in.

Even baby found something to enjoy!!
Jasmin N.

This place is almost an hour away from home. So I was skeptical about trying it but since my entire family was hungry we took a huge chance. Needless to say they had options every one of us would love. Only one bad thing I would say is that the waiters are pushy.. i was asked to pay like 10 times as if I was leaving

VERY IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!!! These photos are of the MANAGER! My mom and I went for dinner and everything was good until my mom found a hair in her food. We spoke to the manager. He said it couldn't have been his staff cause they all wore hair nets and that this happens because it's an open buffet. We stopped eating and let it go! Once leaving my mom offered to pay. So I told her I'd wait outside. She didn't have enough, but gave more than half the bill, so she came out to ask me for the rest. When I look up, the woman in the photo with her back turned had walked out and was recording us. I walked back inside and gave the remaining $7! I proceed to ask her to delete the recording and she says not until I pay, WITH OUR MONEY IN HER HAND. I begin to speak with the manager and explain to him that none of what she did was necessary. He then says if my mom wouldn't have walked out then they wouldn't have recorded. I told him I would like an apology for making us feel like thieves when that wasn't the case. He never once apologized and then claimed that I ONLY came back because I was being recorded and we didn't pay. EVEN WHEN I HAD THE RECEIPT IN MY HAND FROM PAYING AND HE WAS STANDING THERE WHILE WE WERE PAYING!! He then tells me they're gonna take a picture of us for not paying and that we won't be able to come back! WHILE IM SHOWING HIM THE RECEIPT FROM A FULLY PAID BILL IN MY HAND! And that's right a FULL bill no discount for the hair found in our food!

Greg L.

It's been about 7 years since my last visit and one thing I remembered was that the service is number one followed by the food in how horrible it is. I went here with the church family and all the adults left with a sour feeling. For one the waitress, didn't believe us when we shared that the kids were under 12, she went to try to card each child. All the food tastes bland, this space gets the experience of a Chinese buffet but not the taste. I will never come back here

Following my hostess to the table
Tracey L.

Oh, I had a lovely time here! My robot escorted me to my seat, and the waitress in my area was just lovely. This place is huge and well-decorated; it really caught my eye. The food options were plentiful so it's impossible to try everything but I did try to. You're best bet is to eat everything in smaller portions or just keep coming back like I'm doing.

Susan P.

Ever had one of those days where you can't decide what you want to eat and a wide selection is the answer? No specific craving. This place is for you with an array of Chinese food but also sushi, kielbasa, pizza and pastries. Nothing stands out but you can carb load to your hearts delight. Service is what one would expect at a self serve buffet, limited to drinks and whisking away dirty dishes.

Loaded

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9 years ago

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13 years ago

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9 years ago

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9 years ago

good food and environment, good and handsome servers,a good place to go, that why i usually go threr with my family

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13 years ago

Food is great and price are decent. However, they need to improve and add more variety of option for the desert selection.

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9 years ago

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13 years ago

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14 years ago

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11 years ago

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9 years ago

This is my favorite Chinese buffet restaurant in Houston. The food is always good and fresh. Staff and servers are so nice.

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9 years ago

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14 years ago

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10 years ago

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11 years ago

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9 years ago

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11 years ago

Best Buffett around. Sushi alone is worth it. A little far from my house but maybe that's a good thing!

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10 years ago

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11 years ago

This is a pretty decent buffet for the Willowbrook area. I have yet to find a better choice

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12 years ago

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11 years ago

Delicious crawfish! Love this place, has gailan, clams, crabs, and salmon. Yum! Ooh and the calamri is amazing.

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13 years ago

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Page 6 of 6

Ask the Community - E Star

Do they take Apple Pay?

Yes!

Y'all got pizza?

Yes

Dp they have crab legs?

Yes, they do

View All 4 Questions

Review Highlights - E Star

“Oysters were seriously great, and FRESH!”

Mentioned in 3 reviews

Read more highlights

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Hu's Cooking

4.5(1.1k reviews)
19.3 mi•West University, Braeswood Place
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Fast and delicious. Simple and tasty, at a reasonable price.We got there at11:15 a.m. and we're…read moreserved minutes after that. We will go back!

5 Stars - Authentic Szechuan that absolutely nails the classics…read more During our short trip to Houston, as a custom, we were determined to find real Szechuan food, and luckily we found Hu's Kitchen. The location is a bit unassuming, and parking is definitely tough (the spaces are very shallow), but the second we walked through the doors and smelled the Szechuan peppercorns, I knew we were in exactly the right place. I generally judge a Szechuan restaurant by their 夫妻肺片 (Fuqi Feipian)--which they cleverly name "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" on the menu. They completely nailed it. The beef, tripe, and tendon were incredibly cohesive together, yet you could tell each component was prepared and marinated in a slightly different way to perfectly highlight its specific texture. The chili oil was right on the spot. We went through a massive bowl of rice just eating this dish alone. Honestly, if I weren't feeding a family of four, I could have just ordered that and been perfectly happy. While the Fuqi Feipian proves their skill with dry dishes, the 水煮魚片 (Fish in Szechuan Hot Chili Oil) proves their skill with wet ones. It's another must-order. The execution was flawless--we didn't just finish the tender fish chunks, we ate every last piece of cabbage soaked in that incredible chili broth. For my two daughters who can't handle the heat, we ordered the fried rice, garlic pork ribs with onion, and the 紅燒獅子頭 (Giant Meatball with Cabbage). The giant meatball was spectacular. The kids completely devoured it on their own, but I managed to steal a bite, and it instantly brought back childhood memories of exactly how this dish is supposed to taste. We also had the Dan Dan Noodles, which were great and rounded out the meal perfectly. I loved all of the dishes we tried. Should we ever find ourselves in Houston again, we will absolutely be revisiting this hidden gem.

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Hu's Cooking - Spicy chicken, clear noodles with red pepper sauce, and stir fried green beans

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Hu's Cooking - Open til 11:00pm on Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sat

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Bamboo House - Bamboo House Special Beef Noodles

Bamboo House

4.4(746 reviews)
16.0 mi
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My favorite place for Peking duck around the Houston area. It's a little farther out, but I usually…read morestop by whenever I'm driving to or from AIH. The duck is roasted for hours, so the skin comes out nice and crispy without being too greasy. I also like that the remaining duck is made into a soup afterward. It's simple, hearty, and especially good on a colder day. I've tried several other dishes here, and they've all been solid and remind me of the Chinese food I grew up eating. The servers have always been attentive and friendly, and the restaurant is spacious, so it's a good spot for family dinners or larger groups.

I made the decision to eat lunch here after having a craving for Chinese food and reading the many…read moregreat reviews. Unfortunately, I shouldn't have ignored the average reviews, as this is what it turned out to be. I had lunch at Bambi House this last Friday for the first time. I was disappointed for a couple of reasons: my Orange chicken was basically mostly tempura and very thin slices of chicken. I had purchased the orange chicken, which was $9.85, with egg fried rice. The chicken was average in flavor, but as I mentioned before, the chicken was in thin slices; therefore, I mostly had tempura drowned in the orange chicken sauce. The fried rice was bland in flavor. Honestly, I agree: half and the re w the rest away. Admittedly, all of the 5-star reviews I read praised the duck, so perhaps that's what they're really good at. Unfortunately, I will probably never be back, because thin slices of chicken don't meet my expectations.

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Bamboo House - Inside

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Xiaolong Dumpling - B1. Mongolian Beef B1.

Xiaolong Dumpling

4.6(307 reviews)
17.3 mi•Fourth Ward, Midtown, Montrose
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This little spot is my literal favorite place for fried rice. Everything is good but the fried rice…read moreis the best I've ever had! Pork Bao's are normally my daughter fave but the soup dumplings here are her favorite. She could finish an order on her own. The service is always great. As soon as you get in they give everyone a water and a carafe of more water. There is a QR code to order and you place your order on the phone. The order goes straight to the kitchen and you can add as you go if wanted. I always thought that was pretty cool. The owner came out to say hello and ask how everything is. She even brought out a small bowl of soup for my baby to enjoy. The waitress was also very sweet and attentive. I don't live close by but will make the trip when the craving hits. Today was one of those days. The last time I was here there was no ac and not enough seating. This time it was nice and cool in and well as having new seating! This little spot needs to be on your need to stop places!

Came here solo on a Saturday evening with goals to get some biang biang noodles. I was hoping to be…read moreable to dine there. I asked the main waitress how long it'd take to get seated as a solo diner, but she never gave me a clear answer as she was so busy as the only wait staff. I decided take out was the move. Take out took about 15 minutes to come out, so not too long. The biang biang noodles had a nice bounce, but I'm not sure if it was because it was a take out meal that the noodles were sticking together. However, they were very flavorful. I also got the pork wontons in the peanut sauce and they were also very juicy and flavorful. Overall, the food here is good and I'd try it again but hopefully for dine in. If you can get a reservation, I'd suggest doing that or else the wait will be long.

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Xiaolong Dumpling - Excellent customer service!!!

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Xiaolong Dumpling - V9. Eggplant In Garlic Sauce V9.

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The Rice Box - Sesame Tofu, really good!

The Rice Box

3.8(1.1k reviews)
13.8 mi•The Heights
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I haven't even received my food yet, but the kindness shown by the employees here has already…read moreearned my respect. It wasn't just directed at me. I watched them help someone truly in need. That level of compassion means a lot, and it's why I'll always come back. If the food matches their humanity, it's going to be great.

The Rice Box on 20th is a solid option if you're looking for quick, very Americanized Chinese food…read morein the Heights. It is very much a chain restaurant, and it has that polished, standardized feel to it. I've eaten here a number of times, and while I wouldn't say the food stands out above some of the other Chinese restaurants in the area, everything I've had has always been good. I've never gotten anything that tasted bad or had an order come out wrong. It's just consistently solid. One sleeper hit on their menu, though, is the lava buns. They're warm egg custard buns like you'll sometimes find at dim sum places, and they are really good. Honestly, they're probably one of my favorite things here. I've even stopped by after already having dinner just to get an order to take home for dessert. They're definitely best hot, so I'd recommend eating them pretty quickly. The design of the restaurant is probably more memorable than the main food. They really committed to a specific industrial, techno-chic look with neon signs, animated menu boards, exposed metal, acrylic panels, textured wall details, and movies playing by the bar. The theme is carried throughout the whole place really well. At the same time, all of the metal and harder surfaces can make the inside feel a little cold and unwelcoming. There isn't much traditional indoor seating. Most of the seating inside is at the bar, with additional tables outside under some shade. Because of that, it's probably not my first choice for sitting down for lunch during a hot Houston day, but it works really well as a pickup or takeout spot. The staff has always been friendly, and they have a good system for getting people in and out. The parking lot is a little small, but since a lot of people seem to be picking up food, spots turn over pretty quickly. Overall, The Rice Box is convenient, dependable, and does what it does well. It definitely feels like a chain, but the design has a strong personality and the food is consistently good. It's not my favorite Chinese food in the Heights, but I've never had a bad experience here. And the lava buns are absolutely worth getting.

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The Rice Box - The counter/bar area

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Cooking Girl - Montrose - Spicy Chicken Cube

Cooking Girl - Montrose

4.5(202 reviews)
17.1 mi•Montrose, Fourth Ward
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I bask in the sweet ambiance of smooth jazz and tranquil aromas, wrapped in the quiet certainty…read morethat I will be here again. My stomach is full, but it is more than hunger that has been satisfied. I leave fulfilled by the experience, savoring a moment I already long to return to.

I have wanted to eat here for months but I always passed it up because of how busy and small the…read moreplace looked from the outside. Today was my lucky day because there was plenty of parking spots and seats (although the parking lot is very small). This place is great! I understand the hype for sure. When you walk inside it's just about the smallest restraunt I've ever. Very cozy and cute vibe with smooth jazz playing on a speaker and we got our food very fast. I really enjoyed my time here. Dry Fried Green Beans 5/5- these are the best green beans I have had in my life! I am not exaggerating like I will be thinking about these green beans all week. Do not hesitate to try these. Perfectly salty and good amount of crunch still left. The flavors they used are just perfect. Colorful Beef 4/5- The texture of the beef was so tender and not chewy at all like other places. The flavor was bright and the bell peppers were cooked through well. The issue I had with this dish was the sichuan peppercorns. I was just eating and not really looking at it super closely so I got a mouth full of these peppercorns and wow it was actually horrible. Just beware because the texture of these things are god awful and I think that they should be taken out like how a bay leaf is removed before serving. It was just really intense and it almost ruined the dish for me honestly. Other than that a great dish. My mouth was so numb but worth it. Dandan noodles 2/5- This was my first time trying this dish anywhere and I did not really enjoy it at all. The sesame flavor was really strong and it wasn't really salted at all. Very strange flavor. I will not order this again, however I do believe that the execution on this dish is great. There was a lot of sauce and the noodles were cooked well. I just really wish I liked the flavor of this dish and that's a personal problem. This dish also made my mouth numb but the flavor did not make it worth it. I wanted to like these so badly but I just couldn't do it. I will be back!

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Cooking Girl - Montrose - The bar

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Hi Trendy Dumpling - General Tso's Chicken

Hi Trendy Dumpling

4.4(437 reviews)
15.7 mi•The Heights
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One of my favorite Sichuan places in town!…read more Dishes had this time around: Pork Soup dumpling - always temps me to order more Shrimp and pork Shumai - i recently had shumai that was good but not as great as the ones here. I've never had any oeovlem with any of the food not tasting fresh here Spicy chicken cube - crispy, spicy, what more can you ask for Walnut shrimp - a common Cantonese style chinese dish with crispy shrimp, mayo, and walnuts. A perfect combo! Overall would recommend to anyone in town, a favorite of mine for sure

My three friends and I were in the area when one of them suggested this place after having a good…read moreexperience here previously. We ordered quite a bit of food, and everything came out quickly. The staff were attentive and friendly, and overall, the food was decent. My favorite dish was the Chicken Steamed Dumplings. I usually prefer pork dumplings, but these were surprisingly tasty. The wrappers were on the thicker side, which I personally enjoy, the filling was moist, and the sauce was packed with flavor. I also ordered the Beef Noodle Soup. The portion of noodles and beef was generous, but I thought the broth lacked depth and had far too much chili oil. Instead of providing a pleasant spice, the excess oil left a greasy coating in my throat that actually made me cough. The other dishes were less impressive. The Pork Bao tasted like they had been frozen and reheated, with slightly soggy, overcooked buns and a filling that lacked flavor. The Egg Rolls were also extremely small and had that same frozen, store-bought quality. Overall, the service was great and there were a few solid dishes, especially the chicken dumplings, but too many of the items tasted like frozen or pre-prepared food. I would come back for the dumplings, but I would probably skip most of the other dishes.

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Hi Trendy Dumpling - Interior

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Cooking Girl - Downtown

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4.1(72 reviews)
17.5 mi•Downtown, Fourth Ward

Casual but solid in an awesome location if you are enjoying downtown…read more My niece is a lover of dumplings and fried rice so of course we had to walk over for an early lunch before the Art Car Parade. --- location/vibes--- located in the northwest corner of downtown -- can stop by before bar hoping, catching a show, maybe even an Astros game if you wanna walk just a bit. There was a good amount of seating for that area of town but not a ton! --- Foods--- We really loved the wonton soup and mama's dumplings (gyoza basically). Both had a surprising amount of flavor. Especially the soup as this can be kinda plain at other places. We also tried soup dumplings which unfortunately stuck to the pan so we missed on the soup but the pork inside was lovely. Pricing was very resonable. ---Service--- to the point -- friendly but limited - ---Overall--- Looking forward to trying more dishes here!

My friend and I had dinner at Cooking Girl a few months back. It wasn't busy at all on a Thursday…read moreevening. We were seated towards the back of the restaurant and it was uncomfortably warm. I don't remember our server's name but she was nice. I started with a Lychee Martini. It was very good and very strong. For apps we ordered the Scallion Pancakes and the BBQ Pork Buns. The Scallion Pancakes were very good, but once they cooled down, it didn't taste nearly as good. I enjoyed the BBQ Pork Buns too. For entrées I had the Salt Pepper Fish Slices while my friend went with the Ingenious Fried Beef. The Fish Slices were very seasoned and flavorful, but a bit dry. The batter was good and I really enjoyed the peppers and onions that accompanied the dish. I think a dipping sauce would have helped. My friend enjoyed the Fried Beef. They have quite a few locations around town if you don't want to venture into the downtown area. If you're near the Theater District, Cooking Girl is a great dining option.

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