I rarely crave Chinese fast food, but I was in the area, wanted a quick meal, and was looking to stay on a budget, so I gave this place a try. The food here was decent; though I'll admit, it probably tasted better because I was starving. I went with the chow mein since the fried rice looked a bit dry and not too appetizing, and I'm glad I did... the chow mein hit the spot. Anything battered, like the fish and orange chicken, is heavily coated -- great if you love that doughy crunch (which I usually do), just not ideal when I'm trying to be a little healthier and wanting more protein haha. The red chicken (don't know what it's called) was my least favorite. Overall, the prices are budget-friendly and pretty much what you'd expect for fast Chinese takeout. Not bad for a quick, affordable and filling meal. read more

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The garlic fish Is definitely a favorite. My family n I visit to pick some up for years now. its crispy, its flavorful, and they're a pretty good size as well. My mom usually walks in and orders it and its the same woman at the front whenever she goes in and I can always hear the laughs and good vibes they share when Im in the car waiting. so service wise, we will always come back to support her! the fish pair well with the sweet n sour sauce and vinegar it comes with and sometimes we even order some to eat with tortillas and make some fish tacos at home. Im happy that this place exists because it is a local hidden gem and they have a grab and go type of feel to their place. if you try something from there, let it be the garlic fish for sure. its not greasy, the fish is crispy, and flavorful. I love it and will always get my fried fish fix here for a quick and yummy lunch. I can even eat them by itself and be very happy. read more

Local gem to order party trays Fast & friendly service every time we come. You get a ton of food at an unbeatable price! & Trust me when I say this, GET THE FRIED GARLIC FISH!!! So crispy and delicious We order a party tray of their fried garlic fish any time we have a gathering because our friends and family always request it. This item is hands down the best thing on their menu! They are the biggest pieces of fish we've ever seen and even we cut them in half to make a full 2nd tray for our parties! They been around for decades & I hope our community continues to support this local family-owned business! read more

Star Express - 2 item entree - I doubled up on the Fried Garlic Fish & opted for all Fried Rice as my side - Chinese Near Me - National City, California

Love the fried garlic fish. The service is good and the ambiance is just like any other Chinese food to go.

we have been coming here for soo long and they never disappoint!! a classic! We always get 3 large plates that are PACKED!!! and all for under $40!! read more

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Really good food. It's my new spot. I love the flavors and the service. They give you a lot as well that's worth the cost.

Great spot for some take out. The food is fresh and tastes great. The ladies are always eager to satisfy.

I've been going here forever. Only the real ones know they used to be called 99c Chinese lol. They always stack their portions and food is always good. My order is always the half fried rice half chow mein, with garlic chicken and BBQ chicken. The fried fish is bomb and so is the broccoli beef. They're always so fast with their service and are always helpful. read more

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Star Express is always a great choice for party trays and Very great tasting. What ever you decide to make your meal you will leave their doors content and a filled belly. Their prices have gone up just as everything else but Still always great taste and dependable read more

Best lo mein ever, this place is affordable delicious and consistent with quality. Love that it's been here so many years and hardly changed. Def recommend. read more

Traditional walk up and order spot, nothing fancy. Quick and easy process when ordering, staff was very friendly and helpful. 1 combo plate (3 items) with one side was about $15. read more

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Best fresh Chinese food ever!! I've been going here for years and the family and friends are never disappointed! The service is amazing! The sweetest ladies that work here are always so good to us. The cooks do an amazing job. Food is always so fresh! Restaurant is always so nice and clean . Thank you all read more

Star Express - Half-and-half fried rice, lo mein. chop Suey Kung pow chicken. Sweet spicy chicken. - Chinese Near Me - National City, California

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This place is little more than a stop for turd makers. Be advised I've only stoped in late at night when nothing else was open. Food was decent. Nothing more read more

I'm quite impressed, the staff was extremely friendly and helpful and the food was tasty. The portions were big for the price. I ended getting the fried rice with orange chicken and spicy veggie chicken and was pleased with my meal. IL be returning when I crave Chinese food. read more

I'm pretty new to the area but this place is pretty good when it comes to just take out Chinese food. It's run down a bit but overall it's edible food. The service was great, she was very welcoming. I was able to sit down and the tables were clean. I had egg soup, lo mein ( I think I said that right), fried rice and this one dish I can't remember. It was really good in my opinion. I rather go for places that I can see the food that are already out and I can choose what to get, not many Chinese places do that here. Glad I found this place. I just honestly forgot to take a picture of my food.. I was just hungry. read more

Star Express - Star express Chinese food - Chinese Near Me - National City, California

Pretty much my go to when I want some Panda Express style Chinese food. The owner is super friendly and love to hook it up. It's gotta be the most underrated Chinese food around. The price is also cheap. It's $9 for 2 entrees with rice and noodles. Just look at the food. They can barely close the container because it's about to explode. Love love love this place. read more

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This place is a gem. My dad used to take us here when I was a kid and their food was always so good. Till this day their food is the best Chinese takeout in San Diego in my opinion. Their garlic chicken is so fire. They pack your box with food and are very consistent. The place itself is a little rundown but overall the food the service the price point is fantastic. read more

Star Express is clutch! They always come through with garlic fish when the craving hits! Owners are friendly and helpful. Food is yummy. Our go to garlic fish place. This place is simple and good. No frills or fancy things. Just plain good food. read more

Food was cold and it was waaay too many veggies with little to no meat or chicken. Definitely wouldn't recommend this place.

The food here is excellent and affordable (3 item combo for 10$ with HUGe portions) but the people who work here are absolutely unbelievably kind. They are respectful of their customers. I ate lunch here today and I was honestly shocked by how well they treated everyone. The place is also very clean. Highly recommend I'm going to use them to cater my next family event. read more

Star Express - Good food - Chinese Near Me - National City, California

I was there just today and this place sucks ass honestly i spend 30$ bucks on 3 plates and there fucken noodles where hard no flavor in the food and on top of that i get no meat but pure vestibules. I do not recommendthis place it seems the food is been sitting there for a few long time. I do not recommend go somewhere else do not spend your money here read more

Star Express - Chinese Near Me - National City, California

This place has been serving the neighborhood for years. I'm mid 30s now and remember going here in High school every other weekend or so. Is it gourmet? No. But it has been consistent for years, hits the spot, and is tasty. It's your neighborhood Chinese spot with a taste of nostalgia read more

I am giving 1 star because I can't give less. Eggrolls were greasy but dry at the same time. So was the low mein . Kang poa and some beef dish tasted exactly the same. The place seemed dark and dusty. I would not recommend read more

Nothing better than quick, easy, and delicious food! I was in and out in less than 5 minutes. The lady behind the counter is very sweet and HOOKS IT UP with huge portions! Prices are very affordable and you definitely get your money's worth when you order food from here. I would say this place is similar to Panda Express where the food is already cooked and you pick out what items you want for your plate. BUT, I also feel like the food here is more authentic with real family recipes instead of a franchised ideology. Noodles were very delicious with perfect texture. Chicken wings were super crispy and fragrant. I also had the chicken with mushrooms and zucchini, and it was spot on as well. Don't let the looks of this place fool you! I know it looks a bit old and beat up inside, but give it a shot like I did and you'll be very satisfied with the quality of the food! read more

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We stopped by here to eat lunch while our laundry was in the dryer next door. We walked in and saw all the items of food inside. I went with half noodles and half fried rice with mushroom chicken. They give you a good amount of food. I definitely liked that. I was actually surprised that the food was pretty good. My noodles were good. The mushroom chicken was flavorful and had lots of mushrooms and cucumbers inside. I was so full from all the food. There's tables inside to enjoy your food. They served my food in a to go tray. Ladies inside are very nice. They share parking directly in front. I would definitely come back to try other food items here. Maybe next time I will take it to go. read more

Star Express - Food - Chinese Near Me - National City, California

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Great place for cheap Chinese food and party trays. The orange chicken is actually pretty good, everything else is average BUT the pricing keeps me coming back! $50-60 for a party tray or $9 for a loaded combo!!! read more

Great place for some good quality Chinese takeout. Been coming here for years. I've always enjoyed their food. They have delicious dishes and the servers always fill the combo box/plate up to satisfy my big appetite. I always like to get, and I would highly recommend their: -Egg Fried Rice -Noodles -Fried Fish fillet -Sweet and Sour Chicken Wings -Spicy Chicken -Orange Chicken -Kung Pao Chicken read more

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I was just at star Express 8/23/2022 , the noodles was very nasty,and taste like frigerator burn, the rest of the food I got was not flavored at all, I work in the industry, and I guarantee if the health department comes to 3124 e.plaza Blvd,they would shut them down, becareful at restaurant like this one. read more

I love this place but unfortunately will stop going there. The ladies there are always nice and friendly when you go in. In the summer it's super hot In there but it's worth it cause the food is so good. Have been coming here since the food was 99cents per item. I stopped by a few weeks ago and ordered the usual. I took a bite of my garlic chicken and bit something weird as I looked in the chicken and looked closely I saw something shiny it was a piece of the stainless steel scrubbing pad. I was just glad it was my piece of chicken not my toddlers. Still giving this place a three stars because they are so nice and quality of food is good for the price. read more

Star Express - Piece of steel scrubber - Chinese Near Me - National City, California

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The lady was so nice when I ordered the party trays. I ordered orange chicken and mushroom chicken

CHEAP CHINESE FOOD! This is the spot for ballers on a budget. If your craving edible chinese food this place is the spot. They use to be 99 cents per item but due to the economy being the way it is they had to up there prices. I moved back to the hood 2 weeks ago and didn't feel like cooking and I remembered this spot way back when I was in Middle School amazing that this business is still here after so many years. The garlic chicken, garlic fish, bbq chicken and orange chicken are good. Chow Mein is whatever. Oh yes, this is a CASH ONLY spot! Peace Yelp Heads! read more

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The selection is not as huge but they have what I like so I'm not complaining. I was craving their garlic fried fish so I dragged the hubby out here at 8pm in the rain. I like coming here because it's quick, cheap and they give you tons of food! Customer service isn't really that great but they get the job done. For a quick hunger fix, grab a combo plate for about $6.50 and go to town. They give you plenty! read more

Star Express - I ate as much as I could and still this is what's left. This is one combo plate. The portions are crazy! Lol - Chinese Near Me - National City, California

This is a hidden gem for good fast Chinese food. This place has been around for a long time. I remember this was one of the original 99 cent Chinese food places. Yes back in the days, you can pick an item under the heat lamp for 99 cents each. These were so popular until every corner had one and they eventually saturated the market. Now you still have a handful that sell combo plates under the heat lamp for a reasonable price. This is one of the better ones. Small place in National City. I ordered fried rice, pork rib adobo, and garlic fried chicken wings. Add a can of soda, and it came out to under 9 bucks. Food was still fresh and it tasted really good. They give you plenty of portions here too. So many items to choose from. A few things that stand out are the fried fish fillets, Sweet and Sour Pork, and also the beef and potatoes. Also the egg drop soup is worth a try. They have some seats inside. It is really small. Best to take it to go and enjoy the food at home with a cold beer. Service is always fast here. The Asian ladies running the store are always sweet and kind. You will be getting a nice hearty meal at a working mans price. The service is fast and served with a smile. I recommend this place. read more

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Pretty decent Chinese spot. Good portions, decent prices if you wanna save a few bucks compared to the Panda Express type of restaurants. I did notice they use a lot of fillers on certain protein and veggie scoops. I'd come back again if I wanted a cheaper Chinese fix. I liked they had a sweet and sour chicken dish, which a lot of Chinese take outs suddenly do not carry anymore. read more

You can tell they cook their food fresh everyday ! Everything was excellent ! 4/5 because I've had better Chinese fried chicken!

not too bad for little hole in the wall type Quick place to eat! My menu consist of the fried rice orange chicken and the pepper salted crunchy chicken my total was about 6.50 the additional $.50 was a credit card fee that you have to pay if you don't buy anything over $15 It was pretty good (it's perfect for to go ) they give me a ton of rice and each order is considered one side so any additional slides cost additional money, s my silence! read more

Star Express - Fried rice orange chicken and teriyaki grilled chicken!! - Chinese Near Me - National City, California

I live down the street from this place and have watched it go from 99 cents an item to it's current 1.39 something for every item... I like this place because it's typical fast chinese food, run by vietnamese LOL My cousin loves the garlic fish and I like getting the mushroom chicken. Overall good place for the frugal person looking to score some cheap food that fills the belly. Sometimes the parking lot is full but with determined patience you can get a good spot... It's also right next to another bomb diggity mexican restaurant with carne asada fries that has a BIG portion. read more

This place has hot food ready to go much like Panda Express. However, this place has some very nice unique items like 2 styles of chicken wings, fried fish, and Asian style bbq chicken. The portions here are huge and a 2 item plate will fill you up. It's very reasonably priced and a good pit stop if you're in the move or in a hurry. Fast service, cheap prices, unique items and huge portions earns a 3.5 to 4 stars read more

This place SUCKS!the food is over cooked and the orange chicken should be called orange crust because that's all you getting very little or no meat inside. Definitely will not be back here again.. read more

food is good not amazing. large portions. I think they are cash only, they had multiple signs inside that contradict each other. food ordered: 2 entree fried rice and noodles with orange chicken and teriyaki chicken. orange chicken was a bit smoosh lacked crunch or texture. read more