Dining at a buffet can be a lengthy process for those keen on truly eating all they can muster, and for others, focusing on eating a wide variety of foods in one brief sitting is more their speed. Asian Star Super Buffet in San Antonio offers a decent selection at an affordable price, making it a reasonable choice for a quick weekday lunch.
Admittedly, I have been to Asian Star in the past, but it’s been years since my last visit, so I moseyed on over to the buffet off Wurzbach Road and I-10 to refresh my memory. Upon arrival, the place looked more or less the same, with dragon statues out front and a big sign advertising to drivers passing by on the highway. Inside, the walls were painted a calm yellow, while a few chandeliers added some glitz to the buffet.
The prices at Asian Star vary by time of day, but it’s only $14.99 per adult from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with dinner prices ranging from $17.99 to $18.99. I was dining on a Friday afternoon, so I was able to take advantage of the lower lunch pricing. This time, I was joined by my husband, so the total for two diners came to $32 and some change after taxes. Some buffets will cost you that much for a single person, but not here.
At Asian Star, you enter the lobby, tell the hostess your party number and they lead you to a table in the dining room. After giving your drink order to a server, you head to the buffet stations to load up on whatever you want. The buffet has distinct areas for certain foods, such as a cold bar for raw seafood, a sushi setup and a Mongolian-style grill where customers can pick out ingredients to be freshly stir-fried. A mix of Chinese American dishes and fried foods makes up the bulk of the buffet.
I ate two plates at Asian Star, finishing with a cup of egg drop soup topped with a handful of crispy wonton strips. To start, I filled a plate with a little bit of everything, including beef and broccoli, fried shrimp, steamed clams, stir-fried mushrooms and a single chicken dumpling. The second plate was much cleaner, with a small serving of fried noodles, a couple of sushi pieces, crawfish and another helping of mushrooms…