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New Stars Vegetarian Restaurant - CLOSED
Categories: Restaurants Vegetarian Restaurants Vegan Vegetarian, Vegan [Edit]
1134 E Champlain DrSte 108
Fresno, CA 93720
(559) 434-6363
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
34 reviews for New Stars Vegetarian Restaurant
Review Highlights
"The caramelized chicken is amazing, the sauce is so good."
(in 5 reviews)
"I also loved the spring rolls."
(in 6 reviews)
"...the iced jasmine tea which went very well with everything."
(in 3 reviews)
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34 reviews in English
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Review from marathon r.
Fresno, CA
Updated - 1/4/2011 1 photo
As of 12/11/2010 closed for good :-(
(in spite of a more recent review)
I have been unable to get yelp to mark as closed. Ran by the other day, and tables and everything else has been removed from the premises. Don't know what yelp's problem is in updating status? On star for yelp!3 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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12/11/2010
New Stars is now closing early than previously advertised. Today 12/11/2010 is now the last day to… Read more »
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Review from Robert S.
Los Angeles, CA
4/8/2010
This is a vegetarian specialty restaurant in Fresno. It is a little hard to locate among a group of other restaurants in a modern strip mall in a residential part of North Fresno.
While we only tried a few of the menu items here, what we did try was very good and, unlike some vegetarian places, was not bland or inadequately seasoned. The portions were somewhat small and the prices somewhat high but not prohibitively. The service was attentive and helpful with a slight tendency to preach about the benefits of vegetarianism.
French Fry Review:
The five star rating for this place is based mostly on their excellent french fries. They use a fresh cut potato that is clearly from a farmer's market or other similar source. The potato itself was definitely more flavorful than the average large bland potato used for baking or making fries. The fries had an abundance of skin and were coated with a seasoning that was fried onto their surface. They were crispy and flavorful inside and out with no need for additional seasoning or dipping sauce. I was surprised to find fries of this quality in such an out of the way place.Listed in: LA french fries, Yosemite National Park
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Review from Linndsey A.
Seattle, WA
2/16/2008
This is hands down my favorite restaurant to frequent in Fresno. Everything just seemed to fall into place for me as I had already decided to go flexitarian, but was getting pretty bored of having the same old tried and true veggie dishes I was making at home :P
One afternoon out with my boyfriend, I suggested we try New stars out. I think it would be safe to say that we were hooked after that :P We must have been going there at least 2-3 times a week until we finally moved in late December of last year (no joke*). My favorites were always their spring rolls, cashew chicken, and fried rice..while my bf favored their pho and curried veggie clay pot. Gosh, it's making me hungry just thinking about it..lol*
Really, there aren't many places I know of in Fresno were you can get delicious, affordable, and healthy food all in one place. Not to mention the service has always been great since the whole staff was consistently welcoming and attentive. Doesn't hurt that the place never gets too busy so you get your food almost immediately (at least all the times I went).
I hope that we can find a comparable place to eat at now that we are in the Orange County area. I think I'll be making it a point to stop by whenever I'm in town again visiting relatives.Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from David J.
Fresno, CA
1/2/2010
Don't let the vegetarian tag deter you. This is an excellent restaurant with plenty of tasty choices for everyone. My personal fave is the (soy) Chicken Burger. It's hard to remember ever having a burger this good. So good in fact that it makes it hard to try other items on the menu however tempting they may be. The burger comes with fruit, soup, salad, or fries (with potato skin). Unless my I'm not all that hungry, I order the fries because they are sooooo good.
Until I sample more items on the menu, I'll hold off on giving New Stars a five star rating, but I will say that Fresno is lucky to have such an outstanding restaurant and I hope more people discover it. Quality food at very reasonable prices with friendly, fast service. Very hard to beat in this area. -
Review from K L.
Inglewood, CA
8/28/2008
Wow, I am so surprised at how high this is getting rated. I think it's just OK. It's also overpriced.
I think the hype of being a full-vegetarian place is what people are buying into.
This is coming from a vegetarian of over 20 years - there are many places I'd rather eat. -
Review from Chelsea A.
Fresno, CA
6/22/2008
I am by no means a vegetarian but I love this restaurant.
My first taste was at a wine event where the food was catered by New Stars. I was eating a really fantastic Chinese Chicken Salad and asked where it was from. When told it was from a vegetarian restaurant, I was amazed. Better than any real Chinese Chicken Salad I've had. I also loved the spring rolls. -
Review from Sherry R.
San Francisco, CA
8/3/2008
I'm not a vegetarian, but I crave the chicken burger that they serve here! It tastes just like a breaded boneless chicken patty, and it served on a toasted bun with fresh tomatoes, lettuce and some kind of mayo-like spread with fruit or fries (regular or garlic) on the side. I've tried a few of the other plates as well and they were GREAT for being vegetarian, but if vegetarian wasn't their specialty, I don't think that the food here be as highly rated.
Overall though, a great mix of dishes for vegetarians and carnivores alike. The restaurant itself is VERY dimly lit so as to conserve energy, and the host and waitress (who I'm guessing is also the manager/owner) is quick and friendly! -
Review from Ashley H.
Fresno, CA
5/14/2010
The first thing I thought of when I walked inside was "This place reminds me of a funeral parlor. Kind of like the Breakfast House, but not as bright."
Needless to say, this place really confuses me.
It's a vegetarian restaurant that sells meat on their menu. I understand some items disclose that it isn't actually meat, for example, say "(Soy)Chicken Burger", but they also offer steak on their menu..and nowhere does it say that it's made out of anything but cold, dead cow.
I ordered some appetizer that wasn't worth remembering - some fried type of spring roll..and my friend (always the cream cheese lover) ordered something that looked like a ragoon from Panda Express.
Their garlic fries were good, but overpowering to a fault.
My favorite part of this place was their tropical iced tea, which had things floating in it, but they looked like they belonged there, so I went with it.
The kitchen was VERY clean when I walked by it and for that, they get an extra star. The server was an older woman who didn't hustle, but was very nice.
I might go here again for a cold iced tea. -
Review from Steven C.
Fresno, CA
8/22/2008
I'm surprised I haven't reviewed this place!
Anywho, this is pretty much really good and fancy vegetarian food for a little more money. My boyfriend and I tried the caramelized chicken and the broccoli beef dishes. They were really good and set up fancy-like, so they jacked up the prices. We also got two of the appetizers and some soft drinks. I think our total came up to about $47 bucks or something like that. Yikes!
Our waiter was great, but he was fired a long time ago. Bummer! -
Review from Jason U.
Fresno, CA
7/4/2007
A somewhat upscale casual restautant in a newer strip mall in North Fresno. The location is prime, and they were fairly crowded on my recent visit. The dishes are a mix of Asian - Italian - American with emphasis on Vietnamese/Thai.
I have only dined here once so far. The coconut curry claypot dish (Thai) was good, but more like soup than curry... don't know if that's how it's supposed to be but it was a bit too soupy for me. A minor complaint.
This is a trendy and bit overpriced vegetarian restaurant. It is still pretty good and fills a niche. -
Review from Nathaniel P.
Los Angeles, CA
7/8/2010
We stopped in on a bit of a whirlwind tour of Fresno (car broke down on the 5 coming home from a festival) and thanks to Yelp found New Stars.
The 'Chicken' Salad was delicious, pretty good service, front entrance is a bit hard to locate as the shopping mall it resides in directs one more to the rear of the restaurant rather than the front.
Would recommend it although as other posters have said the menu and decor are a bit strange (no delineation between real and fake meat (could use a star or something) and it is in a dark corner of the development so thick curtains make it feel a bit imposing). -
Review from Laurel F.
Huntington Beach, CA
2/11/2010
Super mega delicious. I'm a reformed carnivore (now a vegetarian)....and this felt like cheating on the biggest scale. I'm also a spoiled Bay Area snob so my foodie standards are high.
I tried the potstickers, pho soup, and "meatball" sub. Topped it off with the chocolate mocha cake. Everything felt and tasted totally sinful. Also there was plenty of food so I took half home with me. Also, unlike eating an equally rich meal with meat, eggs, and dairy in it I walked out feeling really satisfied but not greasy and gross.
Also....service was very friendly, bathroom spotless, parking easy, and menu was spot on. I will actually be planning on using these guys for caterers because I'm that confident that they would please any crowd.
Fabulous all around. -
Review from Anthony L.
Fresno, CA
2/17/2009
Came here the other day with my mom who is vegetarian and was visiting from Berkeley. I was a little worried because there are so many great vegetarian restaurants in Berkeley and Fresno doesn't seem as vegetarian-friendly.
The food was really great. The salad dressing was very nice...we tried the Chinese Chicken salad to start. The other dishes we had were the BBQ Chicken, Caramelized chicken, and the chocolate raspberry cake. Everything was so good and not heavy at all. The service was also very fast and friendly.
Several of the dishes we ordered were very similar or the same as a restaurant my mom frequents in Berkeley. If I could eat here for all my meals I could easily be vegetarian =)
Also, I had the iced jasmine tea which went very well with everything. -
Review from Ashley Alvera B.
Madera, CA
4/11/2010
I really am not that much of a veg but I do love trying vegan/veg places! New Stars Vegetarian Restaurant was really good. I took 2 meat eaters with me and they both enjoyed their food.
I ordered the Pho and was VERY happy with it. It had all of the flavors of my normal Pho dish and tasted even better because it seemed fresher and less salty. I also tried those little rolled corn apps, which were yummy as well. -
Review from pongo p.
Fresno, CA
9/2/2008
The food is very good, but it's way overpriced! $13 for a dish that you could get elsewhere in town for $6-8. And they charge for a small portion of rice. But soup or salad comes with the dinner entree. The atmosphere is a little posh for my taste, also. But they have a great menu, and are all vegetarian, very vegan-friendly. We ordered coconut curry chicken and orange chicken and the sauces were good, the vegetables were fresh, and the fake meat was good. Oh, and the server was friendly.
New Stars, but the price will prevent us from going there often. Although there are 2 or 3 more dishes I want to try, so I'll have to go back sometime. -
Review from Jay P.
Clovis, CA
7/27/2009
A very solid dining option, regardless of your vegetarian/vegan status. I am only going to say one thing about the place which goes a long way in my book. They have the most fanatically clean kitchen I have ever seen. Everything in it looks like it has been meticulously prepared and arranged by an obsessive compulsive foodie who sneaked into the farmer's market early and stole all the premium produce.
After that, they could have served me anything and I would have rated it highly. -
Review from Christopher W.
Oakland, CA
1/1/2010
I tend to be a naysayer, some say (I don't think so). So, when my in-laws, who think a porterhouse and garlic potatoes are "fancy food", suggested a new vegetarian restaurant they'd heard about, I was a little skeptical. My doubts were assuaged by some of the best faux flesh I've ever tasted.
New Stars Vegetarian is [insert your own adjective of affirmation]. The chicken dishes are amazing. I've yet to try any of the beef substitutes, but the Mongolian beef looks appetizing. Even my omnivorous in-laws love this place. I daydream of trying the cashew chicken on my next visit.
The staff at NSV are great. They are friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable. If I were in the area more, I'd probably hang out with them. Find me a better vegetarian restaurant that caters to the cravings of carnivores in a major US city, and I will pay a visit on my next trip to the area. Until then, I'll say that Fresno (FRESNO) has perhaps one of the best vegetarian restaurants in Central California, if not the state of California (and rivals others across the country). -
Review from Cosh N.
Fresno, CA
6/14/2010
This restaurant is by far, my most favorite place to dine at. Even after eating a lot, I still feel light and energetic. From the appetizers to desserts, the food is always fresh and very well presented. The service is great. It's amazing that this restaurant is totally vegetarian - my dad was sure he was eating animal meat. Really, if you haven't tried this place, you need to go -- support your local businesses !!!
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Review from John D.
Berkeley, CA
7/22/2009
Excellent food and service, and I live in Berkeley where the competition is tough. I couldn't believe how delicious everything was. I really liked the lettuce roll ups, caramelized chicken, Chinese Chicken Salad, and Mongolian beef, but everything I've had here (this is my 2nd visit) is great. I'm coming to Stars on every visit to Fresno.
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Review from Theresa T.
San Francisco, CA
7/18/2008
Finally, Fresno has a completely vegetarian option for those of us who delight in a meatless diet. Carnivorous tendencies aside, "New Stars" will happily fill up everyone. They have meat subs and rock a predominately Asian influenced menu. One of my faves, and what I usually end up going with is the vegetable curry. Wow, the sauce is tangy and great, I just can't get enough. I also love the iced jasmine green tea they serve here! Take-away is a great option and you are always welcomed with a smile.
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Review from Melissa C.
Fresno, CA
7/23/2010
My co workers and I eat here once every couple of weeks. They are not even lovers of vegetarian food. One religiously orders the lemongrass chicken, its off of the dinner menu, but you can order it for lunch.
I like more variety so I try to order something different, but my favorite is probably the eggplant. Even though the menu says its chicken, beef, etc, its really not, if you look at the key next to the description you can see if its vegan or just vegetarian friendly. I am only commenting on this because one of the reviews below me couldnt figure that tidbit of knowledge out.
I have never tried the ice tea but my friends always order it and say its the best. For an appetizer we always order the cream cheese things (sorry cant remember what they are called lol) and they are so good we always fight over the last one because they serve an odd number versus an even! WTH!
One of the best vegetarian places I have ever been and locally owned, although I hear they are on the verge of going out of business. I hope this never happens because I cannot find tofu that even mildly resembles this taste! -
Review from Alicia S.
Atlanta, GA
1/3/2009
I was more than a bit skeptical when I checked out their website only to see a picture of a dead crab on a plate. I wondered was this a pescetarian restaurant trying to be cool and hip by calling themselves a vegetarian restaurant. After glancing through the menu it was clear that New Star is an extremely vegan friendly restaurant with no animal products on the menu. But I will be emailing them about that crab picture.
But strange pictures aside, the food at New Star is fabulous. I went there with my two omni parents and between the 3 of us I think we got a pretty good sampling of the menu. I got the Fried Won Tons as an appetizer (good but not great), and the fried BBQ Chicken which was unbelievable. My mother couldn't stop raving about how good my dish was. The sauce was a smoky garlic BBQ sauce that was light and sweet and went perfect over a bed of rice with asparagus. The vegan version doesn't come with mashed potatoes but you don't miss it. My dad had the New Star's Crispy Orange Chicken (which can also be made with tofu), and he loved it. This is saying a lot coming from a traditional meat and potatoes guy. My mom went for the Cashew chicken and once again couldn't stop raving out it. She even proclaimed that if she could eat food this great everyday she would be a vegetarian. We finished the night off with a slice of carrot cake.
For the complete review head to http://veganguineapig.... -
Review from Paulo K.
Irvine, CA
6/13/2008
Best restaurant ever. The owner and the servers are all cool. The food is fantastic.
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Review from Alexis A.
Fresno, CA
5/5/2010
This place is amazing, the food tastes so delicious. Even the cake tastes good, the chocolate and carrot cake! Mmmm someone save me a piece please.
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Review from Terra M.
Clovis, CA
4/30/2009
I love everything I've tried at New Stars. My husband is not a vegetarian, but still enjoys eating there with me, which says a lot. He's not into the faux meat dishes, but loves the soups. We always order the fresh apple juice with our meal, which is amazing. The restaurant is very clean and cute. The vegan chocolate cake is to die for. The only downside for us is that they don't serve alcohol and we usually like to have a drink when we go out to eat. Other than that I love this place.
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Review from Marcos W.
Phoenix, AZ
11/8/2010
The food is OK, but it's definitely not worth the price. After a couple of appetizers, I got the orange chicken, my companion got the Vietnamese sandwich, which we shared. The portions were tiny, my $11 orange chicken only came with about 5 pieces of mock chicken. The flavor was somewhere near "just OK", but the price killed it. I'll pay this much for good food, but I don't plan on returning to have my wallet emptied for tiny portions of mediocre food that almost bored me to sleep.
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Review from Suzee Q.
Fresno, CA
3/13/2010 4 photos
This place has opened my eyes to all of the possibilities to wonderful, delicious vegan/vegetarian food. This place proves that going veg does not limit the food you can eat. My steak and chicken addicted, anti-vegetarian mother and boyfriend LOVE this place. They honestly did not believe the meat wasn't real. Mostly everything they buy is organic which makes this an even healthier restaurant. This place is a little more on the pricier side and the portion sizes are not very big but you get what you pay for and I dont mind paying a little more to get healthy, excellent quality food. I believe they are closed on Sundays and Mondays which is a bummer but they are definitely worth the wait. Beautiful location in North Fresno. You MUST try this place and get the cream cheese wontons (one of the many delicious appetizers) and EVERY entree is excellent!
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Review from Amy A.
Fresno-High, CA
5/13/2009
I love this place! I have been a vegetarian for over 20 years and this place is one of the best I have tried. I have tried just about everything on the menu and it is consistently good and fresh. My favs are the BBQ chicken, cream cheese puffs, spring rolls, chicken salad, hamburger, chow fun, chocolate mint vegan cake . . . Really, everything is delicious. My husband is a hard core meat eater and he loves this place. He says he can't believe the "meat" dishes are really meatless. He loves their clay pot dishes. A few other points . . The place is immaculate. Always clean. And the service is terrific. Perhaps most importantly, the owners are very eco-conscious. The lighting is dimmed to conserve energy and they use eco-friendly take out containers.
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Review from Jared O.
Hanford, CA
12/25/2010
Vegetarians and Carnivores alike, please support New Stars! I learned about this place a couple years ago. I'm in Hanford where the most popular restaurants are Denny's and Applebee's. So to learn that I could drive a short 40 minutes north to find a vegetarian restaurant, I was happy. But to find out the food was amazing, I was ecstatic! Everything on the menu is incredible. You must start out with the spring rolls, which (while easily duplicated at home) taste amazing with the peanut sauce. These are the raw/fresh variety, not the fried ones. Their diverse use of ingredients allow every dish to be unique and delicious. As a vegetarian, I'm not too much into making soy or vegetable-based products look and taste like meat, but if you're dining with someone who prefers meat, they will NOT taste or see the difference. Last I heard, they were on the brink of closing down. This place needs to stay open, folks! Skip the Cheesecake Factory or Olive Garden and dine here! It's for the casual diner and for a couple looking for a nicer, high-end experience.
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Review from andrew e.
Fresno, CA
9/5/2010
I like this place. I often take my mom here for lunch and we've always had good experiences. My faves are the Vietnamese sandwich which is something I really missed eating during my meat eating days. The fries are amazing as well as the BBQ chicken with mashed potatoes. My mom really likes the this salad that has vermicelli noodles and vegan beef. Though the texture is not like beef its definitely tasty. For appetizers I would definitely recommend the spring rolls. I personally stray away from the pot stickers since you can find better frozen alternatives, which they very well may be, from Whole Foods or Trader Joes. That and I prefer steamed pot stickers. Oh, and where else can you order a bottle of Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider? Thats just ridiculous! I originally thought they were wine bottles until my dad ordered it. The only downside to the restaurant is that it's fairly expensive which could be due to the location. The decor is nice and can be a little intimidating since the set up is more like a high end semi-casual restaurant, but the staff are really down to Earth. The hours also recently changed which makes it a little confusing as to what days and times they are open Other than that, the food is pretty good.
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Review from Veronica W.
Clovis, CA
2/8/2008
I think that this is the best restaurant in Fresno right now. The food is fresh and tastes fantastic. Everything is vegetarian, but anyone would like the food here. It is more of a fusion restaurant. They have some american selections on the menu, but there also seem to be some Thai/Asian inspired dishes. It really is the best!
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Review from neil o.
Fresno, CA
2/6/2008
great place. the pho and the spring rolls are ridiculously good, as are the other dishes we tried (been a while now).
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Review from N S.
Fresno, CA
10/30/2009
In Fresno this is as good as it gets. Very good food in a beautiful dining environment. Whether you are vegetarian or not these this is the kind of local business that we should be supporting.
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Review from nic p.
Fresno-High, CA
8/1/2009
The food here is really good. I have been to vegetarian restaurants all over California, mostly in the bay area and this place is one of the best. I have tried most of the menu and I have loved everything except their Pho was missing some flavor. They are slightly pricey but considering the neighborhood not bad, most dishes run about ten bucks or so. The caramelized chicken is amazing, the sauce is so good. The chef definitely knows how to make a good sauce and I have been here several times and the food is consistently good. The portions aren't huge, I usually eat the whole portion and leave full but I love having leftovers to take home and at this place I usually don't have any. It is super clean and the service is good. The decor is really nice, it is a good restaurant to have a moderately priced date night. They now offer a lunch salad bar buffet, I have yet to try it though.
