Fortune Star Chinese Restaurant
173 W 25th Ave, San Mateo, CA, 94403
Fortune Star Chinese Restaurant Menu
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Address :
173 W 25th Ave
San Mateo, CA, 94403 - Phone (650) 341-3432
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : Yes
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : No
Wheelchair Accessible : No
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Quiet
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
Categories
Chinese Cuisine
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
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YP C.
Ordered 3 dishes: 1. Pea sprouts in salted and fermented eggs 2. Salt and pepper pork chops 3. Chicken clay pot #1 is standard. Okay. #2 is best. Crispy and salty. The way I like it. #3 is odd. The chef has a way to cut up the chicken in a way that you can't enjoy it nicely. They might have put all chicken knuckles, necks and backbones sliced in the most random way and put them into a pot.
(2)Kellen T.
really good food! great service! salt and pepper chicken and squid is legit!
(5)Rich L.
I received a very bad attitude problem with this restaurant, I would never go back here again!! Read my note: The $9.99 live Maine Lobster Yee-Fu Noodle Special loss-leader banner drew me into this San Mateo restaurant next to Silver House & across the street from Silver Lake on El Camino near my office. I didn't see the handwritten sign that said "One lobster noodle special per table" until I sat down. So I also ordered the "Assorted Seafood over Beancurd in Basket" which I've had elsewhere before. It's supposed to be a whole slab of tofu smothered in a seafood mixture (similar to what they put on top of Fukien Fried Rice), wrapped in a palm leaf, steamed & served in a bamboo steamer. What I got was a bland dish of hastily stir-fried cubes of tofu with some cheap, frozen chopped shrimp meat and squid in a runny, clear cornstarch gravy for $10.95. When I asked the waitress about it, she got defensive and told me the photos on the menu are for illustration only and the real dish may not look like the photos. She pointed to some fine print on the menu in Chinese & Chinglish that supposedly served as a disclaimer and walked away when I told her that they were illegally misrepresenting the dish. If both the photo and the name of the dish indicates that I should be getting "Assorted Seafood over Beancurd in Basket", I should not be getting "Bland Shrimp & Squid bits ala king on top of tofu pieces on a f*cking plate!". It even said so on the check! I will probably never order anything else there again except for lobster noodle because I am totally turned-off by the bait & switch way this restaurant goes about business and serving people!!
(1)Chris L.
Probably not the best place for true Chinese food. This is more of a place for those who like Americanized Chinese food. Great prices, large portions, and definitely hits the spot when the craving comes along. Things I'd recommend (not sure if the names are exact): - sour and spicy soup with shrimp - fried eggplant - fried shrimp with green beans - salt and pepper pork chops - fried banana with ice cream
(3)Hiromi M.
Goos flavor, but it is greasy. Kang pao scallop had fresh veggies. Tan tan noodle tasted good, but was not spicy. I think it is supposed to be spicy. Maybe because I asked them to make it without meat.
(4)April B.
Prices are super cheap for the amount you get. Wait staff is very friendly and attentive. Inside is cute and clean. Water is very good I am stating this because some places I do not like the water. Sometimes I just want water with my meal and I hate places that have bad tasting water. Hubby really likes the egg foo young and orange chicken. I liked the chicken salad. I highly recommend dining here.
(4)Jon N.
I've been getting delivery from this place for years. It's American style Chinese food, and they do it pretty good. It's not high end, it's not straight out of Shanghai, but it's not expensive either. A good variety, very very very fast delivery. They are nice folks, too. If you want this sort of food, this is a perfectly good place to get it from.
(4)Sparkely K.
Wonderful. Yet another of my past reviews deleted. Thanks a bunch. I haven't been to Fortune Star in several years and I'd forgotten just how delicious the food is. Their sweet and sour pork and pot stickers are great - the won ton soup is out of this world. On a rainy night it hit the spot. So glad they are close by. Friendly service too.
(4)Jessica K.
Let me just say that I love bad Chinese food. I love greasy eggrolls, Egg Foo Young and all that bad for you goodness. *rubs rummy* But this is hands down the worst place I've been unfortunate enough to encounter in the Bay Area. The man and I were tempted by the thought of dumplings and initially were trying to dine in at Noodle Shop but they are closed on Tuesdays so we shrugged it off and walked across the street for a possible new spot. WRONG! SO WRONG! Let me just get the main points out there 'cause I tend to ramble: 1. Portions are huge for lunch portions because 75% of it is chow mein and fried rice. 2. The fried rice doesn't even taste decent. 3. The spicy pork with garlic sauce tastes like sweet and sour. Hunan style pork with garlic sauce should taste nothing like that. 4. 6 spoonfuls of chili sauce with Shirracha didn't help it. 5. They don't have chopsticks. ??? 6. It's greasy, even for bad Chinese food. The staff is pretty friendly here though so I can't take that from them. It's just their food that sucks hairy donkey balls. I bet even those taste better than their lunch specials. *shrugs again.*
(2)Jeff e.
Shredded pork in garlic sauce had a good bamboo taste. Veggies in the scallops and shrimp w/ vegetables cooked perfect, not over or under. Sauce slightly salty but had a nice broth taste. Good friendly service. Generous portions for the price.
(4)Reed W.
We've been getting delivery from Fortune Star for a while now - we like it a lot better than any of the other places around. My fiancee manages to order sizzling rice soup in the most complicated way possible and they get it right every time. Additionally, the food is great here - the hot and sour soup is actually spicy, the wontons are great. Tonight however, Fortune Star proved why its 5 stars. We usually order through BeyondMenu. Generally its easy. However, tonight, despite typing in our address beyondmenu attached and old address to the order. Its done this a few other times, and generally we've been able to notice and call the restaurant to change addresses. We thought we fixed the problem for good, but apparently not and fortune star delivered to the wrong place. After an hour and a half i called fortune star, extremely annoyed(i am not a patient person). The person on the phone on the other hand, was extremely patient with me, and called beyondmenu with me on the other line to try and figure out what happened. (i later called beyondmenu and found them useless) 15 minutes after i got off the phone with him he brought us our order and told us next time to call him and not use beyondmenu. Amazing service, amazing food.
(5)B N.
My wife and I just got some takeout from here, cravin chinese! This was a big disappointment, I truly like panda express better and the taste and quality is better! Save your $40 and look for another place to eat, we wish we had!
(2)Ron Y.
The kids had Pot stickers and 3 different kinds of noodles. A clay pot dish with traditional salt fish flavors included got the more sophisticated tastes.
(4)Reid W.
Eh chicken and beef were really mushy, wasn't all that good. Won't be ordering again.
(2)Jessika V.
I've been to this restaurant a bunch of times over the course of many, many years. I usually go during the week for their lunch special because you get more for your money. Dinner is just as good as lunch but a bit more expensive. My personal favorites are the boneless salt and pepper chicken (or shrimp) with sweet and sour sauce on the side, honey walnut shrimp, vegetable fried rice, vegetable chow mein or chow fun, pot stickers, hot and sour soup, and egg rolls. I've tried other plates, but I always go back to my favorites. The people that work here are always so friendly, and the service is quick.
(5)Xyzagal A.
I got my food in 10 minutes. It was decent it filled me up they got good lunch food for the price. Definitely better than my experience at Kobeya! I had the salt and pepper fish. A little bland on the chow mein. Nevertheless, good service, quick lunch food.
(3)Randy B.
Fantastic Chinese food. Family owned and operated, been eating here for years, they never disappoint. Mongolian beef, general chicken, sizzling rice soup, all my favorites. Great good at great price....
(5)victor l.
Came here for lunch during my break. The people here were super nice and they skimp out on the food at all. I like that give you fried rice chow mein and soup with your entree for lunch specials. Most place will just give you steam rice. Food taste like a typical joint and the place is clean.
(5)Amy D.
3-3.5 stars- This review is for my order through Waiter.com . I selected the General's Chicken Lunch Special (Served w/Egg Roll, Fried Won Ton, Fried Rice, Chow Mein, yelp.com/biz_photos/fort… ), and the chicken was pretty good, although on the dry side. My coworkers tried some and liked the chicken more than I did. The fried rice and chow mein were good, but nothing amazing. The egg roll could've used more vegetables in the filling, and I gave away the fried won ton since it was just the fried wrapper, without any filling. Overall, this was a decent lunch special, and they gave you a good sized portion of chicken. I will likely be ordering another lunch from them again in the future.
(3)Maryn C.
I've been here several times and each time it gets worse. This was the last time! My parents and I went for our traditional Chinese food on Christmas Day. They were very busy doing to go orders and barely gave us the time of day. When we finally ordered, we did not receive one of the dishes. We couldn't get water and had to get up several times to get it ourselves. The highlight of the meal were the spring rolls, crisp and not too greasy. From there it went down hill. The spicy chicken with vegetables was not spicy, it was bland. The pork chow mein was ok, We ordered a prawn dish we did not receive. Getting tea was like pulling teeth and all the other patrons in the restaurant were having a similar experience. If you don't want to serve people, just open for to go! We will not be back to Fortune Star.
(1)D. H. M. M.
This place was convenient for business lunches since it was never crowded and we were always sat immediately. I have been here over a half dozen times as both dine in and take out with colleagues thinking it "might be better this time" but both food and service not worth the bother of coming back. Very mediocre flavors. -Fried chicken wing appetizers is one of the most fattiest I have ever been served (0). -Chicken chow mien bland at best (2). -Hong Kong chow mien was burnt (0). -Fried rice bland like 'hospital food' (0). -Szechuan chicken--where did you hide all the chicken-mostly vegetables! (1) Note: This place serves your lunch special in a lumped sloppy mess on a plate with unfortunate small portions.
(1)shalema m.
I don't know who said service here was bad, they were really nice and constantly made sure our table was ok. Food here is not bad
(3)Sasha S.
Lunch specials are not worth it anymore.... WAS 4 stars, until i got a poor excuse of portioning for the main dish. lets just say..... a starving 3rd world country would have been "wtf...?"
(2)Veronica C.
Great prices. Super friendly. And the food was pretty good. The walnut shrimp and hot and sour soup was really good. I came in for lunch because I used to come her as a child when my mom owned a business down the street and thought I'd see if it was still any good. I liked the soup so much (since I got the lunch special I just got a cup) I asked how much it would be for a second cup and she gave it to me at no charge! Very awesome :)
(4)Kim N.
Fairly run of of the mill Chinese food. Got the deep friend chicken wings with turmeric and the salt and pepper sea bass. As a to go order the steam already is a strike against you (I put this in consideration) but the flavors weren't totally there. Prices are decent however with most entrees under $10
(3)Christina D.
We decided to try a new place for delivery and I'm happy we went with Fortune Star. The food was pretty cheap and pretty good for the price and delivery was quick (about 40 mins). I think we have found a new go-to Chinese restaurant!
(4)Josh K.
My wife brought home leftovers of the crispy eggplant once, and it was the most delicious thing I'd ever tried. So I went there and had that and fortune star tofu, and they were both good. However, I'd recommend NOT getting both at the same meal, because they're both sweet. The service is pretty good, and they make conversation with the regular customers. Also, the food is inexpensive-- $1.30 for a bowl of white rice and $7-8 per entree (you can see the prices on their website). After we ate, half of the food was left over, and they kindly packaged it up for us. The food is really good though!!
(5)Christine L.
I love Fortune Star. My old room mate got me on to this place when she would want Chinese delivered. I've never actually eaten at the restaurant but I have ordered food for delivery and pick up MANY times. They have a solid menu with lots of yummy items to choose from. I almost always get the black bean beef and lemon chicken. The chicken comes with a crispy coating and lemon dipping sauce on the side. Plus they have these great crab and cream cheese wonton appetisers that just melt in your mouth. Always great customer serice. Most times they give me free extra noodles or sometimes wontons. And always service with a smile.
(3)Omar O.
It was good, better then the many Chinese food spots I been to in San Mateo
(3)Michael L.
My ancestors are probably going to beat the shit out of me for eating here when I die, or maybe they'll just send Mushu the dragon down to show me my Reflection and bring Honor To [Them] All. Fortune Star is basically a couple steps above Panda Express (Chinese McDonald's). I had BBQ fried rice (MEH!), family style tofu (eww), and Mongolian beef (it was dece). It came out to around $25. I don't know... there was really nothing special about the food or service. If you want something mediocre then this place will hit the spot.
(3)Jonathan A.
For the longest time I never knew the name of this restaurant. My mom always called it "Red door" because it has large red entrance doors. It wasn't until I was in high school that I learned that the restaurant is actually called Fortune Star. With that said, I always feel at home when dining-in. I work right next door to this place and usually get their lunch special. If you're looking to get a ton of food come for lunch because every dish is served with soup, rice, chow mein and sometimes an egg roll. I've tried the sweet and sour chicken, szechuan chicken, cashew chicken, salt and pepper chicken, general's chicken...let's just say almost all of the chicken dishes from the lunch special. I like them all, no real complaints. I usually stick to the szechaun chicken, though, that one is my favorite!
(4)Lori S.
Recently moved to the Belmont area and ordered the dishes on the menu that were marked as popular. I have to say I am not sure why they would be. Every dish was covered in fried batter. The eggrolls were weird. Sort of floury with this squishy stuff in the middle and almost no veggies or meat. Very disappointing. Fried rice was very good. Veggies were hard and undercooked. Orange chicken did not come with sauce on the side and the sauce was congealed at the bottom of the container and so most of the chicken had no taste. yuck. Perhaps it was a mistake to order delivery and the food would have been better at the restaurant itself.
(2)Brian S.
Our home owners' association had these guys cater our Christmas diner this past weekend and the food is average. We had the beef with broccoli, kung pao chicken, general's chicken, egg rolls, vegetables, bbq pork fried rice, and chow mein; I will have to go there and order some pot stickers and Mandarin spareribs to see if it is any better being a Mandarin restaurant. But, I have experienced better.
(3)Andrew Z.
1st time here. Very impressive orange chicken and potstickers
(4)Mark N.
First time at this place, gotta say it wasn't bad. Had the fortune star chicken and the portions were huge. 50-50 chicken and rice. The plate was extremely flavorful. Service was excellent. I would recommend this restaurant to most. Gotta love those people who give their whole life story when writing a review. Lol
(3)Nobu K.
This place is every thing SO-SO. So-So Chinese restaurant. Oh, So-So! Don't say the word! Please. That sounds really bad in my ear like the other word. Well, you can use it in Tokyo because It isn't Tokyo-word ever. (again, it is an old bad Japo-KANSAI-slang, not in Tokyo, maybe already dead in 70's, the word, referring as female part as CUXX.) So, I come here often for last ..... about 5 years because my friend has his office near by. So, sometimes, we got together have lunch. The place doesn't have jellyfish. The noodle shop, Mao's Family cooking, they have jellyfich, is right cross the street. But no jellyfish here. We have asked for jellyfish here because the Mao's has one. We didn't get anyt positive answer for it. They don't even know what the fxxx with jellyfish. They've never heard of it, never seen it as food. So, we finally realize that the Mao's and here don't even talk same Chinese. They don't understand each other. So, They make totally different food. The place seems getting more regular people like non Asian customers, you know what I mean. Mexican Chinese eater kind WSM Chinese eater kind. WSFF (WS-Fat-Female) Chinese eater kind. Those kind. And they are all fat. FXXXin'HELLHOUSE HERE. So, That tells exactly what kind of Chinese restaurant this place is. Regular Chinese for regular people. Open for everyone. How Nice! But, I would say this. They have rights to refuse serve any one. If you are one of them. They do not hesitate to do what ever to kick you out. So, we have regular Chinese like beef chow fun, combo fried rice, pot stickers, sautéd long beans, deep fried cod, shit like that and Beer! TingTao. We are so full every single time. So-So-Full. People are great here though. We come here often, and my Japo-friend, he speaks a bit of Cantonese, he took class before, so .... you know, they know us., we get pretty good service, so,.... can't complain, ....no complain. Oh, So-So! Don't say it.
(4)Christine M.
Went to meet up with a friend for lunch and she wanted to eat here and since her lunch wasnt as flexible as mine I agreed. Well walking into the place it was dark and not too many patrons but then again maybe we were early for lunch(12noon)? I already new I wasnt goin to enjoy this place since it was filled w/non chinese patrons. Most of them I think were from San Mateo County Hospital. Anyways I ordered the lunch special rice place with Mapo Tofu even thou it wasnt on the lunch specials(1 star). So lunch specials come with fried rice and chow mein and egg roll and soup stated on menu so I was like okay im goin to get a lot for $ 6.85. Boy was I surprised to what i got. So I got more food at panda express then I did on my plate. The mapo tofu supposed to have ground pork in it and there was no ground pork. The fried rice and chow mein so bland and I hate to put soy sauce on my rice but i needed flavor. As for the egg roll it wasnt even a full egg roll it was like thumb size and i mean thumb size. I was pretty disappointed for what i got. The food was really greasy even for chinese standards. So i asked for tea and the waiter forgot about me and prior to me asking my girlfriend that i meet up for lunch asked twice before i came. I can understand if they were busy but ummm no it wasnt busy at all there was like two other tables with patrons including ours 3. So i understand its cheap but the food sucked and I wouldnt go back. I am just glad I didnt get food poisoning.
(1)Julie S.
Glad to find our "go to" chinese food place, and they deliver! The have a terrific lunch special. Favorite dishes are mongolian beef, kung pao chicken and general chicken. The food always seems better when you eat there over taking it to go or having it delivered. I'm allergic to msg and have never had any issues with their food.
(4)Lorraine G.
We had a work lunch catered from here. Here's what was ordered: Hunan general chicken - very soggy. I ate more batter than chicken. Do yourself a favor and go to Rickshaw Corner in Foster City and get their Dai Chin chicken. The food is steaming hot and still stays crunchy even in their take out container. They probably fry the heck out of it to make it stay crunchy, but at least you won't have to worry about soggy chicken. The fried rice and vegetable chow mein were bland. Who puts large pieces of broccoli in their fried rice? The broccoli was a bit bitter too. Egg rolls were not crunchy at all. They need to learn how to package egg rolls for delivery/large catering parties. They simply covered it with foil like all their other dishes. The filling was mushy and wet. I don't know how much the food costs, but I'm glad I didn't have to pay for it. I've had better Chinese food at a mall.
(1)Justin E.
You know what? I enjoy this place. Delivery is usually prompt, and a dinner for two is very reasonably priced. While it's true that this place serves American Chinese food, I don't believe that should count against this restaurant's reputation. For God's sake, the restaurant is located IN America. I'm sure Beijing has plenty of American-style diners that serve hamburgers tailored around the palettes of chinese folk. I'm not going to be the snob who says "well, this isn't an authentic American restaurant". Anyways... I like the pot stickers, the mongolian beef and the chicken fried rice. You can't go wrong with the tomato beef either.
(4)mengzi w.
So funny that this would get more than 3 stars, I am out and this is pretty much empty.
(2)Rachel M.
I've been coming to Fortune Star for about 6 years now. I used to live around the corner and this was our "go-to" chinese food spot. I now get delivery from them about once a week (the kids I babysit love Chinese). Delivery is usually very fast and the food is always hot. We usually order beef chow mein, pot stickers, sweet & sour pork, and mongolian beef. The food is very reasonably priced & we usually have left overs :) Everytime I have eaten in the restaurant there haven't been very many people there so you are seated very quickly. My only complaint abput eating there is the people that work there are pretty loud, but whatever. I always recommend people here.
(4)Joyce A.
Food is very tasty, esp their cashew chicken, general chicken and fried rice. Their service is always great... except when it took 3 times to ask for water. But, they made it up to us by giving us the fried bananas with green tea ice cream on the house and it was delicious (for a party of 9.)
(4)Danielle D.
I do love the food! The orange chicken and garlic shrimp are awesome!! The orange beef tends to be a little too crispy! :) The service is pretty good. Tried the fried banannas!!
(4)Jennifer P.
Wonderful flavors! And you can adjust your spicyness to your liking. The service is quick and friendly. They offer suggestions to go with your meal. I highly suggest their walnut prawns. Super yummy!
(4)Carliza M.
I have been ordering take out and delivery from this restaurant for years, and my order is usually ready within 10-15 minutes. It helps too that I only live four blocks away. The delivery guy could probably run to my house and the food would still be hot! No matter, the food has been consistently good. I always order the same thing-salt and pepper shrimp, combination fried rice and garlic green beans. Not too greasy and always tasty. Great little neighborhood restaurant.
(4)Captain G.
Unless a restaurant really goes out of its way to get 1 star, I generally don't like to rate a restaurant this low, especially when the place seems like it's trying its best. Unfortunately, the food I ordered from here left me feeling bloated and somewhat miserable. To begin with, the actual delivery took about 50 minutes, which is pretty bad, considering I'm not that far from the place. Now, I was very hungry before eating, so honestly, anything would have tasted good... but this chicken didn't. If you can try to imagine a poor imitation of some KFC fried chicken pieces, soaked in a very very bland sauce (whatever they use for the General Chicken), then you'll have a good idea of what to expect from this. I've had General Tso's, Zao's, Cho's, Chao's, and whatever other names this dish goes by, from some really sketchy places, but even then, the meal tasted better than this Fortune Star one. I ordered minced chicken and corn soup for appetizers, and that was also quite tasteles. Maybe this place happens to have really bad General Tso's chicken, and everything else is excellent? I don't know, but I like to use the General Chicken as a benchmark for these fast food Chinese joints. I prefer the General Tso's chicken at Crouching Tiger restaurant in Redwood City... now that shit was on point! Update: Oh wait, I forgot; I paid $8.40 for the General Chicken, and $6.75 for the soup. Now I feel better about giving 1 star. I feel so ripped off now!
(1)Sophia M.
Food is very well done. Waiters are very friendly and generous. Love the Potstickers and spicy wontons, very good!!! Best chinese restaurant I have been to in San Mateo especially for fast service as well.
(5)Jazmine S.
This place is actually pretty good. My dad when I come over for dinner orders from this place alot. I finally came here for the first time to actually eat. It's not that big but it's wasn't super busy either on a Sunday night. We were the only ones there to eat but there were alot of people getting to-go's. We ordered our food which was DELICIOUS. We got the hot and sour soup which was okay...could have been spicier, Salt and Pepper fish which was delicious, the hunan shrimp which was yummy, and the mongolian beef. Oh we also got shrimp fried rice. All the dishes were tasty and decently priced. The portions were pretty big too. The service was on-point. They even gave us potstickers and fried banana for FREE! I will definitely be back here since they are so friends and the food is good!
(3)Yvonne N.
Went here with a group of people for lunch. This is probably the worst Chinese food I've ever eaten. The plates are packed with food - but what's the point if it's really bad food...? Bland and greasy. The hot and sour soup was neither hot, nor sour. The chow mein (which is stacked on top of the rice) was not good either. The vegetables very bland...I was looking forward to the fortune cookie, but they seemed stale too. I'm giving 1 start for service and price - quick and friendly and cheap ($5.95 for a full lunch plate plus soup). So what it boils down to... you get what you pay for. So if you're ever in a hurry and you're craving for cheap, bad chinese food, this is the place to go! :)
(1)Margarita B.
I love this place. I visited it several times and I was always satisfied. Since the demise of Win's in SF, I have been looking for a place with good roast duck. As the burners say "welcome home". Fortune Star's duck is sooooo good it makes you shudder with every bite as a wave after wave of satisfaction comes over you with every bite . First, you penetrate the crispy skin, then you lower your taste buds into the delicious flesh. The pork with black mushrooms was delicious as well. And the baby-back ribs appetizer...I do not even like ribs but I could not stop eating these. The staff was very polite and especially sweet to my very tired son. They brought out Chinese chicken salad as compliment of the chef. The price is right as well. With tip, we spent $50 for 4 of us and had leftovers for the next day lunch We all absolutely loved this place
(5)Pauline T.
When I am in San Mateo and in the mood for Chinese grub, I hit up Fortune Star. I've been coming here for years and it's just good old (chinese) comfort food for me. I love their chow mein, yes a little greasy, but it's not like it's drenched in oil. I ordered the combo chow mein the other day for dinner and wolfed the whole thing down in one sitting. It was delicious! Another favorite of mine is their sauteed happy family, combo of meat, seafood and veggies, it's the absolute best!!
(4)Corrinne L.
I've been coming here with my daughter since she was 1 1/2 years old. My now-family of 4 continues to make this place a regular stop for their Chinese-food fix. Our favorites are the fried green beans, salt and pepper chicken wings *spicy* and mabo tofu. Potstickers are always thrown in as a complimentary dish and we eagerly await that. They are homemade and very yummy (this, coming from someone who hates all things dumplings). The owner's little daughter (she's 6) is often playing by herself at one of the tables. We now have her over at our place regularly for play dates. She's a real cutie. Fortune Star has been to us a 'friendly-neighbourhood' Chinese place and a much-appreciated part of our community.
(4)Michele G.
One of the best Chinese food places in San Mateo. I really like that there is a big sign on their window that says, "NO MSG." So no tummy ache after eating their delicious food!
(4)Kel T.
Really great food. Awesome service.
(5)N S.
Wow, how do you manage to make Chinese food this terrible? It's bland, greasy and ... did I mention bland? We ordered $120 worth of food for a late night work session. For some reason they gave us 5(!) orders of chow mein and a giant order of sprouts. So there went $60 of food we didn't order. The other $60 was... oh that's right ... greasy and bland. Potstickers covered in very thick dough. The Kung Pao Chicken is just chicken & bell peppers, no spice. Avoid! Edit: when I was leaving this review I didn't realize I had been here before! Funny thing is, last time I was here I also got an overload of chow mein I didn't ask for. What is it with this place??? It's like the factory outlet of chow mein.
(1)Rei S.
I really love the food here. I don't understand previous posts stating "unauthentic chinese food"....are you serious? How can that be when the place is owned by Chinese people, and obviously the cooks are Chinese as well. Silly people. Anyway, their Mongolian Beef is mmm so tasty, and I LOVE their sizzling rice soup. My usuals are broccoli with white mushrooms, fried calamari, and, again, the Mongolian Beef. I also LOVE how this place delivers. Fortune Star is one of my usual places when I wanna be bad and am not counting my calories, and I'd definitely recommend to anyone. Food is great, service is great, and delivery is great too.
(5)Brent T.
Decided to review a restaurant that I have gone to before but forgot how the food was. The Chinese food here tasted like Chinese food. Nothing spectacular.
(3)Bee A.
hands down the best chinese food in san mateo - the chinese food here is different - it is not your typical plate of grease - it's more classy, tastes better, and is a little more expensive but worth it all
(5)Mike F.
Awesome service delicious food. waitres was super nice and attentive. she ever brought us free fried bananas with ice cream for desert.
(5)gunel M.
Bad! We ordered crab and cheese wontons....What was missing was the crab. The broccoli had a crap load of sauce on it, and on top of it they don't even have the Chinese broccoli. The fish we got was ok, but too much oil. The service was good. Yet, I rate a '1 star' b/c you don't get what you pay for. Pricey for Chinese food.
(1)Jacquelin P.
This is my favorite chinese place. I think we order from them at least once a week. We get bbq pork chow mein, which has to be the best thing they have, but I've never tried the chicken saled. We also like the snow pea and prawns, although we order it without mushrooms. My husband loves the potstickers. And the sweet and sour pork is very good. The only thing we found we didn't like was the mushu pork, it wasn't very flavorful. But in the time it takes to cook dinner we have ordered and had it delivered, all for great prices! I totally recomend this place, we can spend 40 including tip and feed four people.
(5)Joe B.
More like a 2 1/2 star rating. I agree with the other yelpers.. It is pretty greasy. The menu is pretty wide open. They have a lot of items at affordable prices. They also deliver. We ordered from here the other day. The food showed up pretty quick. it was hot. We really like the hot and sour soup. It was all good for leftovers the next day. We might go here again. Depends how desperate we are.
(3)Amy J.
Solid three stars for a Chinese food spot that delivers FAST and pretty tasty food! Their potstickers are very homemade and the food, while being a touch greasy, is flavorful and plentiful!
(3)Sasha M.
We haven't had Chinese in a while. After this lunch, we won't for an even longer while. Disgusting, greasy, very much NOT tasty. You get what you pay (it's cheap for stuffing your belly), but then it's hard to breathe the rest of the day. Fried rice was the worst fried rice I've ever had. Noodles with shredded pork was swimming in pretty bad, heavy sauce. My friend's fried fish with rice was so bad she spent the hour picking bits of fish out of their greasy casings. Never coming back.
(1)C F.
Ordered delivery from them after we received a flyer in the mail, hoping to find a place with good hot & sour soup. No go. The food is bland. The spicy food is no spicier than the non-spicy food. It was greasy and overpriced for what you are getting (about $9-$10 per entree). I hate to give them a one-star, the people seem so nice on the phone and went to such trouble to get the order correct for me. Why can't they make the food as good as the people?!
(1)Mina B.
I'd like to give Fortune Star a 4.5. They really do deserve that extra half of a star for the service. The menu at Fortune Star is your typical Chinese fare, it's not super-authentic but there are some options here I haven't seen at other Chinese take-out restaurants. But there are a few things that make it stand out from the rest. Firstly, the staff are always very friendly and quick. My roommate has been going to Fortune Star regularly for about 7 years now and they know her the moment she walks in, they usually know what she wants too, as Roomie is one of those creatures of habit we hear about. Secondly, the food is addictive and delicious. The potstickers are big enough to make you feel guilty for eating just one of them, and the dipping sauce is homemade. They're a little oily, but they're potstickers, it's to be expected. We usually get the sizzling rice soup, which is fun, as they bring you a tureen of steaming broth full of fresh vegetables and tiny shrimp, and drop in crunchy rice right at your table, where you can hear how the soup gets it's name. The fried rice is above average, but after trying the "Family Style Tofu" I doubt I'll ever be getting anything else. The dish is normally spicy, but I really appreciated the fact that it doesn't have to be. If you want any dish to be less spicy, or not spicy at all, you can just ask them and they will comply. This is very important to me as I'm very (VERY) sensitive to capsaicin and spicy foods tend to be more painful than pleasant to me. The tofu is a little crispy on the outside, soft and delicious on the inside, and comes with plenty of large pieces of chinese vegetables. I'm no gourmet cook or I could tell you what was in the sauce, though all I can say is it was light and not at all greasy. All of the portions are generous, usually leaving you enough to take home to eat the next day and everything I've taken home has reheated well, especially the aforementioned tofu. Lastly the prices are very nice, potstickers, soup and an entree will run you twenty dollars or less for two people, and if you do end up spending more, they offer free fried bananas.
(4)Swati L.
I've been getting delivery from this place for over a year. It's not the freshest, most authentic chinese, but I don't really expect that from a delivery place, so no biggie to me. They're prices are reasonable, and they give a good amount of food for what you pay. They have really good mu shu (I like the chicken) and their Walnut Prawns are fantastic. Oh, and no tortilla with my Mu Shu like I've gotten at PF Changs and Oceanic, they serve the thin mu shu pancakes I crave and expect. Again, not the best chinese, but certainly a good option for delivery in San Mateo.
(3)Pete S.
I wanted some food delivered... I ordered on the website but the site had issues. I called to place my order and a woman said I had the wrong number... after double checking I hit redial and a man answered? Delivery was quick and food was hot. The food is boring and similar to mall Chinese! Won't order again.
(2)Rainey S.
Not a bad lunch spot. For $6 you get a snotload of food and its pretty tasty for sitting in the office. I've got a Beef with Broccoli plate next to me right now and its about 1/2 eaten but looks full still! I've had better Chinese food, but for a lunch spot you want good, cheap and plentiful. Fortune Star definitely has all three! I'll wander down the street for lunch again.
(3)Dione S.
My friend and I were driving up 25th Ave looking for a place to eat dinner. She said that she was in the mood for Chinese food. The food was pretty horrible. We order the pot stickers for an appetizer. They were plump and tasty. But then the rest of our food came and we were very disappointed and a little disgusted. The "crunchy chicken" was a full chicken (bones and all) deep fried and then chopped into bits. The vegetable chow mein had two pieces of broccoli and there was a funny taste to the noodles. The kung pao chicken was the only decent dish and even then it wasn't that good. The chicken was fatty. The service was the only thing this place had going for it. They were really nice and got our food to us quickly. I would never eat here again and would never recommend it, sorry to say!
(1)T J.
ordered delivery twice and both times were satisfactory at best. curry chicken was only onions and peppers. hot & sour soup not even spicy at all, requested extra hot. minced beef soup was very tasteless, too many peas/carrots and the there were fatty beef chunks. pork fried rice was ok and liked the egg rolls. overall their dishes lack flavor and are very bland. do not plan to order again. also $25 min delivery order, lame.
(2)Steve W.
Three stars for the quality of food, plus one star because the not only deliver, but their menu is online at GrubHub. The food is okay. I really liked their Wor Won Ton Soup. Given that delivery options are limited, I would order from them again, but if I'm going out for Chinese, there are better places nearby I would head to.
(4)Asya K.
Sounds like they have dishes that aren't so good but we always get the same three things and love them: crispy beef, salt-n-pepper fish and string beans. Add some plain rice and it's excellent.
(4)Kit E.
We get food from this place all the time at waiter.com . Let me tell you, all of my coworkers say it's the greasiest chinese food you could ever have. I used to try to order their chow meins and chow funs, but they were so greasy, I didn't need to chew, it could slither down my throat. Now when this places comes up on waiter.com , I go with the seafood tofu soup and have it with some rice. Unfortunately, it's a hit and miss, I can tell they use leftover seafood, and the soup can sometimes be overly cornstarched (goopy). I've also had their garlic eggplant before, after eating, grease was coming out every pore!
(1)paige t.
I luv fortune star sooooo freakin much!The little appetizer that is a thin piece of dough filled with homemade creamcheese is simply wonderful!The orange chicken, chow mein, and pot stickers are SO GOOD!!!I usually dont like chinese but when i go there its heaven in china!!!!Two thumbs up!
(5)PB A.
it's been a couple of years now, and we have to admit that we continue come here because of their great service. and great orange beef.
(4)Dexter C.
Potstickers are really good here. some may not like them, but at least they're hand made, and anyone that knows how to make potstickers know its hard work. Friendly service and Chinese comfort food.
(4)Y S.
The best Chinese food in San Mateo and they deliver. Food is not greasy and just the right amount for our family. Kids love the orange chicken and the chow mein. Their crab appetizers are delicious.
(4)Jen E.
Super easy for takeout and they deliver. You always get both chow mein and rice - bonus! Not the best chinese food, but not too bad either. (really 3 stars but gave the 4th for delivery!)
(4)Myrna K.
Great take out. Fast, good, affordable. Faves are Orange Peel Beef and Kung Pao Chicken :) Delivery too...or eat inside. Fun and friendly on 25th avenue.
(3)Sean H.
I've also had Unfortunate Star thrust upon me by my office's waiter.com lineups. It truly is the greasiest, worst tasting Chinese food I've had in my life. If you're looking for good (or at least decent) Chinese - do yourself a favor and go elsewhere.
(1)John S.
The only word I can use is "CONSISTENTCY!" Whether we eat in the restaurant, we mostly have delivery,or at home I find the food to be delicious. Their veggies are not the standard cut or variety which I love and their meats are always tender,lean and without that funny crunch or chew you always seem to find at other places! There really is not much I can say negative and I would so I guess some people may like 7-11 fare as opposed to great Chinese so I would say to that to each their own and buon appetit!! :)
(4)Shirley B.
I have been eating at Fortune Star for 10 years. There is a reason why I kept going there to get my Chinese Food cravings. Their house specialty dishes are all very good. I am giving them 2 stars for this particular dinner (dine in) experience because of the service. The lady (who I believe is the owner) recognizes me every time I step foot in the restaurant and greets me with a smile and is extremely polite. The other lady (a server- who never smiles and just sounds rude) served us for my family dinner tonight. We ordered 6 dishes and noticed towards the end of the meal that we never received the sweet and sour pork we ordered. I told them that we did not receive it but noticed that they still charged it to Us on our bill. They write the bill in Cantonese so it's hard to check if you don't read the language. The server came to our table and insisted that she gave us the sweet and sour pork (which they didn't bring to our table). They even brought out someone else's used plate (which had a bright red gooey sauce) to tell us that they did in fact bring it to us. After 5 minutes of going back and forth about the sweet & sour pork another server apologized & said they adjusted our bill and took it off the bill. The short spikey hair rude server charged my credit card and insisted AGAIN that she gave us the sweet & sour pork dish. After I signed my receipt, I told her that I couldn't believe she was still arguing with me about it. I told her that after coming here for over 10 years she was going to continue to argue. I told her to go ahead and charge me for the dish & I wanted to let her know i would still give them a $15 tip for my $65 bill they never brought to my table, but I would never come back to this restaurant again. I'm never going to order catering for my office again & I was going to tell all of my friends and family never to eat here again!!!!!
(2)Ahmad A.
Just a friendly reminder that this is the worst combination of people & "Chinese" food you will ever come across. I've had frozen entrees from 7 eleven that was better quality. Please do yourself a favor and either give the money to charity or eat somewhere else. Pick any other place and I guarantee you it will be better.
(1)Vanessa O.
I used to think their food was good and service...but over a span of 2 years both have gotten worse. My office ordered about $40 worth of food through the Eat24 website- picked out the foods, put in our address, understood it would take over 45-60 minutes for our food, and paid through the app with a credit card AND left a tip. Food arrived but I wasn't around to receive, usually not a problem since my co-workers are capable of receiving food and signing the receipt. My issue?! I LEFT A TIP with my credit card but since I was not the person receiving the food and signing the receipt, I was informed that the driver DEMANDED a CASH TIP and wouldn't leave until he received one! WTF. Since my co-worker was left in an awkward position and didn't know I already left a tip, she gave the driver an additional $5! So the driver received a total of $12 for a tip! So yeah...I will no longer frequent this place.
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