Red Star

Russell Bailey February 2, 2018

Scrumptious cuisine served at breakneck speed

Residing in the middle of Cowley Road is a gem of a noodle bar. Red Star offers piping hot, scrumptious, pan-Asian food, served at exceptional speed. It has fast become one of my favourite places to eat in this part of Oxford and so seemed the perfect destination to take a visiting sibling.

Upon arrival I knew exactly what I was going to have. One of the great meal choices available at Red Star is a Bento box (combing main, side and soup). With various Bento Boxes (including Teriyaki chicken, plum duck suace, and salmon unagi) on offer I went for a particular favourite of mine; chicken Katsu curry. This box contains rice, chicken katsu, and three gyoza (dumplings). In addition to this I had a side of Ebi Katsu, prawns covered in breadcrumbs. My fellow diner was somewhat overwhelmed by the choice (which impressed her) and after several minutes of pondering went for shredded pork crispy noodles and a side of vegetable spring rolls (is there a more classic side for noodles?)

Order placed, after the staff had given us plenty of time, seeming to know exactly when my sister had made up her mind, we were given just enough time to update each other on our lives (she: single, working with carnivores at a wildlife park; me: married, rambunctious daughter) before our food arrived, delightfully warm. The shredded pork was an enticing meal, a plentiful treat with the noodles cooked just right. The spring rolls were crispy and packed with filling, proving a fine complement to the main. The Bento box was outstanding, and I stand that the Katsu curry at Red Star is one of the best in Oxford. The chicken is mouth-watering and the sauce is heavenly, subtle in taste and not overwhelming to the rest of the meal. The Ebi Katsu are crunchy, an enjoyable addition to my meal, whilst the gyoza are fabulous. Simply put, the food at Red Star is fabulous.

As well as great food, Red Star is wonderfully speedy without being brisk or rushed, and the food comes out quickly without losing its freshness. We were fed and out the door in under an hour. It was the perfect restaurant to show my visiting sister how good the food is in Oxford. She wanted to highlight one more thing, which is the refreshing ice lemon tea she had. I will be back in Red Star very soon, no doubt dragging another family member along to try their scrumptious food.

For two drinks, two sides and two mains the meal cost £27.20.

Patrick Pawsey Vale June 4, 2013

I really like Red Star. It's fast, efficient, good-value and most of all tasty!

They are quick to provide take-aways, and always friendly and helpful when I've eaten in.

I recommend looking at the specials boards as there is often something really good on their - the special bento boxes are a good bet!

There is no fuss at Red Star - just nice food and good tea!

Patrick Pawsey Vale February 8, 2012

Red star has the best sweet chilli sauce I've ever tasted! Loads of chilli and still nicely sweet!
Mmmmmmm.

Daily Info Staff May 2, 2010

They are really careful with ingredients and when asked will use a gluten-free soya sauce. Staff are knoweldgeable and really friendly about allergies which is not always the way when you go out for food.

Red Star is a Chinese/Japanese/Thai restaurant on the Cowley Road. They offer an excellent choice for vegetarian and vegan diners.

Fairly decent food at average prices, the portions are a good size and the lunchtime offer with a soft drink is excellent value. Like so many restaurant/take-a-ways of its kind though, the venue is cramped and very much a place to eat for convenience over pleasure. I do have restaurants in this category that I prefer to eat in or take-a-way from, though to be honest I would not by choice eat in a venue that primarily feels like a take-a-way as this often does.

There are extra tables in the basement next to the toilets but the ground floor eating area is often crowded and in the evenings completely surrounded by diners waiting for a seat or waiting for a take-a-way. The space is simply too small, and in-turn not the most relaxed place to enjoy a meal.

The Beef Ho Fun is lovely and we tend not to be terribly adventurous as the few dishes we have chosen have been particularly good. I've seen numerous other people's food and never had food envy.

The service can be quite slow but usually friendly enough. Bottom line is that I come here because people I know love it, and rarely from my own choosing.

Service: 3/5
Value: 4/5
Venue: 1/5
Food: 4/5
Total: 12/20

BarntheBarn 21 May 2013

We're gluten-free and found the Red Star noodlebar on Cowley Road to be extremely helpful. The waitress went to the kitchen to doublecheck and then confidently directed us to which options were safe.

Olof 19 Jun 2012

We eat at the Red Star regularly (once a month or so) and love it. They are friendly, fast and reasonably priced. It's a great place to go with kids as the food is served so quickly and there's an excellent vege selection, too.

rep 23 Sep 2011

As a regular of Red Star for the past 3 years, I can't sing its praises enough. The staff are quick and efficient (which I think some sensitive people might regard as 'rude', as they don't bow and scrape when you leave them a tip), you can tell they are trying really hard to get your food to you as quickly as possible from the wok. They do a good job as all the food is hot & not soggy. Dishes are varied, and you soon find your favourites. All are great value for money. Chilli and garlic prawns, and chicken chilli ramen, mmmmmmm

Rich 5 Nov 2009

This a great value, fast and handy place to eat. The dishes can be a bit hit and miss but I can recommend all the ramen, char sui and bento boxes. The chilli squid, edamame and prawn starters are great too. The staff are always very efficient and fast, although you never feel particularly welcome as they never smile or thank you, even when you leave a tip.

Oxfordian 21 Aug 2009

We are 2 regular Red Star customers - it's our favourite restaurant in Oxford - why? ok here goes:

1 - good food - especially the beef ho fun, veg noodle soup, and the spring rolls, edamame, and the beef chilli soup. and also the chilli and garlic king prawns.
2 - Great staff - have a chat if you can with the staff as they rush around - they are all really friendly
3 - Price - it's great value!
4 - It's got real atmos

so overall it's a great place - highly recommended!!!!

Hussain & Jessica 4 Jan 2009

Rang Red Star on Monday to book a table for a large group. Was told that this would be fine.
Arrived at Red Star today at 12.30 to be told that no booking was made. However, they did accommodate our group downstairs with reluctance (which was snug and would no way of fitted 21 people as I was informed it would).

I always find the waiters/waitresses there quite rude and feel reluctant to leave a tip for the waitress/waiter service. But the food there is really nice. I had singpore me fun (55) today which was very tasty. The vegetables in the dish were really fresh.

Everyone within my group had a lovely meal and all commented on how fresh the food was. I also find Red Star good value as I always feel full up afterwards. Some of my group had the bento boxes which looked and smelt nice. I will visit Red Star again as it is speedy when you only have an hour for lunch.

lo 27 Feb 2008

I have never had an enjoyable experience when eating at the Red Star and after having given it several chances I am not planning on returning. On occasions the food has either been of a poor standard, not what I ordered or the waitresses have seemed downright rude. It might be cheap, but for the quality of service and food it is not good enough.

MC 21 Dec 2007

First visit to Red Star today (sunday lunchtime). Nice and friendly staff, quick service, good choice both food and drink and absolutely delicious - particularly the chilli and garlic chicken wings and chilli beef ramen-very good value for money. We are planning a quick return!!

thehotterthebetter 2 Dec 2007

I must admit that i've only eaten there once but that experience was enough to discourage me from a repeat visit.

The one positive thing was that the fries were really very good, garlic seasoned i think, the fried noodles were fairly bland but not bad, the whole meal was severely let down by the quite frankly grotty chicken used, there's nothing wrong with thigh meat, it's often more interesting than the overly white meat used but when it has a slightly green hue and mildly rancid overtones, that's ever so slightly too interesting for me.

I should probably try again at some point as the super hot chilli soup sounds intriguing and it's generally a bad idea to judge a place on the strength, or indeed weakness, of a single dish but i'll tend to go elsewhere myself.

OxEater 13 Aug 2007

Had the Chilli Chilli Chicken Ramen soup last night, finished it in 29 mins and had my photo taken by the waitress. My mug-shot now resides on the wall along with 15 or so other fool-hardy customers who were brave (or stupid) enough to have a go at their 30 minute challenge. I enjoy the spicy but aromatic Tom Yum Seafood Soup usually and thought the super spicy chicken broth would be pretty easy but it turned out to be one the most evil things I have ever eaten! The chilli just destroys any flavour there may have been in the soup and by the end it is more a case of just gritting your teeth (not that I could feel them at that point) and getting on with it.
Will be sticking to less fiery material next time.

Joe B 23 Jun 2007

I eat at Red Star a lot and think it's great. Good service, great atmos and friendly service. I highly recommend the Tom Yum Seafood Soup on the specials board, it's not for the faint hearted with its fiery chilli broth but the seafood is pretty good with squid, mussel and prawns always included. The chilli chips to start are a must, maybe with some of the duck spring rolls or the garlic shredded chicken from the specials or maybe the more-ish chicken satay.
There are 3 minor points I would say against Red Star however - look out for the sub-standard meat used in some dishes, particularly the chicken (but I suppose this makes it more authentic), the toilets were obviously a sad afterthought and perhaps the biggest point - Cafe Sojo. Overall, Red Star is a cool place to grab a bite with friends at any time of the week, and just as good at lunch times when you can get any dish for £5 or under. That's a deal

Joe B 7 Apr 2007

I ate in Red Star for the first time last Saturday after hearing wonderful reports from several people. I was not disappointed! We shared starters which were all delicious - edamame, seaweed duck rolls and gyoza. We then had the bento boxes, which are great value for money. Between us we had the teriyake chicken, sweet and sour and a duck one off the specials board. They all came with miso soup, rice or noodles, salad, spring rolls and a dip. All in all great value and I will definitely eat here again.

Vickers 3 Nov 2006

Ok, this place is my local and I basically live in it! The thing is with Red Star you need to know what’s good and what’s not so good. Sometimes it can be a bit hit and miss. You and your friends may come home raving about it or sometimes be left feeling a little disappointed.

The best dishes are:
Seaweed Duck Roles – An amazing starter! Little sushi, wrapped up duck with peppers and dipping sauce.
Egg Fried Rice- I’ve never tasted egg fried rice like it. I had no idea that something so standard could taste like this! Although the taste does seem to vary with what chief is in the kitchen.
Chilli Chicken or Beef Ramen- Very Spicy but the soup it comes in is so tasty. I wish they sold it in tins!
Pad Thai- My friend gets this every time he goes in, so it must be good.
‘Dry Stir fry ‘Beef Ho Fun- Really tender pieces of beef in ribbon noodles. Really tasty.
Chicken Chow Mein- Its quite light, not like the stodgy stuff you get from takeaways.

On the specials board they have loads of other orders, the vegetable curry with coconut rice and chilli chips are very nice. I am currently working myself down the specials board because they have recently changed it. N2 (a ramen with prawns & nuts) was amazing the 1st time I had it then I ordered it again because it was soooo good but it wasn’t the same the 2nd time. I think you have to have patience and dedication with this place and expect that sometimes you may not enjoy your meal as much as you did last week.
The meat in the dishes can be fatty and chewy, especially in the ramen, but this really shouldn’t put you off, because the dishes are worth it.

I really recommend this place, I’ve never had bad service and the food is delivered really fast. The prices are brilliant considering the large portions, I can only think of a few greedy friends that actually finish everything on their place, and by that time they find it hard to walk home because they’re so full!
It’s open at Lunch time and you can get anything that’s £5.50 or less with a soft drink.
In short, persevere: It’ll be worth it.

Sian 24 Mar 2006

Somewhere in between Chinese and Japanese cuisine. Very good chips with chilli on; but avoid the chicken - tired and rubbery when I had it. The vegetables do, however, taste delightfully of vegetables.

My boyfriend recommends the specials 'cos you get more, and my veggie friend says it's the only place in Oxford that does okra the way she likes it (non-slimy).

Good/average standard overall and fairly cheap.

LovePuppet 13 Jan 2006

Red Star certainly has a bit of a schizophrenic feel about it. It has only recently opened, replacing the (once all-vegetarian) Soundbite Café that used to exist between Polar Bear and Fred's on Cowley Road. The friend who told me about it described it as a 'new Japanese noodle bar'.

Well, it definitely borrows heavily from Wagamamma's, the Japanese noodle chain - the menu seem oddly familiar, in layout and in content. Starters range from gyozas (meat or vegetable grilled dumplings) to chilli and garlic chips to edamamé (some very special beans that the Japanese restaurant on Holywell Street is named after), all reasonably priced at around £2 - £3. Then the main courses are divided into soup ramen, rice dishes, fried ramen, and Red Star boxes a la Rice Box. My companion had deep-fried tofu (£2.50) with a main of battered veg with rice and curry sauce (£5.00); I opted for the chicken ramen special, with chicken soup ramen, 3 gyozas and a drink at £8.

However, Japanese it really isn't. The specials board all had Chinese, not Japanese translations, and the specials comprised many of prawn chow mein and lemon chicken. The Japanese named gyozas also just turned out to be Chinese grilled dumplings. My guess is that it does not really want to compete with Rice Box across the road. And to be honest, the price premium at Red Star isn't really worth it. The food was fair but variable; the battered veg were lovely and crisp, but the chicken in my ramen was overcooked, and the tofu dripping in oil. As regards to service, I would prefer to be shouted at at the Rice Box. The waitresses tried to be very courteous, but one of them couldn't really speak English, and as a result, my chicken ramen was 'forgotten', such that my eating partner had finished his meal by the time mine arrived. The pineapple juice I ordered also turned into an orange juice.

So my advice would be to stick to the cheap and cheerful. Red Star has really nice decor, with wood and lanterns all over the place. But at least with Rice Box you know exactly what you're getting.

Connie Kwok 11 May 2003

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