Star Snow Ice & Teriyaki

Simple little food court looking place. I love their pork chop over rice. It’s one of the juicer spot for pork chop. It had good bubble teas. I like their strawberry one.

Love the beef noodle soup and watermelon boba! This was the first place I ever had tapioca, so it has a good place in my heart and tummy

Great Taiwanese snack food. The ice shave with fruits and sweetened beans is great especially for Houston warm and humid weather.

A regular since 2008. Look, is it the best Taiwanese food? No. But is it good food? No; it’s great!
Food (⁵⁄₅). I’ve practically tried everything on their pretty conservative food menu. Their bobas are decent and shaved ice is good. No need to say more about those. However, my go-​to dishes are probably their spicy chicken nugget dish, beef noodle soup, miso noodle soup, and fried fish fillet. Their soy bean and seaweed, shredded pork ear, and fried tofu are great snack foods too. Their fried chicken nuggets are well seasoned, crispy, and tender. Beef noodle soup is on the light side in terms of flavor but a bang for your buck. Seriously, honest and good food.
Service (⁵⁄₅). The ladies make me feel at home. Super nice and super quick. It’s a fast-​casual joint, so there’s gonna be a lot of self-​service to water, dinnerware, and whatnot. Training is great. I mean there are a couple Hispanic ladies taking orders with superb speed and accuracy. In fact, I saw one of the Hispanic ladies training some new staff. Respect goes a long way and you could tell the owners treat their staff very well. Low turn over. I recognize at least 8 employees since I’ve found this place.
Major props to the owner (s) and employees there. Place can be a little cramped during peak hours, but bearable. Love the casual down-​to-​each ambiance and the food and service even more.

Oh who am I kidding? This is usually my first and last stop on any visit back to Houston, and I get cravings for their beef noodle soup, flat noodle soup, and shaved ice, ALL THE FREAKING TIME. Everything I’ve ever had here (and I’ve had a lot lol) is delicious and inexpensive. There’s a reason this place is so popular. I would give anything to have a Star Ice near me now.

Every time I tried to come they were always closed an hour before their closing time, idk but that was pretty annoying.
Other than that, when I finally got to try them, it was around 3pm on a weekday and their nuggets and fried squid are pretty good.

Food item: beef noodle soup 牛肉麵
Value? Yes
Taste? Yes
Sold! For $ 6 you can get a very filling and delicious bowl of beef noodle soup. Perfect on a rainy day because it comes out steaming hot!
The meat is cooked super well. It is tender and just falls apart, making your chewing job effortless. ;) Noodles were cooked well too, not soggy at all.

Came to this place a few times. I’m not a fan of their drinks. The person made my milk tea too watery and also my friends’ drinks too. So I never go get drinks here again. However, the drinks are cheap. I came again for their food and the food made up for the drinks. I got fried chicken with rice. The chicken was crispy and delicious. It was also a very large portion. It also came with rice which was soggy. Maybe they put too much water when they were cooking the rice. It also came with a sunny side up egg and veggies. There’s free tea and water. All of this is only $ 5.95 or $ 6. Pretty cheap for a good meal. Super stuffed afterward. I would recommend the food but not the drink.

The food here is amazing. The dishes are huge and they’re all cheap. Definitely try the fried squid if you just want a snack. The Spicy Chicken Nugget Dish is a good go to dish if you don’t know what you’re going to eat.
The drinks are also very good. They’re all generally $ 3 and if you want tapioca it’d cost an extra $.50. Definitely a good place to come and hang out with friends.

I literally get cravings for this place and this place only.
Every time I go here I ALWAYS make sure to get a to go. Their rice dishes are the best, and for the price it’s a freaking deal.
I’ve tried many things but the one thing I recommend over and over is the spicy chicken nugget dish. There’s enough food for two people! It has these awesome, spicy savory little crispy nuggets that takes up a tray the size of the ones you get in elementary schools– in other words, lots. The rice is good, not the nasty hard rice Chinese places like to charge you $ 5 for. This is good fluffy warm rice, topped with the PERFECT fried egg that’s still a bit oozy on the inside.
It also comes with some ground beef and a pickled condiment and some bok choy. So many good flavors in one meal. Served super hot so you know it’s fresh: D
To be fair it’s not as good after a few hours, and reheating it makes it loose it’s flavors but every time I come here and I don’t get it to go, I instantly regret :(
Did I mention it’s $ 6 for all of this?
The drinks suck there’s a lot more around this area that’s tons better. But they give you free hot barley tea which goes great with the meal! You can get as much as you like, it’s in the large metal containers where you pick up your orders.
Be warned there’s a $ 5 credit card minimum! You can get the chicken nuggets as a side too, but I think you get more if you order a meal.
This is NOT MCD chicken nuggets. This is more of tender hot bits of asian 5 spice super crispy nuggets :) The fried tofu has the same seasoning and is equally as good.
I’ve tried the beef noodle soup, it’s meh but the size is gigantic. The pork curry is good too but it doesn’t come with as much variety.
Everything here is huge, so don’t confuse cheap price to small portions. Food is one of the things done extremely well in Houston and this place is no exception. I’m notoriously picky with ratings, and this place earns all of it’s 5 stars, for good food, fast service, and great value.

Literally my favorite place to get boba. Prices are decent and if you’re feeling hungry, you can get one of their amazing lunches with a gigantic pork chop or chcicken steak. The food is cheap and delicious. The line can get long but it moves through pretty fast.

Wow! I noticed the last time I reviewed this place was 4 years ago! I’m sure I’ve been here since but it has been awhile. Was in the mood for the chicken curry tonight which is still as good as I remember! Very generous with their portions. This is really enough to feed two people! Of course I ate the whole thing! What’s nice is they have shaved ice and tapioca drinks here as well do you can just hang here most of the evening! The place is always busy and cheap too! Which I like! Their beef noodle soup is pretty decent from what I remember. Maybe next time I’ll try it. Located in Dun Huang Plaza you might have to drive around for a bit to find parking but it’s not too bad. My son likes the boba drinks which are their specialty. This place has been here for years! Highly recommended if you like rice plates! Very generous portions!

Pros: fried tofu, fried chicken, snow ice.
Cons: long lines, difficult to get a table, every surface here us either dirty or very sticky. Unfriendly staff. Ordering process is very rushed. Parking is a pain. I’m not sure if they accept credit cards or not? I feel like they’re always pressuring me to pay with cash. Why do I continue to come here? My friend likes the food.

Okay there are plenty of places to choose from when it comes to boba places on Bellaire/​Chinatown. But how about boba places that also offer delicious, authentic, and cheap Taiwanese/​Chinese food as well? Star Snow Ice is a great option!
I’ve been going to the other location for years, but I just visited this one because I was meeting some friends and the shopping center that this location is in is really lively and fun! The parking lot is a nightmare on the weekends because the shopping center is so busy, but just be patient and you’ll catch someone leaving.
When you walk in, you can look over the menu on the back wall. There are many food items for under $ 10 and although I’ve only tried the popcorn chicken, I looked at other tables and the food plates are HUGE. The popcorn chicken is perfectly crunchy and decently sized! We shared it amongst 4 people as a snack and each ordered a drink. Despite how busy they are, drinks are already made and ready for you before you even make it to the register to pay — such quick service!
I have to rave about their fruit smoothies/​shakes because they are one of the few places that use real fruits! The drinks are consistently good (comparing the other location and here– the drink I always order still tasted the same), so I am never disappointed.
They also have fresh fruit shaved ice desserts. Delicious!
This location does accept credit cards!

Currently my favorite place to grab tapioca drinks in Chinatown. I have tried the basic milk tea, pineapple with almond pudding, and passion fruit drink. You can’t go wrong with the tapioca milk tea. The other two however are too sweet for my taste. And I know because I can see them pouring 5 cups of sugar into the drink when making it. Oh and they use real fruits. Whaaa whaaat!
Another thing I like about here is the price. Most of their drinks are under $ 3 and price includes tapioca balls. I hate how most place charge you extra for tapioca. Seriously? It’s like charging me for wanting noodles in my Phở

Aw yiss I love star snow ice for cheap and satisfying Taiwanese fast food. They make the tastiest beef noodle soup I’ve had in Texas! Ambience is really casual and hip, attracting crowds of youngsters.
The beef noodle soup is definitely a good option, though the quality of the beef isn’t always consistent. The broth is fragrant with spices, the noodles are substantial, and the meat at its best is super tender. (At its worst, it’s near inedible with tough ligament). The fried chicken plate is really great too. The chicken is pretty amazing, very similar in taste to the popcorn chicken you get at boba places. It also comes with rice with meat sauce, bok Choy, and a couple cubes of their delicious fried tofu. I mean, you really can’t go wrong! All their options are tasty, fast, and cheap. The drinks are great too, and they’re always carting in loads of fresh fruit.
Star snow ice is yummy! Go go go here :)

My new favorite place for peach mango smoothie with light milk in it! I asked for it with light milk cause I don’t like my smoothies too milky! The bobas were chewy and semi-​sweet! I loved it! It reminds me of my favorite peach mango smoothie from my college days!
I love having the fresh fruits in it! I hate places that use purely syrups or powders. I am paying almost $ 5 per drink and prefer to have my drinks with freshness not artificial!
Definitely recommend this local joint behind the staircase lol.

AFFORDABLE CHINESE FOOD that tastes GREAT!
Fried fish combo: Typically I would order this entrée, because it’s healthier and lighter than the other main courses there. It comes with fried fish, white rice, steamed bok choy, minced & pickled cabbage, 2 – 3 fried tofu, sunny side up egg, and drizzles of teriyaki sauce over the fish. If you need more flavors, then you can ask them for some extra teriyaki sauce or use their soy sauce located at their self-​served condiment/​water/​tea station. The fried fish is actually pretty crispy if you eat it immediately.
Grilled pork chop combo: The pork chop is prepared on a sizzling plate that is brought out to the customer. The sizzling plate also has a sunny side up egg and some steamed carrots/​peas/​corn. It comes with a small house salad. You can choose either white rice or noodles. It comes with a small cup of their house teriyaki sauce that you can either pour it over the pork chop or dip your meat in it.
Fried chicken combo: This entrée will surely knock you out and give you a food coma. It comes with A HUGE piece of fried dark meat chicken and the same sides that the fried fish combo has.
Seafood noodle soup: The broth is very light and not as flavorful. However, the price is cheap so I’m fine with it. They usually give you a lot of noodles, a few pieces of seafood (shrimp, fish balls, squid, and fish cake), and a half hard boiled egg.
For the drinks, I would highly recommend the milk tea or the watermelon slush. The milk tea is not as creamy which is very suitable for me. They use fresh watermelon which is something I absolutely love. I HATE places that use powder for their fruity drinks.
Two-​thumbs up for this place!!!

My favorite Taiwanese place to grab a cheap and quick bite as well as their milk tea boba with pudding, love their fried pork that’s pretty enormous and deliciously battered with a heap of rice and veggies, get extra teriyaki sauce on the side as well…$ 3 for large milk tea with pudding, so good and refreshing and they make it quick
Need to come back and try the other dishes and drinks

Ok, one of my fave things is to drink milk tea and trying out different smoothies. This location was suggested to me by Prudence, daughter of the administrator for the office I consult so I decided to give it a try. I did not like their milk tea at all — it was TOO super sugary sweet… almost an extreme caramel profile I do not like in my milk tea.
I told my Prudence I was not impressed, and she said the smoothies are the best. I returned and noticed they have milkshakes/​floats so I decided to order the #14 Mango Strawberry Ice Cream Float… the little girl behind the counter did not understand what I was ordering at all even when I told her the number AND pointed it out to her on the menu… bad move on her part because one of the women started yelling at her really bad and scolded her. She turned to me and asked if I wanted the float and told her yes. Ok so the float was amazing; when I blended it together after a while, it was very reminiscent of a dreamscicle. I returned 3 other times, and this same little girl NEVER seems to know what I tell her eventhough it is the same thing each time and EACH time the same woman yells at her in her face… I feel kinda bad for her too…
I would give this a 5 star because the flavors are great, the drinks refreshing and the float idea is genius BUT I’m not a fan of their milk tea and I don’t like the yelling in front of the customers to scold one of your employees either.