This place has absolutely earned its name in my book. We ordered 4 different dishes and each one was a HIT!!! Definitely a place to repeatedly visit. Also, the service was amazing! Our food arrived quickly and fresh! Call this place 10 stars! read more

I am obsessed with this restaurant. The crispy sesame beef is out of this world! I am very picky about my rice and whether you get the sticky white rice or the fried rice you will be extremely pleased. They also give you a lot of food, but no judgment if you eat it all because it is so good it's hard to stop sometimes. The dumplings are hand made and very tasty. The spicy cucumbers are a staple appetizer. And they staff are all so friendly whether you are at the bar or on the patio you will be taken care of. read more

I order the sesame chicken and wonton soup for takeout and it was only ok. The chicken like the reviews say was dry and the floor was only ok. Edible food but nothing to rave about. read more

Five star is a lesson in not judging a book by its cover because it's not much to look at on the outside but a great restaurant on the inside. The food was excellent with reasonable portions for the price. I recommend their version of general Tso's chicken. The atmosphere is trendy and comfortable that's good for large groups or an intimate dinner. My only complaint is that the service was uncoordinated and unfriendly. That being said, we did have a large party, but charging 20% gratuity when one end of the table is eating 15 minutes before the other and can't be friendly to the customers during the meal is just a money grab. I would have liked to give Five Star a 5 star () but good service is part of a great restaurant. read more

Five Star - Tasty General Tso's chicken - Chinese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

This place was really good like 10 years ago but it has steadily gone down hill which is a shame. The duck we ordered was so bad that they didn't even charge us. The soups were good but everything else just seemed like cheap ingredients and nothing truly homemade with love. I hope that people from Vietnam take stover and create a fresh tasting Asian dream. read more

Ordered the sesame chicken which was a little dry and needed more sauce. It's definitely healthy Chinese food, there was no grease and it wasn't fried. I'd go back if I wanted to eat out and not feel horrible about myself, but not if I were craving the usual unhealthy Chinese food. Also they don't have any little pieces of broccoli which I find most sesame chicken dishes include read more

Do not eat here if you are looking for vegan friendly options. Ordered the General Tso's Chicken with tofu substitute and half way through my plate I realized I was chewing on a piece of chicken. For a vegan this is a nightmare situation. There should be more awareness when preparing these meals, especially if your menu suggests vegan/vegetarian options. The waiter took the plate away and initially lied about speaking to the manager and didn't even offer to remake the order. I had to complain a second time in order to get my meal taken care of and have the manager offer an apology. I understand accidents happen but from a customer service perspective this was very poor. read more

Three stars for five star. I blame my husband in part for the lackluster meal here. I let him choose the appetizer, and he selected something that was pretty much identical to what I'd already selected for my entree. Although I guess it's hard to blame him for wanting to order what the restaurant uses as it's website URL -- the heat seeker shrimp. It's cooked in a very similar manner as the 5-star General's Chicken. Lightly fried with a sweet-spicy sauce. I have to say, for all the rave reviews on here, I was expecting some tasty goodness. But it's really pretty similar to PF Changs! The atmosphere, however, is very date-like if you're looking to do Chinese with that special someone and want to avoid a take-out box of lo mein! There was live music playing while we were there, but rather than setting a nice ambiance, it was actually so loud we couldn't really carry on conversation with each other. I'm interested to see what their nightlife is like, but I probably wouldn't go out of my way to dine here again. read more

Five Star - Heat seeker shrimp (same name as their biz URL)! - Chinese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I decided to give Five Star another go when they had an awesome deal for Triangle Restaurant Week last Sunday.... and I was more satisfied than I was last time. The service was definitely lacking, but the quality (and quantity) of the food made up for it :) A 3-course meal for $20 is the way to go! I started the night off with the heat seeker shrimp, which had a little bit of spice but there were probably 20 of them! Danny & Sara both got the crab rangoons, which they said were tasty too. I ordered the general tso chicken, which wasn't as spicy as I like it (but what is?) so I doused it with sriracha and all was well that ends well. Well at the end was a mound of chocolate cake topped with vanilla ice cream, and that little tasty treat always ends the meal well. All in all, the service was sub-par but the quality of the food was much better, so I have to give them a little bit better rating than before... because I left much happier than the last time, for what it's worth. :) read more

I can't believe it's taken me so long to eat here, after having several friends rave about the food & the parties that are thrown here. On a recent Friday night (about 9 PM), my boo & I stopped in to eat. They weren't overly busy & we were able to get a table immediately. The music was pretty loud, but I don't believe they had a DJ that night. So upon boo's recommendation, I got the heat seeker shrimp & he got the chicken fried rice. We ordered water & pepsi & for whatever reason, that took a long time. However, our food took no time at all. I was amazed at the portions, especially for the chicken fried rice. I was totally blown away by how good the heat seeker shrimp was! It kind of reminded me of Bonefish Grill's bang bang shrimp. The shrimp were small-medium size & had a nice crisp to them, but that sauce...mmmmm! Our waitress wasn't the best, especially since they weren't that busy. However, being with the boo & the taste of the food made me kind of forget that aspect. The restaurant was clean, I didn't see any issues there. Clearly we needed a to-go container & I love that they have the old school chinese take out containers. Boo knows the manager, so she came by & talked with us. She is really nice & I like that she keeps up with the music scene & allows 9th Wonder to host monthly parties there. Parking is limited, as there's only street parking. The construction across the street has made it even more limited. read more

Hit this up on a Saturday night for a double date. All four of us love Asian food, so it should have been an easy win. It wasn't. There is basically nothing you can get here that you can't get from your local takeout place at a higher quality for a lower price. No one really hated their food or anything, but no one loved it either. My shrimp and scallops for $17.95 was fine, but the server told me the XO sauce was "savory" - when it actually tasted as sweet as maple syrup. Also, the server was a bit cranky, the kitchen was apparently short-handed and slow, and the cocktails are pricy. Positives: They accept reservations. The food tasted fine. The ambiance is kind of cool. Negatives: Overpriced. Mediocre and slow service. Smallish and underwhelming menu. All that said... I didn't HATE the place - but just can't imagine why I'd choose to go back with all the other options out there for Asian/Chinese food. read more

This place is super hip. The hipness hits you the moment you walk in. The entrance feels almost like walking onto the set of a kung fu movie. There's even a cutout if someone perched up on the rail of the loft as if they just jumped up there effortlessly. The space is super fun to just hang out. As far as the food goes, I think this is one of those places where the appetizers are stronger than the mains. We had the spicy cucumbers and the scallion pancakes. Both were delicious (although the cukes were a bit over-sauced). This set us up for high expectations for our mains, which were veg lo mein and five star generals tofu. The upside is you can make pretty much any of the entrees veg by asking to sub the meat for tofu. However neither of us thought the lo mein or the tofu were really stellar. The sauce on my lo mein was too sweet and the tofu was pretty much just a big pile of tofu with sauce. Definitely worth a try, esp for a casual hangout on the edge of downtown a little off from the crowds. I just didn't find it particularly innovative. read more

Another overrated Raleigh restaurant! We placed an online order and had to stand in the restaurant thirty minutes to get our order... The staff was completely indifferent and didn't even acknowledge that our food was thirty minutes late. To make matters worse, when we got home (our house is five minutes away), the food wasn't even warm. The flavors are lacking too. It's preferable to a hole-in-the-wall spot in this area, but it's nothing compared to Asian cuisine you can get from places in cities out West (which cost the same amount). Oh, they had super cool DJ! Lol that's what really matters, right? read more

If you want to beat the crowd, come here during the week. Friday and Saturday nights are pretty crazy here. The food is absolutely delicious and they have a great appetizer and happy hour menu. This is the ultimate dual facility... delicious food during the day and fun at the bar and dancing with a live DJ at night read more

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I had been wanting to visit since their move and it was worth it! The vibe inside and outside, staff, drinks, food... oh my gosh. Love this place. The only thing that was underwhelming was the curry. Everything thing else my table ordered was especially the ribs, the five star general's Chicken, the spicy beef with noodles, and the pork belly buns. Wish I had taken pics. read more

Loved the new home for one of our favorite places. Same chill vibe with a DJ, and busy bar, just much easier parking and access! We enjoyed the patio too. Food was outstanding, we made our way through the appetizer menu and it was all cooked perfectly. Service was timely and friendly. Heat Seeker Shrimp never disappoint! read more

So. Much. FOOD! My boyfriend and I went here for dinner for First Friday and had enough food left over for 2 meals for each of us. Based on the rave reviews we heard, we ordered the Heat Seeker Shrimp for an appetizer. They were on special for $5 for First Friday. They were good, but not as good as expected. Huge portion for an appetizer! I also ordered the Asian Sangria to drink. It just tasted like white wine with slices of some fruit thrown in. Not anything special. My boyfriend ordered the Five Star's General Chicken and I ordered the Crispy Sesame Beef. We also got a side of the fried rice. I wish that we would have just ordered the appetizer + one meal to share. Wayyy too much food! The Crispy Sesame Beef is a unique idea but I did not love the execution. It was a bit dry, I had to ask for some more sauce. The food was just alright. Pretty standard for Asian food in my opinion. However, the reheated leftovers almost tasted better than when the food was served fresh in the restaurant! read more

Five Star - Sesame Beef - Chinese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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I have ordered take out from here during Covid. I'm just glad I didn't know what I was missing eating inside. I finally got a chance to dine in. Between the amazing drink menu (fo' shiz delicious) the wonderful service, amazing music (there was a fantastic DJ) and the wonderful food, I cannot say enough great things about it. I was so happy to have incredible food and a great vibe, I am a fan. The people that work there couldn't have been any nicer. Great job five Star. I'm telling my friends. read more

Used to LOVE this place! So much so I dragged friends here for my 30th bday. But sadly, it has fallen. Went during restaurant week and was confronted with just okay food and less than acceptable service. We didn't even finish, it wasn't worth it. We packed up and headed home realizing that a blank wall would be better than the service we encountered here. Dissapointed. read more

This is a great little gem and I can walk here! I don't enjoy tofu normally, but I went with my vegetarian friend, and they made tofu taste REALLY good. I also had the shrimp pad thai and the crab rangoon. It was the best crab rangoon I've ever had. I hadn't tried it in awhile and the last time was from a greasy Chinese take-out, which I think used imitation crab meat. But not here! It was the real deal. My friend was whining about sitting at the bar, but I thought it was the best spot in the entire restaurant and we didn't have to wait. Besides that, the bartender was really sweet. She was busy, but she took time to talk to us and made sure that we got everything on time. Portions were huge. What I did find strange is that had we *not* opted to sit at the bar, there was a long wait. It didn't seem to be busy, nor crowded in the dining room- the bar actually appeared to be much busier. So maybe they were just short-staffed in the FOH? Either way, I would return here again and again. I gave Five Star just Four Stars, but it has potential to live completely up to its name. I will keep you posted! read more

Food not that great. I remember years ago this spot being located somewhere else and from I remember back then the food was way better, idk what happened. The vibe/atmosphere make up for the food. Went on a Saturday and they had this DJ that was soo good (had to shazam so many songs lol) I like the look and set up of this restaurant 2/3 stars because of the food read more

I sat with Sally this evening. Throughout the meal, although just for one, I was attended to with gracious hospitality by the servers and hostess who sat me. I will be coming back, as an Asian food fanatic, and I'll venture beyond my scrumptious 5-Star General's Chicken and fried rice Fried rice was on point. There was a subtle bitterness to it that most Asian restaurants neglect, and the depth of flavor was delectable to savor. The 5-Star General Chicken was a bit of a surprise from my Chinese-American standards, as it was not soaked in sauce. But this chicken was crunchy, nutty (sesame seeds), and spicy (I asked for slightly more heat than normal). Very pleased with the intimate atmosphere and cordial staff. I will be coming back, and I will bring friends. read more

Five Star - Chinese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I have been to Five Star a few times now and have enjoyed it each and every time. It can get packed once it gets later in the night and the wait time is ridiculous but if you go earlier enough you should have no issues. We started off with the Crab Rangoons which are always delicious then split the Sesame Crusted Tuna. I opted for this since it was not fried but would probably not get it again. For an entree, we decided to split the Beef and Broccoli which was a huge portion for the price. I wanted to try something new so I decided not to get the Crispy Sesame Beef which I highly recommend. HIDE YOUR CATS read more

Very expensive for lackluster food. I won't be returning here. Please see my review of my order. Placed an order from this place as a to go order. 1. Bulgogi dumplings (tasty, but nothing special) - Dumplings were malformed and kind of mashed into one mega-dumpling. 2. General Chicken - Salty, Soggy, completely unimpressive. 3. Sweet and Sour Chicken - Better than General chicken, but also soggy. Requested an "upgrade" to fried rice, which was pretty expensive for $4.50 -- I paid for this, but didn't get any fried rice. 4. Hot and Sour Soup - Bland, unimpressive. Lastly, the noodles were stale, the rice was dry, there were no condiments included. read more

Online ordering was unavailable and when I called they said they couldn't place takeout orders because they were too busy.

Our office move right across the street so this is the perfect place to grab a quick lunch! Tried multiple items from here, never been dissapointed. The service has always been friendly. Food has always tasted fresh. They also have sandwiches in case you're tired of traditional dishes. The Asian BBQ sandwich was so delish so recommend giving it a try if you're not feeling rice and meat style! read more

Our entire family loves this place. We appreciate the care that they take to make many dishes vegetarian or gluten free when asked, the way they carefully label the take out containers, and the pool tables in the loft where we spend some time waiting for a table or our take out order. This is not your usual strip-mall Chinese place, and not one of those super-fancy, 'challenging' Pan-Asian places, either. Just delicious food, a good atmosphere and a staff that always give us a smile. read more

Always great. Can get things more spicy if you want. Five Star Chicken, heat seaker shrimp, chicken fried rice, and scallion pancakes are always amazing. They just moved down West Street a few blocks to a new building just past 42nd street oyster bar. read more

Serving is very late. Food not good. Don't try the chicken fried rice at all. We ourselves can do a nicer job. read more

Five Star - Nice drinks too. - Chinese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Good food. Great fried rice and heat seeker shrimp. The staff is great.

This restaurant was recommended by my sister who lives in the area. It is in the warehouse district so be sure not to bypass it when looking. We had an early family dinner here around 7pm on a Tuesday. Don't let the exterior fool you the inside of this place is very nice. The decor was cool and laidback. Our server gave us great, timely service. We ordered quite and few things and shared most of it. The portion size were large which ensured everyone got to try multiple things. We ordered three appetizers, calamari, spring rolls and dumplings. Each was delicious. For entrees we had Five Star General's chicken, heat seeker shrimp, and sesame chicken. We also had lo mein and it came with stem white rice. Each of us left full and pleased with leftover. Next time I'm in town I'll definitely visit again. read more

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This spot never disappoints. Everything on he menu hits the spot and the atmosphere is great! Wonton soup and the Generals Chicken is the go to. Sam is also fantastic behind the bar and makes the best expresso martini! read more

The food was amazing and well priced! The service was good and fairly quick. The only reason I gave a 4 instead of 5 stars was because my party of 5 was automatically charged a 20% gratuity. Firstly, and most importantly, we didn't see a sign or note on the menu to indicate the automatic gratuity for 5 or more. Secondly, I feel that an automatic 20% is a bit high. I understand when restaurants have gratuity added for large parties, but I've never had a restaurant charge a gratuity for a party of 5. I am all for leaving a tip, I just believe that those things should be clearly stated where customers can see. Other than that, great experience and I will definitely go back! read more

Five Star - Chicken Lo Mein - Chinese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I ordered the fried rice with choice of- chicken, as well as a side of lo mein. Food was delicious! Filled up at dinner and had enough left overs for another meal the next day. Nice environment with excellent service. read more

Five Star - Chinese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

There's a good deal of hype going into this place. While if find it okay, I don't find it particularly worthy of the hype. The place is not clearly marked on the outside. There is no sign outside, so one really has to be looking for the place in order to go here. My bride and I finally figured out where the entrance was and upon our arrival we were asked if we had reservations - with the hostess adding something about first Friday (what the heck is first friday about, why does it matter, and what does that have to do with reservations?). No, we didn't have reservations but that was okay, we were seated in about 20 minutes. For a place this hard to find, I thought it odd that we would be asked about reservations, after all, I didn't really think of it as upscale when we finally found it. It must be that popular. Kudos to the staff for bringing us each a glass of water while we waited on the couch by the DJ's booth. Couldn't hear squat above the music and background noise, so my bride & I had our conversation by text message. Heat Seeker Shrimp wasn't exactly hot - it was sweet and fried, but I wasn't really expecting deep fried, and I was expecting something spicier, - something to make me sweat - I was a little disappointed. The red curry shrimp was tasty, but again, I was expecting something spicier... it just wasn't. Sparkling water was on the menu, but they didn't have any - I was brought club soda with a lime - it was actually an acceptable substitute. Our server was all business, no small talk, no real interest in our presence there, not a conversationalist. I think I can understand, dinner hours were winding down on a Friday night and she probably wanted to get her cleanup done and get out of there for the night. Parking - okay folks, I don't know what the deal is in, around and near downtown Raleigh. I have to say I am miffed about the parking. There wasn't any street parking available, and I found what I thought to be a municipal lot by the Vintage 21 church (there was a round sign with a (P) on it), in the dark and the rain, I didn't see any indication of having to pay for parking, but when I got back to our car, you got it... a $30 parking ticket - goes on my list of why I can't stand downtown Raleigh (or Chapel Hill for that matter), but that's a whole different story. At the end of the day, Five Star is only worth about three - it's okay, but it's not a place I'd go out of my way for. read more

5 Star is one of those places that are kind of hit or miss. Sometimes the service is great, other times the waiters act like they are too good for you. Sometimes the food is awesome, other times it's got an off flavor or is too sweet. I do like that they serve items you won't find in a typical Asian restaurant, and I also like that they have an awesome bar. But lately I have been passing over 5 Star when I go out in favor of other restaurants. I've heard they have revamped their food though, so I need to pay them another visit and see if they can be my go-to Asian place again! read more

Service and ambiance were great but the food felt like it was both lazy and trying to hard at the same time. Went here on a Sunday night for dinner. The decor feels kind of like an old club (but still comfortable enough for a meal) with industrial beams on the ceiling and leopard print fabric on the booth seating. Their website describes it as a "speak-easy like setting with a hipster vibe." The food is meant for sharing, so it's brought out family style as each dish is ready. We ordered 4 of the small plates and one large plate. The lettuce wraps: They could have come from PF Chang's new frozen food line. Nothing special and were very under seasoned. Sesame crusted tuna: About 6 sashimi pieces of seared tuna sesame seeds and a sauce sprinkled on. The tuna itself was good, and the sauce had taste of something like vanilla bean. I still can't make up my mind on it, and I may never be able to. Taiwanese Pork Belly Buns: Now few things make me happier than a soft fluffy bun filled with savory pork. A light sweetness of the bun, a bit of salt in the pork, a crunchy garnish to round out the texture. However, this didn't hit the nail on the head. The pork was sort of caramelized, which was good, but the sweet pork and the big sweet bun it was a little overwhelming. The dish could have used more crunch in the filling too to offset the amount of chewy as well. Scallion pancake: Should have been labeled as scallion naan; it lacked the flaky texture of a typical scallion pancake. It still tasted good, but the accompanying sauce was very salty. Mu Shu duck: The duck pancakes (flat, crepe-like pancake commonly served with peking or mu shu duck) were just store bought tortillas. This was rather disappointing. Overall it was ok. Nothing was awful or inedible, but nothing was really good either. So, I'd say this spot is just average. Seems like a cool spot to hang out with only ok food. read more

How is it that I have never written a review for this place? I have been coming here for my Sesame beef and crispy green beans for over 10 years, probably closer to 15. The location is not convenient to my home or I would be here at least once a week. Last time we got take out, they forgot to include the green beans (so sad!!). We will always come back. You can't get crispy green beans or sesame beef like this anywhere else. The building is cool. Lots of character. read more

Five Star - Chinese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Been eating at 5 Star for years. Just tried out their new location and was happy to see they kept the same feel from the Hargett location. Michelle was there to greet us as usual and talked to us about some of the new menu items. The Crab fat caramel wings were so amazing. Super crispy with a hint of fish sauce to add some funk was the highlight of the night. Oh and when did they start making phenomenal desserts? What a great experience and can't wait to return. Congratulation Michelle!!!! read more

I always Loved the Five star since their days on Hargett street! Back then they had a live DJ, an upstairs lounge, and a cool vibe! Only thing was, THE PARKING was Horrible!!! You might luck out and get a spot in front, but that was once in a blue. This NEW location on N west offers the same cool vibe, great food , nice decor, annnnd better Parking, matter fact, it's FREE (for 2 hours anyway) The decor has plenty of art, and a big mural in the back room, the Live DJ was there too!!! The food was STILL GREAT!!!! They added a few more drinks to the menu They even have dessert. It was soooo good to see one of my favorite restaurants still open (during pandemic times) and a New address read more