My favourite yum cha spot. It's really busy on weekends so you either have to come 11am on the spot or book a table. I love the variety that they have. Staff are really busy so not much 10/10 customer service or anything but I'm there for the food so basically if you see a cart just yell out 😂
Love the yumcha here 😊❤❤❤
Great yum Cha here. Fast, fresh and tasty.
They have a large variety of dim sum - the staples and also some other tasty additions.
Clean and modern interior
good place with good yumcha food!! was shown to our table instantly even though was really busy!food was good! Probably one of the best yumcha in east
One of the OG Yum Cha spots in East Auckland, I’ve come 3-4 times in one month for work lunches. Spacious interior, there isn't much flair in terms of decorations but man the dim sum here is top notch. The times I’ve been this month, the place has always had at least 10 other tables with people so it’s busy and the atmosphere is lively. There shrimp dumplings, plenty of shrimp and fantastic taste.
One of the best yum cha places in East Auckland.
Overall Grade: A
Liked it here, went in a group of 10 people, wasnt as crowded. Food was delicious especially the deep fried taro dumpling and the moochi ice cream. Would go back again.
Our first visit to this yum cha restaurant and we were not disappointed! A queue out the door when we arrived at 1pm (always a good sign) the seatings were roomy, the serving staff friendly with a reasonably good grasp of english so communication wasn't difficult. The food was fast coming out and with lots of choice. Next time I would order some vegetable dishes off the menu as they always seem to be lacking at yum cha. The price for 5 of us was $18 a head which I thought very reasonable as we were stuffed. My boys love the ice cream balls! The decor is........ well you don't do yum cha for the decor but I was pleased and impressed to see the A hygeine rating. We would definitely come again.
I love this place, definitely the best yum cha in East Auckland. I always order, Siu Mai, shrimp dumplings, chicken feet, BBQ pork buns, custard tarts and mochi ice cream. Highly recommend!
Best yum char in botany super delish and well priced. Would suggest visiting during the week as very busy on weekend and does have a surcharge on public holidays so less cost effective but super delish. My favourite is the dumplings highly recommend
Great service and mouth-watering food on offer at an affordable price. If you are up for a challenge and not too fussy then chicken feet is a must try, it has that delicious taste that would make you want to have more.
Food is 5/5
Service is 4.5/5
Place is spacious and yumcha friendly. You won’t get bumped or squeezed when the trolleys are going around.
Absolutely suggest the fried taro dumplings!
my daughter ordered shrimps and the lady asked me if i can afford them $42 per plate and she asked me several times if im sure.. this is not good discriminating people coz i think they believe only chinese people can afford them?? oh well im not chinese but im damn sure i can afford them. Anyway i love your cold cucumber..
One of the best yumcha i’ve had in the East Auckland area. They have all the selections you would expect. They do get a little busy on the weekends though so you might be a but neglected if your sit on the sides.
Sheena (Code SHEE7152H For Zomato Gold)
+4
Went here for Yumcha with friends. Food is indeed above average. Staff are friendly, there are just some that are not really smiling at all. Prices are pretty decent around $5-$6 each except for the crispy pork belly which is a whooping $34 (we estimated it's just around $18-$23). Tea is $1 per person. We were just shocked upon paying our bill. Lesson learned: if it looks so delicious and filling ask for the price, haha!
Delicious food with a friendly service! We enjoyed the Peking duck which came with a lot of meat and yummy plum sauce that ties it together. The eggplant with minced meat was my favourite! We also got the cooked oyster with vermicelli which was divine. Fish tasted fresh as well. Great place for a hearty meal for the family
I say this asian restaurant is one of the best I do go often for lunch and love the food I always get the chicken and prawn fried rice, the coriander, dumplings, savoury mince and sometimes the spicy beef noodles. It’s always packed both lunch and dinner the best.
Been here several times for both lunch and dinner. Always fully packed, especially on the weekends compared to other Chinese restaurants I pass by that are always almost empty. Definitely recommend dim sum menu over dinner menu. Prices have been steadily increasing over the past few years. Main dinner dishes all taste fine IF you are immune to MSG and crap-ton of salt.
Love this place! Have been a regular for over 10+ years and have tried many yum cha restaurants in Auckland and this is by far my favorite. Have dined for lunch, dinner and ordered takeaway on multiple occasions. Service is great, food is delicious. You know this is a great spot when its hard to get a seat on weekends for the lunch service.
Been to this restaurant for years esp for dinner, food was good and the price was reasonable. There's always easy to find a carpark and they do give 10% discount if you go on Monday or Tuesday but not sure whether they still doing it or not as the last time we will there on Friday.
It definitely isn’t $70 for two it’s less than that this restaurant is MY ULTIMATE FAVOURITE! Price is awesome food is awesome. You won’t be disappointed.
We are frequent diners. A nice place for yum cha with quite a few varieties. Good place for dinner too. The food portion for dinner is excellent. We almost always have leftovers to bring home. Price is reasonable. Dinner service can be a bit slow and not really friendly but practical.
Updated 4/12/18
Visited for dinner today. Just two of us and ordered two dishes and a bowl of rice. The bowl was really tiny and the portion was half size of a standard bowl. Cost $2 for the ‘half bowl’ of rice. Other than that, the food here is always nice and decent portion.
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We have been in the Star Cafe for yum char a few times, we though the feeling and experiences were a bit up and down (not in the very bad way as it could be our fault, as we came quite close to closing time before so not a lot of options and felt in the rush).
We quite happy to come here on the weekend for yumchar as it is relatively easy to find parking spot, restaurant quite spacious, and we dont need to wait for long to get a table. Staff relatively nice and speak great english to describe unique dishes. We also given a decent time for the table (1 hr 15mins compared with 45mins given from other busy yumchar place).
For food taste, we thought the yumchar were quite consistant. Surprisingly we might not be a big fans of their standard yumchar dishes as we tried better somewhere else (ex siumay, hargau, bbq pork buns, etc). But we thought their special menu were quite good (ex, deep fried squid has a nice coating and beansprout noodle with chicken&cucumber&peanut sauce was interesting and quite nice,etc). My favourite so far is the prawn&pork white bun (shown in photo). Might not be that important (it is very important to us! 😊) we like their chilli oil, top 3 out of all other yumchar restaurant in Auckland we have tried. The food portion were good although price is in the mid scale (not the most expensive compared with grandpark/grand harbour but not cheap either).
We will be happy to come back every now and then. Might think twice to have a special trip to star cafe from home as the distance will be similar to go to others.
Really amazing food here and great service. Had a delight dinner.Not too crowded on a Friday night and byo makes it even better. Owner offered some free egg tart.
Bought my partner & daughter here, the restaurant was very tidy dinner wear all set perfectly tables wer nice and clean. I crumbs or little food marks.
The food was fantastic we ordered egg fried rice pork ribs , beef with veggie combination and was the perfect size meal for us. Our waitress plated 3 small desserts for our daughter which was really nice of her. Friendly staff who really go the extra mile for their customers.
A bit crammed with many tables in a small building but they made it work, all in all very pleased with customer service that's what really gets customers coming back, will definitely recommend this to any of my friends.
Star Cafe in Flat Bush remains a popular choice and my parents head there on occasion for the yum cha. Service and decor is entirely transactional but the food is fairly good and well priced, however I ended up with a dry mouth after my last experience. This leads me to think there may have been some liberal use of MSG in some of the dishes. Parking in the area isn’t too bad and on our weekday we were able to secure a table easily enough. As with many yum cha restaurants it pays to order your favourites as we wouldn’t have quite gotten the trolley action we desired, and would have subsequently missed out on some items.
Came by for dinner. Parking wasn't too much of an issue but it usually is around weekend lunch time for yum cha. Normally come here for the soft shell crab. The portions are big enough that you can probably feed 4 people with three dishes but they do have takeaway so if you have a few things you want to try then you are able to take home what you don't finish. The food is generally good and the service not too bad, you occasionally might get missed if they are really busy. Nice restaurant for good Chinese food.
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Went here Friday evening for the yum cha! Unfortunately it's only served by trolly during lunch we did get to order off the menu tho, very plain looking establishment with a sad looking fish tank filled with lobster behind the counter.. even looking at it made me feel sad about there cramped looking confines..but luckily for Star Cafe we came here to judge the food which was amazing..like the best I've ever tasted! 😱 I ordered the combination fried rice which was full of shrimp, chicken & meat all tender and tasty..shrimp was a little under cooked and tough and the rice a little drier than what I'm used to but still very tasty and I could be glad that it wasn't drenched in oil.. BBQ pork buns were amazing!!! 😱 I could of ate them all night same goes for the fried shrimp dumplings so delicious 😁 the crisp on the outside was full of flavor and lighter than air also extra large yummy 😜 the shrimp inside could have had a touch more seasoning found to be a little on the bland side but overall exceptional ..I want to go back right now and it's 7:30am 😂 don't be put off by the decor if you do you'll miss out on some delicious food. Also the waiter is helpful if your unsure about what your ordering thank you! 👏👏👏
Yum and authentic Chinese Yum Char! Could do with some better English speaking staff. All over I would say an enjoyable eating experience. :)
Yummy authentic Chinese food. If u looking for a real authentic Chinese place to eat I'd 100% recommend it. Great food cooked just the way it should be. Driven past it a few times but never went in, so happy I decided to. Was wowed by what I had eaten
Went for a dinner on a Sunday night. There are amples of tables available and food were served in a very quick pace. Food was pretty good and in generous portions.
Extra point that most staffs actually do speak English! The staffs were friendly and dumplings were delicious :) Their dumplings seem to be bigger than other yum cha restaurants I've been to. Didn't know they were so big and ordered way too many! The spicy chilly oil (nt sure what they are called) seems to be lot spicier than other places and doesn't require to put many on for the dumplings. Overall great experience
Despite the bad reviews out there, this is probably still one of my faves yum Cha places. Their service isn't the greatest, but the food here is actually pretty decent if you know what to order.
My usual orders usually consist of the fried taro cake (with pork inside), the chicken feet, roast pork and the Cha Siu Chiong. Today we also got the turnip cake, the prawn and chives dumplings and the Siu mai. I love their chilli at this place so be sure to get plenty of it when you're here which goes great with the dishes.
Although we were placed in the corner today, the trolleys came often and were attentive to our needs which was great. Wasn't too busy today but I highly suggest making bookings if you're coming on a Sunday.
I love this place and go frequently for lunch!
We usually have prawn dumplings, duck, pork, sui mai, bok choy and ice cream balls.
The prawn and coriander dumplings are amazing!!
Would highly recommend!
I go here with my family a lot since it's the closest decent Chinese restaurant. I probably prefer their sizzling plates and squid dishes the most. I always end up leaving this place so full! They have yum cha during the day and then a proper restaurant style at night. I probably prefer to go at night though just because we order the dishes in large serving sizes to be shared. ZomatoStudents
Yum cha lunch is delicious ! Fresh food cooked to perfection, spacious seating, a lot to choose from, fed 2 adults and a child for $37 ! So cheap and left with a full tummy !
My fav yum cha place
The food is amazing..
Their chilli makes the food taste even more amazing
I usually order shu mai, prawn dumplings, lo mai gai (sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf) and ice cream balls.
This our favorite place for yum cha in East Auckland. It's always busy and the food arrives hot. Great selection; the prawn and coriander dim sum are a favorite and the kids love the bbq pork buns and icecream balls.
I love going here for yum cha so tasty & so close to my work, most of staff are good but some lack customer service (not very welcoming) they should give out menu for yum cha, it will be a lot easier for people to decide what they want & also to give them an idea of how much it is.
Really good yumcha. Gets busy on the weekends, good idea to call ahead for larger groups. As with a lot of chinese restaurants, don't expect stellar service...
Yum char experience is great. The staff tried their best to speak English and explain the food, for us it is good. The food is okay. We will go back.
Lovely food. Communication can be a bit of an issues but depends on staff on shift. A firm favourite of my family.
Such a genuine yum cha! Friendly manager who makes it a point to check that you are comfortable and enjoyed the meal. Everybody speaks English which is a treat. Food looks and is appetizing. The tea is awesome and always topped up. The steamed dumplings are a healthy flavorful choice. Meal was fresh and diverse. Strongly recommend the chicken pie, prawn and coriander dumpling and pork buns.
Just yum! Food is delicious and fresh, spare ribs are a personal favourite. We regularly put in a order for the whole office and have never had a complaint. Staff are always polite even though they are usually flat tack with a full house. Highly recommended to all!
We have been going to this restaurant for at least three years, dinner & daytime yum char at least weekly. Always found the staff pleasant, even when busy. Food is consistent, always fresh, (no wonder given the turn over!) We have been large parties and small, all guests have been really happy with the food. We have been to most yum char all over Auckland, (as well as eating in most cities in Asia (including China)) and this is a good restaurant which I would be happy to take any friends to. Parking can be very busy but just go around the front, you will usually find a park around there if nothing around the back.
I think this is one of the best Yum Char places in East Auckland and I have tried quite a few. The food is always coming around. No waiting and waiting for the trolley like in some places.
Nice and hot and taste is fabulous. Very attentive service.
We went on 20% off night (tuesday, I think) so we got a huge greedy heap of food for 2 people for under $40 - great value, serving sizes are large.
The place was full of Chinese people, which is usually a good sign, simple home-style food, steaming hot with good flavours, the tea flows freely and the staff are attentive, which can be rare when there is a language barrier. I can't wait to go again and try the yum cha.
The old adage that if the restaurant is full of locals - in this case Chinese - it must be good, certainly applies here. The Yum Char are well worth the wait, as is the battle to get in and get seated. Their selection would please most palates and we had some excellent food from the trolleys. Not overly expensive however be prepared to cruise the block a couple of times looking for parking. All in all though, a very pleasant dining experience.
Jason Prendergast
One of the best yum cha in Auckland imho, certainly best value about 1/2 price of grand park, worth the drive
There were 12 of us, so we picked the Banquet - It was fantastic, the food just kept coming. Fantastic value for $35 per head.
Its a shame to read such bad reviews below and I was a bit hesitant to eat there, so I was delightfully surprised. We are going back for more.........
Great food and very fast service, just keep a track of what you order or you'll end up with a very hefty bill that'll leave you very confused, especially since there's no prices on the menu and you're in a large group. Service can be a bit pushy...
I love this restaurant!
I think this is the best yum char place in Auckland considering the price and the quality of the food.
Its always very crowded so you should book before you go.
The service is alright, but sometime the staff can be incredibly pushy and rude.
One of our frequently visited restaurants. We live in the area and eat here about once a week, mostly for dinner during weekdays (15% off during weekday nights). Hubby and I always order two dishes and there is often enough for left over lunches the next day or so. Love the combination pan fried noodles, the special tofu dish, green bean with minced pork and of course peking duck! The tofu here has always been so very fresh (something which can't be said for all Chinese restaurants). Tea is always served along with after dinner fruit (apple/orange) or sweet pastry (one of those sweets you would normally find during yum cha) at no charge. Good selection for yum cha too and better cart service (i.e. carts of food actually do come through regularly!).
I love this restaurant. The food is fresh and is full of flavour. The service is fantastic, I am always fed and water within 5 minutes. It is friendly for non Chinese also. It is very cheap. For quality and value this is the best Yum Cha Ive been to in Auckland.
We enjoyed a fantasic yum char here last Sunday. Fantastic prices and great food! Couldn't ask for better.
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